I’ve been spinning and selling my handspun for more than a year now and I’ve never formally learned how to spin. With Art Yarn, imperfections add a bit of excitement to the skeins, and it certainly makes them fun and surprising to knit and crochet.

The flawed fibre makes every skein of yarn unique. I’ve allowed myself the pleasure of discovering the characters of each different type of wool, roving and carded batts. I’ve let the texture sink into my hands. I’m really proud of things that I have created, but always twigging in the back of my mind was….

“what about the basics”?

….This is a legitimate question coming from someone who will dive from the high dive before checking the pool for water. That kamikaze approach seems to have worked for me for most things. Or what I also refer to as pulling stuff out of my butt…

Not good enough. Place des Arts was just in process of starting a new term and I met Irene at the guild meeting where she mentioned the course. I was hooked, and also in a bit of hero workship (pun intended), Irene is an amazing teacher.

Bundled up in the rain, sporting my best hand knits, and with all the enthusiasm I could muster for a 7:30 am commute to the burbs, I headed out.

I am absolutely thrilled because today Irene reintroduced me to wool. It’s a relationship I was taking for granted. We are now in an early old style courtship phase, the wool and I. I will not blow this relationship by trying to get to third base on the first date.

Yes, it will be a long courtship, but this relationship is a keeper and deserves the best me I can put forward.

My new love. I shall call her “Crimpy”.

And here she is after just a bit of teasing….

And now on to the carders for some delicate combing.

And finally, after our first encounter, a little batch of rolags.

I will be spinning this today. I know it’s not going to look great, but I don’t care. I will drown myself in the warm wonderful feeling of discovering this fibre from the ground up.

Gotta run!