Yes, you read that post title right, I have finally entered the world of handspun yarn. I’ve been wanting to get into handspinning for a long time now, after seeing so many knitters create beautiful, one-of-a-kind yarns, but didn’t have the money to buy a spinning wheel. Then a few weeks ago, I found out that you can spin your own yarn without a spinning wheel, using a small device called a “spindle.” It’s basically a hand-held wooden dowel with a round piece and a hook attached, weighing anywhere from half an ounce to 3 ounces. The lighter the spindle, the thinner the yarn you can create.
I was able to acquire two spindles (one top whorl, one bottom whorl), some fiber and a getting started book from someone on Ravelry a few weeks ago and started trying to figure it out. Of course, I was making it a lot harder than it actually is in the beginning, and after a forage for YouTube videos and countless hours of scouring the web, I started to figure out how to use the thing. Or so I thought.

My first yarn turned out okay. I had the basic mechanics down, but I still needed to learn the finer techniques. My first yarn came out to be a very uneven, slubby, glorious 11 yards, which barely made a cowl when supplemented with another yarn. But I’m still very proud of it.
Then I went to visit my friend who got me kick-started into spinning who was able to borrow a wheel for us to practice on. Thank goodness for her because I was much more lost than I thought. After showing me better techniques on how to prepare the fiber for spinning, called drafting, I have become much better on the spindle, as you can see in the picture below:
And, and, I was able to try out the wheel. One word: LOVE! I’m in love with the wheel, which I had no doubt would happen, so I’m saving up every dime I can in order to buy one. I have my eye on a nice, portable, folding one that will be more practical for someone with tight living quarters (if you can call a spinning wheel practical, that is, but I digress).
So now, not only will I have a yarn stash, but I will have a fiber stash as well.