It's a long and winding road for me to get to Sheep Street. But the drive is worth it.
Sheep Street Fibers offers gads...
and gads...
and gads of drop dead gorgeous yarn in every color and variation.
They also offer stunning natural colored yarn (my personal favorite) spun from their own flock of 100 Shetland sheep.
But I wasn't there to shop. I was there to spin. And spin I did. Tim and Nancy started us out slow and taught us about the history of spinning as we practiced spinning using a drop spindle. Then they sent us home with lots of homework. It was later that night that the a-ha moment happened for me and it all started coming together.
The next morning we had to turn our homework in for Pirate, the resident spinning supervisor, to inspect. If he found it satisfactory only then were we allowed to play with the spinning wheels.
Being able to sit and try all the various wheels they sell through their shop was invaluable. I certainly would have chosen the wrong wheel for myself had I not had this opportunity. Of course now I have my heart set on the Schacht Matchless which ain't cheap. I'll be selling a slightly used kidney on e-bay this week if anybody needs one...
All in all it was a wonderful, fun experience. It was nice to sit there spinning away and look up and watch the sheep grazing in the pasture just outside the window. If you're ever in the area I'd highly recommend you stop by and pay a visit to
Sheep Street, they're good people with good products and good service. Doesn't get much better than that.
Sheep Street Fibers offers gads...
and gads...
and gads of drop dead gorgeous yarn in every color and variation.
They also offer stunning natural colored yarn (my personal favorite) spun from their own flock of 100 Shetland sheep.
But I wasn't there to shop. I was there to spin. And spin I did. Tim and Nancy started us out slow and taught us about the history of spinning as we practiced spinning using a drop spindle. Then they sent us home with lots of homework. It was later that night that the a-ha moment happened for me and it all started coming together.
The next morning we had to turn our homework in for Pirate, the resident spinning supervisor, to inspect. If he found it satisfactory only then were we allowed to play with the spinning wheels.
Being able to sit and try all the various wheels they sell through their shop was invaluable. I certainly would have chosen the wrong wheel for myself had I not had this opportunity. Of course now I have my heart set on the Schacht Matchless which ain't cheap. I'll be selling a slightly used kidney on e-bay this week if anybody needs one...
All in all it was a wonderful, fun experience. It was nice to sit there spinning away and look up and watch the sheep grazing in the pasture just outside the window. If you're ever in the area I'd highly recommend you stop by and pay a visit to Sheep Street, they're good people with good products and good service. Doesn't get much better than that.
5 comments:
Well, you're way ahead of me; I've never learned to use a spindle. I did get to try a Matchless; it was the second of a friend's wheels I got to try, but I didn't know a thing and it didn't cooperate at all. Later, when I tried the used Louet I bought, I thought, "I can DO this!"
This post just reminded me that my dad bought a wooden spinning wheel (purportedly to spin something into yarn) when I was a teen. My mom must have thought he was crazy. The spinning wheel sat in our livingroom for a few years, never having one fiber pass through it. My brother and I played with it, pumping the "pedal." It eventually broke and was given away.
Now, 30 years later, I wonder 'bout my dad - he must've had another side to him. (He died in 1996.) I wonder what that spinning wheel was all about.
Wow! Looks like a great shop! Wish I lived closer! I love my Matchless and I got it 2nd hand. They are out there! I got mine from a lady who was upgrading to the cherry anniversary edition.
I've gotta ask. What does a spinning wheel sell for? Is it akin to buying a new sewing machine or a new car? Is spinning cheaper than blacksmithing or vice versa?
This is so neat. I want to spin my own yarn. Heck, I want to pull out some of the store bought stuff I have stashed away.
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