Foothills Spinners and Weavers

We had a great meeting for “Spin in Public Day”!   We learned how to spin using alternative methods – a twig with a branch notch at the top can be rolled on your leg as you draft the fiber.  It uses pretty much the same techniques that you would use with a Navajo spindle.

Another rather rustic method we learned was how to spin with a rock.   This predates both the spinning wheel and the drop spindle.      Basically, you find a small rock, lay a stick on top….wrap a bit of wool around it and use the stick to “secure” the fiber (much like is down with the hook or notch on a drop spindle) and then spin the rock and use it like a drop spindle while you draft.   Once you’re spun enough to wrap, you simply wrap the wool around the rock.   I know….photos would help, but I forgot to take them!

I did however get a brief movie of using the Charka.    This tool is especially useful when spinning cotton.  Sharon’s Charka is lovely….it’s a Bosworth.   What a gorgeous “wheel”!

Another member had one of the sock looms “fully loaded” with a sock.   I’ve seen these in the shops….and just had to have one myself, but I had no idea if they really worked or not.  It was amazing!   You really CAN make a sock using a loom!



I spent the remainder of the day rug hooking at the Reston Library – one of the local guilds was having an impromptu “hook-in”.