The Journey

This journey begins today. I am relatively new to the fiber world. I have been crocheting since November 2005 and spinning & knitting since November 2006. I taught myself to crochet because the mortality of my parents hit me and I realized I had taken that for granted every time my mom would attempt to teach me to crochet. I wanted to share something with her and crocheting seemed to be the right thing. Little did I know that decision would lead me spiraling downward into the depths of YAS (yarn acquisition syndrome).

In one of my many on-line searches for glorious yarn, I happened upon a flyer for the 3rd Annual Florida Fiber-In. I thought to myself, what a great excuse to buy yarn! So, I went. As funny as this may sound, I would honestly have to say this decision changed my life. The main reason I wanted to go to the Fiber-In - aside from yarn - was to take a tatting class. The class was interesting and I did learn a little, but it is what happened after the class that made the impact. I must note this was in September 2006, so I was not knitting at this point. As a matter of fact, I was the only one in the room that was crocheting - everyone else was either knitting or spinning….What was that? Spinning. Yes, I said spinning – the real, ages old technique of turning fiber into yarn.

This is where the real story begins. There were several ladies there with their spinning wheels and still more with their drop spindles. I was fascinated to say the least. I was enthralled. I was captivated. Just the thought of feeling the fiber slide through my fingers made me feel giddy (okay, so maybe this is overstating it a little, but none the less). I met a lady who said she would be willing to teach me to spin with a drop spindle, so I gave her my number before I left. Unfortunately, she never called. This was a huge blow to me because I am very shy and it took so much for me to even go to the Fiber-In alone. Regardless, thanks to the powers of EBay, I bought a couple of inexpensive spindles and a little roving. When the little treasures arrived, I had absolutely, positively no idea what do with them, so they sat and sat and sat.

While browsing the internet for websites on how to use the spindles, I happened upon a flyer for another festival. This time it was for Pioneer Days in Brooksville. The flyer mentioned there would be some spinning demonstrations. So, I (somehow) convinced my DH to go to Brooksville on the first Saturday in November. This is where I met Jody and Melody – both sitting at their spinning wheels. They seemed more than happy to talk about their craft and to share some of the projects they had made with their handspun yarns. After sensing I was sincerely interested in learning to spin, Jody told me about a group of knitters and spinners – Orlando Area Knitters and Spinners (OAKS) – that meet weekly. She said there was a lady there who would be more than willing to teach me to use my spindles. Facing my fears of new people, I went to the next meeting. I have never met people quite like this. They were all so friendly and so willing to teach and so willing to help.

Let’s just say this brings us to the present….Well, not quite. With the ever patient guidance from the members of this group, I learned to use the spindle. The natural progression is from spindle to spinning wheel. My DH bought a Lendrum DT folding wheel for me - Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday! More of the ever patient guidance from the group has allowed me to learn to use the wheel with ease….Okay, so this brings us to the present! So now, not only do I have YAS, I have FAS (Fiber Acquisition Syndrome). From what I understand these are both incurable and are running rampant in the OAKS group because of those we call “The Enablers”.