Sefton - A Killer Stitch

I want to thank Shirley Ellsworth, the multitalented and enthusiastic owner of Lambspun of Colorado yarn shop in Fort Collins for letting me sit in on several of her spinning classes. Watching beginning spinners try to master the wheel and listening to Shirleys patient instruction were both enjoyable and educational. And thank you, Shirley, for inviting me to accompany you to the spinners retreat, SOAR, in Lake Tahoe, California.

Thanks also to all the spinners I encountered at Lambspun and elsewhere who willingly answered all my questions. Sitting with the spinners is always a treat for me, whether Im chatting with them or simply knitting quietly beside them.

And thanks to Mark Sloniker, the marvelous jazz pianist at Jays Bistro in Fort Collins, Coloradowhere the martinis are icy and the jazz is hot.

Thats it, Megan, keep it up. Do a little bit and send it in, a little bit and send it in, the pretty, dark-haired instructor said as she hovered over her student.

Kelly Flynn watched her friend, Megan Schmidt, frown in concentration as she fed the fluffy pink wool onto the spinning wheels constantly turning bobbin. Slowly the pink wool slid between Megans fingers, changing from soft and fluffy to a neatly twisted strand of pink yarn, winding around and around the maple wood bobbin.

How am I doing, Lucy? another spinner asked, focusing on the indigo blue wool feeding onto her wheel.

Lucy Adair moved beside the neighboring spinner who was struggling with the fleece in her lap. Instead of the smooth, slow motion Megan was managing, this spinners fingers moved in fits and starts. Consequently, there was less blue yarn accumulating on the bobbin of her spinning wheel.

Relax, Ellen, Lucy coached as she leaned over the wheel, her straight brown hair falling in a curtain beside her face. Let me draft some more of the fleece for you. Reaching into Ellens lap, Lucy gently pulled sections of the blue fleece apart, stretching the fibers into what spinners called batten or roving. Now, loosen your fingers a little, so the twist will form smoothly. Not too much. If your fingers open too much, the twist jumps right through and winds the roving.

To her surprise, Kelly watched the yarn do exactly that. The twisted strand feeding onto the wheel seemed to bend back on itself, and then the fluffy roving in Ellens lap started twisting. Imagine that, Kelly thought in amazement. Jumping yarn twists. Who would have thought?

Ohhhh, noooo! Ellen wailed, as her fluffy pile curled up like a garden snake.

Ellen loosened her fingers completely then, and the docile yarn snake suddenly writhed and twisted into a misshapen blue mass of fiber.

Dont worry. We all do that when we start, Lucy said, her soft voice reassuring as her hand stopped the turning wheel. Its hard to remember to keep our fingers and our feet moving at the same time.

Youre telling me, another spinner grumbled from her spot farther down the classroom. Im never going to finish this pile. I cannot get my hands and feet to work together. Whats wrong with me?

Nothing at all, Anne, Lucy said as she expertly unwound the blue fibers in Ellens lap. It takes a while to get the rhythm of moving your feet and your hands at the same speed. If your fingers slow down and your feet speed up, then the yarn will get overtwisted and start to corkscrew.

Like this, Ellen complained as she helped Lucy loosen the misshapen mass.

There, now, Lucy said, handing the wool back to Ellen. Youll want to draft some more before you try again.

Ellen gently pulled the blue fibers apart, stretching the twisted pile into roving once more. Okay, three times is the charm, I hope.

Youll get it, dont worry, Lucy said with a smile, giving Ellen a pat on the shoulder. Youre all doing wonderfully well for your first lesson. Just remember, keep your hands and feet moving together. If your fingers stop moving, those feet better stop right away. She gave a little laugh.

Boy, its a good thing Im not one of your students, Lucy, Kelly said as she leaned back into her chair and swirled the last of the coffee in her ever-present mug. I would never get it. I swear I wouldnt. That yarn would twist so fast, itd wrap all of us in a knot.

Stop that, Kelly, Megan chided. Dont make me laugh while Im spinning.

Im not trying to be funny, Kelly said after she drained her coffee. Id screw up the wool so badly, the spinning wheel would break. And Burt would never speak to me again.

Why wouldnt I speak to you, Kelly? Have you been messing with my spinning wheel? Burt spoke from the classroom doorway that led into Kellys favorite knitting shop, House of Lambspun.

Kelly turned to see Burt Palmer, retired cop and now spinner par excellence, grinning as he carried a huge bag of multicolored fleeces into the adjacent room.