Several posts back,.. I took all of you on a visual walk with Sophie and I. I showed you the grounds, the farm animals that live here and the soft, fluffy cotton left on the roadside by the cotton haulers during harvest.
Ginny, at Gingerbreads Househttp://gingerbreadshouse.blogspot.com/ left a comment saying that she would gather all of that cotton up and spin something out of it. If you haven't met Ginny, hop on over to say hi. I promise you... you will think she walked right out of the pages of a history book! 
Because of her comment, Sophie and I went out to the cotton field where there was still so much cotton left behind on stalks. I pulled a little, went home and spun a little with my fingers as you see here.
I emailed Ginny these pictures and asked her advice on my "spinning " technique. This email led to many late night "email talks" about farm life, the art of spinning and family. It seems Ginny and I are kindred spirits. {: I mailed Ginny a box of Texas cotton and she worked her fingers to the bone just to clean the seeds and hulls from it. She also told me in her emails about dying wool using walnut shells and prickly pear cactus.
Imagine my surprise when I went to the post office and found a box from Ginny waiting for me. Inside was this beautiful mohair wool dyed by Ginny......
as well as this hand spinning tool with the beautiful spun yarn on it!!! My heart just stopped right there. What a generous heart Ginny has to send me this treasure. Now I will need every one's advice on hand spinning.... I will be visiting your blogs as well as those of you who offer wool from your sheep to spin! This tool has opened a whole new world of hand work for me. I won't give up my embroidery work.... that is my passion.... but I have a lot of acres for raising sheep.... and now a good reason to indulge in such a dream... well, for now that is what it will remain. {: So for all of you.... any advice and resources would be a wonderful help.. I can't wait to hear from you. Please stop by and say hi to Ginny... she would love to hear from you as well.
9 comments:
What an exciting new adventure for you - I'm not so adept with my fingers but with your embroidery experience I bet you'll be spinning lovely yarns in no time. You might also consider some of the "hair" goats instead of sheep - mohair goats were once a huge cash producer in texas. I'm prejudiced about goats though!
The colors are gorgeous! I can't wait to see what you do with them.
The yarn is so pretty. Thanks for the link to Ginny's blog. Isn't it wonderful to have the internet to make all these connections?
What a lovely surprise from Ginny! I bet the wheels are just a spinnin' in your head now.
I'm so happy that I have given you a little joy in your life...I hope you will continue enjoying the hobby of spinning...Ginny
Wow! I've never actually tried to spin cotton with my fingers. That is so neat. I love the colors! I hope you will enjoy your new hobby!
Kathleen, that yarn is lovely. How sweet of Ginny to send you that surprise in the mail. She has a wonderful blog and a heart of gold. I've been visiting her there for a while now. What fun for you to try something new! :D
Oh, wow! I can't believe I'm reading this. I just spent the weekend with my parents. On the drive to their house (they live in a town called San Angelo, way out in the middle of nowhere) we passed dozens of fields full of stripped cotton and I thought it was a shame that so much was left on the stalk in some of the fields. My husband (who grew up on a cotton farm in the panhandle of Texas) explained to me why that happens. Anyway, then we got into a conversation about whether the remaining cotton could be hand carded and spun into thread like wool. I visited a plantation in Louisiana once and watched wool spun and woven. My husband thought I was nuts and told me about how tough the cotton stalk was and how I'd cut my hands to pieces. But look at you! I can't believe it. I'm so excited to watch your progress! How fun.I hope you keep us posted.
how cool! I would love to learn to spin... :]
Post a Comment