Spinning Hamster Studios

Patience and Laughter Today, I began another spinning lesson. As with all of my sessions, I've discovered that both the teacher AND the student learn from each lesson. It's such a wonderful, organic process! While this beautiful lady has her eyes and heart set on my gorgeous cherry Schacht Matchless (shown here), she is learning on a Bluebonnet Honeybee.  I've discovered that this first lesson is always filled with anticipation and nerves, on both our parts. The student thinks, "What will this teacher make me do? Will I be spinning right away? Does my wheel work? Can I do it? How does she make it look so easy?" The teacher thinks, "How fast will this student treadle? Will she have the patience that is required? Will I be able to teach her? Will she devote the time and enjoy the process?" When designing any of my lessons, crafting or music, I am always reminded of when my oldest son brought his first violin home from school. I thought he would be excited ...

The Spinning Hamster Has Exciting News! I have been totally neglectful with my blog writing. Given the choice of spinning, knitting, or writing, I've clearly chosen the first two more often in the past several years. That changes today ... with a special announcement for Spinning Hamster Productions!       Starting in May, you can now schedule time with the Spinning Hamster to learn more about the following crafts: -- spinning fiber with a spinning wheel -- spinning fiber with a drop spindle -- knitting  -- crocheting   Spinning Fiber on a Spinning Wheel -- Wheel basics -- Getting started with your wheel -- My tips for successful spinning your first fiber -- pre-drafting, joins, music, humor -- Plying your first yarn  -- Chain-ply -- my favorite plying technique -- Niddy noddy -- your friend to winding and measuring your yarn -- Tips for finishing your beautiful new yarn -- 1:1 troubleshooting *While having your own spinning wheel is a plus, it is not neces...

Wait!   I need a WHAT once I finish plying? A niddy noddy? What on earth?! There are soooooooo many to choose from ... BUT ... the creative side is heavily leaning toward making my own!   https://gamercrafting.com/make-a-niddy-noddy-for-cheap/ Of course, I'll have to make mine bigger than sample size, but it doesn't look too tough, right? Right? Stay tuned ...SimplyNotable has a great idea ... I love the copper! Stay tuned!

Ready to ply! It's really interesting (to me, anyway) to see my progression. Bottom left: Oldest, after a couple misses and one that LOOSELY resembled the appearance of a yarn. (My son loves it!) Middle bottom: Next oldest. I'm quite tickled with this one, as the fibers are short and broke apart if manipulated too much or too strongly. Bottom right: I had stopped spinning for several months to make wonderful family memories. This was my first attempt back, which was just a week ago, give or take a few days. Top left: Completed this week while my little guy battled illness. No homeschool lessons plus one worried Mom equaled time devoted to my wheel. It's the same fiber as the one on the bottom left, only thinner. Yay! Top right: the same fiber as the bottom right, just different color. I am very tickled! Since I'm now officially out of bobbins, I must put on my big girl pants and learn to ply. Decisions, decisions! Which to pair together and ...

Spinning HAMsters is here! All things knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, sewing, soaping, ham radio, photography, music, family values, writing ... basically, whatever tickles the author’s funny bone ... may appear here. Here’s to a fun, refreshing, and uplifting page that spins a lot of stories!