Saturday, March 18, 2023

Aah, Cotton

It has been awhile since I have spun on the Lendrum spinning wheel.

My notes read: "11/20/22 Thurs 1123. Changed to empty bobbin. Started spinning on Upland Cotton - lovely and easy." 

Easy?

 


Okay, so this evening I sat at the wheel for over an hour and, yes, it became easier after:

my hands remembered how to manipulate the silky soft fiber to make a strong thread,

my feet remembered the rhythm of treadling - slow to draft the sliver out and then faster to add twist and tighten the single,

I stopped breaking the thread from too much twist or having it drift apart from too little twist.

I used the colored cotton for relearning and then transitioned back to the white Upland cotton when muscle memory kicked in and my spinning became easier.

Aah, I had forgotten what a joy it is to spin cotton on the Lendrum.