On not giving a yes or no response...

Someone asked, in response to a photo I posted of some cotton I was in the process of spinning: is cotton hard to spin?

As a teacher of spinning and as someone who loves to follow my curiosity, the question intrigued me. Maybe the questioner is making idle conversation and doesn't want a thoughtful answer. Maybe she means: if you say it's easy, I'll be emboldened to try it, or will she think, why bother if any fool can do it? If I say it's easy will she just jump in and then get frustrated if she finds that it doesn't conform to
her expectations of "easy"?

What does "easy" mean? Does it mean that she'll be able to spin hundreds of yards of "perfect" yarn in half an hour?

If I say it's hard, will she give up before trying or will she think it's a challenge to try because others find it hard? Maybe in trying, will a conversational door be opened...
What are the characteristics of this fiber?
What is the staple length and optimum way to spin it?
What ways has it been spun in the past and with what tools?
Might I spin for the joy of it and to explore this unique fiber, the way it behaves when I draft it one way or another with different spindles and/or wheels? 
Is there one cotton fiber or are there many cottons?
Would I be making particular use of the spun fiber?
What does the spun fiber act like when it's spun thin or thick? How does it differ when left as a singles, plied with another singles, 3 ply, 4 or more plies, a cabled yarn?

What does "hard to spin" mean?
That only a few people who've ever attempted it have succeeded?
That it will take years of practice and preparation before I'll be able to do it?
That I will have to put my body through a rigorous training program to develop the muscles and stamina to do it?
That I'll have to endanger my welfare to obtain the materials and tools and maybe end up in financial and spiritual ruin?
That there will be a panel of judges who will scrutinize every length of fiber I've spun and determine whether I'm allowed to continue?
That I will have to spin in secret and if found, the penalty is death?
That there is nowhere to go for guidance and instruction, and I'll be left foundering in the dark - that 10 years from now, I'll be discovered in a cave babbling incoherently about spinning cotton?

Why the question anyway? Why would we let someone else's determination of whether something is "hard" or "easy" be a factor in whether we attempt something? So, I don't know - do you want someone other than you to determine your experience of life or do you want to keep diving in when something piques your curiosity? Do you want to make your own unique life, full of experiences that amuse, enrich and challenge you, develop areas of your mind and soul that make you into you?

Again, maybe it's just idle conversation and doesn't merit anything other than an idle response. So...do you have some cotton fiber and a spindle? No, it's not hard to spin.

Art Yarn, Revisited

The question of the week seems to be, "Can one make art yarn with spindles?" My response takes up more than a couple of sentences, so I'm posting here where I can wander a bit.


If you want a simple answer, that answer is yes. You can leave now to continue your stumbling in the dark. If you'd like to explore a bit deeper, read on and/or continue searching within yourself for the aspects of you that generated the question.

Here's a way that I start to think about the question...

First - if you are wondering if something can be done, why isn't your response to simply try and then observe the results. If you have asked a question, doesn't it seem that there is desire to know/explore an area? If you asked the question in a public forum and people responded, no it can't be done, would you not bother to try? Why would you accept someone else's answers?

In an area such as spinning, it's not like there are huge mistakes that can be made (these days.) No one will die if you try to spin a yarn and it doesn't work out the way you envisioned. You don't have to make a huge financial investment to try spinning what you're thinking about. You invest your time and then you know whether it can be done by you (at this time) or if you need more knowledge and/or need to find a teacher.

My second thought is - do you know what you are actually asking about? "Can one make art yarn with spindles?" What does the term "art yarn" mean to you? How do you define the term? I ask, because I have never seen a definition that satisfies me, that differentiates "yarn" and "art yarn" in any meaningful way. (I have written about this topic before.) Is there a reason for making these distinctions? For me there isn't. Often, calling one's yarn an "art yarn" seems to be done to cater to those who have a superficial understanding of creating/spinning in the hopes of making more money from the product and/or purporting to have a level of experience that one might not actually have.

I would say that I can make all kinds of yarns on spindles and wheels and I also teach others to do so. Candace Crockett, Mabel Ross and Diane Varney have all written excellent books on spinning and have shown techniques for manipulating fibers in creative ways. One can adapt these techniques for use with spindles and wheels.

These techniques are kind of a paint by number approach. After learning technique - what to do with your hands and what to do with the fibers and tools - what's next? Maybe one continues to refine technique, seeing how these techniques play out using different fibers, creating different weight yarns. This, in itself, could occupy a lifetime's worth of fun and experimenting. There are so many variations on types of yarn that can be created that one could be amused forever.

Depending on personality, needs, desires, technique explorations might be enough for an individual. For others, maybe one starts to be entranced by a different aspect - the expressive potential of spun fibers, an exploration of the extremes - how far can one push a technique or quality? Maybe beauty, ugliness, the embodying of the sensual play a role in developing one's yarns. Maybe portraying that which is beyond words is attractive to an individual. (And much much more...)

If one is attracted to any of the aspects mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are ways of interacting with them. One can look outside to what others have done. Why anyone would emulate or try to copy other peoples expressions is beyond me. Each of us has our own song, and singing anothers song, appropriating their work, can lead one away from one's self. If one wants to live on the surface of life and/or is happy to try to live someone else's life other than her/his own, maybe it will be a sufficient amusement.

Another way is to create from one's deep self, from one's experience of being on the Earth in this, our individual body in this time/space. That goes far beyond technique, and is an interaction that can tap into the most sacred of spaces, into all that humanity has explored and is currently exploring - experiences that fuel our most important human stories, our interactions with all the spirits of the Earth and our souls. One can learn so much by creating in this way, by allowing experiences to manifest themselves in spun fiber, to allow this fiber to be a holder of knowledge and energy.

Can the above be taught? I think that if that is the way one lives one's life, seeing each task and day as potentially sacred, the yarns that one creates will be a reflection of this. A teacher can help you to access these places in yourself, can point out some things that you might not have noticed and the possible significance for you.

So what's with the term "Art Yarn"?

Art Yarns/Slightly edited from a talk I was asked to give to a spinning guild a couple of years ago.

OK, so what is “art yarn”? As I mentioned earlier, I think it’s a loaded phrase. I don’t generally use the term. I don't really see the point of these categories and pigeon holes in life or yarn.

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus among spinners of the definition. Many who spin say they "know them when they see them.” What they are NOT, though, is beginner yarns or mistake yarns, (although I think beginners can also make boundary expanding yarn.)

The “Art Yarn” term has been used in a few different ways.

1. To describe yarn that didn’t turn out the way one expected—“mistake yarn”. It’s sometimes used to make newer spinners feel good about their yarn. Often, people seem to imply that those making some of the wilder yarns don’t have the skills to make “traditional” yarns, which is usually not the case.


2. Yarn that incorporates a lot of doodads, "less traditional" materials—sometimes it’s implied by critics that the yarn is less good, because, in their eyes, it can’t be used. Of course, people do use it for any number of things. Sometimes, these yarns require a very creative approach to working with them. If one knows only how to follow patterns, it might be a challenge to imagine how to use them. (A number of books exist that show you how to create with a pattern free/yarn specific approach.)

Here’s how I would distinguish the term—it’s yarn that is created intentionally, with a knowledge of what fibers can do and the desire to expand the visual, tactile, and sculptural capacities of yarn. It’s yarn that comes from life experience and is transformed into a physical form. It can be pure art, to exist on its own and/or can be transformed again by someone who uses it to weave, knit, crochet, net with—the possibilities are endless. (And I think it's also often created in a "no intention"/play state of mind.)

As far as I can tell, there’s always been yarn that expanded upon the possibilities of a simple single. Maybe the first “art yarn” was born when some Neolithic spinner saw a slub in her yarn and said, “Screw it—I like it!”. There are beautiful examples of inventiveness from the Incas. They incorporated feathers into their yarns and designed some yarns so that certain decorative effects would occur when they were plaited. In earlier times, there was much greater variety of yarn created than is created in current times. Weavers demanded them!

A number of spinning books from the the 70’s in the U.S. show examples of experimental yarns, addressing the idea that spinning for any length of time would lead one to ask “what if…"? So, in some ways, these yarns that are perceived as less traditional could be seen as belonging to a long tradition.

Many online fora allow opportunities for creating variety in yarns. Over the past 7 - 8 years, you’d have been able to find a lot of experimenting in the following: Live Journal—Fiber Friday community, Crafster forums, The Yarn Museum, Etsy forums and lately, Ravelry. A number of these groups use themes and games to encourage play. Some take off points have been creatures from popular culture, people and cultures from the past, books. So the idea would be to spin your version of Dr. Seuss, your secret crush, the word “celestial”, the idea of a shipwreck, Madonna, Africa...

My personal themes and inspirations have been things like imaginary creatures, spirituality, and films. Sometimes I’ve just wanted to express joy or anger, make a yarn portrait of one of my cats or I’m attracted to a certain fiber and want to see what will happen to it if I spin it in a new way.


Some sources for inspiring materials: fiber festivals, online retailers, thrift shops, antique shows, button and fabric shops.

Some techniques to play with: plying, wrapping, coils, boucle, adding beads, combining materials, multiple plies, corespinning, made up/in the moment techniques.

Some sources to work off of: colors (they can provoke such emotional responses), personal interests, landscape, anything that engages ANY of your senses. What is experimental and inspiring to YOU? Working with different fibers, trying a new technique, portray something in a yarn...

Considerations: it might be helpful to NOT think of the use to which a yarn will be put, maybe think less about the structural integrity of a yarn while in experimental phase. Keep an open mind and create with a sense of play.

Capacities of wheels—orifices and hooks can be considerations. But you can be plenty experimental on any wheel! You might have to be a bit more patient to deal with hooks. Spindles have fewer limitations as far as orifice and hooks. Work within your own wheel’s capacity to experiment. Yarns needn’t be spun, but can be created in many other ways.

Finishing yarns: I like to make yarns that will withstand most uses I’ll put them to. I skein, wash and store them as any other yarn I make.

My hope is that we can allow all kinds of yarns to be and that we can appreciate them for whatever qualities they have. And we can appreciate the makers of all the various kinds of yarn, too!

Originally given as talk to spinners who were curious about "art yarns". Posting this now because of some recent discussions with other spinners~

Spinning Classes + more

A few classes that I'm teaching. (grrr...my website can't be updated at the moment, so I'm telling you here).

Art on a Stick/Art Yarns
(For beginners and advanced - you'll learn to spin yarn and this class will have an experimental focus/outlook. You can keep it simple or get as crazy as you want.)
Learn to spin funky, artful yarns on a spindle. Start with spindle basics, then explore different fibers and how they can be used to create offbeat yarns. If you have tried spindles before, try them again in a playful environment with an artist who has created yarns of every imaginable type.
Sunday, 1–5pm, April 11, 2010 (at The Eliot School, Boston, MA)
Register here
Note: Please register by 3PM, Friday April 9.
The Eliot School doesn't handle registrations after that point. If you want to register after that time, either email me (lindaATstoneleafmoon.com) or just show up, prepared to pay for class (cash or money order).

Crazy Quilts
For ages, people have combined leftover fabrics into crazy quilts, making beautiful assemblages embellished with embroidery. In this workshop, you will complete either a ten-inch square that you can incorporate into a larger quilt at home or a small child-size quilt.
(taught at The Eliot School, Boston, MA)
2 Sundays, 1–5pm, April 25 & May 2, 2010
Register here

9.11.10 Spinning Silk On Spindles
open to beginners and advanced
9.12.10 The Textility of The Fiber College Environs
Details on the above classes soon - they will be held at Fiber College in Maine, USA

(holiday) gifts of learning

I love sharing my interests, and teaching is one way to do that. When people get together over shared enthusiasms and start to play and experiment, I can pretty much guarantee that it's going to be a great day.

On that note, if you or someone you know is interested in learning, I'm teaching a couple of spinning workshops and one crazy quilt session in Boston this Spring. If you want to give someone a gift certificate for the classes, email me (stoneleafmoonATgmail.com), and I'll send a nice card to let them know about your gift. If you want to register, you can find links below. Thanks!

Workshops:
Beginning spinning on spindles
Sunday, 1–5pm, March 28, 2010 (at The Eliot School, Boston/JP)/register

Art on a Stick/Art Yarns
This one is all about creating experimental yarns, using spindles to do so.
Sunday, 1–5pm, April 11, 2010 (at The Eliot School, Boston/JP)/

Crazy Quilts
2 Sundays, 1–5pm, April 25 & May 2, 2010
(at The Eliot School, Boston/JP)/register

play

This was something I wrote a while back...and today seemed like a good time to share it :)
























Play

The very word "spinning" embodies fun, doesn't it? Add whorl/whirl, and the idea is magnified further. So playing and games, it would seem, are central to spinning. In making yarns off the beaten path, play is a good place to start. New spinners as well as spinners who've refined their skills to make the fine yarns that they require for their particular needs both ask in workshops, "Can I use anything in a yarn?"

Why not! So where to begin? Some possible starting points:
1. Release preconceptions about what "yarn" is.
2. Let go of ideas about "use", if only temporarily.
3. Adopt an exploratory mode/attitude.

If it's too challenging to do all of the above, try thinking of soup. Soup can be hot, cold, meatless, creamy, thick with veggies - you get the idea. In the kitchen, there are no restrictions. In play, it's more fun when restrictions are loosened. It's easier to let the rules relax a bit when one wants to create something new or unexpected and it's also easier to create freely when one relaxes the rules.

Next, you are going in search of ingredients. No toy store, notions counter or grocery aisle is safe. You will look with new eyes upon cones of thrift store thread, spices from the Indian grocery store, most anything with a hole in it (for stringing), and anything that's even vaguely pliable. Search out the exotic, the "unsuitable" and "ruined" fibers at festivals for the purposes of experimentation.

You will bring your treasures back to your wheel and spindle and begin to play. What if I made a yarn that is a self - portrait, a yarn that could take over the world, a yarn that was a poem?

What unique combination of fibers could I card, what string could I wrap, ply or use as a base? What elements from my treasure hunt will help me express my vision? So what if nobody else ever made a yarn like this? So what if I can't imagine knitting, crocheting or weaving with it? Maybe somebody else can! Perhaps it stands alone as art. Maybe it will turn out to be a pet...

If you want to try plying with fourteen threads, adding crocheted flowers, felt strips, plastic toys or tomatoes, let no one else tell you that you can't. Be your own guide. This is your own spinning laboratory.

If you want to learn the basics of spinning before you delve into the unknown, have patience and search out accurate information. Test it - see if it works for you. If you prefer to dive in and start experimenting with artistic interpretations of yarn, do that. If you tune into your own intuition and pay attention, you will learn how to create yarns that teach you all that you're trying to learn, including techniques known or perhaps unimagined before you thought of them.

Following your sense of curiosity and creative hunches, you will keep your spinning heart (and spinning as an art) alive and you will grace the world with expressions of your time on earth.


copyright Linda Scharf 2009

More Fiber College

a fortuitous sign...a spider has spun her beautiful web just outside my classroom door~
we offer our own tributes...
i can't figure this format out tonite, so enjoy more images here!

cashmere vs. mere cash

or...i could be here awhile!

a couple of things stand out to me this week. one is that i'm doing my usual schizo spinning. i spin some big mufti skein, and then...whoa, i'm spinning something that has about 5 bazillion yards in a skein.
and the other thing, also curiously involving the bobbin of white-ish stuff, is that, while spinning it, there is something that i see out of the corner of my eye: a spool of thread purchased recently. (note tag) now the bobbin i'm spinning has silk noil, mongolian lambswool/silk, cashmere, silk/cashmere mix, tussah silk and alpaca, and has taken many hours. the "final sale $1.50" tag keeps niggling at me. does anybody know what goes into this spinning thing?