Rain Daisy Handspinning

I bought my first spindle in 1998 along with a booklet called something generic like "How to Spin" and a pound of wool, half red and half blue.  For days I wrestled with that horrible red and blue wool and the unclear instructions in that book, and somehow I managed to produce yarn.  Now I have half a dozen different spindles, from a featherweight tahkli support spindle to a custom-made six-ounce drop spindle, but mostly I spin using my beautiful Kromski Symphony spinning wheel.  I'm a juried member of Appalachian Arts, and I'm also a member of the Tennessee Valley Handspinners Guild.

Check out my essay in the spring 2007 Spin-Off magazine!

For now I only have a few pieces to display on this site, but I'll be adding more soon along with patterns and tips for using a spindle and spinning wheel.   Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about anything you see here or if you're interested in commissioning a piece.

My Gallery Instructions
Yarn spun from different fibers
Knit pieces
Crochet pieces
Works in progress
Using a tahkli spindle/spinning cat fur
Using a drum carder
Directions for using a crazy daisy yarn winder

A Few Outside Links:

All Fiber Arts
HJS Studio --has excellent information about washing and preparing wool

Demonstrating spinning at Appalachian Arts, April 2005.  It was about 45-50 degrees that day although it doesn't look it; I kept having to go inside and warm my hands up. Here's a picture of my Kromski Symphony.  It's a Saxony type wheel, double drive although it does have a Scotch tensioning system I can install instead.  The drive band is hemp and the footmen are tied to the treadles with leather bands, so while this is a new wheel it does have a traditional look.

It's only been about a century since the spinning wheel and spindle became decorations rather than everyday items for most people.  Indeed, in many cultures spinning is still a required daily activity, needed to produce the yarn and thread to make new garments.  It takes a lot of yarn to make one outfit, and to get that yarn a lot of labor is required--shearing the sheep (or other animal), preparing the fiber, and spinning and then plying the yarn.  When I spin I feel a connection to spinners today as well as to my own ancestors, mostly women, who spun constantly to keep their families clothed.  --Katherine Shaw, 2005

Page updated 30 March 2007.