For starters, spring has felt oddly kind to me this year. Despite the nagging cough I have from the inescapable pollen in the air, nothing compares to watching life quite literally bloom before my eyes these days.
Our lake out back is finally starting to look more lively! It is by far my most favorite part about spring- and my morning bird watching ritual has become even more important to me over the weeks. Nothing beats rubbing sleep from my eyes while I watch two very loud, angry Geese duke it out over 30 yards worth of “personal space”.
(My point is that it’s been twice now I’ve witnessed stuntman level moves involving them literally deep-diving, full body submersed beneath the lake surface- all to avoid being decked by their opponent’s feral palmated feet flying at them at warp speed. It’s so impressive, I’m not gonna lie lol)
Aside from angry birds though…. I think I’ve finally shed my wintery gloom-n-doom mindset in the wake of longer, warmer days. I’ve noticed even myself blooming a bit more into my newest work at the moment; I’ve fallen so astray from my usual knitting and crochet habits that I don’t feel even a little bit guilty about this new fixation anymore, whatsoever.
Simply… spinning yarn.
It has consumed me… so, so deeply.
If you haven’t been able to tell, it’s my newest trick that i’ve been practicing these past 5 months, and have come to truly obsess over. I’ve learned that it’s one thing to create something beautiful out of yarn… but it scratches my brain even BETTER when I can make the yarn itself too. Together? That combo of homespun and handmade feels insanely unbeatable to me.
While I love both knitting and crochet, it’s fair to say everyone comes to learn that those skills take time and patience in order to find yourself at the finish line of any project. They are not instant-gratification type adventures; they require close eyes and care put into the stitches before you’re rewarded with something beautiful.
Of course spinning yarn requires those same exact qualities too- it’s been 5 entire months like I mentioned, but now I feel way more comfortable compared to when I first touched some fiber with my very first drop spindle.
My favorite fiber to use so far has been Cheviot wool. It has such an airy fluff to it that I finally feel comfortable with leaving my single-spun bobbins alone; prior to this past week I’ve been so unsure about the integrity of my spins, I never felt confident unless I did some sort of plying after the fact. I love a good ply, don’t get me wrong, but single spun yarn has such an adorable charm of handmade goodness that I’ve completely given in to the fascination with it.
Right now I like to source most of my fiber through Ebay and Revolution Fibers, who by the way is the sweetest group of people! While Ebay fulfills my needs for secondhand finds, sustainable trading, and digital thrifting- RF has the cleanest roving I’ve ever used by far. Bare minimum vegetable matter, fibers are perfectly combed, and barely ever do I deal with any tangles or knubs while drafting.
(As a bonus too…. I partner with them. If you’re also ever looking for some solid fiber… you can use my code KNOTTYLUX for free shipping :) you already know I love a good coupon for free shipping. It is such a clutch opportunity that I’m so thankful for, and I mean it genuinely.)
I’m hoping that I can bust out a couple more large skeins before I decided on a drop date in the future. I’ve not been feeling rushed either with how enjoyable everything has been lately, which is a nice feeling compared to how the shorter days prior to spring had me feeling as if I was on a constant time-crunch against myself.
All that’s left for the rest of March is to plan for April’s new beginnings, and maybe finally cave in on buying a real niddy-noddy this paycheck. (A girl can only use a large piece of cardboard for so long before she snaps and loses it LOL.)
I hope March has been as kind to you as it has been for me! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I maintain an easy going schedule between wanting to spin, knit, crochet, post to IG, and blog all at once- but I consider this piece being published a pretty good start for now.
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Thank you so much for reading!
Here are some extra resources before I go-
Use code KNOTTYLUX for free shipping on your next order at Revolution Fibers!
You can check out my hand spun yarns here.
Looking for patterns too? I've got a few!
Instagram: knottylux
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