My last class at SAW was Learn/Start to Spindle with Denny Mcmillan. This class was only a half day but Denny did a really thorough job teaching the rudimentary as well as touching on the advanced methods of spindling. The other really great thing Denny did- other than bringing incredible positivity and admirable patience even though this was her 5th time teaching the class in two days- was bring examples of different spindles she'd collected through the years, yarn she'd spun via spindle, as well as finished objects made from spindle yarn.
Beginning: Denny set us up with a very sturdy spindle, some fluffy white fiber, and some beautiful, soft dyed fiber. I was glad to have arrived early so I could scope out my favorite of the dyed fibers and claim it as my own. She provided some great background information on fleeces, selecting fleeces, washing fleeces, etc; she also covered the basics of fiber texture. She then had us "draft" the white fiber and spin without dropping the spindle. After "mastering" (or at least practicing) spinning without dropping the spindle, she showed us how to spin by dropping it. This portion of the class was the longest.
Middle: We took a break from spindling with the white fiber and Denny reviewed the other spindles she'd brought, the yarn on each, and admired the finished objects made from yarn spun via spindle.
End: We switched to the dyed fiber, drafted and drop spindled. Denny did a admirable job helping all of us and spent a great deal of time with those who needed or asked for it. She was very kind and patient.
Wrap-up: I felt I learned to spindle proficiently in Denny's class; honestly, though, I can't really see myself spending any time doing this soon. Perhaps I am too saturated with crafts at this point. I've tucked my spindle and fiber away for one of those days when I'm inspired to try something new.
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