The best thing
“The best thing for being sad…is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails.”
                                          T. H. White  The Once and Future King
This is one of our mother’s favorite quotes, and now and then it runs through my mind like a mantra.
With this in mind, then, I decided to “learn” a new wool this evening. This is the Suffolk lambswool that was given to me by my friend John last summer. I washed all the wool over the summer, and it’s been sitting in a big bag upstairs in the stash since then, patiently awaiting my attention.
It has a pretty short staple, too short to comb on the 5-pitch combs, so I’m using my double pitch handheld combs here.
                                           Laying the fiber on the comb.
                             First pass with the comb.
                                       Second pass.
                                           Third pass.
                                          Fourth and final pass.
                                         Starting to pull the sliver off the combs.
                                            Pulling the last of the fiber off the combs. The very short ends are left behind on the comb.
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                                              Spinning.
Perhaps if I can learn enough new things, this sadness too shall pass away. Â
January 10th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Thank you for that excellent tutorial. You have a good photographer. The wool is lovely, and I have no doubt that you will create something divine for it.
I wish I could take your sadness away, but I know life isn’t that simple. So I wish you learning for your mind, wool for your fingers and peace for your soul.
January 11th, 2007 at 6:08 am
How nice to find someone quoting TH White. An unhappy man who produced so much lightness and kindness in his writing. Do you know Sidney Smith’s advice to Lady Georgiana Morpeth on avoiding low spirits? I have often found it helpful, not necessarily because of the advice, but because of what it reveals about him, his suffering, and his wish to help someone else avoid it. The one I would add to the list is, Don’t cry in the bath.
January 11th, 2007 at 8:51 am
I’m very sorry that you have been feeling sad. I hope that you will feel more lighthearted soon. Winter can be rather demoralizing in and of itself, but at least it is a good time to spin and knit and to learn new techniques.
But even though it may have been written in a less than optimal mood, I love this post. Very nice photographs and an interesting process that I was ignorant of until now.
And I agree with Helen about the T.H. White quote, etc. Well said, Helen!
I hope you feel better soon, Sarah!
January 11th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Sorry you’re sad, Sarah! Sadness surely seems to come and go. My grandmother’s advice for feeling sad is to do something anonymously purely to help someone else. That seems to work pretty well too 😉
I’m still resisting spinning! Even with lovely photographs!
January 11th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I’m sorry you’re sad. It horrible to feel so bad, but I hope it helps you to know that there will be an end to the sadness, whatever the cause. Sometimes the only thing that gets me through the sadness it a poster I had when I was a teen. It was a picture of a kitten hanging from the end of a rope. It said “Hang on, Friday’s coming!” But I always think of it as “When you’ve reached the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!” Sometimes I hang for what seems like forever. I hope you hang on too!
January 11th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Ach, sadness… Hope things get better, Sarah. At least you’ve created something inspiring with it; this post is a great tutorial, and the fiber looks wonderful. I recently got several lbs. of a Suffolk X fleece from a friend, to spin for sock yarn, so I found it very timely. I have no combs; I’ll be using ye old ‘improvisational’ flick method with a dog slicker brush. [g] But I figure studying your photos will give me some points to think about while I experiment to find what works best. So there, you’ve not only learned something new, but passed along some help. Thanks! ::hugs::
January 15th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
*Hugs!*