I watched a woman make hand spun yarn.

My daughter’s second grade class went on a field trip to a little village, where they practice old trades. I accompanied the class as a chaperone. The villagers demonstrated the arts of blacksmithing, quilting, candle making, weaving, basket making, and spinning. I am an avid knitter, so watching
hand spun yarn being made was very interesting to me. The yarn that I use is manufactured and pre-packaged into a skein by a machine. I buy a skein of yarn at the store, grab my knitting needles, and start working on a project. Before companies started making mass amounts of synthetic yarn in factories, spinning yarn was the only way to obtain it. After watching the villagers, I realize how much work is involved, and I appreciate the hand-knitted items that have been handed down through my family over the generations so much more. A lot of time was put into spinning the yarn before the actual project could even be started.

November 21, 2007 | Filed Under Shopping