What Do You Make with Your Handspun?

I’ve been excited and curious about many crafts lately besides knitting, I want to learn everything about them, and if they have anything to do with fiber or cloth I want to spin for them.

Handspun, handwoven, sachet.

The two that are big on my radar are embroidery and weaving. Other crafts that are jumping up and down trying to get my attention are sewing, punch needle, and watercolor.

I want to be more methodical about some more than others. With embroidery I’m just jumping in, buying some gorgeous preprinted patterns to stitch, and every once in a while I’ll spin some yarn and stitch with it for part of the pattern.

Weaving is a different story. There is so much to know it’s almost paralyzing to me.

I want to read books, weave with commercial yarn and then spin and weave some more. I’m hunting for a local floor loom class too. Liz Gipson has got me covered for rigid heddle.

When I am unsure about something I can use research as a procrastination technique. I’m doing that with weaving right now. It’s a good one too, because I’m learning in my head, but I’m not making that connection to my hands, so when I finally sit down to weave I get frustrated because it’s not perfect or easy like it is in my head.

For me it always comes back to making the yarn. I don’t just want to make and embellish different types of cloth, I want to make the right yarn for the project I have in mind. I’m so curious about the different yarn constructions that behave the best for different crafts and cloth, Yarnitecture for everything. Even sewing. I want to make Sonya Philip’s perfect patterns, but really, not so deep down, I’m dying to spin and weave the yardage.

What do you use your handspun for besides knitting?