pam austin's spinning school
I am never happier than when sharing my love of spinning and all things woolly.
My forte is long draw spinning, although I teach all methods. I was
professionally taught in 1980s and have never stopped learning and sharing my
skills ever since. My new book 'Hand spinning - essential technical and creative
skills', is the only one in the world that explains long draw spinning at length
and in easily accessible detail. It’s fun, fast, satisfying, and the way
spinning used to be done before industrial production took over. Hand spinning
is not about mimicking commercial yarn; it is about creating your own unique,
signature, yarn. Yarn that is fit for the purpose and bears the name of the
person who made it. Yarn made in your choice of fibre, using your chosen
spinning method, in colours and textures that will put joy into your life. And
that is only the beginning... further joys of knitting, weaving or decoration
await. However, there is no reason why spinners can't just hang up their yarn
for the pure pleasure of seeing it. Unlike a framed painting though, you do more
than look at yarn to admire it. You need to touch it, grasp it, dig your fingers
in, smell it, feel the sensuous warmth against your face.... As I say, hand
spinning transcends the commonplace - my aim is to help and inspire people to
discover this for themselves. If you are interested in learning how to spin,
visit my spinning lessons page for more information.
