For the last nine months or so, I have been focusing my time on spinning yarn (and spells, I am the Stitch Witch, you know!) I took up spinning yarn as a way to meditate, relax and create in a new way. For me spinning is somewhat of a metaphor for uniting the past and the future to create the NOW. When I hand-spin yarn at the wheel I pull out bits of fiber (this to me represents material from the PAST which includes the creation, the nutrition, the experiences, the skills, knowledge, talents and qualities inherit in the fiber and in life) . I then add energy to that fiber through the treadling and spinning of the wheel to draw in the twist. The fiber goes from being loose, weak and ephemeral to being strong and functional. It moves from the draft (the NOW) unto the bobbin as a “potential” (the FUTURE). What it is to become is still just a dream. It is complete in the now and yet holds the possibility of becoming something so much greater through the art of knitting, crochet or weaving. Spinning keeps me focused and in the moment. I also like to put forth prayers (spells) as I spin. Yesterday I reflected on this question….
As we enter 2018 I wonder “why can’t we all just get along?” as Rodney King asked back in 1992, it still seems to be as relevant a question as ever. The Republicans and Democrats becoming so extreme on both ends of the spectrum hold no hope of finding middle ground. The #metoo movement has left men and women wondering if they can ever find the trust needed to heal the wounds of past abuses. Even in my everyday relationships I’ve experienced disharmony when there is a lack of listening in a spirit of cooperation and a teamwork approach.
And so yesterday I spun a spell. Lavender, like the pink and blue of divine feminine and masculine coming together in Divine Unity. Like bi-partisan red and blue joining forces to become purple. Like a soft fine merino wool coiled around a strong core of cotton. Soft and strong coming together to make something much more functional, beautiful and lasting. When I spin with a core I let one of the “singles” ply loosely around the other. For this yarn I also added in coils (the bumps in the yarn where the coil is “bundled”) which took advantage of the thick/thin wool single that I had spun previously. The core cotton single was a yarn from my stash.
Lavender like a pale version of the Pantone Color of 2018: Ultra-violet. Coincidence? No, more like synchronicity!
If you would like to follow more of my spinning adventures, follow pamelapenneytextiles on Instagram. I will also be adding my hand-spun yarns to my Etsy Shop very soon…..go HERE!
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