Uphold precepts, but be merciful.
Gradually absorb, until there is no need for law.
Gain wisdom beyond right and wrong.
Deng Ming~Dao
What you see above is some Superwash BFL roving that I dyed up a month or so ago. The wind managed to grab a hold of the roving as it was drying and the rovings tore into strips, so I wound it all up and kept it. (yep….I get the sloppy seconds…)
When I look at the finished yarn, I can see all of the imperfections. I probably did not pay much attention to the first part of the spinning, but I know I paid very close attention to the second part, so what you see is kind of a mishmash of spinning.
A very dear friend who has a good eye towards perfection has been sharing what she has learned under Judith MacKenzie with a number of us. One of the things that Judith stresses is using your dominant hand to control the twist, which of course most of us do exactly the opposite.
In my mind, I wonder why it is that the majority of us sit down to a wheel and use the non dominant hand to control the twist. Why does that seem more natural? It has been a conundrum to me as i have thought about it over the last week. Of course, as a child I was left handed but forced to change in elementary school, so maybe that has something to do with it at least for me….who knows?
Normally I do not focus much thought on these things. As in the the Tao quote, I have always taught new spinnerst there is no right or wrong way to spin…..as long as you are comfortable, enjoying it and the end product is of good quality…..but I have to admit, I am intrigued by all of this talk.
Given that the wheel I use most of the time has the mother of all on the left side which prevents me from spinning to the left comfortably this becomes a hard thing for me to try, so on Moriah I will continue to spin to the right. I will however give it a try on my lendrum when I get around to pulling her out of her bag……just to see.
The yarn that I spun is going to become socks for Ken….it's been awhile since he has had some handknit socks, so it will be interesting for me to see how it knits up, imperfections an all. 🙂
The Woolen Rabbit 
Kim- I think what gives handspun it’s special qualities is the fact that it is imperfect.
That yarn will make amazing socks.
LikeLike
The “seconds” yarn is beautiful. I know what you mean about imperfections, but that looks like lovely yarn anyway.
I feel like I have better control of the drafting with my dominant hand. It seems like controlling the twist is just holding onto the yarn, whereas pulling and drafting requires more skill, and so I naturally use my dominant hand to do the more difficult task. I’ll have to try spinning the other way ’round and see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the tip!
LikeLike
The colors are just gorgeous, very fall. I was very interested to hear all this recent talk about the dominant hand because back in September I took my first ever spinning class and noticed I have my hands reverse of most folks. I’ve spent the past few weeks wondering if I had it backwards and if there was some reason to switch but I guess not.
LikeLike
The thing I’ve noticed about handspun is that those imperfections seem to disappear in the knitting process. That yarn will make wonderful socks for Ken.
LikeLike
Do what feels right. Perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be anyway. 😉
LikeLike
I think I do control the twist with my dominant hand. It’s been so long since I’ve spun any yarn though, so I had to think about it a while.
LikeLike
I’ve heard Judith say this, of course, in several classes, including the recent one at Rhinebeck. While I idolize the woman and her accomplishments, there are times when I have to remind myself that the rest of us are mere mortals! (She did take one look at the arthritic knuckles on my dominant hand and said “Carry on” with the non-dominant.) Strangely, when I spin using the Paula Simmons’ Spinning for Softness and Speed method, where it doesn’t really matter, I DO use my dominant hand. Oh, well.
LikeLike
Huh. I do spin “backwards”. I never realized it before. I don’t even know if I can do it the other way. I’m gonna try just for fun. That, my friend, is some GORGEOUS yarn however you spun it!
LikeLike
You are the only one who can see any imperfections in your yarn, or maybe, other spinners. Most people wouldn’t be able to see them. The yarn is very pretty. I wish I hadn’t sold my wheel!!!!!
LikeLike
Well, I guess I spin as Judith says to. Dominant hand forward. I think it stems from when Sheila Bosworth taught me how to spindle. She handed me the fiber in my left hand and I drafted with my right. When it came time to spinning on a wheel that’s what felt right- no pun intended. And I use my left hand to do the long-draw.I also turn my body a bit to the left too so I can better see the twist in my single.
Your handspun is awesome and will make wonderful socks.
LikeLike
I can’t see the imperfections in that yarn.
I have been asking myself why over and over…and not coming up with any reasonable answer. You were made to switch? Then I think your left hand is the hand that should be forward IF you want to follow the JMM-gospel.
In the end (as my experiementing continues) it all comes down to what makes sense for each person. A Norm Hall would make switching verra verra hard. And probably not worth it. Judith usually qualified whatever she said that was controversial with this: “Do it the way I’m talking about, unless you have a good reason to do it another way.” That says it all.
LikeLike
I think your yarn is beautiful with all it’s intricacies and character. That is something that commercial yarn and “perfect” yarns lack. Your yarn is like your personality – there is no other like it!
I spin with a hand spindle and spin with either hand controlling the twist, depending upon whether I want a z-twist or an s-twist. I never knew there was a “proper way” to spin, other than creating a yarn that doesn’t disintegrate when plied or otherwise stressed.
LikeLike
I think you do beautiful work!
LikeLike
I use my dominant hand to control twist but I think that’s an accident of being left handed and having learned to spin from a book. Most things I mentally reverse the “hold in right hand” to really use my left and and vice versa. For whatever reason, probably because I was having enough trouble coordinating the feet with that whole drafting business that I gave up that right for left shift and took the directions as is. I hold the fiber in my right and control twist with my much smarter left hand. I can take that pretty left flyer wheel off your hands 😉
LikeLike