The weather this past weekend at Fiber Frolic was pretty uncooperative. Although we thought Saturday would be a total loss, the sun made an appearance, the rain stopped, and we peeled off layers of clothing and rain gear. Sunday was marked by rain and periods of slightly less rain. Fiberholics come out in any weather; it just doesn't matter. These people are determined and that's why they're called fiberholics.
I teach a lot of classes but I learned something this weekend. On Saturday morning I taught Spinning 101. Five women learned how to make yarn using a spinning wheel. This can be a frustrating experience for some as it's like nothing else you've ever tried to do previously. One woman had been watching her sister spin for years but had never tried it herself. I learned that it is possible to learn spinning by osmosis. Once I showed her the proper hand motions she was spinning terrific yarn within about 15 minutes. It was really fun to watch the transition from observer to spinner happen.
On Sunday afternoon, I taught another Drop Spindling class. I teach the park and draft method in baby steps. After about 2 hours, I invite the new spinners to finally stand up, drop their spindles, and make their yarn with what they've learned. Yesterday however, one of my students eagerly jumped up after about 20 minutes and started spinning away and making really fine and consistent yarn. It does a teacher's heart good.
