It has certainly been the right weather to be snuggled up to a warm fire enjoying the ambiance of a group of like-minded individuals as they honed their craft skills. Denuded sheep and alpacas may express a different opinion, but just the second instalment of a spinning class held at Knick Knackery last week was deemed a great success in its endeavour to bring community members together in a common pursuit.
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Fortunately it was last year’s fleece being spun by around a dozen local ladies, although some were still on their ‘P’ plates, honing their treadling skills before taking on anything more advanced. One of these was Nola Wilson whose second-hand spinning wheel had served as more of a decorative piece before she brought it along to the workshop, to be informed she’d unknowingly bought a good one.
Another group member Jan Bowlay is an old hand, having learned to spin at New England Grammar School 40 years ago.
“It took me weeks and weeks to learn it, and then it just clicked,” she said.
She’s been spinning ever since, and finds it quite therapeutic.
“I have been known to drop off…, ” she admitted.
Many of the participants bring along their own equipment but some spare wheels are now also available for those who would like to try their hand. A small number of spinners used to meet at the Uniting Church Hall on a Friday but the move to Knick Knackery has proved very successful.
“It’s a very social occasion, and it’s very warm here,” spinner and alpaca breeder Margaret Whitten said.
Her 34 alpacas are shorn in September, so they’re currently carrying thick coats to keep out the wintry blasts roaring through the district on Friday. Alpaca fleece lacks the lanolin that sheep fleece is known for, and Mrs Whitten breeds for fineness and comfort factor.
She said generally only the saddle area of the fleece is used for spinning, and she does her own carding before the tufts of fleece are fed into the spinning wheel.
Mrs Bowlay prefers to spin sheep fleece, but she and fellow spinner Pauline Vidler came up with a list of substances that can be spun that extended to angora, silk, cotton and even dog hair, as well as blends of any two or more. The resulting yarn can be fine in texture or knobbly and full of ‘character’, and of course can then be turned into a multitude of items. Some of the items produced can now be found at Knick Knackery.
The group convenes on Fridays from 10am to around 1pm, with participants welcome to come and go as they please. The fee of a couple of dollars includes morning tea, a warm fire and lots of company.
“It’s great to congregate and talk,” Mrs Whitten said.
“It’s like our own Men’s Shed.”
Men, nevertheless, are welcome to participate, at this and any of a number of similar craft sessions getting up and running at the premises.
