The Spinner's Story

How It Started

I bought a second-hand table loom in 2012, thinking I'd weave scarves. The loom arrived with a warped heddle frame and a bag of roving that the previous owner had thrown in. I never fixed the loom. Instead, I ordered a drop spindle off eBay and started spinning that bag of fibre into yarn.

That first yarn was terrible. Lumpy, over-twisted, and about three metres long. But I was completely hooked. Within six months I'd bought a proper wheel (a second-hand Ashford Traveller) and was spinning every evening after the kids went to bed.

The Workshop

I spin in a converted outbuilding on our smallholding, about halfway between Brigg and Barton-upon-Humber. It's not glamorous. There's a wood burner, a lot of fibre storage, and two wheels. On a clear day I can see the sheep from my main wheel, which is a Schacht Matchless I bought in 2018. It's the best piece of equipment I own.

How I Work

Everything here is done by hand. I card or comb the fibre myself, spin it on the wheel, dye it in small batches on the hob, and wind it by hand. A single 100g skein takes me about two hours from start to finish, not counting drying time.

I'm not trying to make it faster. The whole reason I do this is the making. The repetitive motion of drafting fibre, the hum of the wheel, the slow transformation of fluff into something useful. Rushing would defeat the purpose entirely.

Selling

I sell at Brigg Farmers' Market on the first Saturday of each month, and at the Barton Craft Fair quarterly. Occasionally I have stock in a couple of local shops. For specific commissions or custom colours, just send me an email and we can work something out.

I also run occasional spinning workshops for beginners. They're informal, just me and a few people in the workshop with a cup of tea and some fibre. If you're interested, drop me a line.