16 Feb 18'
"I purchased a spinning wheel a while ago, waxed and assembled it, but could not get the hang of spinning despite many attempts and watching numerous YouTube How-To’s. Before frustration set in I searched for a course/tutor to give me a hands-on workshop. I found Paivi on Craft Courses and after looking at her website felt inspired by her creativity and range of skills and so booked the Beginner’s Workshop.
I took along my own wheel as I wanted someone with experience to check that it was set up correctly. Paivi made some adjustments; explaining why the wheel would work better with some simple technical tweaks.
Paivi introduced spinning very gradually; demonstrating herself then patiently watching me as I got to grips with the basics. Paivi’s knowledge of fleece and spinning meant that she could break the process down into smaller, manageable steps that slowly built up to spinning fleece. She offered explanations for what was happening; if the tension needed adjusting etc. as I worked.
Paivi has a wonderful, well-stocked workshop not just for spinning but for dyeing and weaving too – this led to many interesting conversations.
By the end of the workshop I had experienced a variety of wool – each having quite a different ‘feel’. I came away with a bag of things to try/practice with and feeling I had ‘made friends’ with my spinning wheel! Thank you Paivi!"