I remember being very young and standing in Jeanne's living room trying to spin something on a drop spindle. I hated it. I couldn't tell you what fiber I was trying to spin, or the type of wood spindle, but I do remember the warmth and eclectic collection of knits, quilts and lovely textiles that cradled me in her living room. The feeling that I learned to expect when in a knitter or weaver's home. I recall standing near the bay window and probably wanting to do anything but trying to spin yarn on an overcast day.
I can buy yarn that's already spun, why would I want to spin it? And thus was my attitude for the next 20-odd years until I saw Sarah C. Swett spinning coffee filters into yarn, weaving them and posting it to Instagram. (More on her spinning fun things HERE).
Last summer I started rinsing and drying my used coffee filters. My husband woke up to coffee filters drying on the back porch and around the kitchen and didn't say a word, he probably thought "well, Jenny's up to something" and moved along with his morning. I didn't have a plan at this point, but I figured if I was going to spin coffee filters, I'd need more than a few. I don't know what it is about being able to make something that is already used up into yarn, but when I feel like playing, I just go for it.
I did check out my local yarn shop for drop spindles, and they have some, just the basic Turkish spindle, and it just wasn't that...pretty. I've found with my textile tools, I'm more apt to enjoy to process when the tool I'm using is beautiful. I decided that the Convergence Conference Marketplace would probably be the place to find a pretty drop spindle.
Eugene Textiles Center's booth had a collection of used drop spindles. A number of the ones I was eyeing on the first day were already gone by the time I decided to purchase on the second day. Clara and I were meeting for lunch at the Marketplace and she had just taken a class around creating roving and I thought she might know what "whorl" or weight of drop spindle I may need. Ultimately we decided it probably didn't matter at this point and I picked out a pretty top whirl burl wood spindle.
It's a tool I've never used before (except the one, maybe a few attempts as a child) and I am now captivated at the beauty in it's simplicity. I had packed some coffee filters just in case I found a drop spindle and the time...so when I did find the time I started cutting the filters into strips. I knew I had found the description of how to cut coffee filters to get a long continuous piece, Sarah C. Swett again to the rescue! Her coffee filter cutting blog post is HERE.
"Did Jenny pack garbage for her trip? Yes, yes she did." -Bryan told me this passed through his mind after I had come home and showed him the coffee filter yarn I was starting to make. I love that he told me this.
