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It all began when I was taught basic woolcraft as a child, going through the usual phases of Knitting Nancy (cork knitting), pompom-making cardboard looms etc and finding it all great fun. We had no sheep of our own at home - Dad was a bank manager - so 'real wool' i.e. fleeces weren't part of my life then. Having learned to ride at the age of four, horses soon became the love of my life and left little time for other interests. I persevered for a while, with my brightly coloured plastic knitting needles and even brighter acrylic yarns. But they were soon abandoned when it became abundantly clear that none of my school chums thought it particularly trendy or interesting to knit yards of Dr Who type scarves. Maybe if Dr Kildare on the telly had worn some sharp sweaters things would have been different... 

  I took up my needles again after Clive and I were married in 1969, making sweaters for the family from the cheapest woollen yarns I could find (oiled Bainin, Peruvian wools etc), soon progressing from plain stockinette - which bored me to tears - to Aran and Fair Isle, with the help of books. We moved several times during our early years, from one farm management job to another, becoming increasingly disillusioned and longing for our own property.

During a visit to the Royal Welsh Show I met my first drop spindle, squeezed enough cash out of a tight budget (three small children and a low income) to buy one of these clunkers and had an impromptu lesson from the vendor. Since I was putting in many hours on the farm without pay, I had no difficulty in getting some 'free' (Beulah Specklefaced) fleeces; most of these were sent for spinning into Aran yarn at a local mill and I soon kitted us all out with my hand knits. I also tried to spin my own yarns, but the ill-tempered spindle proved beyond both me and my limited patience. My dreams of handspun yarn dematerialised - the interim period of dogged perseverance driving me to distraction, the family to despair and the cat to emigration.

When we spotted a Haldane spinning wheel in kit form for sale at a local garage - of all places - Clive succumbed to pressure. More for the sake of his own sanity than anything else, I suspect. He put half the money down, out of his paltry salary, and we returned when we had enough to pay the balance. He put the wheel together for me - and away I went, with a book to guide me. I was hooked from completion of my very first lumpy tow-rope skein, and totally understand the delight of every newbie spinner on this achievement...

 Later this wheel was sold to pay a fuel bill in Devon, but not before I had churned out many miles of yarn to sell, spinning it lumpy-bumpy to suit the customer - who then knitted it into heavily textured jackets to sell in her craft shop near Brentor. This first wheel was eventually replaced by an Ashford Traditional and I now have several other wheels.   I won't confess how many,  as nobody outside a science fiction film has that many legs available for treadling - but I still have a soft spot for that little Haldane, which opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

 I also collect spindles -  most of which are delightful, sweet-tempered, well-turned marvels. And thus light years away in design from that very first obstinate, contrary    #+@&^~    beast of a witch's offspring, that nearly finished my spinning life before it got going.

But since that creature was also the key that allowed me entry into the wonderful world of spinning, I am even grudgingly grateful to it...

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This page updated 1st August  2006