Hot Town: Spinning in the City

We've had a tent revival of sorts around here in the last few weeks: there have been spinning demonstrations and classes all around the city.  Last week, a group of spinners, doglover and MuddyPawsKnits among them, demonstrated spinning at the Queen City Ex.  These volunteers generated a lot of interest in fibre arts, especially thanks to eleven year old Katie, doglover's niece.  Katie impressed everyone with her spinning skills.  There are pictures up on Ravelry, under the Regina Stitch and Bitch and the Golden Willow groups. (You can see the famous Jeremy, Susie's husband,  and his brilliant skein of yarn.)

I taught two workshops for the public library and both were full.  The second class was supposed to be the overflow from the first class's waiting list, but we managed to have more people in that class than in the original.  By last night, 22 people from those classes were new spinners and we hope to bring more into the light because of the women who helped out at the Ex.

My workshops were hectic.  I have only one photo of the first class:

I forgot to take photographs of the second class learning to spin.  The pictures here were taken last night, as the class practised plying:

And here they are, with their washed and whacked skeins.  They did very well:

The spinning and meditation classes begin next week.  So far, about fifteen people have expressed interest in attending one or more sessions, which amazes me (in a good way), considering that either practice alone is not that common here; doing both together could be seen as downright strange.  I'm looking forward to the sessions.

If you want to be among fellow spinners or get yourself started, this is the place to be.  Who says nothing ever happens here?!