{"id":4020,"date":"2019-12-28T08:04:48","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T07:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/?p=4020"},"modified":"2019-12-28T08:04:50","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T07:04:50","slug":"2019-in-my-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/2019-in-my-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 in my heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2019 is almost over and I am looking back at the year with pride and joy. 2019 will bubble in my heart as a year of teaching, learning, designing and webinaring. In this post I share some of my highlights from 2019. This is a long post with lots of opportunities to read more. If you want to you can stay under a blanket and read for days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching and learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have done quite a bit of teaching this year, both online and face-to-face. In March I released an online course in supported spindle spinning. I have also done two course series in supported spindle spinning in Stockholm<\/a> and one five day course in spindle techniques (A spindle a day<\/a>) at S\u00e4tergl\u00e4ntan craft education center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learning to spin on a Navajo floor-rested spindle. Spindle by Bj\u00f6rn Peck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love seeing students make progress in their spinning and in their analysis of spinning. To see them understand what they are doing, talk about what they are doing and eventually even explain to others what they are doing and why. It is such a reward for me to see students understand and develop in their skills and to know that I have played a small part in that \u2013 I have found a channel to their way of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For everything a student learns I learn something too. At least when it comes to face-to face learning, when I am with the student in the classroom. But also in all the emails I get from spinners in general and from students in my online courses. Every time someone asks a question I learn something new. And I’m so grateful for your questions. It keeps me sharp and I constantly need to reevaluate and develop my teaching and writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There has been lots of writing in 2019 \u2013 54 blog posts including the present. Over 50000 shows in 115 countries in all the continents of the world. The most readers are in the U.S. followed by Sweden, the U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia. This is a lot for such a narrow subject as spinning, and I only cover a small section of the subject. At the same time it shows an interest and a need for knowledge and likeminded people in an ancient and worldwide subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lots of shows on the blog in 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most read post in 2019 was Calculations<\/a> with over 4000 shows. In the post I made some calculations of a recently finished sweater. The post was shared numerous times. I think what thrilled people the most was my calculations of the time spent on making the sweater from fleece to a finished sweater (including the design of the sweater) and what it would cost based on an hourly fee for an average typical male craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Dan Waltin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During 2019 I have published two articles and one pattern. In the spring issue of Spin-Off magazine I wrote about sorting a Gute and a Gotland fleece<\/a> and in the fall issue I wrote about twist analysis and twined knitting<\/a> and published a pattern of the Heartwarming mitts<\/a>, a pair of half-mitts in twined or two-end knitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article and pattern in the fall 2019 issue of Spin-Off magazine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Twist model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the posts that I have learned a lot from is the post about the Twist model<\/a>. The twist model is my way of reflecting over drafting and what we as spinners can do to draft easily and evenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The model is based on the extremes of twist: A lot of twist makes the fibers stable and the fibers can’t move. We have a yarn. No twist makes the fibers unstable \u2013 if we pull the ends in opposite directions the fibers will fall apart. In the middle stage, between the yarn and the fiber, there is enough twist to make the fibers slide past each other but not enough to make them fall apart \u2013 it is semi-stable. I call this the point of twist engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The twist model<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The twist model is an important part of all my teaching. I teach all my students to open up the twist to find the point of twist engagement and they use the method with great success. I think most spinners open up the twist when they spin, but I haven’t heard anyone talk much about it or seen anything written about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case studies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning of the year I did a blog series with different topics based on the sorting, preparing, spinning and knitting of a sweater, like a case study. I started by looking at the superpowers<\/a> of the fleece I was using for the project and from there deciding how best to prepare and spin a yarn that would show those superpowers. In a later post I wrote about consistency<\/a> and what I did to spin a yarn that was consistent through all the skeins needed for the sweater. I then described my design process from fleece to sweater<\/a> and how I made decisions about the design with the superpowers of the fleece as my guides. My last post in the series was about calculations<\/a> (see above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Selecting the superpowers of a fleece.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Breed studies and webinars<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another field where I have been using case studies is in my breed studies of Swedish sheep breeds \u2013 both in blog posts and live webinars. The first breed study was about Gotland wool<\/a>, followed by Gute wool<\/a>, Dalap\u00e4ls wool<\/a> and V\u00e4rmland wool<\/a>. The blog posts and especially the live webinars have been a success and I have had such fun making them. In both blog posts and webinars I have had one or more fleeces of the breed as a case study. I have looked at wool characteristics and showed how I prepare, spin and use the wool. I have also given a brief background of the breed in Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spinning on a Navajo spindle on the V\u00e4rmland webinar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The webinars have been very popular. Almost 600 people have registered for the webinars so far! I think there is a need for this kind of forum in a community that is so spread over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making and live-streaming webinars is so much fun! I have done lots of work to prepare \u2013 around 10 hours for each webinar. But I have learned so much from them. More importantly, I have been able to be live and unedited with you, my followers and fellow spinners. Eventhough I have been nervous about every webinar I have felt safe in your presence, even if I have only seen your names in the chat window. Your support means so much to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Videos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During 2019 I have published 10 videos. Most of them about different spindle techniques, but other topics as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spindle techniques<\/h3>\n\n\n\n