Take a Spin

I have lately been volunteering in the Hunterian Museum (see: http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/) on campus, with hands-on activities for school groups (tiny 8 year old Glaswegians in little school uniforms!). The activities available for the children are: wood drilling, stone drilling, stone carving, grinding grain, writing runes, spinning (with a drop spindle) and small-scale archaeology. Yesterday I was able to demonstrate the drop spindle. I eagerly told them about early sheep breeds, and explained that everything, from clothes to the huge sails on Viking ships came from yarn spun on a drop spindle. In the evening I got together with a friend from church, Becca (an American who married a Scotsman two years ago. He just got called to be our Bishop in January. And they're only 30 years old!). We had a jolly time hanging out, just the two of us (her husband was at church). We had dinner together, then she showed me her drop spindles, her wool and we span and talked and had a lovely evening. (It is span isn't it? Like the old rhyme: "When Adam delved and Eve span who was then the gentleman?") Becca loaned me one of her spindles, and I thought I'd show you what I have spun so far.