Spun gold

We're still feeling a bit dizzy after Super Special Spin-in Sunday, which saw skill, frolics and delicious fibre all over the Powerscourt Centre this past weekend. We started on the balcony. There was both spindle and wheel spinning, and the opportunity for beginners to try both out: There was a talk from Aoibhe (who gave the wheel-spinning workshop back in February) on different fibres and blends and their properties, and we all got samples to try out. This luscious fluff is a merino/soy blend: You could even spin several of them one after the other if you wanted: Diane, who teaches drop-spindling at TIK, gave a presentation on various spindling techniques: We got to pet the gorgeousness that comes from a silk hankie - even before it's spun, don't your fingers itch to crochet and knit this? And then there was the drop-spindling competition! First, there was an elimination round. You qualified for the later stages by standing on a bench and spinning a continuous strand successfully to the ground: Just as in the World Cup, the finals took place in a different venue. We went indoors to Article, our neighbours in the Powerscourt Centre. They have a beautiful shop full of carefully chosen articles for your home (remember the little Valentine's hearts lights?): They also have a balcony: The finals of the competition involved spinning off the balcony where the aim was again to spin to the floor in a continuous strand. The spinners were feeling the pressure, and confessed to shaky hands and heightened adrenaline levels. It was a long way up: You were allowed a "lifeline" in the form of an additional twist from the lower level, kindly provided by some enthusiastic spectators, who also contributed "helpful" commentary. Key phrases included: "Oh no! Backspin!"; "She's used up her lifeline!"; "Does she have enough fibre to reach the ground?" and "My money's on..!" Clearly, fibre choice, spindle choice and superb technique were all crucial here, and against some extremely stiff competition Laura won gold: It was an amazing day and spinners are amazing people. There was also cake (which disappeared too fast to be photographed), and there was even a little knitting: You know, it's going to be a great summer at This Is Knit. For starters there are two important dates for your diary in June: Saturday the 11th is WWKIP Day and Thursday 30th June is the date for our 5 Year Birthday Celebrations. Details on the plans for both to come really soon! And don't forget that next week Laura Chau is coming along for a Special Knit Night! Come along and be part of it!