MACS Spinning group is lead by Margaret Walsh.
They meet Tuesday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon.
A very friendly group, they are keen to have new members and happy to share their skills with beginners.
Spinning group members make yarn from a variety of wool - alpaca, merino, angora goat and coreydale sheep to name a few. They draw out a mass of short fibers, twist them together to create a continuous strand, and then wind the strand onto a bobbin or spindle. Tools like drop spindles or spinning wheels are used to add twist, control the fiber thickness (called drafting), and ultimately form the yarn.
The yarn is then 'plied' which is the process of taking two or more spun yarns, called singles, and twisting them together in the opposite direction from which they were originally spun to create a stronger, more stable, and balanced yarn.
Hand spun yarn can then be used in all the traditional ways as shop bought yarn - but what an accomplishment to make something completely from scratch!
