Washing a fleece before the first frost
A tub, hot water from the kettle and a slow hour with the fleece.
Hand spinner
Spinning wool by hand, one letter a week
I’m Mirta. I spin wool by hand on a drop spindle, and I write a letter most Wednesdays. I sell short guides, a spinning workbook and two video courses.
Every letter, by month
October 2026 – November 2026
Why my first yarn was so lumpy
Thick, thin and thick again, and the one habit that evened it out.
Carding by hand, one rolag at a time
Two cards, a handful of wool and a soft roll to spin from.
September 2026 – October 2026
A wind that dries a whole season of wool
Hanks on the line, pegs everywhere and a morning of watching the sky.
Setting a spindle spinning, and keeping it going
The flick, the pinch and what to do when it drops.
Counting twists in an inch
How tight is tight enough, and how to check it with a ruler.
August 2026 – September 2026
The evening basket by the stove
What I spin at night when the day’s work is done.
Plying two threads into one
Why a single thread twists on itself, and how plying calms it.
What the flock does to the fleece
Sun, burrs and a long summer outdoors, seen up close.
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About
About me
I spin wool most days, at the kitchen table in winter and on the step outside in summer. I buy my fleece from small flocks nearby, wash it in a tub, card it by hand and spin it on a wooden spindle that is older than I am. Some of it becomes a poncho. Most of it becomes a ball of yarn for a friend.
The letter is where I write down what the wool taught me that week. The guides and the courses are the part that is useful to you: how to wash a fleece, how to keep a spindle turning, how to ply two threads into one. You do not need a wheel or a farm. You need a spindle, some wool and a little patience.