Wooly connections through spinning

Food for thought

Kathryn Alexander enjoying tapas and good conversation with Amy.

Kathryn Alexander was visiting this past week to shoot a video about spinning with energized singles (which will be available in July). We had a great time talking while she was here, in between takes in the video studio, over scrumptious tapas at the new restaurant in downtown Loveland, Colorado, and during trips to and from the airport. We talked about kids and horses, our plans for setting up the studio, gardens (flower and vegetable), coffee, mothers (she arrived on Mother's Day), the stacks of Spin-Offs and other Interweave publications at her house and mine (though mine are slowly being replaced with CD collections), and how spinning can be such a personal, introverted activity—even when you're doing it with friends.

We both got a little teary at this point. I think it was when we were each describing moments in our lives when we had taught someone to spin because we knew they needed spinning in a very fundamental way—beyond just a curiosity or desire to learn how to spin. Both the people we described to each other were struggling with big things, and we wanted to be able to give them something that could ease the pain. Spinning creates that space inside for peace and regeneration—a place where we can heal and grow and meditate.

	Kathryn on the set of her new DVD.

We talked about where the twist goes in yarn; how it can be erased from a yarn by vigorously finishing a fresh yarn and awakened in yarn that has been on a bobbin for months or even years. Talking about twist in this way, in this context, began to take on expansive meaning—sleeping or revived energy, dormant or awakened twist moving through threads, making connections, firing synapses.

We talked about the things we learned when projects went awry as opposed to when they went according to plan, and how it had the potential to spur creativity and whole new directions. And then at some point in the conversation we talked about when we start describing ourselves as spinners and how being a spinner became part of our identity. What magic we all share.

Happy spinning,