Sandy Truckner, of Twin Springs Farm near Avonmore, spins yarn from wool, but she's not particularly interested in knitting or weaving anything from it.
"People ask what I'm going to do with my yarn, and when I tell them nothing, they think it's pointless," she said, "but I just like doing it and looking at it."
The relaxation and rhythm of the coordination between hands and feet are attractions of spinning wool and other fibers, so much so that members of Loyalhannon Spinners, which Truckner helped to found, get together just to share their passion and to demonstrate the ancient craft.
The calming effect of spinning was noted in an article in the New York Times in January, as Truckner reported in the group's newsletter.
That wasn't Truckner's original goal when she started spinning.
She and her husband, Bill, whose interest is weaving, got into farming in 1981.
"We've been farming since 1981, and we got into sheep and heritage breeding," Sandy Truckner said. "I wanted to sell the fleeces of the Shetland sheep, which come in 11 different colors, so I started to spin so that I could see what the fleeces were like so I could sell them."
That got her so hooked that she started spinning with friends and traveling out of town to be with other groups. Then in 2001, she and some friends got together to form Loyalhannon Spinners, named after the original historical spelling of Loyalhanna Creek. There are now about 15 active members.
Truckner said spinning wheels were invented between 500 and 1000, but the craft dates back thousands of years before that, to the first fabrics of civilization.
"The wheel was preceded by the drop spindle, which used to be stone whirls, then they were made out of bone or clay," she said. "Today you can make them out of old CDs, a dowel rod and an electrical grommet. Kids can have a lot of fun with those."
Loyalhannon Spinners likes to demonstrate at schools, libraries, museums and festivals. Susan Rex, of Washington Township, saw the group at the Highland Games in Ligonier and became a member.
"I was always interested, but I never knew anyone who spun," she said. "I had no background at all."
Now she makes different kinds of yarns and sometimes uses them to weave or knit. Once she made a pair of socks.
"But mostly, the yarn is an end-product," she said.
Loyalhannon Spinners welcomes anyone interested in spinning, even if they don't have a wheel. For more information, call Sandy Truckner at 724-697-4930.
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