Spinning Yarn: Rehearsal Day at Mt Hotham

The best snow for 20 years arrived with me at Hotham on 25th August! It was cold, windy and sometimes blustery, but I was prepared for not only cold and wind, but also remembering my childhood playing in the snow.

I alighted from the bus with Day Pack in one hand, balanced with wheel in the other, wearing the big backpack over the BLUE COAT. Mittens in the bottom of the bag meant that my hands had their first freezing experience in many years. I trudged up the small embankment to the hotel, unceremoniously tripping on the edge of the snowplough ridge….sigh….I remember this!

All ready for spinning yarn, and decked out in my new Antarctic gear of thermal base layer, heavier midlayer and snowpants with heavy duty snowboots, I wore THE BLUE COAT and was toasty warm for each of the 2 hours blocks I spent - to everyone’s amazement – out in the weather –spinning yarn!   Well, that is why I went!

The Mt Hotham Resort Management Office was very helpful and supportive for my spinning yarn adventure, keeping their watchful eye on me and my progress.  Lots of people stopped to speak with me, to comment on the wheel and to wonder why I was there. Spinning yarn is not the usual snow activity, not outside, anyway…For those who asked, Polar Exploration and Mawson’s Hut became to focus of our discussions.

It was minus 5 degrees on the Wednesday I was at the Big D General Store, somewhat sheltered from the wind. I watched the ski lessons while spinning yarn, and noted the fantastic powder snow on the slopes, envious of the speed at which the skiiers were moving. My one treadle foot couldn’t go any faster! By the time I filled the bobbin, the toes on my left foot seemed to disappear, becoming numb with cold, so I went inside for a hot chocolate. Spinning yarn outside ended then, when the wind picked up.

I now have 4 skeins of plied “Mt Hotham” wool – I used grey corriedale fleece, chocolate brown crossbred Tops and white Llama tops in various combinations – to add to the stash for Antarctica.