Want to Spin Faster? Find Your Focus

Over my years of spinning I’ve noticed something that helps me spin faster, focus. Not just focusing on the spinning, but what entertainment helps me spin.

Sometimes I watch movies or TV, sometimes I listen to music or books, sometimes I hang out with friends while I spin. Each one has an effect on the speed of my spinning.

Here’s what I’ve figured out works for me. Hanging out and spinning with friends is my favorite, but I spin my slowest. When I’m social spinning, I tend to pay the least attention to my actual spinning, and I stop and start the most. There’s a lot of show and tell, getting tea and snacks and wanting to try everything my spinning pals are doing.

I thought that watching movies or TV would be my fastest spinning friend. Nope, it’s as much distracting as it is relaxing. I can spin just fine without looking at my spinning, but looking away splits my focus, especially if what I’m watching is exciting or has a lot of tension (think Walking Dead). And watching television with commercials really puts my spinning rhythm off.

Listening to music is OK, but finding exactly the right music that fits mood and treadling speed sometimes is hard. When I first started spinning I tried to spin to bluegrass because I thought I would spin faster to faster music. I spun horribly over twisted yarn instead. Note to self: treadles do not work like an accelerator in a car.

The best thing for me to really fill bobbins is to listen to audio books. It doesn’t matter what I listen to; it can be Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Harry Potter, but it has to be a book not a podcast.  Something about listening to stories puts me in the best flow. I watch my spinning, but am transported and entertained. I’m always surprised at how much I get done when I listen vs. watch something.

Do you get into your spinning flow by watching or listening?