i've juz started spinning.made my own spindle from a dowel and 2 CDs. got some tinnee bit of roving from LYS.the singles came out thhhickkkk and thhhiiiiin, but i'm having fun.
when i went to Home Depot to buy grommets to make the spindle, a very helpful staff ask."what? spindle? spin your own yarn?fun?" i juz had to grin...
I'm not sure about Nashville, but there's a group that meets at Cookeville each month. That's still a pretty good drive, but not as far as the two Knoxville area groups! Have you tried the Tennessean's calendar editor or the local library? Both of those should have lists of area groups... Good luck!