A New Hobby...Spinning...Hazardous to your Hair

When the gals at our local yarn store would bring out their spinning wheels...I said no thank you. The last thing I wanted was another pricey hobby. The wheels alone start at a couple hundred bucks and go well over $1000. Then you need something to spin...fiber....squishy glorious fiber in a rainbow of colors. I started changing my mind at Sheep and Wool Days at Middleton Place when I saw the ladies (and one guy) spinning. Hmmm - that looks like fun.

But still...no thank you. I already had enough hobbies and as my husband pointed out I hadn't gained any new hours in each day.

And then I saw this...

It looked sturdy, the red wheel was cute and the surprise was that somewhere on the wheel would be my own enamaled ladybug...no 2 would be on the exact same spot...or so they say. The reviews were also pretty darn good. A great wheel for a beginner but that it would grow with me, too, as my skills improved.

I was sold...but my dh needed a little work. My friend let me borrow her spinning wheel, a Fidelis, so that I could learn to spin...and so that dh could see that I was serious. It worked. He let me order my wheel.

"M'lady" arrived a couple days ago. I was a little intimidated by it. I had practiced a little on the Fidelis...but it hadn't clicked. My initial results were similar....a twisty curly q mess. But it was fun!

Then a local yarn celebrity came to my rescue. Chris from Sugarbee Studios http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=55462 came to my house and watched me spin. Well, we spent a lot more time talking then spinning! It was such a fabulous morning. Her kids are very close in age to my 2 oldest kids and our kids just seemed to hit it off. I think everyone had a great time. And I got a little help with my technique. Turns out that I was pinching and pulling vs letting the fiber pull apart. I really think I'm on the verge of a spinning break-through.

Having Chris here really was like having a celebrity in my house. Her yarn and fiber is fabulous. I've been a part of many conversations at my LYS about her 'Politically Correct' line. Sock yarn with names like 'It's All About the O,' and 'Fiber Floozy.' Last time I was at the store, I took home a one night stand...George. Poor George. I ruined him. He was no good for me anyway. I should have practiced on some plain old roving before I jumped to fancy batts. Now my goal is to get better at spinning so that I can take home another one night stand...like Collin or Michael. I also like Serge but that's Chris's husband's name and I couldn't do that to a friend.

It was just a fabulous day all around! While Chris was still here, the post man brought me a box crammed full of yummy blue faced leiceister wool...and a spindle, too. I also got 8 ounces of pink corriedale. I am now swimming in fiber! Later in the day, I learned that I won a lotto for a free embroidered cloth diaper from the creator of the Fatty Cakes diaper pattern. Then a knitting bag pattern I having been coveting went on sale. And to top my fabulous day...my MIL finally got an offer on her house. Wheee!!!

The yarn on the right is what I worked on when Chris was here. It's a mess but it's mine!

As I was finishing the last bit of this, I had to fix a little over-twisted problem. I leaned back from my wheel, held the yarn over my head and let it unravel. Only is grabbed my hair instead!! And it wouldn't let go!! Ouch!! I was able to separate it from my head and I then figured out how to ply the yarn. a bit later, my 11 year old came over and grabbed at my hair. Owww - again! She pulled out a few strands of my hair and a lovely poof of wool. LOL Thank goodness I didn't go anywhere like that.