So, what have I been up to?

I have been busy since the last post, but things should be calming down now. The wheel has been almost as busy as myself. I've been trying to spin slower, but treadling slow is alot harder than treadling at a moderate pace, I've found.

Anyhow, this is what I've produced so far.

It really doesn't seem like much, but I haven't had as much time as I would have liked. However, everything bar the two on the left are three ply, so they did take me a fair while as I'm trying to get a decent navajo ply going.

Here are their stats:

Chocolate brown crossbreed.
76 yds, 10 wpi, 3 ply

Natural colour blend crossbreed
66 yds, 9 wpi, 3 ply


Wool/angora blend, I'm not sure of the ratio, or actual breeds
88 yds, 13 wpi, 3 ply

more crossbreed, natural colour blend,
stats to come

Merino/silk blend, 85/15% from www.spinnknit.com purchased at the 2006 stitches and craft show, one of the two skeins in that photo that actually has a project set aside for it. The one mentioned below is the other.
100 g, more stats to come

I don't yet have a photo of the blue one on the far left on the computer, but it's the multicoloured merino roving from virginia farm. I still have 100g of the stuff left to spin.

An expedition and some Sad News

Today I am setting forth and making a trip to Virginia Farm. I've been hunting around for somewhere relatively close by where I can get spinning wheel accessories (Hannah, my Traveller, came with only two bobbins) and rovings. Virginia Farm, only a half hours drive away does both and I am very pleased with it. I'll have to be careful though. I have a feeling it'll be very difficult to keep a rein on my credit card.

For the past 8 years, I've been privileged to know the grandchildren of a close family friend. I've babysat the eldest child, now 8 and in addition his younger brother for the past three and a half years. I've watched them both grow up, misbehave and be angels in turns.

On Sunday night, the youngest died of drowning, aged three. Before dinner, he asked to go for a swim, and his grandmother said no, wait till after dinner and Sage did not protest. 15 minutes later, she went to get the washing off the line, and noticed something floating near the bottom of the pool. It was her grandson. She dragged him out and began CPR. His lips were still pink when they got him to emergency. However, he died in intensive care.

Teach your children to swim as soon as possible! Take them to a heated pool when they start crawling! Ensure that your pool is not fenced onto the house, but has a separate fence, and make sure it's secure!

No one should have to bury their children because they didn't realise the danger of a backyard pool.

She's here!

I have obtained my spinning wheel! Here is the lovely little darling!


She was brought home a few days later than I had originally planned. I'd organised to pick it up on Tuesday, but on Monday I was informed that my cousin's holiday house in Kandos was in fact going to be empty this week if we'd like to go. And so Sean and I headed up for a few days. This mean that the wheel had to wait till yesterday.

After the first fifteen minutes or so that it took me to figure out how it worked (the previous owner had lost the manual, assembly instructions along with two bobbins and the horizontal pieces of the lazy kate) I've spun a couple of skeins:




Photos of the finished skeins will come later, after they've been washed and dried. They are a tad uneven, but I was expecting that, considering this is the first time I've ever actually used a wheel!

So yeah, I'm very, very pleased with it. I really enjoyed spinning and I'm trying very hard to resist the urge to spin some more...

Oh what the hell! It's not like I haven't got plenty of stash!

Oh, and the mobius scarf that's on the needles in the mobius post? It's been completed, but I managed to leave it behind so the photos of it will have to wait.

I have a spinning wheel!

Well, it's official. I own a spinning wheel. A second hand ashford traveller to be exact. Or at least I will, come 2:15 on Tuesday afternoon when I go to pick it up. This is what will very soon become my precious. She will provide much distraction though...


She's missing a couple of bobbins, and most probably the instructions too, but the bobbins are easy to get and rather cheap to boot. And I have a feeling I'll be able to get the maintainance booklet rather easily.

So yes, very happy indeed!

I will post again when I've taken her for a test drive and I have at least a faint idea of how to use the little darling!

MY yarn!

These are the first skeins that came off my new spindle, a lovely red gum top whorl.





I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with them. I'm thinking I'll leave them alone until something perfect for them turns up.

Mobius!

While spending my time in a sensible, constructive manner (read: procrastinating about housework by searching for nice free patterns) I stumbled across a mention of Cat Bordhi's mobius scarf.

This has to be the one of the most interesting things I've seen in knitting for a very long time. Knitting a true mobius (with a half twist as opposed to a full twist) without grafting is slightly... mindbending... and all... squishy...


The edge marked.


I have to admit, though, if you're thinking of knitting a mobius, go with Cat's cast on. The other cast ons are fairly obvious, Cat's is almost invisible. That's the cast on marked there, but it's the visible one. The camera I have wont give me enough detail for the one still on the needles.


Just a note: If you're going to do one of these, just go with it. It'll look like you've made a mistake for a fair while until you've got enough fabric between the needles. Also, use the longest circulars you can find! 80cm isn't quite long enough.