Spinnin' Wheel got to go 'round

Ah, Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Brings back great memories. What a group they were!

Yeah, I'm on vacation! As much as I am glad, I feel that this week is going to fly. I remember when I was a child and the time went by so slow! I wish I could put the brakes on now!

Today, I had my first experience with spinning. I tried two different types of wheels: an Ashford traveler and an Ashford Joy. I really liked the Joy. I was able to see my feet better and had a clear view of the bobbin. So, I bought the Joy. It's a combination Birthday and Christmas gift. I got it for a better price with the cover than I saw on the Internet, so my darling husband even let me buy a spinning chair.

The first hard time I had was learning to use the treadles. It took me a little while to get started, but then I got the hang of it. The second part and the most crucial part is twisting the roving to the right thickness and feeding it into the bobbin. You have to get your feet moving just right, let the yarn twist and pull the roving to the right thickness all at the same time. Needless to say, I bought a pound of roving to practice.

Tomorrow, I will be visiting with someone who I met on a Yahoo spinning group. I am sure that spending a couple of hours with her will help get me on track. It is amazing what I have picked up by just reading information on the Internet. Now, I guess the only thing I need yet is a niddy noddy and practice, practice, practice.

On the knitting front, I am diligently working on my shrug. I am determined to finish it this week because I want to start on the Fetching fingerless gloves found on Knitty.com as a Christmas present for my nieces. Plus, I would also like to start on the Candle Flame shawl found on knitpicks.com.

On another good note, I did join the Arctic Lace KAL and was able to order the kit, which includes 2 skeins of qivuit yarn in twilight (a purple color). I won't receive the kit for several weeks, but that is okay. I probably won't be able to start a project with it until Christmas is over.

More to come on my spinning and knitting later this week. Hopefully, I can get this song out of my head by then.

......Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin.
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel spin