Yesterday was a fabulous day!!! I received notification that I had won second prize in a Valentine’s Day drawing from the Spindler email group that I belong to. When I entered the drawing, I figured that I wouldn’t win as I hardly ever do, lol! Now I am waiting for the first prize winner to choose the prize that she would like out of four items ( a new spindle, some fiber, a knitting book, or a package of tea and a cup infuser – I still haven’t decided which I will choose!) and then I will be able to choose out of the remaining three items. They are all wonderful prizes and I know it will be a tough decision to make!I started spinning wool about a month ago. Started on the Greensleeves Bare Bones drop spindle with a pound of wool top. I Andean plyed the singles and am knitting some of it up into a lace rib scarf for myself. (my first yarn, and a special keepsake for me!) Now I am hooked! I have always wanted to learn how to spin, but I always thought that I would learn on a spinning wheel. I have to say that I do love using a drop spindle, it’s so portable, easy to use and makes a nice decorative when it’s not in use and hanging from a peg on a mini shelf. My boyfriend knows that I would love a spinning wheel, as it would be more practical for spinning up large amounts and doing more than a two ply yarn. So he is buying one for me along with a good supply of wool to get started. Isn’t that sweet?! I bet he is dreaming of all those wonderful woolen items that I will make for hin in time for next winter!
The winters here can be a bit chilly. It doesn’t snow here, but we get a damp cold that seems to sear through to the bone. There are mornings where the birdbath in the garden looks more like a bird skating rink!
I am hoping a package arrives today in the post. I ordered it a couple of weeks ago, but one of the items wasn’t in stock, so I had to wait until the item was back in stock for it all to be shipped. Saved postage that way, but at times, I am not the most patient of people! It should be filled with some cream alpaca, superwash wool, a small niddy noddy and a pair of wool carders. I have a pound of cleaned colored romney wool that I need to card so that I can start spinning some more. I spent most of last week cleaning it up in batches as each batch took a couple of days to dry. I am currently working on cleaning another pound, but of white romney. Unfortunately it is raining this week and the air in the house isn’t as dry as it was last week, so it seems to be taking a bit longer to dry. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
I am playing with the idea of which type of wool to purchase and play with next. I know that I would like some more of the wool top that I had when I taught myself to spin, but I would also like to get my hands on some churro wool from the Navajo (Diné) Nation. I have heard that it contains very little lanolin and is soft!
