A few days ago I began a new knitting project, since I had finished the sweater. “Wait!” you say. “You finished and you didn’t tell us?” Well, it’s not finished-finished until it’s blocked, and I’d rather not model it while it’s soaking wet, thank you very much. And pictures of it laying flat on a table get old after awhile.
Ahem. As I was saying. I began knitting my first shawl. The Emily Dickinson shawl, it is called, and it’s available for download on Ravelry. (I’m LoveFiber on there, by the way.) This is my first shawl, my first knitted cobweb lace-weight, and my first time adding beads to a knitted project.
And let me just say it now, knitters have things so easy where beads are concerned! You just pull the loop up through the beads one at a time with no fuss. The last beaded non-knitting project I made required loading the seed beads onto the yarn ahead of time. All hundred and something of them. Then I had to keep scooching them along the yarn until I needed one. Crazy.
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Ta-da! All two pounds of fiber dyed blue and dry. Now we come to fun part. Spinning them. And spinning them ASAP.
At the time, I wanted to have all this yarn spun up by mid-October, and I still do— (I hear the rustle of calendars as you look at the date. I can dream, can’t I?) It didn’t seem so difficult at the time, but the trouble was that my usual loyal, supportive G. P. Adams & Co wheel was full of silk. And I did not have time to finish spinning that project before I began the indigo. Therefore it was time to try out the two antique spinning wheels that my father bought. Scary scary. Two unknown wheels and a deadline. I started with the one that treadled best. 
This poor wheel had literally come to us in pieces and had been put back together by my grandpa. On its maiden voyage (ha ha) it behaved well for a while, then began throwing a fit. And throwing its drive band.
When that didn’t deter me, it decided to snap the single at any and every opportunity, and if it could snap the single about two inches after I had rejoined it, that was even better! Well, I couldn’t sit around and deal with it so I put it in the corner to think over its attitude and got out the other wheel.
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Beginner’s Info: Part 5
So, you’ve decided to get a spinning wheel, you lucky you. Spinning wheels are the sports cars of the fiber world. There’s just this aura around them. A feeling of mystery which can be very thrilling, but when it comes to picking out a wheel it can get in the way.
I’m going to try to sweep away some of the fog and reveal the spinning wheel in all its grandeur.
Parts Of A Spinning Wheel
First off, what are the different parts of a spinning wheel? Here is an excellent picture with handy little arrows. (If you’re wondering, it’s on quite a nice website. Feel free to explore.) Now, the business end is the “head,” which refers to the bobbin, flyer, orifice, and bobbin whorl. That’s where the yarn is actually made. When I first started researching spinning I had a vague idea that the fiber had to go around the big wheel – wrong. The big wheel is the power engine for the head. And your foot is the power engine for the big wheel, which brings us to the first option to be considered.
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Beginner’s Info: Part 1
So you want to learn to spin? Good for you. You’re about to be initiated into the wonderful craft of spinning. Or, to turn it into its most basic process, the art of taking a handful of something and making into gorgeous yarns.
If you’re interested in spinning, chances are you’ve at least seen a spinning wheel before. Maybe you watched someone at a Living History demonstration, or perhaps you have a friend who keeps babbling on about their wonderful wheel, or maybe (like me) you picked up a magazine and got sucked into a world of color and texture. However you developed the interest you want to get started. So now is the time for me to stop telling you how much fun you’ll have and give you some hard facts.
What is spinning?
Spinning is putting twist into something to make it form a new, stronger shape. You can spin with three blades of grass and your fingers. You can spin with long strips of fabric and a heavy rock. You can spin with your hair and a messed up curler. But none of these are the cool ways to do it.
If you want to begin spinning, you’re going to need three things. Something to spin into yarn, something with which to spin that thing into yarn, and something to tell you how to do it.
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I’ve been crocheting away for the past week or so, working on the merino sweater, and now I’ve finished the body piece! It fits quite well, and I’m excited to see how it will block.
Completed Section
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I got to looking closely at my spinning wheel. The light was hitting it just right and I could see marks through the milk-paint finish on it. It looks like there are decorative rings around the spokes in the flywheel, on the maidens, the knob, and around the footmen.
Lines on the Knob
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Wow. 2009 snuck up on me. It’s so exciting to have a brand new year stretching before me. Although remembering to put /09 on my checks will take some work.
And speaking of some work, here is the sum total of the New Year’s Dash.
Before
After
(“After,” minus the sock yarn from Gawain, which is already on the needles.)
Ta-da! Ten days of frenzied activity paid off. I’ve got five projects checked off my list, enough yarn to sink a small boat, and the knowledge that I can spin five and a half ounces in a day. (On average.) And even though the pile of New Zealand wool is still uncomfortably large, I’m happy.
I also have a large fiber order coming in, and there are rumors floating around that it might be time to refinish and fix up my spinning wheel.
Have a wonderful New Year!
The forest tones Northern Lights yarn is officially done. Eight ounces turned into 469 yards of light worsted weight beauty.
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I had a drop spindle, and I was happy. All thoughts of a spinning wheel were put out of my mind because they were way out of my price range. Then my dad told me he had found an antique wheel on sale for $100. For you non-spinners, trust me, that’s pretty inexpensive. I prayed about it, because that’s a lot of money for me, and the Lord gave me a peace about buying it. The only hitch? The seller lived an hour and a half away from us, and he was planning to be on vacation the only day Dad and I could go take a look at it.
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