No, I am not saying good-bye again to Yahoo 360. That was yesterday. My new friend of one month, pictured at the left, has to be returned this evening as it was my last spinning class. The instructor loaned me this Ashford spinning wheel which I enjoyed very much. It is lightweight which makes it very portable. When talking about my spinning class I tried not to refer to it as "my wheel" but I became attached to it anyway.
At first I spun roving that was so "elastic" that I could have attached it to a person and "bungee" jumped them all the way to China. So on the way to casting on the needles, it took a detour and lined a trash can.
Things didn't get much better but I received a lot of encouragement from both Briley and Angie. Not enough "twist" in places to this spinning and then too much. Again, I was suffering from the "Goldilocks" syndrome. At this point it was lucky the wheel was not mine as I felt like burning it.
Getting a little better but a long way to go yet!....................a really long way!The classes were very interesting and I enjoyed them more than I had anticipated. I was sad to see the classes come to an end.
Now...........to afford a spinning wheel. Every time I think I can squeeze the money out of the budget, something breaks down and the $$$ are needed elsewhere.
I'm enjoying my new home at Blogspot and am starting to get comfortable. I've heard from some of you that I had not heard from in awhile and that is great. It confirms how difficult it was to communicate with Yahoo 360.
Happy Knitting!
I'm so sorry you had to say good bye to the wheel. I know you'll get your own sooner or later. Watch for rural yard sales. Sometimes people find them in attics and basements and don't even know what they are! I've seen people blog about buying wheels for $15 at a yard sale.
ReplyDeleteYour yarn actually all looks quite good for your first attempts. Remember my very first "which cat caughed this up!?" spinning?
Thank you for your note, Joansie! I tried leaving comment at 360, but it kept stalling out. And welcome to Blogger, lol.
ReplyDelete(Runie)
It's hard to leave a friend.... The very beginning of any spinner's life produces lots of novelty yarn. Just remember later on, once you get the knack, it'll be almost impossible to reproduce what you're doing now. And you will for thick n thin is something many people like to knit with.
ReplyDeleteKeep on with the spinning if you can! You've made a great start, and I'm sure with more practice you'll be making gorgeous yarn (which, of course, you can then give to ME, since I can't spin and doubt I could even buy a wheel of any kind here!).
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm kidding, but do keep it up if you can. Is there another class you can take, or a place where you can use their wheels?
Glad to know you're settling in over here. :o)
Well you may come back to spinning again -- sometimes the time isn't right -- you know? I remember when I started knitting about 9 years ago I was so bad at it and quit the classes. Then I came back to it 4 years later and it clicked. I guess I wasn't "ready" the first time.... You never know when I wheel will "roll" back into your life!
ReplyDeleteJoansie, Glad you got this blog going . It looks good to me but I am just and old grandma , gone widow and If i start a new blog from Yahoo 360 I will have to get my daughter in here to help me.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to try spinning and that you liked it . Maybe someday I will also. No one here in my small town does it so my chances are slim.
Will miss reading you but will book mark your blog and check you occasionally.
Good luck.
Busyhands, Elsie ogle
It is a beautiful wheel, I know you will miss it. I'm so glad you enjoyed spinning :). When I got my 2nd wheel I bought it from www.rowantreewoolery.com and they let me put it on layaway and when it was paid off they sent it :). Linda is who I talked to and they are really easy to work with. At least check them out :).
ReplyDeleteYour first spinning doesn’t look all that bad. Don’t give up though just because you have to give the wheel back. Spinning with loaners is the best way to find which wheel is the perfect fit for you. No new spinner is ever happy with their first yarn because it doesn’t look like the yarn they are used to using, keep in mind that is professionally spun. Also keep in mind that you could spin a different looking yarn depending on the wheel you are using, it could be that was not the best wheel for you. Before you jump in and buy a new wheel, try out all the different wheels you can find because no two wheels are alike, they each have their own personality and style and you must find the one that best fits your personality and style or else you may wind up not enjoying the spinning process and then all that money will be wasted on a wheel you find you don’t like using. Another bit of advice when looking for a wheel is to find one that will grow with you as your skills improve. What I mean is, if you buy a less expensive wheel for your first wheel it may only spin at a certain ratio but as you gain experience the ration you will want to use will change and if the wheels spinning ration only goes so far then you will need to buy another wheel down the road to the yarn you want and the initial money spent will again be wasted, so keep that in mind also when looking at wheels. Don’t buy the first wheel you see and do your homework. If you have questions about what to look for in a wheel just ask and I’d be glad to help. I’m not a dealer so I won’t be bias toward any one brand. You also have to be carful about buying used, if you don’t know what to look for you could get a lemon. One more thing, you can get the same beautiful yarn from a drop spindle too and they are a lot less $$ and take up less space. I’m glad your spinning but don’t throw it out, save it and compare it with your spinning down the road so you see your improvement, I still have mine to show my students and then they aren’t so upset when they see their own first spinning.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are here. Now I can leave a comment once in a while. With google reader I will be mothergoose1956 but right now it will show as mothergoose99.
ReplyDeleteI am intriqued by your spinning. It doesn't look that bad. You are just starting out after all.
Grandma Nana