Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Ann and Betty's Excellent Spinning Wheel Adventure

Or, a Rose by any other name.

Monday was a holiday in the United States and my friend Betty had the day off. So did the Compadre but he wasn't interested in pursuing the elusive perfect spinning wheel. I had done some preliminary hunting at the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival and also at - believe it or not - the sock knitting machine gathering a few weeks ago. Many of us fiber fanatics have multiple vices, I mean interests, and I discovered that a friend from the sock machine group had a spinning wheel for sale. I wasn't interested in a small traveling wheel but I mentioned it to Betty and she said it sounded promising. So after making arrangements to visit Detta on a holiday (she had had to cancel our previous appointment) we took off for the long trek to the best place to try out spinning wheels that I've ever been to. Detta knows about every wheel and has most of them to try. I had narrowed down my choices to the Majacraft Rose or the Lendrum. And Betty tried out the Lendrum, the Rose, and the Louet Victoria (one just like my friend had for sale). Betty liked the Victoria and I liked the Rose. I tried very hard to like the Lendrum because it would have been cheaper but the Rose was the one for me. After all I gave my oldest daughter the middle name of Rose, and both my grandmother and the Compadre's grandmother were named Rose. It was meant to be. So there is a very beautiful Rose spinning wheel in residence in my living room and I'm a happy spinner.



We left Detta's and called Sharon - the one with the Victoria for sale - and drove there so that Betty could be properly inducted into the spinning world too. It just happens that Sharon owns an alpaca farm and so we had to visit the lovely animals. The newest alpaca, Copper, was a very friendly boy. We had a chat - he said hmmm? hmmm? and I tried to talk back. I'm not sure that he understood me. Sharon's miniature Dachshund had puppies about a week and a half ago. So cute. Betty and I are not really dog people but it sure was tempting for each of us!

Betty tried out the spinning wheel and bought it and now she's been assimilated!



Tomorrow, finished Hemlock Ring pictures!!!

3 comments:

MNLacer said...

Excellent report Ann! The puppies were adorable but my cats are bigger! :-) My new wheel has been introduced to the cats and I've been spinning.... Is it a whooshing or sucking sound you hear as I fall for another activity?? Betty

Miss T said...

Ohhhh, those puppies! Your new wheel looks beautiful, and I like your new friend the baby alpaca, too.

Anonymous said...

I think you should get one of those puppies! :)