Moment of sheer stupidity #3547

Yesterday I was finally able to spin and ply the soay-cross fleece I’d been working for a local sheep-farmer. Sat in front of the telly spinning on my Joy quite happily. When it came time to ply I smugly set up the two spun bobbins in the built-in lazy kate, an empty third bobbin all prepped, and started plying - my first time plying on my pretty new Joy.

There was zero uptake.

I adjusted the tension. No difference. I oiled the flyer shaft. No difference. The bobbin just would not turn to pull on the yarn.

Finally, I gave up and carted my Country Spinner 2 down to the living room to do the ply, my Joy sitting to one side silently mocking me. Afterwards I went to bed feeling rather down. When I woke up this morning, I knew instantly what had gone wrong.

I’d forgotten to reverse the brake band!

Like a lot of spinners, I have a single spring on my brake band. This stops the bobbins uptake if you accidentally start spinning the wrong way. You have to reverse the direction it takes over the bobbin if you want to ply.

Oops.

Icky, Grotty, Tired

This morning, the biggest fit I've had so far.

This afternoon, getting to meet my big bro's current partner while struggling with stuffiness.

This evening, full blown cold.

I am utterly exhausted. Please someone bring me new batteries.

Pretty waves on the Rusalka Cowl

In other news, I'm almost finished my Rusalka Cowl, and I spun a ginormous skein of yarn on the new CS2.

Remember, that bobbin holds a kilo!

A massive 510g skein!

 Now I'm going to suck some Strepsils and drink some warm tea.

New Wheel! So Shiney!

Isn't she beautiful?

Isn't she perfect?

Isn't she shiney?

Unwaxed bobbin parts on left for comparison.

She bloody well better be! This is nearly TWO WEEKS! of sanding, waxing, polishing, primping and preening. But she's so, so lovely. I can't wait to spin on her!
 

Country Spinner Mark 2 Update

My CS2 and accompanying fluff arrived on Tuesday. I spent Tuesday-Thursday sanding and Friday-Sunday (this evening) waxing. And...

I FINALLY FINISHED WAXING IT!

That is, the first coat.

I’m so tired, and tomorrow I have the dentists AND an MRI. :-( Since it arrived on Tuesday all I’ve done in my free time is work on the wheel. I have to keep reminding myself that the effort I’m expending now will be worth it, and comparing the part I’m working on with my Traddy so that I think “Yup, still prefer the wax finish over the oil.”

I’ll take tomorrow off from the wheel. I’ll have my crochet with me for travelling and waiting-rooms. And when I get home I’ll just watch telly or read for a bit.

The ginormous bobbin is being left until after the wheel is assembled so I can have photos showing how the wax changes the raw wood, and will probably just get the one coat of beeswax for now.

The good news is that I can now judge that I’ll have enough beeswax in the tin to do the three coats I originally wanted. Whether or not I’ll have the spoons to do that remains to be seen.

Have some photos...

Country Spinner Mark 2!

That's my order in, all official and proper! It's not the most expensive thing I've ever bought, but it came quite close! I will be one of the first people in the UK to own the Mark 2 - so very exciting on several levels.

I have to wait a couple of weeks for delivery as the distributor won't get the wheel to my supplier till the end of the week and it'll be about Wednesday next week that it leaves them. When it arrives though it'll have company! 500g of assorted dyed merino, 300g of dyed alpaca, a new click bearing for Ai my Traddy, and a packet of needle-felting needles! And I'll be getting the lot of it for LESS than the advertised price of the Country Spinner on its own! Can't beat a Fifer for tracking down a bargain.

More "twitches" today but not a full seizure. So that's good.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I've already recieved a fair few of my presents and cards, but I'm still looking forward to cake at dinnertime. Yes, I'm 28 and I still get birthday cake. I intend to have birthday cake even when I'm 120 and they have to blend it and give me a straw to eat it. :P

Epilepsy and Spinning Wheels

As some of you know, I've been in the process of being tested for epilepsy. I've had a number of absenses (being termed "episodes" by the doctors until it's official) which we're trying to keep track of and some slight judderyness when tired, but so far that was it.

On the other side of the story I’ve been toying with the idea of getting an Ashford Country Spinner to compliment my Ashford Traddy… well… pretty much ever since the announcement from Ashford that they were going to release the Mark 2. Then I got my birthday monies early and decided to take the plunge and start the ordering process. But I was still feeling a little guilty about spending so much on something I just “wanted” rather than “needed”.

However, today I had my first “definate” seizure. :-( I’ve been having absenses for a while now but I had never noticed anything seizure-like. Today I had one in the kitchen while my younger sister (also epileptic) was visiting. My whole body jerked and the cup I was holding went flying. The family made me sit down and I promptly burst into tears. Lil’sis hugged me (which is INCREDIBLELY unusual - she’s not at ALL huggy) and later (after I’d calmed down) informed me that my arms continued to twitch and jerk the whole time I was crying. Between the seizure and the emotional outbreak I spent the rest of today exhausted.

I also stopped feeling the least bit guilty about blowing that cash on a second wheel.

So properly saying “Yay!” now, and on Monday when the shop I want to order from opens again I’ll complete the order process. I won’t get it for my birthday on Tuesday, but at least I’ll know it’s on its way.

Dysfunctional Spinner

There's often talk on Ravelry's spinning forums about a poorly-made or requiring-repair spinning wheel or spindle, and not so much talk about the spinners themselves being dysfunctional. I mention this because a few days ago I strained my left shoulder quite badly. For two days I had a diet of painkillers and hot compresses until the shoulder healed and during that time my spinning capability went down drastically. I couldn't spin suspended at all, and I lacked the motion to use a wheel. I could only spin supported, and then on my slowest tibetan, with big rest breaks. But having the ability to do that was a lifesaver for a spinning-addict like me.

It really made me think. I don't just have quantity in my spinning life - I have variety. If I sustain an injury that might make it impossible to use a wheel, I can use a spindle. If I can't bear the weight of a drop-spindle, I have a choice of supported spindles. I have russians and tibetans and turkish spindles. I have my wheel. And I have a range of fibres in a range of preps. When I think that it was not so very long ago at all that I had just one beginners topwhorl and a bag of undyed tops I feel astounded at how far I have come and how much I have accomplished.

Spinning isn't just something I do for pleasure. It's a part of my daily life. And having the options to always keep it a part of my daily life is very precious to me.