Purling Sprite

Testing...are we still here?

Saturday was a full day for me. It all started at around 1 am when I finally decided to sit my bum down and write down the instructions for my knitting board class. Of course, I first sat down around 10pm with full intentions of starting the whole thing, but I started reading blogs and started looking at all my Yahoo groups and next thing I knew, it was 1am. So, procrastination won once again, but, I've been told that I do superb under pressure. By 2:30, I had the entire Knitting Board, Part I completed.

As I got to the yarn shop, my butterflies were gone and I felt confident (yeah, right!) did you actually believe that line? Anyways, butterflies and all, I went into the classroom and to my surprise, I had 4 wonderful students, all eager to learn from little old me.

A mom and daugther team ready to take on a whole new hobby. Kelly, coming back to learn a few more stitches on the knitting board--and of course, I wasn't going to dissapoint her so, we started off with a whole new cast on method--the Stockinette Cast on. We also visited the stockinette stitch on the knitting board. As well as the double rib stitch.

2 hours of non-stop knitting board knitting. By the middle of the class, I felt really comfortable with myself. And next week, I get 2 new students to join the class--yippee! 6 students in total...the pressure is on now for sure :).

After class, Kelly and Tina took some time and taught me how to use my baby Gwyn. It was amazing seing Kelly just make it go, it was second nature to her. I picked up a few pointers--give the wheel a go with your hand to make it go in the right direction. Gosh--how come I didn't figure that one out by myself! Seems so obvious, but yet, it never occurred to me.

The little issue with the bobbin not grabbing the yarn, well, Kelly fixed that up right away with a piece of tape--so simple, and then after that, she sat and started spinning. My Gwyn looked soooo beautiful doing what she was meant to do all her life.

So today, after doing my Sunday activities, I got home and amidst the chaos that little kids then to create, I filled 2, yep, 2 bobbins! Laticia, Tina, Kelly...are you gals proud of me :). This dog can be taught, slowly, but I can be taught. Granted, they don't look anything near perfect, as someone near me pointed out, "isn't supposed to be all even? or is it supposed to look thin and thick?" But, I am very pleased. My left hand hurts from pinching the yarn, but it is all worth it. I guess I will feel more relaxed as I get more experienced.

You spin me 'round, 'round, baby round, round

'Round, 'round, 'round, that is the way by bobbin went. Round, round, round and no yarn on my pretty bobbin. I tried tightening the tension just like suggested on The Joy of Spinning, tried threadling faster, slower, but no joy was received by this sad looking spinner. The leader yarn spun around the bobbin but as soon as the roving came in, it got stuck and nothing happened, the leader just kept on spinning round and round on the bobbin.

Sad spinner I am, sad spinner because I have a pretty Gwyn sitting right next to me and I can't use it. I will call on the reinforcements tomorrow morning and see if I can schedule an appointment for this sad wanna-be-spinner to take some lessons. Maybe I was hallucinating thinking that I could just get it home and start threadling and I could have yarn made in a couple of hours. Maybe I got too high on the wax from the looms at the shop and I am starting to be high all the time and thinking too "high" of myself. How dare that bobbin just spin around? How dare just ignore my pleas of spinning my roving? I am spoiling it rotten and it still won't work for me--drats! It has a superb finish by the DAman, I got it a really nice Single Drive Poly Band in my favorite color, lavander blue. And it has already been kissed and touched by my kids a million times over! What else does it need...snif, snif, snif. It just doesn't like me.

Maybe someone will teach this poor spinner how to spin this wonderful thrum sent to me by my spinning mentor Laticia in NY. It is a really special thrum, it comes from Spinderella's and it has some little sparklies--my favorite. Laticia was super to me and she sent me a bit of of everything in her house I think--the box is pretty big and it has more splendid thrums and roving. I tried getting a picture of the sparklies on another thrum but I don't think the camera and inside lighting does it justice.

Wanna-be-spinner signing off, I will go and lick my wounds and dream about the fushia thrum and the magnificent lace scarf that it could become....one day....