The wheel arrived. I let it sit by the door for a day or two before hauling it upstairs to my room.
The first box to arrive was the two pounds of fiber, extra bobbins and DVD. I then opened the big box and pulled out the pieces.
… and more pieces…
… and then some more …
I was beginning to think I was going to lose the dog or one of the cats in all the cardboard and paper.
I started reading the assembly instructions and watching the assembly video. Both of those left a little to be desired. I wrote instructions (software design instructions to programmers) for five years. I know that you have to be very, very anal when describing something that you are very familiar with but your audience is not. The author of the wheel instructions forgot that terms like “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right” are relative to where you are sitting when assembling an object. No mention was made that “rear” in these instructions meant the rear of the wheel while spinning, not whatever is farthest away from you when assembling. Hilarity ensued. After a couple of emails, discovery of a part or two that wasn’t the right shape, and the light bulb going on about what the guy meant by “rear”, I eventually managed to get her assembled.
Isn’t she pretty? The ladies at knit night have named their wheels and so shall I. I have decided on Maya, after my dear sheep that I had to leave behind when I left Lehi and who a good home couldn’t be found for. I really wish I had kept her fleece 🙁
Introducing… Maya.
After several days of watching video and reading books and practicing treadling, I tried to spin. More hilarity ensued. Behold! The dreadlocks of Kimberly!
After ditching the leader and tying it on differently (thank you to Teaching Yourself Visually Handspinning) and messing around with tension, I finally got into a rhythm and ended up with some yarn. Not fabulous yarn, but yarn, nonetheless.
Squeee!
