The Wheel!

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!

Many different socks

My friend Libi says she’s going to stage an intervention. I seem to start socks but not finish them. I think she might be right. I did finish a pair recently, but I have 7 other pairs on the needles. See, I have a problem with heels. They make me nervous. In my defense, I’m learning many different ways to knit socks. DPNS, one sock on magic loop, two on magic loop and two on two circular needles. So far I’d have to say I prefer the dpns and the one sock using magic loop. TAAT on two circs is just too fiddly for my poor OCD brain. Still, I carry on and I’ll decide when I finish all the pairs what method I will most likely use for my future sock endeavors.

I really don’t think this is too many socks.

I think this is just about right. Um, sure there are a few more but I don’t seem to have a pic handy of them at the moment.  Once I teach all of these how to heel I’ll have a nice happy selection of hand-made socks.

Oh, but I do have some Socks That Rock coming in the mail soon… I may have to start another pair.

 

Catching up…

It was a gloomy gray day when I first started writing this catch up post. I don’t mind rainy days even though I prefer the sunshine. Rainy days here means Not Hot. I don’t do well in the heat, so any day that is Not Hot is good 🙂  I haven’t felt like posting much even though things to say keep rolling around in my head.  I thought I would post a few catch up items.

Daddy was here in early April for an investment seminar.  When the seminar was over he spent a couple of days with us and we celebrated his birthday.

Pretty darn handsome for a 70+ guy, huh?

A few weeks later Mom came for a visit and I took her to knit night with me.  We weren’t actually taking pictures of her, Kit pointed out this kid at the table behind us wearing a t-shirt with the word Communist printed on it. What a doofus. We just had to take his picture.

Bless his heart

It was awesome having Mom at knit night.

Right after that was Mother’s Day. I awoke to “awesome Mom” messages written on the bathroom mirrors, microwave door and fish tank.  It was a great day of flowers, jewelry and a stuffed giraffe 🙂  Mom had left a couple of days before and I sent her home with a handful of the knitted and crocheted dishcloths that she likes.