Wonderful Wheel

It came! Far faster than I expected. I got home last night to see a large box on my bed, which I immediately tore open; didn't even take off my coat or shoes! It went together easily, partly because the lovely woman I bought it from thoughtfully included the instructions. Wow.

Wow. What a different feeling! I knew from the Spindler's List that practice is needed; so I sat down and just treadled for a while. Feels strange at first, and it's hard to keep it from going backwards every now and again, but it got better as I practiced. So then I added some commercial yarn, just to get the idea. Finally, I tackled some wool. Frustration! It was really really hard to get it started. The strand kept breaking. I finally figured out that there wasn't nearly enough twist, so I figured out how to keep it from winding on until the twist built up. Tada! I spun an ounce of the sample wool that I got with my original spindle from Mielke Farms. It's a tad rough, but not bad! Then I tried some of the mill end I got from The Sheep Shed Studio. That's a little rougher. It's much harder to draft, so theres'a lot of thick/thin areas. It's also overtwisted, I think. I spun until my fingers ached though, and I think I'm getting better. It took me a while with the spindle too, so I suppose I'll get it! I'm already wondering how I'll do with some silk....