breispace

I just found this great initiative through a blog on softies (i.e. handmade soft toys) I follow; check out the Toy Society! I’m going to release Sheldon somewhere, and hope he finds a good and worthy home.

I had had my eye on this one for a while, especially since buying that scrumptious BFL roving at the craft fair last month (see previous post). My old wheel was getting further beyond repair with every spinning session, and the time had come when “learning the craft on an old bike” had to be replaced by “time to get some decent tools”. A hefty tax assessment prevented me from indulging however, until Saint Nick came through in the shape of my dad.

With  what was left after paying the Nation burning a hole in my bank account, I set off for Den Haag to see a man woman about a horse foldable spinning wheel. Space being at a premium at my house, this seemed the ideal wheel for me. So I tried and tested, and here she is:

The pedals can be folded up, and the whole thing carried in a big shoulder bag. It weighs about six kilos, but it felt like ten when I carried it home on my Buzbike. It came with 100 complementary grams of purple merino & silk blend roving which, after some practice with a bit of old, mothy brown fleece, I  spun into two bobbins of this:

I then plied these into a skein of “art yarn”, which is now begging me to be knitted into a nice little neckwarmer. It’s still a bit bumpy in some places and overspun in others, but I’m starting to get the hang of tweaking this wheel to suit my limited spinning skills.

The Joy spins like a dream. No creaking, no wobbly bits, smooth action, lovely. Another serious competitor for the rare luxury that is my spare time. Excellent. And with a couple of lessons I’m sure I’ll get the bumps out of my yarn too. Next target: homespun pullover (after I finish my eight current UFOs).