In Which the Pirate Weighs It Out.

It’s unfortunate that I haven’t had much to blog about recently. Knitting and spinning have taken a back seat to spring cleaning and other projects. I’ve made small bits of progress here and there on my projects – most notably the second Pomatomus sock is finally within sight of the toe – but nothing really worth writing about.

I’m planning to go to the MD Sheep and Wool Festival this coming weekend, and I’m getting excited! I’ve been making up a shopping list:

• yarn gauge
• variety of fibers, both natural and dyed
• solids for carding blends
• nylon for making sock batts
• semi-solid sock yarns
• DO NOT BUY A NEW WHEEL

Here’s the thing with the wheel. I’ve been drooling over the Kromski Sonata for a while now. Double-treadle. Foldable/portable. Smooth. I tried one at With Yarn in Front back in November and decided that when I get a new wheel, that’s going to be the one. Then I made a deal with myself that if I spun at least once a week between January 1 and the Sheep & Wool festival, I could justify buying it.

I have not spun at least once a week between then and now. Therefore I shouldn’t even be considering buying a wheel. Except… I am.

I love Patience, my Ashford Traditional. But I’m wondering if I don’t actually love spinning on her. I’ve always been drawn to the look of saxony wheels. They seem so classic, what a spinning wheel ought to be. But… well, I named her Patience for a reason.

And yet I’d feel terrible if I sold her, because Pirate-Husband bought her for me as a birthday present. (He says I shouldn’t feel bad at all, but I have this tendency to get emotionally attached to things.) Actually I’ve been thinking of cleaning her up and refinishing her, though that would be a huge project.

If I had a portable wheel, I could theoretically take it to Pennsic. Last year I did do a little bit of drop spindling there, but whether or not I’ll spin is completely dependent on the weather. Some years it’s not too hot; other years even the idea of holding wool is enough to make me run for the shade of the swimming hole.

I could afford to buy it, but I probably shouldn’t. The savings account has taken a few serious hits lately, and I need to build it back up. I also need to build a new computer, which has to take precedence as my desktop died over a year ago, and I’ve been working on the laptop since.

So now that I’m home from work, I’m going to spin for an hour with Patience. It is Tuesday, after all, and Tuesdays are for spinning. I know that I’m lucky to have a wheel at all, and I need to give her more of a chance before I decide to move on. Perhaps in another six months, I’ll better know whether it’s me or the wheel, and I’ll have gotten over the “new! shiny! want that!” that I’m currently feeling.