ByJove I do believe I'm actually getting the hang of this!!! Spindling that is, lots of other stuff I'm still quite clueless about, anyway I digress...After reading and reading Connie Delaney's book Spindle Spinning From Novice to Expert and watching the video's on I can spin and driving my friends on spindlers list and Oaks nuts I have it. Its not perfect no, but its finally started to click.
I was standing in the living room complaining to Robert how I would never get this to look like anything when my hands finally did the right thing, it was almost like I was watching them and wondering how did I do that, why thats just like the video.
I have to say if it were not for the wonderful people I've met on the internet, and the businesses like Tom and Linda of Grafton Fiber's
I would have thrown in the town and just passed this on to ebay now, I know that with practice the experiment will be a success now its still a work in progress but it shall happen.

Besides that, lets see Robert and I are over our colds so are the boys, but Stephanie still has hers hanging on. Life at House Andúril goes on. But now I'm going to get ready for bed early and read something not spinning related, a novel, or my bible not sure, but something.

It's Here!!!
Well after waiting a very long weekend, for a package that I didn't expect really till mid week from Grafton fibers. It came today and boy was this box full I'm amazed Linda could get it closed, inside was the most lovely creamy white BFL roving as well as a lovely variegated blue batt oh and my cheap sheep spindle. So anyway here's my
package
I'm going to spend the evening playing, thanks to I can spin and the wonderful spinners I've met on spindlers
Hopefully this will look more like a single than a modern art project gone wrong.

Be well and Be Blessed Y'all

Okay don't laugh, no really don't laugh, okay laugh, I did.... I found the spindle and the well first attempt at spinning, Here's how it came out. Yarn?
This is not the yarn I'll be using for grand shawls such as can be found at fiddlesticksknitting not by a long shot I've got a ways to go, but hey its a start right, Rome wasn't built in a day and some of this is nice and think, I just have to learn consistency.
Now I need to study tomorrow's or my CCD kids at St Paul's will not get their CCD lesson.
Night all, and no the dog isn't at fault its all me, sobbbbbb

ICanSpin.com Park And Draft Spinning
okay I'm so stoked, I've spent part of the afternoon, when I've not been suffering from a cold to work on spindle spinning. Thanks to the aforementioned website, and my trusty CD spindle whilst I wait for my Bare Sheep spindle from Grafton Fibers, "not affiliated but she is SUPER to do business with.
Anyway thanks to the roving given by Janette at the OAKs meeting last weekend. I finally spun a single, now is it something I would knit with, no, is it all in a nice tight size, Nope, do I have my park draft perfected, again, nope, but, I've started and it is addicting, and pleasing to spin and watch it happen.
Word of advice, place a piece of masking tape on your spindle, with an arrow pointing for clockwise. I know how could you not know clockwise from counterclockwise.....Believe me, put a small piece of tape with a clearly marked arrow.
Oh and if your are like me and like cool sounds, try spinning to bebop ala radio at Netscape. The trumpet really makes you move.
Okay enough for now, back to the video and spinning, hope to have some pictures up soon, but for now believe me, it almost looks like Yarn!!!

P.S. Added note to my earlier post, I was going to attempt to photograph the aforementioned attempt to spin a single, but, and I kid you not the dog took it, honestly as I sit here at 12:02 editing this note the spindle and the spun roving is missing, annoying and I'll find it, if not I"ll do it again I can make another one, I have all the parts and I shall spin again!!!
Okay little bit melodramtic, but hey with the cold running through this family melodramtic is par for the course

Can you belive this I'm posting three days in a row, yikes.
Okay took the plunge last night and ordered not just the spindle from Grafton Fibers but also a 1/2 lb of BFL Blue-faced Leicester Sheep " blue faced leicester. was derived from English Border Leicester. The fleece is a lustre longwool, used for woven furnishing fabrics. It also makes a nice handspun yarn for knitters. Also asked Linda of Grafton Fibers to choose another long wool fiber in a colorway that she thinks I might like. So soon I will have three types of fiber to spin, a bare sheep spindle and a CD spindle.
So now, I wait and read Connie Delaney's book SPINDLE SPINNING and view the video's on I can spin hopefully it will click I still have the cd spindle and have received a few idea's on how to make it spin better, some one else suggested I can also use a fine crochet hook and the roving I do have and whilst I read practice so I can start to understand what drafting is.
I think I'll try that to.
I am truly blessed to have a husband who doesn't think I'm nuts for loving all manners of fiber arts, instead he encourages my exploration. Next biggie will be a spinning or perhaps a knitting convention when I can schedule the time from work.
I'm blessed what can I say.
time to study,
bbl
Christian

Like the sands of an hour glass these are the days of our lives.
Okay so that's a little well melodramatic but I always enjoyed that line.
Take for example my newest obsession /er hobby, oh admit it obsession. As if having multiple works in progress wasn't bad enough. I went to a knit in at the Sand Lake Barnes & Noble here in Orlando and after sitting and sipping a caramel macchiato and kniting and admiring the socks that Janette and Dale and I were working on.
Janette pulled out this zippered bag with this lovely soft yellow substance and a shawl she had knit with ,she said "here touch its roving", I was curious so like Princess Aurora I reached out and touched these lovely fibers and quickly fell under their spell, she gave me a small lesson on what roving is she then pulled out her greeensleeves spindle, I should have run as fast as I could for I was quickly being drawn into a new obsession, Spindle Spinning!!!
Any way she gave me some of this beautiful varigated fiber that she had brought with her, then she suggested I look up how to make a CD spindles, and recommended the I can spin website to get started.
Putting the CD spindle together was easy enough, I put it together that same evening can you say obsessive? However, getting it to spin like the video on I can spin well not so easy, The next thing you know I've gotten library books and I've ordered a wooden spindle from Grafton fibers and am busily looking and dreaming about fibers and spindles and spinning wheels, on eBay and on various yahoo group spinning lists .
The various wood used on spindles are so absolutely beautiful, well I could collect them just for there intrinsic beauty alone. And the fibers oh so beautiful. I hereby put a challenge to myself to actually spin enough to knit the beginners triangle shawl from the book "A Gathering of Lace" gathered by Meg Swanson.
Well enough for now, babysitting the grand babes and they have colds poor dears and they need me bbl

Which Spindle Are You?


this is the type of spindle I am, no idea what that means as I'm new to spining, but i hope to spin enough to knit shawls and socks etc.
lifes okay, got a new job only pain is that it starts in the end of November, and I need cash now to support my new habit.
Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and sale off some of the things I no longer use. C'est La Vie. Or something.

This is my first entry, and entrance into the world of blogs.
Nothing deep here at the moment, just wanted a place to share whats going on in my head/heart/soul.
What muse has hit, be it knitting, writing, cooking any and all are ways for me to show where/who I am.
I'm Chris mid 40's wife, mom,grandmom. African american woman married to a very caucasian american husband, happy for the most part, lots of thoughts about lots of subjects hope to contribute and not just spew my thoughts.