What to do on a Wednesday night?

Here's what we do ...

On a more serious note, I took my new to me wheel to the Spin Doctor for a diagnostic (the flyer spindle is too large in diameter to fit a standard bobbin, and the flyer seemed to be missing "something", so I wanted to know what could be done to make the wheel usable). The good Doctor said it seemed to be well made, a good copy of an Ashford, and that I should be able to order a new Ashford flyer and bobbins for it - he will modify the maidens and apply new leather to retrofit it for the new flyer ... Yay! The exchange rate is so good right now that even with shipping, I am paying only about $5 more than if I had waited a month to get it here in Canada ... I want to spin! I hope I don't get dinged in customs)

I called to order the flyer (you can get a 3-speed upgrade for my single drive wheel! yay!) and found out it is on backorder - until Oct. 3rd! seems like an eternity- so I am looking into alternate arrangements. (*Edit: Found one in the USA - it should be here in a week!

Not much new in the world of knitting or spinning - I am still drop spindling, and went to a spinning day at the Wile Carding Mill Museum last Sunday (I was the only one on a drop spindle, and got lots of questions about it from the public), and didn't even try a wheel, although they had all sorts of fancy wheels there - I thought I was happy with just a spindle. When I got home, I went on Kijiji to check out prices of used wheels - everyone had been talking about them at the Museum event - and made a few enquiries, just to see if they were working wheels or decorative, and the next thing I knew, it was Monday afternoon and we were driving home from Caledonia with a spinning wheel in the backseat - the details are a bit of a blur.

Its a bit weird - I thought I was happy with the spindle, I like it, I can get really skinny yarn using it, its portable and easy ... but the wheel is beautiful, and has the potential to be faster once I learn how to do it. (and Curly really loves the wheel - I can't get his paws off it! In his other lives, he must have been a spinner or a spinner's kitty!)

Tuesday we went to the Valley (that's the Annapolis Valley if you aren't from Nova Scotia) for a trip to get some Fall produce, and T asked if there were any "wool places" up there (I married a truly wonderful man! *grinning*) The only wool shop in the Valley that I knew of was Gaspeau Valley Fibres, but I had no idea how to get there ... so we did a "wander" and found it. It is a really nice shop - lots of variety in the yarns, and some beautiful exotic stuff too! I was drooling! Lots.

It was here that we discovered that I would need a new flyer for the wheel - none of the bobbins fit it. Wow! What a nice selection of fibre to spin with and some lovely wheels to buy!! I showed remarkable restraint and only bought a bit of natural merino to practice with, even though T was encouraging me to get some - he hadn't been to Sharon's at this point. Sharon at Boulder Brook Spinning, my lfs (local fibre shop) has a great selection too - I can get most of what GVF had at Sharon's, but it was neat to see what another fibre shop had.

(*Edit: it is now Friday, as I finish off this post - I am getting ready for Friday Spinning at Sharon's. She is so sweet - today she's going to teach me to spin on a wheel ... I am nervous and excited) * I will add links later, or I will be late for spinning!