A NEW WHEEL?I went to spinning class tonight and there was a secondhand Suzie sitting there whispering my name. The price tag on it is pretty good (about 1/2 of a brand new one, I think) and it is in good condition. I didn't get around to testing it tonight but I will in a couple of weeks. I guess I have till then to sleep on it. I really want it (if it spins well) but I don't want to make a rash decision. I
do know, though, that after this wheel, I won't be wanting another for a long, long while - I'd better not! I can't afford another one!
SPINNING TENCELTonight I tried my hand at spinning tencel. It was an interesting experience. The fibres were long and slippery and it was quite hard to spin at first, but once I got the hang of it, it went quite quickly. There is a spectacular sheen on it, much like silk. I plan to ply it with some merino as I'd hate to knit with it alone, I think, since it, like cotton appears to have no "boing".
CHEAP WOOLBrian (whom I have never met) from the Tuesday morning class had left with Jenny some wool that he had gotten carded but no longer wanted. It wasn't exactly fine grade wool, but it was a good buy at $12 a kilo. I bought about 1.1kilos worth in two colours (natural dark brown and natural light brownish grey) and I thoguht it would make a beautiful jumper. There is, I am sure, enough there for a jumper for me, maybe even for Cris, but he won't wear it as it is not super fine wool. It's too coarse for him, I think, so it's all mine!
COTTON LACE TEEProgress! (Jen, did you see that? Progress!)
Yes, indeed, I am about 3 or 4 inches into the sleeve (another 15 or so inches to go). It is coming along quickly and I will soon be able to wear it. (Are you tired of hearing me say that by now?) You know what? Aftr having about 300 stitches on the needle, the sleeves feel like they are
SO QUICK TO KNIT!VESTE EVERESTNo progress.. still at about 3 repeats into the back. It's quick, though, considering I have not had time to work on it all week.
SCARF EXCHANGE UPDATEI know a number of you have posted updates on your blogs. I am sorry I have not found time to go through all your blogs yet. Here's a list of everyone's blogs:
Knit Only groupAmanda,
Siouxsie,
Kae,
Michelle,
Amy,
Krystofer,
Kristen,
Jennifer,
Sally,
Rebecca,
Gracie, Jo Matthews (no blog), Dana (no blog), Margaret (no blog), and Julie (no blog)
Surprise groupColette,
Beverly,
Lee,
Judy,
Rox,
Jennifer,
Cynthia,
Julie,
Becky,
Mona,
Tam,
Alicia,
Cecile,
Jena,
Fiona,
Ina, Debi (no blog), and Christina (no blog)
YARN SWAPRemember how I was sending Emy fibre and a spindle? I received a HUGE lot of lovely yarns from her this week. I have not taken a photo of it yet. It's definitely photo-worthy. I received some lovely cashmere blends, some silk, some angora blend, some mohair blend and some wool. Thank you Emy!
Oh, and Emy, you seemed concerned in the note you included in the box that the silk may not be real silk. We flame-tested it in class tonight and it sure does look like it is silk!
CLASSES HAVE STARTED...That's right. I am busy again. I am taking two classes this term. Both of them have three BIG assignments each and one of the assignments is a HUGE marketing plan (think 100 pages without appendices) and report. Ouch! At this stage I think I just want to complete these two sbjects and get it all over and done with. As long as I pass, I'll be happy. Anything more is a bonus!
Right now our biggest problem is finding an Australian company that wants to work with us. I don't know how easy that will be. I have contacted one company today, and have not yet received a response. Fingers crossed...
