A new forum for spinners

When I was starting to get interested in spinning I looked for a forum for spinners on the web, but although I found a lot of very useful websites and inspiration in the form of blogs, I couldn't find anywhere to talk to other spinners, both new and experienced. There are yahoo groups which seemed unwieldy, and there are knitters forums with very small spinning sections. So with a bit of time on my hands, I have created a forum.
Please drop in and visit.
You'll find it here.
Because it's free, it has google ads on it, the ads are based on the words in the posts, so at the moment they vary from ads for fishing line spinning to others for engineering products! The more yarny the posts become the more appropriate the google ads will get. I don't mind them. I was on another forum where someone posted about a hoilday in Uzbekistan and the google ads bot found hotels to stay at in Uzbekistan!

In the pink

My mum, who is thrumpety thrump years old (suffice to say retired), heard at the weekend that the University examiners have done their marking, and not only is she going to be awarded her MA Honours in History of Art this week, but she got a FIRST.
I would just like everyone to know that I am so proud of her, and wild horses will not stop me getting to her graduation on Thursday.

On a lesser note, this is stage one of the pink sock project.

Dancing shoe and socks

This is my new dancing shoe. It's the result of walking down my fairly steep garden ten days ago while carrying some pottery and falling over. As I fell I realised that the crack I heard wasn't a breaking pot, it was my left ankle.
The orthopod today said no weight bearing for another week, then VERY gently and gradually over the next 5 weeks as long as it's not too painful.













So to keep myself busy I have been knitting socks. There are actually two of each even though I can only wear one at a time!
The bottom ones in the photo are done in Regia wool. They were good fun to knit because the pattern changes every two rows and there's no chance of getting bored.
The top pair are knitted in Opal. I expected to like this yarn as it's so popular, but in fact the Regia was more enjoyable to knit.



















These were knitted to a different pattern. I used a K3 P1 rib from the top to the ankle, and then in a K3 P1 rib on the top of the sock and stocking stitch (all knit) on the bottom. I wanted to make socks which hugged my leg more and were less likely to roll down under a pair on wellies. I am pleased with them, but they took a lot longer to knit.













Three more pairs of socks, honest.
The blue is for my husband and as he wants them for under wellies, I expect they'll be a 3:1 rib pair.
The purpley green ball will knit up into a shaded sock, and the girly pink will knit up into broad stripes. I don't wear pink at all, but I couldn't resist the yarn.













And this isn't yarn at all yet.
It's merino roving. Gorgeously soft, and one of the first things I want to do on the Kiwi. If I want it for socks I'll need to blend it with something hardwearing or I'll spend my life darning.
I'm wondering about blending it with a recycled bottle fibre which should give it strength, but I need to do more research first.
On the other hand maybe I'll make gloves or something else entirely.
People keep asking if I'm going to get bored.
Can't see it myself!

Here's one I made earlier!

This is the hardware which goes with the wooden parts of the spinning wheel in an earlier photo.
When you add the two together, you get this.


















I thought a coloured wheel would look good, and painted it blue.... and then a different blue.... and then bitter chocolate brown, and finally black.



















And then I got some silver paint and painted calligraphy around it.
When it spins the silver becomes a solid whirl, which shimmers as it spins.