Clara, the Spinning Wheel

Well, Clara cleans up really well!  I have not used my spinning wheel in about six years and I had to clean her up, oil her up, and tighten her up.  But, she is spinning like she always has.  I bought this spinning wheel, the Ashford Traditional, in the mid-1990’s, brand new from New Zealand for about $250, which seemed like an awful lot of money back then.  They sell now for about $650!  And the company has been sold and I have been told that they are not as well made now, which is no surprise.  Many times over the last few years I have tried to sell my wheel, my loom, all my accessories, and all my fiber.  Once, someone actually wanted to buy it and I chickened out.  Mr. Beloved has talked me out of it at least three times.  I’m so glad!  Thank you, Mr. Beloved, for talking me down off the ledge so many times, in so many ways, for so many reasons.  LOL!  Here is a photo of Clara with Toby.

He looks like he is very interested in the wheel, but, in reality, he is intently watching the cat and planning to chase her.  The white wool on the bobbin which is on the lazy kate is what I have spun thus far from a fleece which was given to me by my beloved friend, Marci, when she had sheep.  She has since passed away and it is special spinning the wool that she gave me.

I am in the process of filling another bobbin with black alpaca.  I am not totally sure where I got the alpaca, but it is beautiful stuff and I am enjoying spinning it.  I am planning on spinning some of the wool and alpaca together and then I will have three bobbins of single ply and I will ply them together to make a black and white 3-ply yarn.  I hope that I will have that done by my next post.  When I am done with the yarn, I will start working on painting number four.

In the meantime, I have some photos of past projects that I have made from my homespun yarns.

Hand knit socks with wool from Marci.  (You know, I think that most of my wool is from Marci…)

Close up of the knitting stitches.  I am not an expert spinner, so the yarn is usually thin in some spots and thick in others, but I like it and I enjoy making it and using it.

These crocheted gloves are actually the first thing I ever made with my own homespun yarn.  The wool was not from Marci, but it was given to me from someone who had sheared their own sheep.  It was in Florida, and the person who gave me the wool couldn’t understand why I would want wool or want to make or wear anything made of wool.  LOL!  It was dirty and in a feed bag.  I had to pick it to get rid of large pieces of plant trash and then wash it.  I had so much fun.  Then, I made these gloves for Ron.  He has loved them and almost worn them out.  I made them over twenty years ago.

This hat was made from the first wool that Marci gave me, about 15 years ago, right after we moved up here to Ohio.  We were living in the apartment above their goat barn and Marci and I would spin together.  She had a wheel like mine.  I knitted this hat for Ron and he loved it and has worn it ever since.

There is something warm and comforting about handmade things, whether it is considered art or not, it is beautiful.  Whether it is considered pinterest-worthy or not, it is lovely.  I am no expert.  As a matter of fact, if an expert spinner, knitter, weaver, etc., were to ever inspect my work…  Well, I shudder to think of the tortures they would endure.  But, I enjoy it and I think it is beautiful.

I think, between painting four and five, I will warp my loom and plan to weave something beautiful.

And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands,

and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple,

and of scarlet, and of fine linen.

–Exodus 35:25