It Looks Like Mondays Are For Spinning

Nothing spectacular yet, but we just planted these gladiolus bulbs about 10 days ago. They seem to have sprouted overnight!

I got back on track today with my early morning crafting.  I was on a roll from spinning at the festival, and since I started out last week with spinning on Monday, I thought I'd continue on that path.

Today's Project: Spinning

I had to unpack my wheel from the fiber event. Since I'm working on the same fiber as before, I thought I'd tell you about my wheel.

I use a Kromski Sonata. I think I purchased it in 2007 or 2008. In finding that link for you, I was interested to see the price. I am almost certain that when I bought my wheel, I paid about $400 and that included the carrying bag for free. I see that the cost has gone up considerably to $660.

My wheel in action

My first wheel was a Saxony style double-drive with a single treadle. It was difficult to transport to events and suffered some wear and tear in the car.

I knew I wanted my new wheel to be portable. I settled on the Sonata. It was a fairly new type of wheel at the time. It folds up quickly and neatly into a special backpack. It's pretty light and the bag fits easily anywhere in my car.

I wasn't sure about the double-treadle action. I'd only tried single before. I shouldn't have worried; I love it! It feels much more balanced to have both feet working, less tiresome on my knee and hip.

The other aspect that was different was the tensioning. The Kromski has a single drive band with Scotch tensioning. At first I had some difficulty adjusting it, but with time I find I like it better than my first wheel's system.

I also chose this wheel for its appearance. I wanted a wheel that I could pass off at a re-enactment. So far, no one has complained about it.

Podcasts du Jour

• The Knitmore Girls--best knitting podcast ever! I devour these as soon as they come out
• Prairie Girls Knit and Spin--I just discovered this one. They have 66 episodes out; I like them enough to start back with number 1

Knitting Corner

I finished the knitting on the Highland Bonnet I discussed last week. All that is left is sewing up the hem for the band and then felting it. Huzzah! I'll show before and after pics when I get there.