Much Ado

I've been up to nothing again lately.  Oh sure, I'm knitting and spindle spinning, but some consider that nothing.  In order to rectify this perception (my own) of doing nothing, I've taken to listening to educational podcasts.  In this manner, I can create the deillusion that my time is being well spent and I'm actually learning something.  Not nothing.

While doing nothing, my shawl is growing and so are my Crocus Fairy socks.  I've stumbled onto a spinner's podcast where I've learned all sorts of new things including how to incorporate spinning lingo into my daily lexicon.  My vocabulary is definitely expanding.  I've learned the difference between Navajo and Andean plying, how to control my drafting zone, the difference between woolen and worsted and all about drop spindles.  The next time I find myself doing nothing, I plan to listen to tips on spinning slippery fibers like silk, bamboo and tencel.

I'm also surfing madly to find the perfect spinning wheel.  It would help if I knew how to narrow this search, or had the ability to trial all of the wheels out there, but for now, I spend my time reading up on the virtues, or lack thereof of all of them.  Double drive or scotch tension?  Single or double treadle?  Portable or not?  Old or new?  Wood or other materials? Made right here in my own backyard, or shipped from abroad?  How is a girl who is so busy doing nothing supposed to make a big decision like this?  You know of course, a spinning wheel is a very pricey decision.  That's why I can't seem to take the plunge.  Once I do, I want it to be perfect.  I was the same way the first time I bought an itty-bitty skein of cashmere that preceded adequate knitting skills.

So I guess I've been doing more than nothing, even though it seems to be too relaxing to be anything more than nothing.

Rudee appears to be smitten with Schact's Ladybug wheel and is considering purchasing this entry level wheel.  She plans to take it for a spin around the block on Friday.   Feel free to leave a comment if you think she has finally lost her mind, or she is about to make a mistake she'll live to regret.