I Can Admit When I'm Wrong.

This isn't the first time I've had to suck it up and admit to having been wrong. Just a few short months ago, I was forced to humbly apologize to the entire sock yarn industry and acknowledge that there is, in fact, such a thing as "good" sock yarn. Good things come from owning your misconceptions. Now I have nicer socks.

Yeah...I make mistakes all the time. Like that dark chocolate/chipotle candy bar that I bought because it was on the half price-post-Valentine's Day table. That was a judgement error. And one that I continue to pay for after having consumed it last night. But that's another story and one that you probably don't want any details on...

Today's humbling confession is to the makers of fine drop spindles. Like many new spinners, the drop spindle was my first introduction to the world of yarn production. I found a kit on Ebay and was seduced by the reasonable price. And it was an economical way to get a handle on the whole concept of spinning, but one that I quickly cast aside in favor of a wheel. This just wasn't for me, I boldly stated. It took too long, was hard to control and the results were just not what I was looking for. Frankly, I never really saw the appeal.

Except that drop spindles are awfully pretty... And they call to you when you see them at fiber events. And, even if you aren't a spindler, you may find yourself purchasing one for far more than you originally cared to spend. You tell yourself that it is "fiber art" and that it will make a lovely decorative item in the home.

And then you spin with it. And you "get it." It is a poor craftsman who blames her tools, but that original spindle that I bought years ago was not good. Not good at all. A good spindle will make good yarn, even if you lack developed skills. Sorry about the earlier attitude, spindle makers. My bad. You are good and talented folk who just want us all to make yarn wherever we may be.

My first stop at SPA this weekend was at Amy's booth and I just couldn't resist this spindle. I've been fiddling with it off and on for days and am just agog over how smoothly it spins. I honestly didn't think I wanted a top whorl spindle, but clearly this should have been my tool of choice in the first place. Now, I don't claim that this is my best spinning. In fact, it lacks anything remotely resembling consistency and I fear that there are places where the fiber is so thin that spiders would turn up their noses at it and call it too insubstantial. But it is, by far, the best spindling I've ever done.

And yes, that is a binder clip on my lovely Greensleeves Spindle. That's a trick that goes back to my early spinning days and it works quite nicely. It's just not all that aesthetically pleasing...

My wheel has also been active these days. All those fiber fumes from Saturday have gotten into my system wicked bad and I just can't seem to stop playing with the wool. The "mystery fiber" that I dyed a couple of weekends ago continues to please me and I'm hoping that I can finish up the bulk of it over the school vacation.

Bobbin #2 is filling up speedily.

I'm a happy Sheepie! However there is a downside to all this spinnage: my thumb is a-throbbin'! I have very tight tendons in my left thumb and it is permanently bent at a somewhat odd angle. Drafting for long periods can cause the cramping. But, I have found a pretty handy solution to that little problem. I share it with all the other middle-agers out there who have discovered that they are now capable of injuring themselves through the most sedate of activities. Sheila over at Ewenique Fiber recently updated her shop to include her new line of Tread Lightly Herbals. One of her products is a bunion balm designed to relieve foot pain. She also recommended it for the knuckles. I ordered some thinking that it might be a nice alternative to some of the more commercial remedies for pain and find it to be incredibly soothing after a day of spinning or knitting. It also softens the hands and feet amazingly well! These are also good things when you've been on the planet for a few years, lemme tellya! Sheila has also been great about answering questions I had about the product and her shipping time rivals any business out there. So now you can not only get your wool and knitting patterns at Ewenique Fiber, but also the soft and pain-free hands. Nice!!!

This is good because I have a disturbing amount of fiber to spin right now as well as more of the sock yarn that I bought during a SPA-induced blackout. And then I found these new Etsy stores...these purchases may also prove to have been errors in the financial sense. But it is my vacation.

And I'm having a really good vacation!!

SA