Describing the great time I had with other bloggers in my last post is a tough act to follow. Let’s face it, sometimes it hard to come up with an exciting blog entry – particularly when you just posted a really special one. But, there’s some business I’ve been meaning to attend to so, with apologies to Cate for shamelessly ripping her off, I present a rambling, random post of my thoughts on Thursday.

I may be addicted to spinning. Honestly, though, how’s a girl to judge her own addiction when she’s surrounded by people who are way more addicted? Spinning every day might be a clue. Spinning for a few minutes before work might be another clue. I just don’t know how to gauge it. But here’s my latest yarn on the bobbin.

Looks better, I think. This is coopworth roving and it’s easier for me to spin than the BFL. It’s much softer and drafts easier but I’m also noticing that my yarn is pulling apart more with this stuff. Should I be treadling more? Drafting slower? Drafting faster? Any advice from my fellow spinners?

I called the Double Tree Inn in Portland, Maine, to make reservations for Sharon and I to attend SPA. They’re sold out but advised me to make reservations at The Hampton Inn, which is the overflow site and they are offering the same group rate on their rooms. I’m hoping there will be LOTS of overflow attendees at the Hampton and therefore we’ll be hanging out and spinning and knitting all over the place. If you haven’t called to make reservations yet I’d say, hop to it!

Have I mentioned how great Heather is? First of all, she sent me one of her very first bracelets as a gift. Since then she has continued to make more and more beautiful bracelets and last week I purchased a stunning lapis blue one that she named “Casual Friday.” She packed it up and sent it along with this:

Merino roving for me to play with! Isn’t she awesome? And generous? I’m not good enough to even touch this stuff yet but I’m going to have fun with it later. Love the colors and it’s so soft! I must admit, I was really touched when I opened this package. I might have even shed a tear or two.

Speaking of being touched when opening packages, look what came from my Secret Pal!

Yummy yarn in shades of eggplant and forest green! Notecards! Stitch markers! A knitting and design journal! Thanks, Secret Pal! I love absolutely everything!

I finished the Eyelet Cardi a couple of weeks ago and I wear it constantly! I even wore it the day I bought my wheel. It’s warm and cozy and the color is bright and I just love it. Here’s me, in my office, which is generally freezing but I don’t even notice when I’m wearing my Peace Fleece sweater.

Finally, I’ll share with you a delicious recipe for roast pork in the crock pot. I made this on Monday night and we all loved it. It’s very simple:
core and slice 6 apples and put in the bottom of the crock pot
put a pork roast on top
mix up some apple cider with a little brown sugar and ginger
pour this over the pork set
Set your crock pot on low for about 10 hours and go knit.
Come back to a delicious, tender, pork roast.

Tomorrow Sharon and I have our first spinning lesson here. That should provide some blog fodder. Woot!

Remember back in junior high school when you wanted whatever anyone else had? Your friend had gaucho pants and wedge heeled boots and you had to have them, too. Your other friend cut her hair and next thing ya know, you’re Farrah Fawcett. Reading blogs is like being back in junior high school. You see something on someone’s blog and BAM you want one for your own self. Before you know it you’re knitting Birch or Clapotis or a One Skein Wonder. It’s how we can celebrate Socktoberfest and have all those freakin’ knitalongs. Hey, everybody else is doing it, I should do it, too.

One of the things that has intrigued me for quite some time is spinning. Everyone else is doing it and I’ve been wanting to TRY it. Just try it and see what it feels like to make yarn. Last week I bought a couple of spindles and some roving on ebay. I waited anxiously for them to arrive and when they did I gave them a whirl and I sucked. I sucked so bad that those two rather expensive spindles are at the bottom of a basketful of yarn. Of course, I wasn’t all that disappointed to suck at spindle spinning because what I really want, irrational though it may seem, is a wheel. An Ashford Traditional, if you must know.

So Sunday? When Dale and I were looking for something to do? We took a drive to Cambridge to Mind’s Eye Yarns, just to have a look. Because it’s good to shop around and make an informed choice, right? I mean, I’ve been talking and talking to other bloggers and getting advice on what to look for and what I might need, but it would be good to actually see some wheels in person. Right? I wasn’t going to buy a wheel, I was going to wait until SPA to purchase a wheel. Yup, wait until February. Because I’m so good at delayed gratification and all.

We were in the shop about five minutes and Lucy had me sitting in front of an Ashford Traditional drafting while she treadled. Then I was treadling while she drafted. Next thing I know she’s got me drafting and treadling and I’m in the zone. Being in the zone makes me exempt from all responsibility because you know what she did next? She leaned over and whispered, oh so seductively, in my ear, “you could take this one home with you today.” Can you guess what happened? Sure you can.

Next thing I know, she’s strapped in the back of my Jeep and we’re heading home.

So far, I suck, but not as badly as I did with the spindle. And – here’s the most important part – I don’t even really care that I suck because I love it so much. The whirr of the wheel is enchanting and the whole process (Hi, Margene!) is so what it’s all about. And, I made yarn. I. Made. Yarn. Granted, it’s sucky yarn, but I. Made. It.

It’s a slippery slope, this blogging business. You start out wanting to keep a record of your knitting projects and put your thoughts out there for others to ponder. Next thing you know, you’re knitting things you’d never dreamed of trying and then, lo and behold, you’ve got yourself a spinning wheel. I blame it all on blogging. Really. I do.