Increasing the Flock
I might not have been at Rhinebeck, but a very kind and enabling friend helped me increase my "flock" of spindles. Julie bought a Golding ring spindle at MS&W, and has said nothing but wonderful things about hers. Even though I am beginning to bond with my wheel, I still get a lot of pleasure out of working with my drop spindles. I like the rhythm of spinning on a drop spindle and they are just a tad more portable than most wheels. For me, there's also something special about having a beautiful took in my hands.
A little gift sheep from Julie is helping out with the display of my new toy. The butterfly in this spindle is handcarved out of cherry and the shaft is walnut. The whorl is 2-3/4" and the whole spindle weighs about 1.3 oz -- which is a wonderful weight range for me because I like to spin fairly fine singles.. According to Carolyn, who volunteered to bring it back to Chicago, and handed it off to me today, it got some test spinning by both Claudia and Leigh -- which I am certain will give it some happy spinning vibes to start out with.
I'm quite taken by this little butterfly. Simple and lovely but not completely perfect -- exactly what a handcarved item should be. The cherry and walnut and brass complement each other well. It's the sort of thing that I keep picking up to touch and inspect. A clear sign that I need to get some wool on this thing and see how this baby spins for myself.
Today is a two-fer in my blog world. I've also updated the book blog with a review of Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks, Warm Feet, if you're interested in my thoughts about that book
Your butterfly is beauitful -- I love my Golding sp0indle too -- mine's a sunflower.
Your butterfly is beauitful -- I love my Golding spindle too -- mine's a sunflower.
Oops! Sorry about the double comment -- and the first one is complete with typo! :-)
beautiful spindle! and love the felted sheep too!
I now have a "collection" of Goldings -- two. ;-)
I'm thinking of getting a couple more, I love them so much. But now that I've made friends with the wheel, I may not use them much except for decoration.
Lovely looking Golding! I'm slacking on the book blog, but I'm planning on reviewing Scarf Style later today if all goes well. I think it was my favorite book of 2004, so I figure it's a good place to start.
Off topic here but did you know that Ashford makes a repair kit that includes flyer hooks that you said your wheel was missing? look here if you are interested. I bought my wheel from them, they are great to work with.
http://www.woolery.com/Pages/ashwheelsfr.html
That was fast! carolyn is better than fed ex.
Trust me, the butterfly was much nicer than the tree of life.
A thing of beauty !
It is a beautiful spindle. I bought myself a little baby Golding on Saturday, and am enjoying getting to know it. It's so tiny! The best part is that it fits just beautifully into my purse. Gotta love portability.