I don't spin. I would like to learn, but we just don't have that kind of space in our little house (that and when it comes to my attention span, I'm a bit of a ferret in a gravitron at times..thank you Sluggy Freelance...). Also, I think the concept of me creating more yarn to add to the stash might make Kev a little ill. He already jokes with our friends that the yarn in our basement helps cut the heating costs of our house and that he recommends others become knitters if only for the insulation potential. (I assure you it's not large enough to be that effective, but I have to consider Kev's perspective when planning out my spare time activities...)
So while I did find a $160 barely used spinning wheel online the other day, I resisted. As much as I would love to learn spinning, I am also considering the cost of knitting and spinning together. It seems a little much, especially when I enjoy giving knitted gifts so much (yes, the sock is done...I'll be casting on for the second today! WOOT!)
Then today, while I was tidying up the laundry room I rediscovered something I think I blogged about quite a while back and now I need your help. (clicky clicky for bigger fibery goodness)
See this? Yes...I can see your eyes flickering back and forth between the picture and the phrase "blogged about quite a while back"...if you don't remember this, it was a package of stuff that my mother had purchased years and years ago when she wanted to learn how to spin. For whatever reason, she decided that spinning was not for her and tucked these items away in our family storage room. Many moons later, after I had grown up and moved out, she and I were cleaning out the last of my personal possessions from their basement and she came across these items. Knowing how enthusiastic I was about knitting, she offered them to me, I accepted, and then for whatever reason, they ended up in my storage area...not sure why, really.
You're questioning the gap in time, aren't you? You are wondering how I could be sitting on this and not do anything with it. I know, and I officially offer my apologies to the spinning world. I'm just kind of stumped about what to do with it to be honest. I have...questions. Perhaps you have answers?
1. First off, are these fleece thingies (term please?) useable? Can I wash these and spin them and they will still be good? They have aged some since my mother first purchased them...we're likely talking about 10 to 15 years of age, not a mere couple of months.
2. Do moths like fiber when it's in this state? I don't see anything when I look through it but what are some signs of moths that I can look out for?
3. What ARE these? Is there a site you can recommend that would help me identify what sort of fiber these are or can you tell me? It looks like about four different types if you check out the photo...maybe three? Who's the fiber identification expert?
4. Okay, now let's play Name Those Tools...I know which one is the drop spindle, but are those paddle things used for carding? Are they just called "spikey paddle thingies" or "carders" or...?
I don't know where to start, here. Normally I consider myself a relatively resourceful person, (after all, most of what I learned about knitting I taught myself) but I'm really not sure where the best place to start is.
I've also heard that drop spindles are really quite difficult to maneuver so if you know of any video tutorials (we learn visually and kinetically around here) they would be very much appreciated.
Interview Update:
For those interested, the interview went well yesterday. Actually it was my best interview yet, which gives me confidence for the next one, should I get called.
I have terrible, terrible post interview anxiety, though. I get this with every interview I do. Regardless of how well I do, regardless of how confident I feel when I answer the questions (and I felt quite confident yesterday), I always spend the rest of the day questioning absolutely everything I said and did in an interview. Of course, it doesn't help that I won't find out if I got the position until next Friday. That's a long time for me to force myself not to think about the interview itself...Oi...
The nice thing is that if I do get the position, I wouldn't have to start until January which means that I could have quite possibly the most entertaining, relaxing and (knit)productive Yule/Christmas holiday I've ever had. Oh wouldn't that be nice... I'm going to go dream about that a bit before I get back to the job hunt.
All good things,
Morrighana
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