Gloomy weather

[altivo]

At least, gloomy for July. It poured rain on and off this morning. The sun only came out briefly this afternoon. Now it's gray and misty out as the sun sets, though not actually raining yet.

Went to spinning study group where we watched a video about spinning flax. Next month's assignment: spin some line flax and report on the experience. About time I did some more of that anyway, so OK. It's time to pull together all the stuff I plan to submit for the show this fall. I also have to remember that I once again promised to judge the knitting entries at the county fair, which will be this coming Tuesday. Ack.

Came home from the meeting with a book charkha, which is a tiny portable spinning device originally invented in India for spinning native cotton. No, I didn't buy it, but I've been making noises about wanting one now and then and this one was lent to me as a result. I suspect it will be offered to me for a price if I like it. The question is, can I justify yet another spinning wheel? Well, if it works for me, it has a lot going for it, as in being no larger when folded up than a typical book, and weighing less than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. ;p Then there are the guilt feelings about robbing my bank account to buy an unnecessary toy...

Weaving is going well, may be off the loom before the weekend is over, then on to another project.

Comments

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Making little noises about wanting one? I can see you standing your head over the stall and doing that XD Just like your avatar.

The weather here is warming up quite nicely, however they've been backburning so there's a layer of grey in the lower part of the sky. And the sky is that faded blue at the moment.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, something like that. Watching ebay to see if a used one would show up. (It hasn't so far.) The Bosworths like this one are the best, they have sealed bearings and teflon bushings, and a made from hand-turned cherry. Beautiful work and made to spin well, because the builder is himself a spinner (that's rare.) Unfortunately, they are priced accordingly, so a Bosworth costs about three times as much as a cheap one from India.

I played with it a bit last night, and I could definitely get used to using it. The 70:1 spinning ratio is ideal for short fiber like cotton or some animal fur types like vicuña or qiviut. By contrast, my spinning wheels get between 8:1 and 15:1 depending on how they are set up.