Usually, I’d begin a part 2 blog post with something like ‘As you might recall’, but as Part 1 went up yesterday I’m not sure that sentence has the right tone about it?

So…

Having been with the lovely Nancy Devlin, fibre enthusiast, tablet weaving, Viking extraordinaire for the morning, we paused our fibre fun and games to have a spot of lunch.

After which, Nancy brought out a few of her spinning wheels for me to get to know.

Ignoring Buttercup skulking in the corner, I sat in front of and attempted to spin on Nancy’s Louet wheel first.  It’s an S10 and unlike my Ashford Traditional, Nancy’s Louet has two treadles, so your foot work feels a little more in union.  I’m not sure if it was the double treadles, the slightly bigger orifice or the change of scenery, whatever it was, we bonded instantly.

Now when I say bonded, I don’t want you to think that I suddenly found I could spin and my yarn was beautiful, consistent, neat and tidy, because it was anything but.  I did however, manage to gain some sense of coordination and draft my fibres whilst treadling.

Feeling more than a little pleased with myself, I moved on to see if Nancy’s Ashford Traveller Wheel had anything more to offer.  Again it’s another double treadle wheel, it’s more compact in order to make it easier to transport.  The orifice on the wheel sits a little higher than on the Louet, which along with the double treadles means I had to sit in a much more upright position.   As you can see I’d become totally immersed in what I was managing to do, the concentration on my face saying it all.

All the time Buttercup was watching me from the corner of the room…….

At this point I could have well moved through the ranks of Nancy’s wheels, seeing if they had anything more to offer me, but I couldn’t cope with the guilt any longer.  I’ve been around for 43 years and I know only too well that things don’t fix themselves.  With no getting away from it, it was time to meet my relationship problems head on.

We either had to fix the problem or part ways.

Me and my wheel.  Buttercup and I ♥♥♥

Look how we bonded.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together and I found it hard to pull myself away from her.  When I eventually did, my back ached from spending hours sitting so upright.

Note to self – need to take more breaks.

We actually got on so well, that I managed to spin enough yarn to have a go at plying, before heading home the next morning.  I went back to using the Louet wheel again simply because it has a larger orifice and I wanted to check if I did prefer using the double treadles.

That smile, is one of pure joy.  Not only did I leave Nancy’s with a hank of slightly over spun, 2 ply yarn (all my own work), I’d managed to fix my relationship in the process.

Since returning home Buttercup and I have been spending lots more time together.

Oops….

Wrong photo (how embarrassing)

That’s better

If you look closer at the bobbin, you can even see how much my spinning is improving.

They (who I’m not sure), say you need to spin at least a pound of fibre before you truly get the knack of it.  I have approximately 2lb of the brown fibre, so hopefully I’ll be well on my way by the time it’s all used up.  Then I’ll allow myself to have a go with something a little prettier.

Happy Spinning Sunday!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥