New spindle

As you may have noticed from all the fiber I've been prepping, my spinning mojo seems to have returned with the sun. I've been itching to get my hands on the wheel, and my fiber lust has been so strong recently that I finally broke down and bought a new spindle. This is spindle number 3 for me, and this one is a keeper! Number 1 was just too big and too heavy. It hurt to spin for any prolonged period of time, and it wasn't able to produce the kind of yarn I wanted to make. Number 2 was a good weight and size, but a bottom-whorl - and a notched one at that! It was just not pushing my buttons. It's ok, though. Number 1 now belongs to Weaving Friend, and Number 2 is going to go live with Mum.

Number 3, ah - Number 3 is just right.

Top whirl, 19g, short, thick shaft perfect for finger-flicking, perfectly balanced. I am a little bit in love with Number 3. It's beautifully handmade from cherry wood, both shaft and whorl. I bought it from Wildcraft, along with two new lumps of fiber. The first is 100g of Devon and Cornwall Longwool.

The second is actually not a lump, it is 30g of mawata. I'm still pondering whether to spin this or knit it up into mittens as per the Harlot. I'm not sure I would ever wear unspun silk, as I think the squeaking would bother me. Still, it's not like I'm in a great rush to get this on the wheel - I've already got three wheel WIPs on the go!

The observant will have noticed that there is fiber on Number 3, and that it is neither silk nor Devon Longwool. It is, in fact, half of the 34g of Shetland top that the spindle came with as postal padding. Well played, Wildcraft. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!