Guess what I've got.....

 Louet 'Julia' with Lazy Kate and Niddy Noddy

Yesterday I went for my second spinning lesson. It started off OK but it soon became apparent that I had lost the skills I had learnt last week.

The lesson started off with carding which is the process of placing wool on what looks like a large hair brush. These brushes come in pairs and there is a technique to it.....brushing wool is not as easy as it may first appear! You have to brush it in a particular way and then use the back of the brushes to roll the fibres into what is called a 'Rolag'. I was then taught to do long draw spinning, which is a totally different technique to the one I learnt last week. It took me a long time to get the hang of it. I laughed my way through it, which is quite surprising because normally when I can't do something, or something isn't working, I tend to shout at it.....not that that approach is tremendously helpful! Anyway...I got there in the end and couldn't stop grinning like a loon!

Next up was the drum carder, which was a whole load more fun. The drum carder is basically a wooden box with a feed tray, a small drum with brushes, a larger drum with brushes and a handle with which to turn the drum.

The drum carder is used to not only prepare the wool (or whatever else you may be spinning) but can be used to blend different types of fibres prior to spinning. Carole pulled out  a big box of dyed wool and some dyed alpaca. I have to say I was dubious about her choice of colours, they all looked a bit strange together and I was starting to doubt her sanity....but then the magic happened. Upon turning the wheel, all the fibres were blended together and looked really very pretty. Apparently it is called a 'heathered wool'.

It was my turn next and I have to say I was more conservative in my choice of colours. The process was quite relaxing...I think I could quite happily sit all day carding. The end result wasn't as stunning as Carole's but she has loads more experience than I.

During the break, I started looking at the wheels that Carole has in her studio. I had been looking on line for one and had drawn up a shortlist of the Kromski Sonata, the Ashford Kiwi and the Louet Julia (S11 DT). We discussed the Kromski and decided against that. The Kiwi is more in the range price wise but being the impatient so-and-so that I am, decided that as the Julia was there, I would take it...even though it was twice the price of the Kiwi. Apparently the Julia should hold it's value well, which is a relief as I am a swine for collecting equipment for various hobbies and then losing interest!

Carole set the wheel up so that I could have a go and then spin the wool that we had just prepared. It was lovely. Nice and smooth....quiet and quite nice to look at. It is definitely more of a tool than an ornament and while it isn't like the spinning wheels depicted in fairy tales, it is still aesthetically pleasing.

Once the coloured wool had been spun, I plied it with a plain grey wool. The result was stunning. I am so pleased with it and can't wait to get it knitted up.

30 minutes and a trip to the bank later and I am sat in my car with my Julia in the passenger seat, a bag of roving and a 'Niddy Noddy'. It was really hard not to race home to get started.

Once home, I plonked myself into a chair and got started. I spun the whole roving and then tried to ply. It wasn't working for me, probably because I had been at it too long by that point. I thought I should leave it a while. Reading my book later, I realised that you should really leave the wool on the bobbins overnight anyway. I fear though, however long I leave it, the strands are so twisted that it will be difficult to ply in any case. I have trouble with my tension that I should really sort out first.....and for that I need fibres!

Cue me sat, at about 1am, buying roving from Etsy......hopefully it should arrive tomorrow to I can have a play....not forgetting to put a non-slip mat under the wheel so it doesn't keep scooting across the floor!