Two Timing.

...You may or may not know that I am not a spinner, just a knitter. I don't know how to crochet either, I am purely a knitter. I am so utterly obsessed with knitting that I've always worried that trying my hand at anything else would leave me less time for my knitting, and then what if I liked it?... would I end up neglecting my knitting for weeks at a time to work on a sewing project or some other hand made item???

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Awhile back, my brother in law in Alberta mentioned that he had found this "knitting wheel" at a junk yard. He bought it for me knowing I like to knit, it only cost him a dollar. I wasn't really sure what to expect and in just a few short weeks I'd forgotten all about it.  

On Friday Chris and I lugged ourselves and the babe over to Chilliwack for a very brief visit to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of his parents, it was such a wonderful event and everyone was in attendance. Cameron had brought the knitting wheel all the way from Alberta so Chris threw it in the trunk to bring home. I didn't really get a good look at it that night and it stayed in the trunk for a few days more until I finally decided to bring it in the house.

Once I was able to observe it standing up straight and in the proper light I noticed how lovely it was. I Googled it and learned that in the center of my living room sat an Ashford Kiwi that looked pretty well intact besides the missing Flyer and a bit of a wobble (I later found out that Cameron had done a demonstration for Chris, using all of his weight, he used the petals like a Stairmaster to get the wheel spinning a million miles an hour).

Excited that my new spinning wheel might actually be worthy we brought it to Knotty by Nature this morning in search of a diagnosis, surely it was garbage if someone had tossed it out like firewood. Well, Ryan found a slightly used Flyer off of an old Kiwi he had in the basement, then Claudia (the spinning instructor! ...I apologize if I have your name wrong) strolled through the door on her day off and within minutes they had all of the missing pieces in place. Out came an allen key and Claudia was down on one knee tightening all of the wobbles out of the wheel, and before we knew it she had strung a leader and was gracefully drafting and spinning as Chris and I stood their in total amazement!

I've been much more gentle with the wheel, it sat in the back seat on the way home. I've hidden it in the utility room so that Elsie can't use the wooden tensioner as a microphone anymore. I came home from Knotty by Nature with "the only book I'll ever need" on spinning...

Like I said, I'm not a spinner. I've always had this fear that if I tried it I'd like it, and if I liked it I'd need a wheel (so not in the budget), and if I had a wheel I would have to stretch my yarn budget to buy fibre to support my spinning habit... and on it goes.

But you see it just so happens that a $400 dollar spinning wheel, aquired for just one dollar, made it's way through the Rocky Mountains and over the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver Island, only to fall into my lap... I'm taking this as a sign.

Oh and Cameron, I owe you a dollar.