My Wheel is on its way!

So I've spun a couple of batches now on my drop spindle:

This was my first attempt - nice enough, but *not* what I was going for, so I tried again, and this is what I got:

Now that's more like it!!!! I could actually knit me some sockys out of this stuff - I'm loving it!

AND, the best part is - after DH saw me struggling last night to ply the yarn using my makeshift lazy kate, and the yarn was kinking all up and being nasty to me - he told me today to go ahead and order the spinning wheel that I want. So I did it before he could change his mind! :-) (There's no need to tell him that simply getting a tensioned lazy kate would solve that particular problem, now is there? It *was* also annoying to have to wind the singles *off* of the spindle just to get the spindle free to then ply it back *on* which I will then have to get back *off* again! And a spinning wheel with nice bobbins and what-not will solve that problem!)

Now I will very shortly be the proud owner of a Kromski Mazurka in a beautiful Mahogany finish! I love that it comes from Poland because DH's family comes from Poland! Looking at the assembly instructions online, however, kind of gives me a sick feeling - am I going to figure this contraption out? Granted I am an engineer (although a chemical one....) so I *think* I can figure it out, it's just a little intimidating is all.

So I get a belated Christmas gift! DH and I didn't exchange gifts, we just got the boys presents. But now I get a present after all! DS#1 got two of the things he asked Santa for, and then promptly threw a hissy fit because he didn't get the third! So we threatened to take all his nice gifts away, and he was suddenly quite happy with what he did get! My mother suggested that she might go ahead and get the thing he didn't get (we're going down to her house this weekend for a belated Christmas celebration with my parents) - a Jabba the Hut toy, btw, but I told her not to, since it would ruin the lesson - don't you agree?? AND DH remembered that he has an old Kenner Jabba the Hutt toy in amongst his action figures in the attic, so we're going to get it down and clean it up and give it to DS for Easter. That'd be better, imo, since it'll be a toy that his Daddy had when he was little!

Here's a few Christmas pics:

Leaving the reindeer food on Christmas Eve-

And a very Star Wars Christmas was had by all:

That's the Cantina Set that DS#2 is playing with - it plays the Cantina Band music -how cute is that? He kept saying "Push Button?" and pushing the button to play the music. :-)

Anyways, I hope you all have a very Happy New Years! Mine will start off with a new spinning wheel!! Yippee!!

The Spinning Bug has bit again!

So, I now officially have another fiber obsession. Spinning! I'm loving spinning on my drop spindle, but I can now see the usefulness of a spinning wheel. Spinning straight to a bobbin? Not having to stop the spindle and manually wind up the yarn a foot at a time? I'm there! (Hopefully, maybe, sometime soon!) I have my eye on the Kromski Mazurka. I'm short on space, and I love the looks of it (maybe not a valid technical/spinning reason for purchasing a wheel, but I do love fine furniture, and if it's going to be sitting in my living room I'd like it to look good!) Here it is in the walnut finish: (I'd want the mahogany finish).

There's nowhere near me that I know of to try one out, so I'll be just going on intuition as to what would work well for me. I *think* I want a single treadle, double drive (with a scotch tension option). I love the fact that it's from Poland too - DH is of Polish descent (his grandparents immigrated here in the 40's). $500 is a steep amount, though, especially right now for us. We've been wanting hardwood (i.e. laminate!) floors for a while, and that would go a good ways on buying those. So I may have to wait a while on the wheel. :-( Oh well, I'll make due with my drop spindle for the time being!

Change of topics! So there's this new children's show on PBS called 'Super Why!'. My DS's absolutely love it! They both sit entranced for the whole 30 minutes - which is a looongg time for my two boys, let me tell you! AND, they actually interact with the show the way they're supposed to (calling out letters and such) which is something they never do with other shows (well, except maybe Dora). It's teaching my 2 yo his letters (or more like re-enforcing my teaching). He loves shouting out the letters that they find (they look for "super-letters" that pop up while on their mission.) Anyway, I won't bore you with the whole plot structure! Just fyi - it's a really cute show! Check it out if you have kids under 5!

The new 'issue' of Knitty came out a few days ago, and man, are there a bunch of projects that I want to do!! It does not help my Ravelry queue at all! (Or my pocketbook!) I just get one or two projects on the needles or done, and then *BAM* ten more projects get added to my 'want to do' list! It doesn't help when I go ahead and get the yarn for the projects, either, 'cause then they're just sitting there waiting to be knitted (actually looking at me and begging to be knitted! LOL) and I don't have the time!!!! Or the hands!!!! And I don't think I'm the only one who has yarn talking to them -(am I?). I don't know which is worse, having the yarn on hand for a project, and having said project yelling "Knit Me!", or not having the yarn on hand for a project, and coveting said yarn, and the project is still yelling "Knit Me!" but not as loudly :-). And to top it all off, I now have roving sitting in my stash yelling "Spin me!" just as loudly as the yarn. And you know that once I spin it, it'll just start yelling "Knit me!" along with all the other yarn! Unless of course I do a horrible job of spinning it, then it'll just be crying in my stash, but nevertheless adding to the noise (that only I can hear!) emanating from my closet.

Oh well, I'll stop the rambling for now! BTW, does anyone know how to shut yarn up? (other than knitting it!?)