Oh My!!

I decided to treat myself using some of the money that I've made dyeing yarn to order a Golding Ring Spindle.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It is incredibly beautiful and spins effortlessly! And it wasn't much more expensive than other quality spindles. It is weighted beautifully. I've always wondered how someone would have the patience to spin enough yarn on a spindle to knit clothing and now I know. It's like I didn't know how to spin on a spindle until I tried this one.

Notice the ridged wood for traction. I found that if I spun it on the ridges it didn't wobble at all. Clever!

I spent some time last week producing the back of a sweater on the knitting machine. They are not kidding when they say learning to use it involves a steep learning curve! It's a lot like learning to spin on the spinning wheel was for me. I felt like kicking it several times before I got the hang of it. I'm feeling a bit more confident now but I'm just going to attempt this as a plain cardigan and forget about doing anything fancy until I have this one under my belt.

The new Spring issue of Knitty is out today. It's possible that the "An American In China" sock pattern could solve my sock sole issues. The heel, sole, and toe is knit in Linen Stitch with some short rows tossed in to even up the lengths of the sole and the instep. I've already printed the pattern and I'm going to try this one really soon.