i heart you, spinning wheel

yes, it's official.  I own a spinning wheel.  I love it.  I assembled it yesterday with the help of my hubby and spun two small amounts of singles and plied them quickly using my new lazy kate.  I picked up both the wheel and kate in Solvang on Monday at Village Spin and Weave on Alisol.  it's a Majacraft Rose, and I heart it...a lot.

Did I mention that I love it? It's incredibly fast and easy to use - for a spinner who is already learned in the basics of drafting, twist and general mechanics of spinning.  It's not hard to pick up, but possible for someone who doesn't know anything about spinning, it could use some practice.

I've been spinning for a year and a half now, so I'm not perfect, but I definitely have experience in the methods and know what I'm aiming for.  Also, I think having good form is necessary and not taking it too fast - but I'm sure that came with practice too.  As with all new tools, it will take a bit to get to where I am proficient with the new machine and create exactly what I want (or at least something closer to what I can do with my spindle).

However, first run out I couldn't be happier!

here's a shot of the wheel with the handle up - it's not as big as
I had expected, in fact it's smaller than the exercise ball

this is the (terribly)attempted 2 ply yarn I threw together last night
if you're a local, these are great Cal Poly or St. Joe colors
btw - this was pointed out as soon as I started plying

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