Foster Mom

Well, I'm trying my hand at being a foster parent-no-not a real kid.  It's an antique spinning wheel that belongs to my BFF (Yup, Carol, that's you).  I talked her into letting me take it home to see if I could get it working. Well, I polished it up, oiled it, made a new drive band and had it going in no time.  One problem was a horrible screechy squeak-with my windows open, I'm sure the whole neighborhood heard, and wondered if I was strangling a cat.  Oil didn't do it, so out came the candle wax.  I applied it about 5 times before it finally quieted down.  But, the squeak sounded like it was saying the name Judith Anne-so with Carol's okay we named her Judith Anne-I call her Judie.  Once I figured out the ins and outs of double drive I spun up some Egyptian cotton I've had packed away for a couple years, did some lace weight wool for a shawl I want to make, and-I bought some flax and started to spin that.  I had to make a distaff for it-parts of it were missing. So I dug up a couple dowels and fashioned a usable distaff.

Flax-interesting stuff.  I researched every website and Youtube video I could find.  It is very different to spin.  Not especially hard-just different.  I can get it pretty thin without it breaking, but I don't think it will become fine linen.  More along the lines of rope.  Oh well, at least I can claim to be a pretty well rounded spinner now.