The picture of the bobbins tell the next chapter in my spinning journey. I have gotten much more comfortable with my new Hansen mini pro e-spinner. I still occasionally turn the speed dial to off when changing to the next bobbin. Then wondering why it won’t start. I am getting much better at remembering to put the break back on after changing the bobbins. I have found that with my arthritis using pearl cotton as the leader is much easier to see and for my hands to get the fiber settled into than sewing thread. I might be sacrificing a few inches of yarn, but that’s OK with me.
In the past 2 weeks, I have upped my spinning skills with the e-spinner. The bobbin in the front left is the first bag of pencil roving for my older sister. This bobbin is just shy of 8 ounces. So the bobbins hold a lot of fiber. There is one more bag of that color to be spun on a second bobbin. I will ply them onto a third bobbin until full and then refill the bobbin until I run out of yarn.
The bobbin in the front right is the second third ( stages 8 to 14),of the Tour de Fleece spin from Hilltop Cloud in Mallwyd, Wales. Katie is a fabulous curator and dyer of fiber. It is also faster to get something from Wales than from some parts of the United States. The bobbin in back is the first third of the spin of Tour de Fleece. Stages 1 to 7. Today I received the extra fiber I ordered from the first day of the spin for the purpose of plying with stages 1 to 7. I will show that off when I am finished plying it. Yes, I must spin it first and fast, as I am running out of bobbins.
For all those who are curious about my other spinning wheels, I still have not gotten the clearance from the doctor to start using them again. I am hopeful that it will be soon; however, I am prepared to pivot if necessary. So change might be necessary. I really did not think that would happen at all. I have bought and tried 2 e-spinners that did not work well with me. This time I tried before I bought it. E-spinners are like drop spindles and spinning wheels. There are many different types and there is a right one for each person. You just might have to try a few to get the right fit.
It was a wonderful way to spend part of the day. Even though it was cooler with a high of only 107 Fahrenheit or 41.66 Celsius. Verses yesterday’s 112 Fahrenheit or 44.44 degrees Celsius. This is summer in Tucson. Although as the population grows, I think Tucson is turning into a heat island with too many paved surfaces and buildings. With not enough desert landscape. The nights are not cooling down much either and I worry about our cactus. That is my personal opinion and as of yet has not been back up by the science people.