It's Baa-ack...

At Stitches Midwest I had an eye open for a new spindle (the old spindle), but they weren't as available as in past years. However, many many were to be had at A Wool Gathering.

Introducing my new spindle:

I know it's a Greensleeves, I think it's a Fox, and I don't know what the woods are. But I know they're beautiful, and have a sort of iridescence. The two following pictures are different by a quarter turn.

And here's some merino I purchased with which to practice. One ounce on the spindle, one ounce remaining. I also purchased four ounces of another fiber (Romney and Alpaca) in a color called "Tiger Eye" which I love, and hope to do it justice when I spin it.

So far, it's going all right. It was kind of like riding a bike; it came back to me quickly. Now I'm working on my technique; I have a tendency to grip the fiber too tightly and it bunches up instead of drafting smoothly all the way to the end.

I'm really longing for a wheel, but they are terribly expensive, even used, so I'm hoping that, like last time, this works its way out of my system quickly. I might have a tendency to get really excited about new things when the rest of my life is stressful. Things have not been going smoothly lately, but they will even out soon, I'm sure.