"New" toys

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. We, here is Northeastern/Central Pennsylvania, seem to have finally found the summer weather this week. At least that is what the weatherman says, we will have to wait and see. Honestly, I am perfectly content with the cooler temperatures. But anyway, I went shopping the other day!!! Look what I found..an "older", not antique, spinning wheel with matching bench, for a low price of $115!!!!! It was put together all wrong, things facing all the wrong directions, backwards, etc. I still think the legs are wrong as it still does not look "right" to me and it needs to have the treadle replaced, but...it's in great shape and for that price, who could blame me!. It's a double drive, traditional wheel and that is all I know about it. I also bought this really neat skein winder. This is something I'm sure a wife told her husband to make for her. It is not as finished as a piece of furniture would have been, or like other antique winders I have seen. But it is a piece of engineering!

If you can see in this picture, as you wind the skein a threaded arm turns a gear. On this gear is a marker (right now a broken piece of a colored pencil) As this marker passes under the arm holding the gear it passes another small, thin strip of wood and clicks. This marks the end of the skein. After measuring it out, this nifty contraption measures 80 yard skeins. I hope that all makes sense, I am NOT an engineer and lack the technical vocabulary.

These items were the result of a needed day out with a good friend as company. I am in the middle (at least I hope I have made it to the middle) of a full on MS flare. My legs currently have decided to go on a vacation without the rest of my body. They have sent out an invitation to my left arm and it has now apparently decided to join them. I am lugging around dead weight, unable to drive and need to do some serious pacing of myself to get the simplest of daily tasks completed. But I really cannot complain. I have been diagnosed with MS for 9 years now and this is only the third, although maybe the worst, flare I have had. So I have an excuse to sit and put my vacationing legs up and let people do things for me for a little while. Spinning has been put on hold, basket weaving front and center.

I leave for Kansas City, Missouri on Wend for a basket weaving retreat sponsored by one of the guilds in Missouri. Once I get to the hotel, it should be a great, relaxing weekend with some good friends I have met over the past few years. I'll post again when I get home to show the wonderful baskets created while there.