Simply Stormen Saturday Spent Spinning

Oh what to do on a stormy Saturday? Oh what to do........
My knitting basket(s) are overflowing with ideas of what to do! Christmas projects that need completion. Baby blankets and booties and stuff I could make for my soon to be grandson!  Could I finish something, please? IF only to make more room in those baskets for more?
Could I just goof off on the Internet and come up with words for rain that start with S? Why of course! So that's what I did! Stormen Saturday! Stormen is a word from the Netherlands that really means, strong storm with wind! How cool is that? Considering that it is outside, right now, raining and windy? Pretty cool! Um... yeah.    Not really a strong storm outside perhaps, but really not a nice day to be outside! I think I shall do that too! Stay inside I mean!  So now that I've overcome a decision of what to do, or rather where to do whatever it is that I'm going to do................ onward!!

Maybe I will go sit by my knitting and wait for inspiration. Not happening for me today. It's either the OCD kicking in or it's her fault. Her.                          

 
Frau Holle in spinning wheel form...

It's going to be kind of hard to get anything done around here anymore....

 mostly because  of Frau Holle .....  she's winking at me.... c'mon.... you know you want to practice spinning me some more...... Yeah.
She's a bitch. It's all about her. Spin, spin, spin. That's all she wants to do these days! Never mind the knitting or the cleaning (shhhh). Spin, spin, spin.
So.... a little on  learning to hand spin..... quite fun AND really kind of difficult.... sigh! It looks so easy when other people are doing it! I can't walk & chew gum so I'm not sure what made me think I could spin! It's a bit like patting your tummy and rubbing your head at the same time! I get tired just thinking about all that together. Wow.
I picked up Holle at my favorite LYS (local yarn shop) last Tuesday. I'm thinking that I may be the customer of the year after all I'm spending there! Anyway... that's another story! How to find money for yarn!

This is what she looked like. Not much. Pretty expensive for just one box but I wasn't disappointed! I knew what was inside........

Parts. Parts and parts and parts!
Still not daunted by the task that lay ahead....... I reached for the trusty wrench ~that came in the box........... and.......

twenty or so minutes later... ta DA!! Construction of my brand new spinning wheel! She's amazing isn't she? All shiny and sleek. Every inch of her birch surface all smooth and ready..........
Ready? Ready for what?!  Ready to torment me! That's what!
 I've spun before. I've watched oodles of people. I know it can be done. I know it. I just know it!
Lesson 1 - after putting together the spinning wheel, practice treadling and making the wheel spin clockwise. Get that? Easy huh? Um... no? It likes to spin counter-clockwise.  That's the wrong way.  Wrong. Way.
So practice some more! Getting it...... yep!! How fun is this! Loads!
Lesson 2 - now can we add some fiber and make some yarn? Huh? Huh? Nope. Now try treadling and reading a book. NOT watching what you are doing, just read and treadle. OK. How hard can that be? Um yeah............... 3 days later............ still working on it!
Today I may just try (insert very ominous music....) chewing gum while reading while treadling!
Go me!!!
I'll let you know how it goes