Sunday, April 13, 2008



Isn't this a beautiful spinning wheel? I think so. She's mine. Well, she will be when paypal releases my funds and puts them into Kate's account and she pays the ebay seller. I call her Saraspunda and she's still in New Zealand.

My family has heard me contemplate a spinning wheel for a long time now. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and discover I hated spinning and then be left with an expensive tchachka. So, at Peter Kevin's urging, (he's such an enabler), I searched ebay and found this one for 99 dollars. It's used but I am ok with that. It's being sold by a person who reconditions used wheels and helps them find new homes. I am so excited. I transferred the funds but because it was after 5 on Friday, the transaction will not go through until Monday. Sigh.

Through this process I have learned that the ebay style of bidding for things is definitely not for me. When we saw the wheel on Thursday night and placed our bid, there was another bidder. We placed a slightly higher bid and when I went to bed, I was the high bidder. Oh the horror when I got to work and discovered that a**a had out bid me! I woke Kate up and demanded that she place a bid immediately! She explained that it was better to wait until the end of the bidding time (6 pm). I told her to do what she thought best as she has experience doing this and I don't. "I trust you" I said. And then I went bananas all day wondering if somewhere a**a was contemplating her next move. When I got home from work, Kate placed a bid just to see what happened. A**a bid again. She had auto-bid enabled. Kate explained the process and told me not to worry but to prepare myself in case we lost. LOST!! We could lose?! I was so worried. I had carried the picture of the wheel in my head all day and even given it a name and now I could LOSE? I went and got a manicure. When I came back, Kate was taking the final steps to insure that I (we) would win and have a spinning wheel. At 6 pm the screen informed us we had won. Whew. I was a mess. This bidding thing is not for the faint hearted.

The wheel comes with all the parts and some roving to start with and a book. I bought a book with lots of photos and can hardly wait. I am prepared for a steep learning curve but I firmly believe I can learn anything I put my mind to, except geometry.

I finished the MacGreggor's garden socks and gave them to my Aunt Joan for her birthday today. She seemed to like them but it's her first pair of handknit socks and she has no idea how good they'll feel. We took her to her daughter, my cousin's house today for cake and ice cream.

I have cast on for the Annetrelac socks in IK's holiday knits. I got the ribbing done and the first row of triangles. I can purl backwards so this made the first row easier. However I am having a terrible time with the first row of squares. The directions don't make sense. I have been searching online for some better instructions, preferably with photos.

Tomorrow I should be able to find out the biopsy results. Strangely, I am not as worried about the results as I was about the biopsy. Wednesday I meet with the surgeon to discuss the gall bladder. It's been hard to make any plans because I don't know when the surgery will happen and how long I will have to be resting. I know it's not nearly as bad as it used to be but it's still considered major surgery. I can't wait for Wed.

Peter Kevin is making some sock blockers. He wanted to contribute something to the prize for the blogiversary. He's so cute. And no, you can't have him, he's mine.

Talk to you all soon. Happy Sunday.

16 comments:

Rose Red said...

Oh, I'm with you on the bidding on eBay - it can be nailbiting! I usually put my maximum bid in first (eBay automatically bids up to your limit). But there's always temptation to go that little bit higher, isn't there!

Look forward to seeing your handspun yarns!

Sheepish Annie said...

Aw, shucks! I need someone to make me sock blockers when I want 'em. Oh well...you deserve a nice feller who can make sock blockers. You are very nice, too. :)

I don't ebay much anymore. The stress is really more than I can take at this point in my life...

Em said...

I have a foolproof method of getting what I want from ebay--I tell Jim precisely what I want, how much I am willing to pay for the thing, and then leave it in his hands. I HATE the idea of losing something I crave to another person. But I'm cheap, too, so I always end up torn between bidding higher than I want, or watching someone else win my coveted pretties.

I'm crossing my fingers and calling in some of my karmic favors from the universe for your results tomorrow. Keep me posted, okay?

TinkingBell said...

Oh drat - I want a man who can make sock blockers - as a handyman, mine's a great accountant! Luckily ebay's seen very little of me since I found Ravelry!

jessie said...

Wow, that is beautiful! I hope you take to spinning immediately. The world needs more people addicted to fiber, not just yarn. :-)

Anonymous said...

the ebay bidding is an art that i'm not sure i am proficient in, it seems i always bid more and pay more than i wnated to! have fun spinning i want to give it a try myself! good luck with the biopsy.

roxie said...

May your results be completely benign!

Hooray for the new family member, Saraspunda! Learning to spin is like learning to dance or to ride a bike. Your mind will understand the process a long time before your muscles do. Just be patient and stick with it. Muscles learn slowly, but they never forget.

Dianne said...

Your new baby is beautiful! That is so funny about eBay. I don't bid often, but it's so exciting when you win, isn't it? It's amazing what you can find on eBay - totally addicting!

I'm sending good thought your way for today's and Wednesday's Doctor visits.

~Jody said...

Congrats! You're gonna love spinning! Just remember - patience - you didn't learn to knit in a minute either.

Bezzie said...

Oof. Now you know why I try to use the "Buy now!" feature on Ebay if I can!!! It's a beautiful wheel! I've got my eye on a similarly priced one--no bidding involved though--WHEW!

Galad said...

Saraspunda is beautiful and will surely bring a whole new level of frustration and reward to your fiber arts :-)

The whole auction experience whether on E-bay or estate sales takes nerves of steel and a clear limit for spending. Somehow going up one more dollar can become ten or twenty if one isn't careful. It is exciting when you get a great deal though.

Amy Lane said...

Oh, but huzzah for the successful bidding! And yes--be joyful now, no dwelling on the 'maybes'. You're right--she's beautiful...

Julie said...

Bwahahahaha. Welcome to the dark side. You'll like it here. There's lots of wool.

Another helpful thing - for me at least - when learning to spin is video. Joy of Spinning (do a Google) has streaming video, and I have a DVD here I'll never watch again - e-mail me if you want it. YouTube also has a shocking number of spinning videos up. (And I thought it was all porn. Huh. Go figure.)

Fingers and toes crossed on the biopsy.

Kate said...

I don't think anyone can learn geometry, mom.

Denise said...

Oh she's just gorgeous! Well done! Yes, eBay is totally nerve-wracking... I don't do it often.

Wishing you all the best results and outcomes for your health stuff (((hugs))).

catsmum said...

oh you're in trouble now!!
welcome to the sorority of newbie spinners - and may you enjoy every lump, bump and overspun inch of it :)

Happy Sunday!  I am sitting here working on my sweater made with the cashmere yarn my husband gave me for my birthday last year. I’m further...