Here we go...

Hi All,
I hope you find my little blog just a little bit interesting and possibly a bit inspiring at times as well. It has taken me a couple of years to make the plunge, but here we are. I didn't know if a blog would be to show-offy, or vain, but I love reading blogs and thought it would be a good way to let people know what's going on at the mill while sharing a bit about life here on my little patch of the world. So here we go......

It's summertime here in Ohio and the weather has been very hot and muggy. This year, again, I have planted a few vegetables in pots around the back yard along with some lovely Eucalyptus to stand as a greeter at the door.

I planted my first fiber crop this year and am hoping I didn't get it in too late. We'll see if I have a successful Flax crop this fall or if my efforts were in vain. This is my first attempt at Flax and I am hoping it will be a learning crop for processing and spinning as well as blending experiments. If all goes well, I will plant more next spring.

My time lately seems to be fully occupied without much time for spinning or weaving, but last night, I stayed up 45 minutes late so I could try out my new Ashford Traditional. She works like a charm by the way. Funny thing is, I almost purchased one last winter but decided it was too risky since I had never spun on one before. Well, I have been borrowing a Lady Bug from my local fiber guild and decided it was time I bought a wheel for myself. So, I tried a few at The Great Lakes Fiber Festival over Memorial Day Weekend and immediately knew when I sat down at the Kromski Minstrel, that I had found my wheel. This would be a great time to say thank you to Carol and Deb from River's Edge Fiber in MI. for all of their help in choosing this wheel. I bought the unfinished version and have dabbled at it for a few weeks now only to get the stain on it. I am very excited about this beautiful wheel and anxious to start spinning on it. Meanwhile, my mom found an old wheel in an Antique's shop last week and I told her to buy it since eveything seemed to be there. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it was an Ashford Traditional. Badly neglected but not abused. I took about 4 hours to oil and clean her and she is working really well. I worked on Alpaca last night which I will ply Navajo and give to my aunt for a scarf she wants to crochet.
I will be posting photos of my 4 lovely wheels soon. I am lucky enough to have my Great, Great Grandmother's Great Wheel, a vintage Cowichan wheel, my not yet put together Minstrel and my new and wonderful to spin on Ashford. I will also be posting some of my drop spindles at the same time. I like working on the drop spindle at shows and demonstrations. They're so easy to pack up and people are less intimidated by them and more willing to sit down and give one a whirl than they would be with a wheel. I'm not saying I won't be carting my wheels around to some shows, but I will still make sure I have plenty of drop spindles handy.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and Happy Independence Day to all.
Until next time,
All my best.
Vickie