I recently went to a local spinner’s meet-up at the invitation of a friend, Kimberly, who raises sheep (among other critters).

I took my new antique wheel to get some advice on how to get her up and running, and to meet and watch local spinners do their thing.

I got some good counsel on how to make the replacement footman, how the wheel requires a double drive belt, and how to oil her up.

Unfortunately, like a goof, I forgot to take a camera.

If I had, and sorry to be a tease, I would have taken photos of a circle women spinning on every kind of wheel, photos of every kind of wool (including yak) and nearly every kind of spinner, including one with a lovely Dutch accent and one with an old-fashioned frock and beautifully long, natural gray hair twirled up onto the back of her head.

For show-and-tell, (don’t you miss that from school!) we were treated to blue-ribbon winning pygora goat locks, courtesy of Dawn Brown of Tailfeathers Farms, handmade bobbin lace, and some knitting from drop-spindle spun wool.

Next time, I will bring my camera!

But for now, all I have is this picture of my first homespun wool from my first lesson (on Kimberly’s Ashford Kiwi).

It’s lumpy, it’s bumpy, with all kinds of overspun kinks, but I did it myself.  And Kimberly is indeed a very good teacher.  One day . . .

Thanks for the invite, Kimberly!