Kate

I'm off to the Bunny Farm for another day of spinning. There's heaps to do at home, so going away for the day is a good way of taking a break. One of the fun things about spinning with others is admiring their bits of spinning paraphernalia. This bobbin holder belongs to C. She had it at the plying workshop last weekend. I liked it enough to take a picture so I could make one for myself. It's basic, but stable--and would be easy to make. So it ticks all the boxes.

The common name for a bobbin holder like this is "lazy kate". I object! Why should the smart woman who dreamt up a labour saving device be remembered as lazy? I'd like to call it a "clever kate". Anyway, there may be some deep research to be done into the language of gizmos, but I've got a date with a beautiful view, good company and cute bunnies. Everything else can wait.

Travelling Light

I'm off to a colour blending and design workshop at the Guild today. I'm looking forward to it. Anything about colour thrills me. Plus the workshop leader is my friend and first spinning teacher, Teresa.

As for the travelling, well, I'll be going on the bus and the tram. So my usual take everything, it might just come in handy approach has been shelved for now. I can't do without my wheel, so there it is in it's silver travel bag. If I have to do without my car much longer, I might just get around to implementing my idea for turning it into a backpack. It's a colour blending workshop, so I guess that means carders. There are carders at the Guild, but they're a bit dodgy. I'll bring my own. Apart from that, we were told to bring some pictures for inspiration. I've raided a few from a travel article about the Northern Territory--deliberately opting for those with earthy browns and oranges to challenge myself a little. I can always count on the sky for some of my favourite blues. OK, so . . .

• wheel--check
• carders--check
• inspiration--check
• what else? A flicker to clean my carders, do I need to bring some fibre? Better make sure my bobbins are in there . . .
• OH, and remember, I'm going on the bus, so take it easy with all the good ideas!

Picker Power

I dropped in to the Guild Rooms earlier this week to pay for this year's spinning workshops. It was only a few days after I'd posted about my flicker and its capacity to do a little damage to my fingers. Would you believe, one of the women just happened to have the picker out. Here it is: Compared to this, the flicker is mild and sensitive! Those massive prongs are set onto a curved piece of timber which rocks to and fro from a pivot point at the top of the machine--like a cradle with big teeth! The bench at the front is where the operator sits and there is a timber guard to help keep your fingers away from the danger zone. That's important, believe me. The processed fleece is pushed out at the other end.

I've used the picker a few times and have dreams of owning a small version to use at home--when I have more room for spinning equipment . . . It's great for opening out a fleece which isn't in great shape. It also helps clear out dirt and vegetable matter. Another way I've used it is to roughly mix fleece of different colours. Apart from learning to keep my fingers away from those teeth, my other major learning was about the sheer muscle power needed to make it go. The only way this thing moves is if you push it, and after a while that becomes a significant effort.

Nothing so strenuous on my agenda today. I have fleece soaking which needs to be rinsed, and put out to dry, and I've been sitting in front of my fan knitting for an hour or so. I'm very much looking forward to the forecast cooler day tomorrow.