Wheeeeee!

What a nice day. I realized on Thursday that it's Olds Fiber Week this week, & that this weekend there was a merchant mall.

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So I proposed to the man that instead of going to Black Diamond, to Vale's, we go to Olds. Because I want to. I must have asked prettily enough, because we all went for a ride in the family car to Olds. (Also, we are going to Vale's tomorrow.)

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Today was great!

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A) I did not feel carsick. It's possible that my hope of finding a new spindle, the weight I want, cancelled out the carsickness, but maybe it was just a stage of pregnant; a stage that's done. Either way, I felt good in the car today.

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B) Am was absolutely the most charming creature for most of today; she was happy at the chiropractor (the man got cricked), she was happy at the cafe (the man got a latte, I got my standard princess), she was happy in the car ("winkle, winkle, little star, h-i-j-k-l-m-n-o-p..."), she was happy at the market.

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C) I was happy at the market too. First off, I found Twist of Fate, because she' mentioned on Rav that she'd have Jenkin's Turkish spindles. I've been hankering for a Turkish spindle for a while, because spindle spinning is slow, & the Turk's end up sort of abbreviating a step in the process, because what you spin is neatly wound into a loaf as you go. And I've heard great things about them; they're called Turkish Delights by some. She had three left; two were the same size as what I have now, but there was one that was the size I wanted. Huzzah!

I also finally found a mundane niddy-noddy; nothing hand carved, or miniature, or elaborate. It's drying right now, the man threw some finish on it for me. (He was glad to, once I substituted the words "wood stuff" for "niddy-noddy".) And a nifty scarf kit that felts silk & wool fibers to a silk chiffon scarf. I've read about the technique, but wasn't motivated enough to hunt it all up for myself. Now, all I need is 2m x 24cm of bubble wrap, & some time. (And I got a Ravelry button!)

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D) Just down from Twist of Fate was a fantastic lady - Barbara Robinson of Luscious Luxury. She does a lot of (delicious) silk & other exotic fiber dying; she prefers to sell wholesale. I'd love to buy wholesale, but I restrained myself to one bag of tussah silk rovings.

Pretty nice, as Am would (& did) say. This photo is in the baggie - the other pics didn't take worth a darn; the sheen was blinding! (This is good, btw.)

The other good thing about Barbara - she was a delightful lady. We'd been chatting for a while when Am & the man came mumbling by, and Am was immediately drawn to touch everything, including Barbara's lunch, and her spinning wheel & the silk/wool roving that she was working at. The purple wad of fiber is the piece of roving that she pulled off to give to Am - Am loved it, with both hands, and I promised that I was going to do my best to make her a fiber lover. (Already on my list of things to do.) (I can't make the link to her site work - but I have her email if you want it.)

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E) I got some lavender Eucalan from an incredibly nice gentleman from Saskatchewan; and I got a pound of Corriedale top from a similarly pleasant woman from Cochrane.
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F) Then we got out of there, with my budget & the man & Am's good humor intact. (Wow! No one saw either of those hoped-for things actually being accomplished! Zounds!)

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G) The drive home was pleasant - I enjoyed sitting in a car without having to focus so very hard on the horizon, the breathing, & the not getting ill.

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H) I finished plying my handspun fiber from Val - I'd been super close to completion forever, but the lack of a niddy-noddy to set the twist was killing my motivation. (My improvised attempts at niddy-noddy substitution were not satisfactory.) So, once the niddy-noddy is dry, this will have its twist set, & be officially part of the yarn stash.

(153g of "Annie Dobson", a grey Romney ewe that belong's to Val.)

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Am got screamy after supper, but the knowledge that the man was gardening & I could have help if I asked for it really, well, helped. Now she's asleep, & I'm going to play with my new treasures.

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PS: I am excited about my new spindle, partially because I have this theory: spinning will outsmart baby-brain; I won't be able to screw spinning up as much as knitting. Can't wait to see if it will or won't be proven true.