Well what do you know!!

I'm buying a spinning wheel!!

If you've found your way here via a link and are looking to donate to my wheel fund, thank you! But I've stopped accepting donations because I've met my goal and I have a heck of a lot of spinning to do. If I hear of someone else who's using this idea and starting their own wheel fund, which I think would be fabulous, I'll post a link here.

Thank you again and again to all of the donors who've made my purchase possible. I'll be posting progress updates here, so you can have a general idea of when to expect your yarn. So check back soon! I'll be linking to yarn photos, but I won't post the photos themselves here in case you want to be surprised! :)

In case you're curious, I've ordered a Fricke S-160 DT spinning wheel. It's a good versatile starter wheel whose owners speak very highly of it. I'm so excited, and of course I want it NOW! But in the meantime...back to the spindle I go.... :)

here goes...

So I had this idea.

Short story: over there, in the sidebar ----->

Long story:
In July, I learned to spin on a drop spindle. I was initially hesitant to even pick one up because I'd heard how addictive it could be...and like I needed another hobby. But the lure of the fiber was strong...soon, I was hooked.

I actually took to the drop spindle well and find it a very enjoyable way to spin. But I'm discovering that in the same way I'm a "process" knitter, I'm a "process" spinner too. I want to keep learning, and I'm really, really looking forward to the day when I can purchase a spinning wheel.

I'll be honest...we're not rich, not poor. But the prospects of a wheel purchase are very, very dim. When I casually slipped it into conversation ("you know.....I think that someday.....eventually...I am going to want to buy a wheel") my husband actually laughed out loud. I know he's right; there's alist of $300+ projects as long as my arm that take precedence over a wheel. Plumbing, tires, yada yada. I've been surveying our belongings, considering what to sell on eBay...but there's not a lot left that hasn't been sold for the *Swingset* Fund. But that's another story entirely.

But as I was on the edge of sleep the other night, I had an idea. There's certainly no shortage of knitters on the Internet who like handspun yarn, right? And they're really, really nice people. At least in my experience. Perhaps some of them would help me buy a wheel...and I could spin them some yarn in return for their kindness.

So, *deep breath* in the hope that this will not crash and burn, here's what I'm proposing...I've put up a PayPal donation link to accept donations for my Wheel Fund. Any amount would be deeply appreciated! As a thank-you for every donation of $10, I'd like to send you a 50 gram hank of yarn, spun just for you. I'll send a thank-you e-mail along with a few questions about what kind of yarns you enjoy most.

First things first: We are passionate believers in tithing at our house. I'm convinced that the world would be a drastically better place if we all gave more instead of hoarding stuff for ourselves. We practice this in our everyday lives, teach it to our kids, and I'll practice it here too. At least 10% of all proceeds will be donated to Charkas for Africa, a most stellar cause! Visit the link in the sidebar to learn more about them.

Until I'm able to get a wheel, of course, I'll be spindle-spinning the thank-you yarn. So, depending on the response I get, I can't guarantee that you'll have it next week. But I'll be spinning my heart out until every donor has been thanked!

If you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading. If you're able to give, that's fabulous...even if you're not, you can always pimp my cause on your blog:



(save to your own photo host, if you would) That would be helpful too!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart. :)