Ecstatic (sort of) and indignant

Yes ... two emotions today, first ecstatic because my Bayerische is half done exactly half done ... yes really I have one finished sock. And second indignant at how easily it can be for some one who should know better and who is paid to know better to dismiss a perfectly good spinning wheel as not worth repairing.


So Bayerische ... look! All done from one skein and a lushious 92 grams of sock (108 grams left - I had two skeins), leg is 17" from top of rib cuff to base of heel flap.
If the conditions outside had been more suitable for making photos you might have been able to see it worn. But two things prevented me. First I spent today stitched up the Annual Merino Thermal supply, where I buy several meters of merino knit fabric and make many long sleeved and singlet style tops for Toby and Poppy. Because I was busy and focused I left making the photo to late in the day for good light inside. Which brings me to my second reason, there was a small army of police around our house for much of the afternoon ... when we asked why we were told there was a 'person' with a 'weapon' acting in a 'dangerous manner' in the adjacent street. Well! With a dozen police parked in our little private street .. I wasn't going to provide light relief for the force by sitting on the front porch with one green knee high sock (ok spectacular sock - but still a green knee high sock), my trouser leg rolled up and contorted into weird positions making photos of the sock. I love you all as readers and commenter ... but sorry ... the love only goes so far. And no ... we do not live in a hotbed of crime and violence .. just the opposite. Lastly on that note ...at 4ish things started happening, half the police cars sped away with siren at full blast, and shortly after an ambulance shot around the corner. I don't know the situation or the outcome ... but I'm hoping that nothing but pride was injured.

And Indignant, well more like truly shocked and a little disappointed. There was a guild spin in this weekend, so I went with my Wing .. and spotted this older Pipy across the room ... and being me and curious, I headed over to check her out. The story is a lady had brought her down to Dunedin to see if any one here knew how to repair the wheel. It was her sisters, and the sister had taken it to a well known Spinning Wheel dealer in Chch .. asking if they could repair it. I saw the repair form, a little cream card ... with the owners name and phone number ... and writ large in block capital ball point NOT WORTH REPAIRING. Sheeesh, by my estimate, this needs less than 1 meter of nylon cord, at around $1 or less, and a 2m drive band at about $2. Ok I'll admit it perhaps could be considered to need a little tlc, such as a good clean with linseed oil and soaking the moving parts in turps to degrease them. I am sometimes surprised at how little most spinners understand about their wheels and how they work ... but more shocked a firm selling wheels could be so dismissive.

What really surprised me is this is a Saxony Pipy, circa 1968, signed and dated by P Poore. One of the prettiest wheels of the mid 20th C. These wheels are in demand, and in this condition trade on Ebay for $USD300-$USD400 and often more. They sell on Trademe (new Zealands answer to Ebay) for over $NZD200. This has been well looked after, its been in a basement, but is clean and dry, the leather tab is in good nick, with little brass grommit rimmed holes ... and the weights are all there, and is all fairly tight. There is one main axel pin missing ... but a little rimu dowel can be sanded and shaped to fit. The owner has several bobbins .. so it IMO it is truly worth repair - isn't it, even if it wasn't a Pipy?

Its all there and the wheel and flier and bobbin rotate freely ... and I can only imagine how easily it will spin once cleaned and freshly lubricated. The only other little repair needed is to tighten the bolt holding the maiden upright supports onto the adjustable thingie (technical term - thingie). Either it just needs a tighten ... or it needs a new nut and bolt - I can do that. So the '68 Pipy is at home with me, and I have plans to fix-her-up a little into working condition and return her to her owner.

Toby's gansey grows .. my hand knit class finishes this week, hand in and present on Thursday .... its all good here (police outside the house for most of the day not withstanding).

take care
na Stella