finished objects

Rain--day 2, yay!

It's been so freaking dry here. The grass was toast. About the only thing thriving in my herb/flower/veggie garden are the mints and they're like weeds anyway. But it cooled off some and then it rained yesterday. And it rained and it rained and it rained. All through today. Thunderstorms even. Too much rain and I'm normally crawling out of my skin. We really needed this though.

These brightened my day...

If it doesn't rain too much tomorrow, I'll get them clear-coated (too humid, they won't dry) in the morning and listed (too overcast and the pics suck) by evening.

Crappy Spindles R Us...ebay

Back in April, I was spindle shopping on the net. I found some bundled spindles (pics are no longer there) for a very good price and sent the seller the following email...

Hello,
I was wondering if it would be possible to purchase a 2 pack of your spindles in a different combination than the ones you currently offer? My 8 yo son has been using a .6 oz top whorl spindle of mine. I would like to purchase a similar weight top whorl for him, along with a bit heavier (perhaps the lighter weight of the top whirl two packs?) top whorl.
Thanks, Shannon

The seller responded that they do, indeed take custom orders and they take about a week. My husband decided to go ahead and order a couple of the listed sets, in hopes there would be something Kai could use.

The spindles arrived a few days later (speedy shipping, at least), initiating the following email...


Hello,

My husband purchased these spindle sets through his eBay account for me and they arrived today. While the spindles are lovely (not really, they're just toy wheels on dowels with a cup hook screwed in and a gloppy gloss finish) , they are quite a bit heavier than I expected. The two lighter spindles were supposed to weigh around .7 ounce and they are both just over an ounce. The two heavier ones were supposed to be around 2 ounces each but are actually 2.75 ounces.

As I explained, I wanted the lightweight top whorl spindle for my 8 year old son to use. He has mild cerebral palsy that effects his hands but has learned to spin (beautifully!) with another spindle of mine that weighs .6 ounce. Since the spindle he was using is one of my favorites, I really wanted to give him one of his own. However, he tried the new spindle this evening and that little bit of extra weight really is too much for his hands.

I believe the set of heavier ones are going to be too heavy for my use as well, though I can possibly use the lighter ones.

Is it possible that you have more of the lighter spindles that you could weigh and find one, or two, closer to .7 ounce? If so, would it be possible for me to return the larger set in exchange for them?

Thank you for your trouble, Shannon

The seller responded that they didn't have any lighter spindles in stock but would email the following week when they expected to have some. In the end, there was never a return, the seller sent a few much lighter spindles at no charge. This was nice of them. But the spindles were still crap and did not spin.

It was this experience that I've alluded to as the start of my spindle-making adventure. I was never planning to reveal the actual seller. Until today. One of my kids happened to mention that dad got some bitchy feedback from the spindle seller. I asked my husband to show me...

#1: a neutral: Buyer wanted to argue over SIX TENTHS OF AN OUNCE in weight
our reply: the spindles weighed TWICE what they were listed and my son w/CP could not use

#2: another neutral: Sent replacement. Then no contact from buyer
our reply: thank you for the replacements but these wouldn't spin at all, we made our own

More on #1: Uh...hello? Tenths of ounces can make a HUGE difference in spinning. Especially when the spindles in question were double, and nearly double, the listed weights. I wasn't arguing, I nicely pointed out they were not as listed and, due to our special circumstances, unuseable at those weights.

More on #2: I never contacted the seller again because...really...what was I going to say? "Your service is wonderful but your spindles are utter CRAP"? True, but not very nice. I'm a nice person. Well, I try to be. Karma and all that, you know?

So. There you have it. Really, considering the price, those spindles are just fine if you like that sort. They didn't work for us. I do want to thank the seller though. Your crappy spindles were the catalyst for Spinsanity Spindles. In fact, I keep one of yours on my work table as a sort of reverse inspiration.

(wow, my table is really saw/sand dusty!)

reincarnation

Look it's another guinea fowl spindle!

I loved this one so much, I had to make another. Just for me. :-)

And Em loved the one I made for T. at Copperpot Woolies

so much that I had to make another for her.

(Actually, Em got the first version, which wasn't quite straight.

So I'm not going to post a pic of hers)

This was a custom order...

Here's what I'm working on now...

I sold the sun and the moon and stars

Why do I suddenly feel so powerful?

I also made a very cool rack for my spindles...

I crocheted some chains with double-strand kitchen cotton, attached them to the corners of a panel from one of those mesh cube systems and hung it from a ceiling hook in my workshop. I'm so happy to have a safe place to store/display my spindles!

Speaking of spindles (do I talk about anything else lately??), Dave was over to mow the lawn the other day. Hello? We haven't had rain in weeks. The "lawn" is toast. The few weeds that are enjoying my sprinkler drinks aren't even tall enough to need mowing. So. He spent a few hours in my workshop. Designing spindles. I was going to post a sneak peek at the one whorl he's finished but he just dropped in and informed me he needs at least four more blank whorls prepared and I can't post any pics until he's done. Hmmmm. Mysterious.

UFOs

I'm still--slowly (as in a few rows a week, when I remember to take it with me in the car if someone else is driving, which is the only time I seem to knit lately)--plugging away on the taupe CottonEase cardi. It should have been soooo done by now. I really need to knit.

I didn't join (either of) Tour de Fleece but I have been spinning at least a bit each day. Still working my way through the basil merino/silk birdnests from Leah. I love this stuff more than chocolate. Or sex. OK, I love it more than sex. Chocolate needs to stay on top.

The above projects can be seen on June 7 post so I won't bother reposting pics without much progress.

Here's a peek at a recent UFO that actually should be finished tomorrow...

Does it look even remotely like

the guinea fowl it was inspired by?

And these were finished last week...

How freaking cute are teeny little drop spindle key rings!?

They're popping up all over the place!

at Riverwalk Yarns

at Close to my Heart (and another...and another, since she snatched up the lily within moments of listing :~)

at Something to Knit (look, she has two!

at Sheepish Annie

at Noolie Knits

at To Knit, Perchance to Dream
("Snooze" is over the top enthusiastic, lol)

at Zan Knits

at PixieRiot

and Knitting Kryptonite is SPINNING, look at her go!

I'm all warm and fuzzy. :-)

Etsy report

I've sold three spindles in three days, the first within hours of opening my shop. I was so thrilled to have email announcing my first sale when we returned home from Kait's graduation--I jumped up and squealed. The kids think I'm nuts. Well, more nuts.

Etsy is a dangerous place though. While setting up my shop, I had another tab open. I was browsing spinning things. Look what followed me home from Copperpot's shop...

I spent pretty much what I've made so far.

Peter thinks something is wrong with this picture.

I did it--Etsy!

After realizing my kids do not need umpteen million spindles--even though they beg and fight for every new one I create--and some encouragement from friends, I opened an Etsy store today. I'm Spinsanity over there.

Go see! Go buy!

(though I'm not quite sure of the pricing)

My husband would surely appreciate any purchase, to help offset the cost of his purchases...

every spindle-making girl needs

her own power tools

(Yeah, right.

I did figure out the drill press

won't throw off the hole saw when I use it

thus cutting holes through me

I still haven't found the need for a miter saw

I think he used it for the drying rack though)

my (very messy) work table

with the cute little drying rack

Peter made for me

In between spending much of my time making spindles,

there's been some spinning going on

I purchased 24 oz of these adorable merino/tussah silk birdsnests

in luscious basil

(pics really don't do it justice but hers is better-- scroll all the way down)

from Leah at Yarn or a Tale

,p>

Note my spindle-- it's so light (.6 oz) and purty, I heart it!

There should be one/some of this type

(the whorl is two layers--I carve out designs in the top layer, paint or stain the bottom layer and then glue them together under heavy weights)

in the shop next week.

and some plying

Note: 'nother one of my spindles

it's a bit heavier (1 oz) but doesn't feel heavy at all

also note: my yarn meter that doubles as a lazy kate

and also (I discovered) holds my spindle

when I need to stop in the midst of playing

I plan to add one/some of these soon too!

and some knitting

(pardon the crappy pic on my desk chair,

it just occurred to me that a post to my knitting blog

really ought to include some knitting

so I grabbed the project closest to my desk

and didn't feel like running back outside to take a pic)

One more thing--it's a big...no, HUGE...day in the Twinsanity household. My older daughter, Kait, graduated from high school this evening.

Kait and her friend Ashley

(Ashley finished her Cosmetology boards and became licensed today!)

CONGRADUATIONS, KAIT!!

I love you and I'm so very proud of you for hanging in and sticking with it,

even when it was very difficult for you.

.

**signing off due to teary eyes**