Roving to Yarn

Spinning three pounds of roving seems both daunting and enticing.  It looks like a large quantity of wool in those bags!  It is rare that a knitting project is quick—even “quick” projects take many hours.  The 3-season cape, which will also be known as the 3-pounds-of-roving cape, is going to be a simple design, but capes are meant to be a top layer and so it will need lots of positive ease.  I’ve enjoyed musing over design ideas while I spin.

 

The only way to enjoy spinning is to have a wheel that is in good working order.  Mine started squeaking a few weeks ago, and although I applied some oil to the screws that connect the foot pedals to the wheel, the annoying squeak persisted. I had a silly idea that letting the wheel sit for a few weeks would solve this problem.  Maybe the air was too dry or something?  Ha!  Viruses and squeaks do not just disappear!

 

I came North this time armed with Ballistol Multi-Purpose Lubricant.  There’s an extensive array of applications listed on the can, including firearms, knives, and leather, but nothing about annoyingly squeaky spinning wheels.  The foot pedals on my wheel are connected to the drive wheel with leather straps, and these are often the source of the squeak.  The leather gets dried out over time and stops bending enough.  A few squirts of Ballistol fixed that!  Now the wheel is quietly generating lots of twist and the singles are flying onto the bobbin. 

So far I've generated 3 skeins.

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