Rapunzel at Peet's

Rapunzel at Peet's, originally uploaded by confections.

Rapunzel is my portable maple spinning wheel made by Gord Lendrum in Canada. She has been my faithful companion for close to fifteen years. I acquired her in a trade with a fellow fiber artist.

Since she folds and is easily portable (not that I fold her most times--she just rides in the back seat buckled up for safety), she likes to go to cafes for spinning sessions.

This Saturday, a friend of mine and my sister and I had a retreat-style day: high tea, yarn & book store romp, artisan bread sandwiches, and lattes and spinning at Peet's in my neighborhood.

Rapunzel was joined by her cousin, my friend's Lendrum named Penelope. I also had my Mother Marion kick spindle in tow--her name is Hepzibah.

We always create a stir when we spin in public. Men are fascinated by the mechanics and physics of the wheel, and women of the fibery persuasion recognize the magical madness of wool fluff turning into yarn. Kids are always curious about the spinning wheel.

If you haven't already tried it, take your fiber arts to the cafe next time you go.

My Very First Skein of Wheel-Spun Wool

My Very First Skein of Wheel-Spun Wool, originally uploaded by confections.

This skein was spun on a Louet S-10 spinning wheel at a class at the Black Sheep in Encinitas, California, circa 1989. For a number of years I had been spinning with a hand spindle. In 1995 I traded a Bond Knitting Frame for a Lendrum spinning wheel, my faithful Rapunzel.

At about the same time, I took up quilting in earnest, so Rapunzel languished near the fireplace for many moons. Eventually I joined local guilds and enrolled in a series of spinning and weaving classes and haven't stopped spinning since. It's a constant joy in my life.