The Daemon Unleashed

The Tour de Fleece may be over but it has unleashed a daemon....

I can't stop spinning!  

Every morning, I think, "no, I won't get involved with that today, I have so many other things to do."  And then I think, "well, how can it hurt if I just do a little while the kettle boils?"  And then it is 12:30 p.m. and I am still in my pajamas and Lucy is wandering around looking for food like some wild-eyed street urchin in Naples circa 1946.

But look....

This is Merino.  And look at those colours!  This isn't some wussy, cloying Merino.  This is Portuguese Merino.  This is Merino that isn't afraid to stand up for itself.  This Merino isn't all "woo-woo, look how soft I am!  Only don't expect to see any stitch definition and, by the way, I will pill up after just one wearing..."  No, no.  This Merino is all, "step aside, there is an adult present" (use your best James Earl Jones voice when you read that).  

Or, you know, these are the thoughts that run through my head as I am spinning in my pajamas in the early afternoon.  Apparently the descent from hard working artist into full-fledged fibre-y debauchery is swift.

But I didn't show you this!  Look!  It's a wee Turkish spindle, suitable for use on long flights or bus journeys or any other time when you are in a tight, cramped space but absolutely must spin some fleece.  It happens all the time!

I first spied this little cutie when I went to the wonderful Golden Willow in Regina, SK, for the Knitting Sprawl project.  Deborah had one (among her many spindles) and I was captivated.  I mean, who wouldn't be?  She let me play with it a bit and gave me a quick tutorial about turkish spindles, and then we left.  

For four years, I have thought about that spindle but I have never seen one like it again.  Fast forward to July 4, 2013.  I find myself, somewhat unexpectedly, in Regina, SK, again.  I do what any quick thinking person would do - I head straight for the Golden Willow and I buy one of those spindles.  No, it was not cheap but it was a little birthday present to myself.  You see, I spent my birthday on the road, by myself.  It was all perfectly fine and I felt not a twinge of unhappiness about it...but when faced with the price of the spindle vs. its size, I did think certain thoughts that attempted to justify the purchase: cost + birthday x aloneness = buy the tiny spindle!

Plus, it can do this:

Yes, let's see that again:

becomes:

This isn't about rational thought...this is addiction.  Sheesh.