I met with the super nice lady at
Fibres 4 Ewe up in Richardson and tried out her selection of Ashford wheels. I picked the Traveller; it's just gorgeous and it will be on it's way to me as soon as I give her my down payment. The more affordable Kiwi was a close runner-up, but didn't have an attached lazy Kate or quill attachment. Plus, it just doesn't *look* like a spinning wheel. My fiance and a few friends have all commented that their only knowledge of spinning wheels is what they've seen in that old Rumplestiltskin movie from when we were kids, and I was ashamed to admit that I was just as ignorant as them until my trip to
Fibres 4 Ewe. "How does it work?" they'd ask. "I dunno, I think I have to randomly throw straw at it," I'd reply. Getting hands-on time with each of the different wheels was such a big help. The Traditional was the one that stuck out in my mind at first (touted on the brochure as "Your first wheel!") but the thing just wasn't very impressive in person. Awkward and difficult to pedal the single treadle, and more expensive than the standard double treadle on the one I picked. I am comfortable enough, even with the limited time I had on each of them, to say with confidence that if you are considering getting an Ashford Traditional, don't. Get the Traveller, or a Kiwi if you're looking for a great bargain without sacrificing quality.
I also bought my first batch of "good stuff" for spinning with. Black and maroon merino, much softer and silkier than the generic wool I have been using so far. The cheap stuff I've been using has treated me very well so far; I almost feel like I'm cheating on it.
I had planned to have new sets of yarn up for sale on the site this week, but a huge custom order (yay!) and some emergency dental surgery (boo!) has had me totally out of commission. But never fear, I have lots and lots of ideas swimming around in my head for new coordinating yarn sets. I'm getting the mailing list together and will be announcing new additions to the store soon. (Beware, I use the term "soon" loosely.)