I ordered my Aura the other day. At first I wanted to support a local business, but then it occurred to me that sales tax from buying in-state would be almost $80, so I found someone far away to order it for me.

I was going to write a longer blog post but I guess I don’t really feel like it. This week is a bummer.

For the first time in a long time, there are a few new handspun yarns in the shop, with more to come as soon as the others finish drying. I’ve really caught the spinning bug this week thinking about this new wheel I want, but since it’s backordered, I will have to make due with New Zealandy (the Traveller) until it gets here. Hopefully 3 - 4 weeks doesn’t feel as long as it sounds.

So long, Frank, ol’ buddy ol’ pal. You went to a good home, and hopefully you’ll keep spinning beautiful yarns for many years to come. Remember that time we managed to get 9 ounces on one of your bobbins? And how about those tail-spun Lincoln locks that are currently on display at the Lillehammer show? Yep, we had some great adventures, but now I’m movin’ on up to the east side…

…to a deeeeeeluxe Majacraft Aura in the sky.

Lexi Boeger’s handspun yarn exhibition opens today at Galleri Zink in Lillehammer, Norway. Pictures are beginning to surface online. Here is a thread on Ravelry and weblog photos, courtesy of Blogspinner. If only I had a teleportation device; Houston is so very far from Lillehammer.

I awoke this morning (okay fine, afternoon) to find a message from Lexi telling me that one of my yarns will be shown separately at the show! Whoo hoo! It’s a tailspun yarn made with natural gray Lincoln locks, and I am kicking myself for not having taken a photo of that yarn separately. She says the gallery wants everything for sale, which makes me feel like such a “real” artist. I don’t even care about the money, but the bragging rights are priceless.

In other Lexi news, the long-anticipated Majacraft Aura spinning wheel is officially on the market. The art-yarn community has been whispering about it for months now, and after the unveiling at last weekend’s Maryland Sheep & Wool festival, we are finally allowed to shout it from the rooftops. Here’s a blog post by St. Seraphina Fiber Arts with more details.

The near-$1,000 price tag is the only thing stopping me from running out and buying one immediately. Even though I love my Mach 1, I may have to sell it to put toward the Aura. (Anyone in the Houston area want to buy a Spinolution Mach-1 from me? Email natasha@grittyknits.com)

Hooray! I am the most recent spinner to be featured in a Spinterview on the Spin in Public website. (This was the first time since leaving school that I had to write an essay about myself. Naturally, I left it until the last possible moment and finished it the night before it was due.)

Cindy & the gang at SIP are gearing up for Worldwide Spin in Public Day 2010 – which is September 18th. Check out her website or join the Ravelry group for information on setting up an event in your area.