Last weekend, not the one that just happened, but the one before that, I finally had time to put a pretty finish on my wheel. It had been waiting patiently in it's box in the garage for me to have time for it. Between tax season and spring craft shows, I hadn't managed to find a spare few hours.
Ben got me all set up outside with the finish and a paint brush and rags and a plywood "table" to work on. It was an easy process but the wind wanted to make it a complicated one. The hardest part was that after you apply one coat you have to wait 30 minutes and then apply a second coat and wait 15 minutes and then wipe the excess off with a rag. It was hard to keep track of how long it had been since I had coated each piece, since there were a zillion pieces.It was worth every bit of the effort though. Ben had helped me pick out a natural stain to show the beauty of the all wood wheel.
All of those pretty rolly pieces kept getting blown around by the wind. And all of the tiny grooves wanted to be difficult about getting coated, but I was just as stubborn as they were.
Here is one of the bobbins, pre-coating and part way through. You can see how the natural oil finish just brings out the beauty of the wood, makes the grain more distinct, etc.
Ben helped me get it all done and brought inside to continue drying (for at least 10 hours) but since that was the day of the John McCutcheon concert and many other goings on, that is as far as we got. But later in the week I came home to this beautiful site:
See how wonderful my husband is? And how pretty my wheel it? I have been spinning away on it ever since. I started with som lovely soft wool that I got from Kate of Lowder Colours Farm. Its heavenly to spin. I think I will have to take it and show it to her once it is done. If you don't know Kate, she organizes Fiber Christmas in July every year. It is held at the fairgrounds in Kellyville, Oklahoma every year on the last weekend in July and it is all kinds of fun.
So, I'll get back to the knitting soon, I must get organized for the Ida Red show on May 7th, Brush Creek Barn Fiber Fest on May 15th, Blue Dome later in the month. Insanity, I tell you. But the best kind, really.
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