Welcome Victoria!

Last spring I turned thirty, and the only thing I wanted for a gift was a spinning wheel. I actually alreade have two old ones that I've inherited, but they are bit broken and a bit tricky to spin on, and I have wanted a modern one for ages so I can learn to spin properly (nothing against old ones, but now is not the time - I will take care of them and mend them when I am a better spinner and can figure out what ails them). I got some money to buy a wheel, and started researching. Unfortunately, the tires of my car were also quickly getting worse, and in the end I had to spend the money on car wheels instead of a spinning wheel.

Since then I have been looking longingly at several nice wheels, and mostly at Louët Victoria, which is very small and portable, which is good since I have very limited space. This monday I decided I could not wait no more, and ordered it off the internet (from Ullbutiken i Råda). I expected it to take a week or so, but already on wednesday I got a text that the wheel could be fetched from our local post place! Incredibly fast delivery!

I went there and picked it up, and then I spent all evening getting to know it better. It unpacked verly easily, and I could start spinning in five minutes. I had lots of finely carded swedish finull (a very fine and supersoft wool from a nordic heritage breed called 'finullsfår') that I originally bought for felting, but now I started to spin it. I am not an experienced spinner, and have mostly spun longer fibers before (the finull is said to be close to a merino in fiber length), but it worked allright on the Victoria!

The bobbin and flyer

Now I simply can't stop spinning! I sat up late at night when I got the hang of it, and yesterday morning I set the alarm early so I could spin a little after breakfast..

Yesterday I wound off my first skein of handspun from the new wheel! I can not really control the fiber thickness yet, and in some places it is quite overspun, but I am so happy! Now I have sleep troubles because I can't stop thinking of all the handspun knitting and weaving I will do in the future :)). When I know the wheel better, I will publish some sort of review, but for now.. Spinning!

My first 100g skein of handspun finull!