Long overdue

Its been quite a while since I updated, I know.  And this post is long overdue, but again, I've had a lot of stuff going on.  I've recently been diagnosed with diabetes and this has had a rather serious impact on other areas of my health and is kind of taking it out of me.  I must be truly getting old :oP

My 41st birthday has come and gone.  No biggie in itself, but I did receive some welcome and much appreciated fibre gifts from the amazing Charly for my birthday.  She is such a naughty bunny.

some lovely bunny bling, silk hankies, some of my new
favourite Ixchel blend; GaGa Bunny and some cute badges.

For the month of July I participated in an annual Ravelry event called the Tour De Fleece.  It was an interesting exercise.  I was powering along quite well and then unfortunately my favourite spinning wheel threw a bolt and became unusable.  This had actually happened once before and my partner had managed to fix it so it wasn't the end of the world but the new repair job didn't hold and had to be re-done which took a bit of time so it was the end of the TDF for me.  Which was kind of sad, but also good because it prompted me to make the decision to buy a brand new state of the art spinning wheel.  Which arrived a week ago :oD  Also, my trusty traveler is now fixed again and has been lovingly put back into service.

My new wheel is a Majacraft Aura.  It's totally different from either of the wheels I already own and it is a bit of a challenge adjusting to the new style of drive and tension.  But I'm quickly adapting and have already made some yarn on it.  I think, given a bit of time, this wheel will be my go to for everything.  I'll still keep my beloved traveler and traddy though, as they have such sentimental value and I will still spin on them while I'm learning to drive my new beastie.  Here is a pic of my lovely new beastie, which is unnamed at present but will be decorated and named soon enough.

Majacraft Aura:
a thing of wonder :oD

the second skein of yarn off my new wheel

I've bought a couple of new spindles, one 10g and a cute little turkish spindle that I'm totally in love with. And I've joined a spindle club.  I'll be expecting my first installment (which is actually a gift for my sister) in October I believe.

10g lace weight spindle

Teensy turkish spindle. 
There are definitely more of these in my near future

I've also been doing a fair bit of unselfish knitting.  I made a couple of scarves for people and then made a surprise shawl for the lovely Mandie over at Ewe Give Me the Knits.  Mandie is an incredibly professional woman and has always given me the best service imaginable.  She also is a first class enabler and was super helpful when it came to ordering my new wheel.  So I made the shawl as a humble gesture of thanks.  I'm glad to say that she received it and loves it.  Nothing is quite as gratifying as knowing you've given a gift that actually brings joy to the recipient :oD

Secret squirrel shawl for Mandie
made from handspun EGMTK club fibre
Merino/black bamboo - solar flare

I'm currently knitting an epic shawl for myself also.  Its the most gorgeous pattern (spring awakening on Ravelry by Paulina Popiolek).  I'm probably about halfway through so will hopefully be posting a pic of it soon.

So as you can see, there has been lots going on.  My health has had to become my main focus lately though which is why I haven't been updating.  I hope to get it all under control soon so I can post a bit more regularly.