Ravelry killed the knitting blog

It's a cliche, I know, but in the case of this blog, it might actually be true. It's been quite a while since I posted, and I have a laundry list of excuses: mandatory overtime, snowstorms, power outages, social obligations, etc. The truth of the matter, though, is that I simply haven't felt like updating the blog. Apparently my inner slacker is coming through.

That's not to say I'm ready to abandon the blog, because I am not. However, I've decided to stop feeling guilty about not posting regularly. Sincere thanks to everyone who has continued to stop by and check things out despite my neglect of this space.

Where to begin? It seems appropriate to introduce the newest addition to our household:


It's my new HansenCrafts miniSpinner! For almost a year I've been on the market for a spinner that's more portable than my Lendrum. I had also been daydreaming about having an electric spinner, especially for plying (you 900+ yard skeins of laceweight, I'm looking at you). When I saw this little machine, I knew it would fit both requirements.

This really is a sweet piece of kit. It may be a miniSpinner, but those bobbins are enormous. The website claims they'll hold 8-10 ounces of fiber, and I don't doubt it for a minute. I just put 6 oz. on it, and it barely looked half full. And not only does it have great bobbin capacity, but it's also fast, quiet, and cute as a button.

I can't say enough about Kevin Hansen's customer service. When my miniSpinner arrived, it clearly had been damaged during shipping, and it was therefore unusable. Later it became apparent that I had a wonky power supply too. Kevin not only responded to my concerns almost immediately, but he also gave me lots of options about how to make things right. He fully stands behind his product, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this e-spinner to anyone.

Here's the new baby next to its older sibling.

All new babies require additional equipment. In this case it was a Zuca bag and a battery pack. Now my spinning addiction is as portable as I ever hoped it would be. (Please don't try to convince me to take up spindling. I know they're the most portable way to spin, but so far they just aren't for me.)