wow, i drove a LOT of miles this weekend. almost as many as when i went to SPA.
i was so tired yesterday that i couldn’t even look at the computer, much less post.
i’m telling you—they really run you ragged at these retirement communities. the weather was glorious, as it probably was everywhere. and my visit coincided with the Tulip Festival in albany, too.
now, before you start snickering, i gotta tell you that A) this is a truly beautiful event and B) tulips are probably my favorite flower (especially the odd ones). the big park in albany is swathed in tulip beds which are in full bloom for the event each year.
albany, which evolved from the first permanent dutch settlement on these shores (Fort Orange, 1624), has a long, rich, and varied history, as well as many fine examples of old dutch architecture. so the connection to tulips is, well, strong there.
events for the festival include craft fair, entertainment, the tulip luncheon, and culminate in the crowning of the Tulip Queen, who is the guest of honor at the tulip ball, where she and her court danced in dressed in a tulip gowns (the tulip gowns sound awful, i know, but i saw it on TV, and they were stunning—but then, you have to remember, i worked in costuming for years, so i may be biased . . .)
all this history and background should pretty much tell you that i did practically no knitting over the weekend—blame it on the bad influence of my mother’s posse. they don’t knit. they DO drink wine, dine out, and play cards. and don’t get me started on their traveling . . .
ok, so i did get teosinte2 almost done. and i got two good nights of sleep which is rare for me these days. and that’s important.
and i worked quite a bit on a mystery project—sorry, no pix (hence the words “mystery project”). and believe me, i hate that aspect of it—i am a blabbermouth at heart when it comes to show and tell (but curiously uninterested in sharing other people’s secrets, even under duress—hmmm . . .).
but i think it’s a cool project and i look forward to revealing it some day. it’s bright, bold and seasonal as all hell.
so i got home in the middle of the night sunday—actually in the wee hours of monday morning. and that kim (blogless kim in san diego)! she’s a real pal. there was a little box of chocolate sitting just inside the door when i got here. mmm
we’re doing a little harmless chocolate taste-testing . . . this week, i’ll send her some local homemade chocolate. in fact, i should pick up extras and put them in the prize pool for the june fund drive for Claudia’s Bike ride (we are gonna have so much fun with that, BTW).
i also had a small but significant package from ed and wanda.
some beautiful size 6 handmade needles, and an even smaller pair to test drive. ed is my hero! these are exquisite. i am totally switching to these needles for the orchid scarf.
ok, so remember the other day when i told you i was picking up a surprise while i was away? saturday morning my mom and i got in the car and made the trip to bethel, vermont to pick up this
isn’t it great? and big? you should feel how fast it spins—juno is so right; it does grab the wool right out of my hands and i will have to put in some practice to make myself bend to its will. it ifor making fine yarns.
it has lovely features
like cast-iron fittings and treadle
but a modern flyer, which is nice. this guy needs a good bath and a massage, which i am hoping to do later this evening, if we get in from the garden early enough (we’ve been planting). the poor thing has wood that’s as dry as kindling.
oh, but what’s this?? one wheel isn’t enough?
oops.
yeah . . . uh, i had a little internet purchasing accident a few weekends ago. let me explain.
i had just sent the check off for the merlin tree wheel when this other, incredible wheel came up for sale on one of the lists. a rick reeves wheel. and it was going to be right on my way home from new york to pick it up—just 10 miles off of I-80.
what would YOU have done?? he-he, you can’t kid me.
special note: triple X-rated wheel porn ahead
now this wheel had regular massages—it glows.
(ok, let’s stop here a sec. i know these next few paragraphs are going to sound like gloating, but it’s not. seriously—i am in complete AWE that this wheel is in my house. every time i look at it i feel completely speechless.)
the footman alone is fetish-worthy.
but the mother-of-all . . . well.
all the parts turn and spin with nary a hint of friction. the surface sheen is straight out of the age of dutch painting.
don’t even get me started on the finials and other hand-carved details. i touch the treadle with my toe and the wheel spins for like two minutes.
and then, to top it all off— as if all that weren’t enough—it came with this
a free-standing hand-carved distaff, that also has an extension for the pole (which i couldn’t fit in the photo). want to see a close-up? trust me, you do.
i know, it’s amazing; let’s just comtemplate it a moment.
there are a number of matching bobbins and a lazy kate—all original. the previous owner purchased it from the wheel maker himself, and he threw in the distaff because he felt the wheel was flawed—one piece of wood on it has a surface crack that has never so much as increased in length over 22 years. she took wonderful care of this baby and i am ever so grateful.
so that was my weekend odyssey. last night we worked on getting our garden in and tonight we will continue that and hopefully finish the vegetable beds, at least. some knitting later, but i’m sure i will be tired by then.
59 thoughts on “my whorlwind trip”
Pitter patter goes my little heart – amazing wheels, you lucky woman!
That was a wheelwind trip.
OK, I don’t even know anything about spinning wheels and you’ve got me drooling here. Little Miss Enabler strikes again.
Beautiful workmanship on those wheels! But I have no clue how to use them…:-(
Gorgeous! The Reeves is especially extraordinary. Wheel porn indeed!
I knew what MOST of that stuff meant. Mostly, I appreciate the shininess of it all. And the distaff’s wavy-armed deal at the top. Very…catchy.
sigh……….sigh………….that Reeves….sigh.
Such a beautiful wheel..I’m glad it ended up in a good home! Absolutely beautiful!
Those are some gorgeous new tools you have. I want a distaff like that one! Of course since I don’t know what it’s for I’d probably just carry it around the house and pretend I was the queen.
Oooh aaah, what beautiful wheels…
I’m not even a spinner, but that second wheel – beautiful!
The Reeves wheel is causing me to drool all over the place. I don’t even spin and I want one! It’s truly a work of art, and I’m sure you’ll have many lovely spinning sessions with it.
First off I’m embarassed to say that I don’t know about the tulip festival. Albany is such a weird city (in a good way). A bit like Detroit, and bit like Brooklyn. I’m still figuring it out when I can actually get out of my own studio in Catskill.
Second.
I’m jonesing for a pair of jenkins needles. Oh, but which wood…
mmm.
Amazing! I’d give a pound of fine Merino for 15 minutes with your Reeves.
Now, on what List did you find this treasure?
The second wheel is absolutely stunning. I can see why you had to have it.
I don’t have a clue what makes a good spinning wheel, what the features are much less what they do, but I can tell that those two instruments are *gorgeous*. Enjoy!
Wow, those tease us wwheels are incredible! Don’t tease us with just pictures, let’s see those babies in action! Those needle are beautiful, I envy those pointy tips 🙂
Bethel!? You got to go to Bethel? I’m so jealous, that is right next door to my mom’s farm.
Amazing Wheels! Both of them are not wheels to be passed up. Rick Reeves wheels are totally incredible, I know just what you mean about looking at them in awe!
That’s just like my Reeves! Congratulations on both wheels.
Like a few others said, I also don’t spin but am drooling over your new wheels! I’d love to have one just sitting in my home, doing nothing more than looking beautiful and full of promise. But, of course, what a waste that would be. That baby deserves to be used. I can’t wait to see pictures of the two of you in action together!
What a beautiful addition to your home. I could not have resisited either.
Wheels, wheels and more wheels. Lovely.
Wow! Oh, wow! Use them well.
Fruitful weekend!
That second wheel is amazing. Seeing how well it has been cared for, I bet the first owner wouldn’t have liked to see it end up in bad hands… lucky her, she couldn’t have wished for better hands than yours! I’m really happy for both of you.
I love that The Merlin Tree stamp says “Manufacturier de rouet” in French, and that the wheel is called Quebec!
I happened to be in Ottawa about two weeks ago, only a few days before their Tulip Festival. I guess you’d like that one as well. The story of that city’s connection to tulips is an interesting one, but this comment is getting long, so I’ll give you the details by email if you want to know more…
Wow. I am speechless before such beauty.
Speaking of Tulip Festivals, I grew up in Holland, MI, and they have a great one every May! I participated in Dutch Dancing (no kidding!) for a high school xtra-curricular activity. We had to wear 3 skirts, 3 shirts, a hat and 7 prs of socks – so the wooden clogs wouldn’t give us shin splints as we danced for 25 minutes straight. AND walked in a parade that lasted several hours… Pretty funny stuff!
Yowza, you got some hot wheels 🙂
I love tulips, Anne… Just like the commenter before me, I too grew up in Holland. Lived there for 30 years…
wow.
breathtaking.
congrats on the new arrivals 🙂
I love my Reeves – may yours bring you as much joy as mine does for me.
Congratulations on your purchases.
May they give you LOTS of joy !
I don’t know how to spin but I DO recognize a piece of craftmanship when I see one.
ok. maybe i am retarded. but what is a distaff??
Beautiful wheels — I found myself getting up close to my monitor and my breathing went shallow! I share my house with an older Reeves, too, and I sit and stare at it a lot. I know, I could spin, but it really likes to be admired, and I know I am a fortunate spinner to be able to have this wondrous tool.
Wow, what beautiful wheels. I’m going to have trouble not putting a new wheel like yours on my birthday list (and He thinks I want a new greenhouse!)
Wow. I am so lusting after your wheels and distaff!
i’m not proficient in using those gizmo’s, but they sure are pretty! i like what nancy said, “hot wheels!”
My grandmother lived in Albany and we were there quite often when I was little – it is a neat place! All those tulips must have been amazing – so beautiful!
Those wheels – I’m not even a spinner and they made my jaw drop!!
I am in awe and envy! One wheel is amazing on its own; the two together leave me breathless! Forgive my jealousy (I have to give back the wheel-on-loan in a month!), and know that I can’t wait to see what you spin with them both 🙂
Oh, Anne! What a treat you gave us today! I could look at wheel pr0n all day. And to think that BOTH of those beauties get to live with you! 🙂 I don’t know who’s luckier, you or the wheels. Truly.
Why is the Vermont wheel so dry? I don’t get it–it’s new, right? Shouldn’t it have been perfectly finished, etc?
Please go play with both of them and tell us how wonderful they are to spin with. 🙂
Oh, well done, Anne! It takes a real wheel slut to be able to swing two at once.
I heard an interview on NPR with the woman who runs the Albany tulip event. It sounded great. Wish I could have gone.
I don’t even spin and I’m coveting that wheel!
Anne, the beauty those wheels add to your home must make your heart sing with joy. The distaff is a piece of sculptured art. Hard to work in the garden with such tools waiting to be worked.
Gah! Those are absolutely astonishing wheels. And as for the Tulip Festival, I can vouch for how great it is. Lark Street really blooms, right around the corner from where I used to work. I miss watching that riot of color from the bus every morning…
I am truely dripping with green-eyed envy over both of those wheels! I spin on a Majacraft, and tho it is without question, the best wheel that I have ever spun on – it is not “pretty” or traditional looking. When I do spin demonstrations I take an adopted older Ashcraft Traditional because that is what everyone expects to see! Your wheels are gorgeous, simply gorgeous and I bet that they purr when you spin. I’m pitiful…. congratulations!
Chloe
*has a cigarette after all that virtual satisfaction* 😉
OMG – you totally hit the wheel jackpot, you lucky girl! Totally worth a “little” excursion to Albany.
Now, are we 100% sure we aren’t the same person? Husband’s names are the same – check. Knitting/spinning – check. Worked in costuming in another life – check. Name spelled correctly – check. Spent a lot of time in and around Albany/Schenectady area – check. Hm…..
Dude. I mean.
Dude.
There are no words – a pair of lovely wheels. The workmanship in the Reeves is mind boggling. That is truly a treasure.
Wow. OMG. Totally speechless and very envious. Congratulations. They are beauties!
Niiice sweeep! I’m on the lookout for a 19″ Reeves, that is if you could ever point someone my way!
I am intensely fascinated by the distaff, though I have no idea how it relates to the wheel.
Britt, Daphne, the distaff is for spinning flax (i.e. linen). You ‘dress’ the distaff with the combed flax and spin from that. It’s the lovely thing you see in so many old illustrated fairy tales, usually with the wicked witch busily spinning!
Anne, I love these wheels and am so pleased you at last got off your butt and started working on your collection. Now all you need to do is clear a couple more rooms and you will be able to start locating wheels in earnest. Have you thought of a trip to Poland to see where the Kromskis are made? Want me to find you a little one in France when I’m next there?
though unable to utilise (properly) I surely can admire a lovely wheel… can I show my lack of knowledge re: spinning and ask what is a distaff? It’s sure beautiful…
I’m positively drooling over that second wheel, and I can’t even spin! Wow, what craftsmanship…
What glorious spinning wheels! I am so happy for you to have such lovely tools/pieces of art in your home. Enjoy them!
Are the beautiful spirals on the distaff carved from the same piece of wood as the stand? The distaff is so wonderful, I keep looking at it and trying to figure out how it is made. I would expect the distaff by itself to sell for as much as many wheels. Is there any source for these?
You seem to know things about wheels so I figure I can ask here.
How often do I need to be rubbing my wheel down? (I have a walnut Kromski Sonata.) And what should I be rubbing it with? These are things that are not so obvious to the new wheel owner, it seems…
Thanks, Anne!
oooh! i love the distaff! have you taken pictures of it in use yet? i would love to see it at work!
Wow! I was third in line behind you for that wheel when it came up for sale, it is absolutely to die for! I am first in line for another one but it is in Wisconsin, I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and get it, I’m glad to hear that you like it so much.
Oh my, not just a new wheel, but TWO! How do they compare to the fabulous one we tried at Spa?
Your wheels are stunning. I just bought a new one myself and I am just as obsessed. It has a really cool iron piece to adjust the tension. However, it has no distaff so I am looking for a freestanding one like your new baby. Do you know where the best place would be to look for one? The older the better as I am a reenactor.
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