Well, crap o' lantern!

Although I really love the pattern, I was hoping to save a little cash by not buying the Twist Collective pattern Wisteria by Kate Gilbert. Then, the FO pictures came rolling on on Ravelry:

(Sweater by No Knit Sherlock)

It really is as pretty as it looks. Guess I'm going to have to buy it. *grumble*

Spoonflower

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been keeping an ear to the ground with regards to the things that are happening on the Internets, so I just found out about Spoonflower. They're in invite-only beta mode at the moment, so I signed up to the waiting list.

Per the website:

"Spoonflower gives individuals the power to print their own designs on fabric that they can then use to make quilts, clothes, pillows, blankets, framed textile art and many, many other things that might surprise you."

I'm intrigued. Are you?

Taking a moment

It occurred to me last night that I'm extremely, extremely lucky.

Not just for the usual reasons of having a job and my health and a great family and all that - I'm grateful for that of course.

I was looking at my three wheels and all the spindles I've collected over the past few years, as well as my stunning fiber stash and all my amazing and beautiful fiberart friends and I realized that not everyone has this. I'm so happy I'm friends with all of you guys and I have all this fiberart in my life.

Thanks!

Majacraft's so-called affordable wheel

I don't know what's been going on with spinning wheels lately, but it seems they've taken a jump in price across the board. Majacraft has introduced a nice little wheel called the Pioneer:

Definitely scaled back (pine and plywood) and being sold as an entry-level budget model, but I wouldn't turn it down by any means. It's being sold at $469.

Since when is $469 considered budget? You can get an Ashford Traveler made of New Zealand silver beech for $440, and that's with a bunch of freebies:

I was horrified when I found out my tiny little Louet Victoria, which I bought for (in my opinion a slightly high) $620, was going for $733. These are astronomical price increases.

Since most of the companies that make spinning wheels are not US-based, I'm assuming that this price jump is based on a combination of currency fluctuation and fuel costs, and not the fact that people with more disposable income are getting into spinning and the price increases are just a greedy grab for more profit margin, right?

All this is more incentive for me to start a spinning wheel company...someday.