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How Fortuitous

I must live under some lucky, fortuitous, charmed star.  Things just seem to fall into my lap, and by things I mean good or meaningful stuff.  It happened again yesterday.

As I mentioned last week there was a class being offered by the local weaver's guild to help individuals decide on what spinning wheel to purchase.  I was truly so excited to sign up and take it. The class was slated for three hours last night at the local textile center.  It would give me lots of information about what to look for, name some of the best brands of wheels out there and what to keep my eyes open for if I were to purchase a used wheel.  It was going to be a truly winner of a class.

Then last week Tuesday I received the following:

Unfortunately, we've had to cancel the Spinning Wheels: Choosing the Right Wheel for You class due to low enrollment. We will, of course, refund your tuition in full.  Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in class again soon!

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.  I had myself all revved up to get this great information and then to not be able to get it, well I was sad.  Then on Wednesday I received this notice from the instructor:

If you are still interested in getting the information the class would have provided, please contact me.  We can set up a time to get together.

My spirits soared and last night I went to the instructor's studio, gathered all the course material and got to try a couple of her own personal wheels using her own naturally dyed roving (it was so lovely).  I was the only student so I could ask all my questions and there were many indeed.  We talked at length about the types of wheels I was interested in, what I thought my future spinning might become and about several details I had not taken into consideration up to this point.  (I also found a fellow intuitive type spinner whose yarn is just lovely.  She indicated she doesn't count when spinning, something I hate having to do!)

The instructor was so generous with her time, skills and knowledge I think I probably got more out of that 1.5 hours than I would have out of the 3 hour class.  For a mere $20 I will probably save myself hundreds of dollars because of her advice.  At the end of our time together we agreed my getting a stripped down version of one of the best wheels (in our combined humble opinions) now was best for me.  Should my spinning skills and interests change as I become better at it, I can then add bobbins and flies to expand my spinning repertoire.  If my skills remain elementary in nature I will be spinning on one of the best wheels out there.  And the brand we agree upon:  (Drum roll, please)

The Lendrum, double-treadle, folding model
 Here are some of the features we agreed would be good for me:
1.  Double treadles require the spinner to sit squarely on a chair thus minimizing back strain.
2.  This wheel is compact thus not requiring a large footprint of space.
3.  The bobbin in this model are very easy to get off the fly.
4.  Its ability to fold makes it transportable.
5.  Its sturdy structure allows for an even spin.
6.  As mentioned earlier there are additional flies for making lace weight yarn, something I may decide to do later.
7.  The cost is about the same as the other wheel I was considering.  

My instructor in Vancouver has this exact model of the Lendrum and one day she and I discussed it at length.  The wheel is made in Canada by one very skilled craftsman.  The Vancouver instructor indicated this craftsman is growing old and she wasn't quite sure what would happen to the brand when he is gone.  She said if I was interested in a Lendrum now is the time to purchase one.  And the best thing is the price is the same whether I purchase in CAD or USD.  With the exchange rate at around $.75 on the dollar CAD to USD, I should purchase in Canada and save 25%.

What a lucky duck I am, getting a personalized class on spinning wheels and now knowing I can seriously start searching for the best deal on the brand I want.  The stars were with me, again.  How fortuitous.

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