Pretty Betty

My New Wheel
Originally uploaded by lothruin

Melissa was taking a spinning class. She loved making yarn, and she was excited thinking about all the things she could do with her new skill. But her class was ending and while she enjoyed spinning on her lovely drop spindle, and also enjoyed the fact that she could take it with her anywhere, it had it's limitations. Melissa wanted a spinning wheel of her very own.

It was a chilly, rainy day when Melissa went to her very last spinning class. She was sad because she'd made friends there, and there was talk about meeting every month for a spinning and klatsch session. Most of her friends had wheels of their own, and they were excited to be able to bring their wheels together on a night set aside just for friends and food and spinning. But Melissa had no wheel. She could come and spin on her drop spindle. That would be OK. But she could only spin small amounts of yarn, and plying was so hard... Melissa sighed. Someday, she would have her wheel, and she would meet with her friends and spin and talk and laugh.

As class was winding down, Catherine, the spinning instructor, asked Melissa if she would like to come to spinning night. Melissa looked wistfully at all the lovely wheels and said she might bring her drop spindle. Then Catherine mentioned that a woman had been there just a few days earlier to post a note on the bulletin board about a wheel she was selling. Catherine knew Melissa wanted a wheel, but couldn't spend much money, so she showed Melissa the little poster ad on the board. Melissa was very excited! The wheel, and the price, looked perfect. So she called the number on the ad before she even left spinning class. She had to use one of her new friends' cell phones, but they were so excited for her, they didn't mind at all.

That night, Melissa giggled happily. Who would have thought! That poor woman, her well-meaning husband had spent a great deal on spinning accessories, thinking she would enjoy making her own yarn just as much as she enjoyed knitting it! And to think, she'd never even used the wheel once! She said it had made a pretty decoration in the corner, but it took up too much room, and finally she thought that maybe someone else could use it as it was intended, so she'd posted her little ad on the bulletin board. Melissa and the woman laughed a little about how silly husbands could be, and the woman told Melissa she was happy to help out a young woman who was developing such a useful hobby. She knew all about how hard it could be to make ends meet when you were young and raising your family. She would sell Melissa the wheel and all the accessories; three extra bobbins and a lazy kate, a pair of hand carders, a book on the care of spinning wheels, and even the two bags of mohair she'd gotten intending to give it a try, for only $125. It was more than Melissa could have hoped for! Over $500 worth of spinning equipment, for only $125! A perfect deal for both of them!

The next day, Melissa drove out to the country to pick up her new wheel. She was in love the moment she saw it! And the "little bit" of mohair turned out to be over 2 pounds! She named her wheel Pretty Betty, ordered a maintenance kit as soon as she got home, and started planning on how she was going to finish it.