Summer fortunes

The summer time around here usually is bathed with temps in the mid to high 80's and endless heat. In other areas of the country they're socked in with awful heat but here in the NW we've been cooler than usual. For someone who doesn't tolerate heat well like me it's been blissful. The only problem we've run into is we've been bombarded with mosquitoes from the unusually wet late spring so being outdoors has been challenging. Thank goodness for insect repellant.

I'm coming down the back side of the Tour de Fleece 2010 with my challenge of spinning up 8 oz of Crown Mountain Farms polwarth on my Spindlewood handspindle. I've been able to keep up with my daily quota and am producing nice singles that I see being made into a 3 ply sock yarn. It's been a great challenge for me for honing my spindling skills and making me love my Spindlewood even more as a workhorse.

Last weekend I went to the monthly Northwest Regional Spinners Association (NWRSA) meeting at Shelia January's invitation and had a great time with the gals there. By that time I was getting cabin fever from being at home recovering from the crud so was grateful for the chance to get out and socialize. While I was there, I introduced myself and told them about me and my background. When the subject of spinning wheels came up, Shelia mentioned that a mutual friend Susan had her 30" Reeves Saxony up for sale and had offered it to Shelia. Shelia in turn said that if I was interested and could buy it she would pass her chance off to me.

For those of you who are not familiar with Rick Reeves, he is a wheelmaker who with his wife Marge made spinning wheels and tools from 1964 to 2001. Schacht currently manufactures a wheel that uses the Reeves design that I was looking at but the Reeves themselves no longer make wheels. There are a variety of wheels from traditional saxony styles to frame wheels and castle styles. They're beautiful wheels, loved by their owners.

When Shelia told me about the wheel, I was first amazed that Susan was selling it and second amazed Shelia was willing to give up her dibs on it. Shelia has a beautiful collection of wheels, including three Reeves wheels, so her generosity in giving me the chance to purchase the wheel was incredible. She told me the price she was offered and was floored. What I needed to know then was whether Susan was willing to accept terms. I drove home, flabbergasted at my sudden good fortune and hoped all would work out.

When I got home, I called Susan and told her what Shelia had told me. Yes, the wheel was for sale. Susan's got an order in for a Lendrum Saxony 30" so she was selling her Reeves. I asked her would she accept payments and she said yes. Easy as that. I screamed when I hung up the phone.

So in the near future, there will be a 30" Reeves red oak Saxony residing in my house.