First of all, I must say that I am thankful for my health and my life situation in which I can stay at home and not worry about where the next meal is coming from. My husband and I leave the house about once a week to get groceries. My husband, adult children, and their families are healthy. The acquaintances I know that are sick with covid-19 are young and doing quite well at home.

Like so many other people who are home bound, I have an abundance of time on my hands. I indulged in the luxury of ordering supplies online and having them arrive a few days later at my door step. It’s been interesting trying to obtain my materials online. Normally I’d want to feel fabric before buying it. When it comes to a fleece, I’d want to see it, feel it, and smell it. (I once had a Shetland fleece that I couldn’t get the stink out of even after dyeing it, so smell matters.)

Being that I have the time to process and spin yarn right now, I went ahead and ordered a few pounds of Merino. I found an online supplier and read the descriptions of my options. I chose two differed colored fleeces, both with a 4 inch staple length—at least that’s what the description said. I had already washed them and was picking through the first one when I realized the staple length was more like 2 inches with only a few locks being in the 3 inch range. I took a good look at the second fleece and found it to be quite short too. After I double checked the description of my wool – confirmed it said “4 inch staple length” – I emailed the seller. She had a no-return policy but offered to give me some money back or send me more fleece. I opted for more fleece with a 4 inch staple and now I await the package.

It was a joy to take out my drum carder and get to work on this cinnamon colored Merino fleece. My spinning wheel has been in storage for TWO YEARS while I was traveling. Guess what? It was in disarray just like I left it! Sadly, the magic elves didn’t break in and repair everything while I was gone. It has several broken parts, it’s misaligned, and dirty. I’ve ordered the replacement parts – a new drive band and a spring for the tension. Now I’m awaiting that package too.