My on-going love-hate relationship with Amazon

Described thus because I love it for its convenience and 24-hour availability, hate it for the way it positively forces me to spend money.....

Actually, in this instance, I have gone off them because they have screwed up. I made an order and then realised that I had ordered the same book twice, so went back in, cancelled the whole thing and re-did it. Only somehow the system retained part of the order. And I can't cancel the duplicate as the website is telling me it is too late. So, I shall just have to return it, or find another home for it when it comes.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was - how about all these spiffy new books on spinning then, eh? In the last few months, I have bought three.

The one that arrived this morning is the Maggie Casey one. Then, there was Judith McKenzie McCuin's Spinning Visually. And then the one by Alison Deakin and Jane Deane, Spinning Creatively.

They are all worth having a look at. The one by JMc I think should be very good for some beginners, particularly those who learn best by observation (duh!) And of course, I can't at this minute check which bits I particularly like/dislike as I have lent mine to someone! The Deakin/Deane one is beautiful to look at, quite gorgeous. But remarkably lacking in substance! I know some find it inspirational, but sadly, it doesn't work for me - twenty-two pages of "how-to" from fibre to fancy yarns, the rest is fabulous photographs and minimal text on types of fancy-ish yarn that you could spin for yourself. I really wanted to like this book more, and it is fine to flick through from time to time, but instructional manual it surely ain't.

The Maggie Casey one - Start Spinning, everything you need to know to spin great yarn. Well, it did only arrive this morning and I haven't had time to do more than have a quick look, but it seems to be an absolute corker. Nice balance of text and illustration, and really sound and sensible text, too (ie,what I would say in similar circumstances :-)!)

But the really important thing is of course that there has been this sudden rush to print. Publishers don't do this out of the good of their hearts, and it must be an indication of a much healthier state of play in the fibre world, surely? Oh, I know, these things ebb and flow - but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

As for me, I still spin - silk, not amazingly well. Partly me, partly the prep, which has been in the stash a bit too long and had maybe suffered a bit in the dyeing, too. We shall see. And I still knit. For whatever reason, I drug out the simple lace shawl I started in alpaca yesterday, ripped out the entire inch I had done (triangular design, starting at the bottom....) and began again. Got a bit further! I could almost enjoy this is i had the concentration and the kitten-free time to get on with it.

And speaking of, as they grow so fast, I can't not put in the odd photo from time to time, can I?



Starting to run out of room on this perch.



Butter wouldn't melt, eh? I think this one could be a candidate for a cheezburger caption.

And finally - the DSM getting a lot of help spinning cotton. (He's watching tv, too, hence the goofy expression.)



OK, they've gone quiet, I'd better go see what they are doing and tell them to stop it.