She's Here!!

After waiting patiently, or as patiently as I can, my new friend Joy is here!

I had to wait most of the afternoon. The Brown Man (UPS guy) usually hits my street at about 2 p.m. Every other day but today. Today, he shows up at 3:30. I had a couple of places to go, but I wanted to wait til he dropped Joy off... because I knew as soon as I left, he'd show up. So I waited. And waited, and waited some more.

Finally, he brings her and I set her in the house and then run to Wal-Mart to get some cold medicine... Duane has been fighting a sinus thing for a few days and is miserable. So I quickly went and grabbed some nyquil and dayquil.

I got home and Duane had arrived just before me. I handed him his drugs, and put chicken on to boil. After I opened the adult proof dayquil, I opened Joy's box and started to unpack her and the other goodies that came with her. Let me just say... the box she came in was really small! She and her carrying case, an extra bobbin and a niddy noddy only weighed 17 pounds!

I carried Joy into the diningroom and sat in front of the arcadia door to use the natural light to put her flyer together. Then came the brake band and putting her bobbin and flyer on. Let me just say, she treadles like a dream! So, I played around just getting the feel for her treadles before I went and got any wool.

Duane was taking a quiz, so I figured I could play for a while. I figured out how to attach the leader and then got some of the wool that also came with her. (It arrived last Saturday, so I've had a couple of days to pet it.) I got it all started and spun up about an ounce and a half. Then I got up to make supper. I could barely walk! My right knee, the good one, hurt so bad I could barely stand on it. By the time I finished making the chicken salad, I could walk with no pain.

As we were making our sandwiches for supper, I told Duane that I would have to find another chair to use, as our diningroom chairs are too tall. I ended up getting the footstool I used to have to use to get into bed. (we had a really tall bed). I put a pillow on it and "went to town." It works pretty well, but I will have to figure out just how I'm sitting that is tweaking my knee, because I must be sitting crooked.

I wanted to see how she folds up and fits in her carrying case. So, I took off the flyer and bobbin, set the wheel to the position that allows for them to set into the frame, swung the extra bobbins on the integrated lazy kate into the frame opening, undid one of the treadles and then folded them up. Man, it was slick. I picked her up, did I mention she only weighs about 11 pounds? No? Well, she does... she ain't heavy... she's my brother. She fits into the padded case very well. There is a little handle at the top and a long shoulder strap. The bag looks like it should have two straps to wear it like a backpack. Hmm, maybe an email to Ashford is in order. Not that it would do me good now... maybe in the future if something happens to this case.

I will post pictures of her tomorrow! But, wow. She's so cool. I know I will dream of her tonight.