Today had mostly been....

Today has mostly been waiting in for parcels to be collected and visitors to turn up.
I was going to put up pictures of my latest shawls but blogger doesn't want to play. It may be coming up time to move my blog elsewhere in the new year and suggestions of web hosts would be much appreciated.

So the parcels:-
Firstly a printer going back to amazon. Supposedly wireless but doesn't like to be so. It is a few months old but I don't print much so it was only the past few days that I realised printer plus iMac were not a happy couple on either wireless or cable.
After several goes at fix rounds I have given up and back it goes.
The second thing going back to the same place is a Roberts cd player. Mr Mog rather fancied a cd player as we haven't had one in quite a while. We tended to use the iPod or put CDs through the tv. The only problem with that is that you have a blue screen whilst playing. He did his research and decided on a Roberts . Seemed ok after first few plays where it ate the cd and wouldn't let it go for a while. Then this Yule Mr Mog was playing a favourite cd, medicine dance by Stairway, and it would not eject at all. We tried turning it off, unplugging, you name it we tried it. I looked on the Internet and someone suggested turning it upside down,that didnt work either. Because the cd goes in a slot there was no way to get it out . Back it goes and mr Mog is going for a cheap top loader player. Fortunately amazon are very good at refunds or replacements and that is one of the reasons we use them.
There was a third parcel awaiting collection.
Mr Mog ordered me a schacht matchless spinning wheel for Yule . Schacht changed the design of the wheel construction so there was some delay in it's arrival. It seemed it wouldn't be here until end of January as they wanted to get the new design sorted. The wheel actually arrived just a couple of days before Christmas and looked good. Mr Mog set it up and we had a go spinning some bfl. That seemed ok but as soon as I started to spin a merino silk mix it keep throwing off the drive band. We tried all sorts of things to make it work, even rang the production team in USA . Their suggestion? Sand the bobbins, sand the groove on the wheel. Now I don't know about you but this was a new wheel, would you want to get sandpaper to it? I didn't. The dealer we got it from offered to replace it and we said we would keep til after Christmas and try again with it. Mr Mog put it all back together and we tried again. It still wouldn't keep the drive band on.
On close inspection to use the wheel in double drive , which is my preferred spin mode, the band and bobbin don't line up correctly. I think scotch tension would be fine but that isn't what I want to use. I don't want another as I think it will be the same problem so that too went back today.
We were also supposed to get visitors on their way home from Cumbria, they haven't arrived .

But the day hasn't been wasted I have been spinning bright coloured fluff.
Today is the anniversary Of the death of Mr Mogs aunt, the one he as very close to, as was I,we have had a candle lit all day in her memory. She is often in our thoughts and we miss her very much.

I have been knitting beads and fine yarn, both new to me methods. The shawl I finished weighed just 31 gms without the beads and is still light as a feather with beads on.