Poor Bessy

From Knitting Kitties

I really need to be careful about what I wish for, or just stop the whole wishing thing.  That creep Murphy really has it in for me with his stupid laws.  You see most of the weekend, I've been merrily spinning away on the tussah silk.  I kept thinking, I really should be working on those gifts.  Monday morning, spin, spin.  I thought, maybe someone should really take my spinning wheel away for awhile.  That's when Murphy heard me and it happened.  Bessy's pedal broke, thump.  Sigh.

From Knitting Kitties

It's happened before.  Only the maker had the screw on the side and it was smacking on the black piece and we thought that was caused the break.  D fixed it back then, with Gorilla Glue Adhesive,.  Then the left peddle stopped peddling. It was ok, because I can still use it with just the right peddle, that's the important one. He ordered a new Peddle Pusher.  When the ceiling fell on my head that summer, the maintenance men broke my wheel when they moved it, then slammed D's recliner into it.  Just before we moved, my youngest son and his Dad looked at it and fixed up better than it was before.  They installed the new peddles with the screw in the back.  I guess it's just the stress that's makes it weak in that spot.

Poor D, he's gone from 9am to 9pm between work and traveling across town on the buses. Then the 2 mile walk between the bus stop and work and back again.  He's exhausted when gets home.  I won't repeat what he said when I showed him my wheel.  Basically, it was agreed I could wait until he had off on Wednesday.  Later, he went in his office, then came out and handed me the glue.

This glue doesn't bond instantly like Super Glue.  The label said to clamp the area well for 1-2 hrs for a good bond.  Except how do you clamp that?  I held it in place for about 20 minutes, with some of the glue oozing out on my fingers. I prayed my fingers wouldn't bond to my wheel.  How would I spin or knit if my hand is stuck to my peddle?  I poured acetone over my fingers but they stayed sticky.  Grrrrr So I just waved my hand around until it dried.

From Knitting Kitties

This morning, I gave it a little push.  It held.  A little harder push.  Ok. Then I gave it a good spin. Set to go. It's not the best looking glue job, but it's holding.  I think if it breaks again, I will get a couple small plastic rulers to glue over the sides as braces.  It's too bad my family doesn't knit or crochet, then I could just give them all handspun yarn for Christmas.