Monday, April 23, 2007

free-wheelin'

Wow, my weekend whirling ever take an unexpected spin for me! I'm still reeling a little from the fact that I now have this...



..in my livingroom! She's an Ashford Elizabeth wheel, on loan for the next month or two. Here I was, finally feeling like I'm getting the hang of my little drop-spindles (I actually didn't drop it once this whole weekend!), and now I'm right back to the basics. Heck, I only just realized why the drive band kept flying off during in my first attempts (it's a double drive!).

I predict interesting times ahead, fellow spinners. Anybody got any useful links to online articles (I've already got to Spin-Off! ones) or blog posts of your own for me?

In the meantime, here's a shot of the very rough spinning I managed (even with in drive band on incorrectly, as you can see here!). It's a lovely natural brown Coopworth roving I picked up at Romni Wools last week, originally intended for spindle spinning. Wish me luck!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, on loan for a couple of months is a great chance to work out whether you want one of your own. And all your drop spindling has obviously stod you in good stead, the yarn looks very even and smooth.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Natalie, Em. Enjoy yourself and see what you like and don't like about this wheel.

I think learning with spindles really helped me make the transition to a wheel because I had a chance to learn how to handle the fiber before I had to learn how a wheel functioned. But every wheel is different. I felt like a total left-handed geek when I went from the Rose to DH's great-grandmother's wheel.

There were two immediate lessons I had to learn when I started on the Rose. First, there's a new learning curve. I wasn't stupid, and I shouldn't expect I should be able to go from one to the other immediately. Second and equally important, I really had to learn that while spindles have a built-in system for stopping so you can check your twist and drafting, you have to create those stops for yourself on a wheel. Don't let the rhythm of the wheel "trick" you into a go-go-go mindset. Stop and pull back enough now and then to be sure you like what you're getting.

But back to rule 1: Have Fun! :-)

Fiberjoy said...

Hi Em, Have you had a chance to do much more spinning on the loaner wheel? It's great that you have the opportunity to get the hang of using a wheel before making the investment.