What's Important to You in a Spinning Wheel?

By Amelia

I was recently asked by a new-to-me Michael what was important to me in a spinning wheel. It set me to thinking a fair bit about that, and developing a "short list":

What would I want in a wheel?

• quiet ... this is really important for me, as I spin in the evenings while hubby watches a show or we talk. Even my electric wheel is the quietest available (the Butterfly). Majacraft, SpinOlution, and the Pocket Wheel are all nice, quiet wheels. This takes a fair bit of engineering and tight fit of things like bobbins, treadles, and the like.
  
• ratios ... I'm a fast spinner, so most of my spinning is as high as I can crank up my wheel; I love 30+-to-1 ratios. That said, if it's fat singles, I want about 10:1. And if I'm teaching someone on my wheel, even lower is good!
  
• smooth/easy treadling ... obvious, right? the foot action needs to be continuous and balanced if it's a double treadle, not a syncopated rhythm. I put my Majacraft together wrong at first and was quite disappointed; luckily I soon learned it was my mistake, corrected it, and now have smooth treadling. The SpinOlution wheels have the easiest treadling I've ever found, due in part to their completely novel approach to the topic.
  
• stands up to continuous use ... I spin alot. Breaking brake bands or drive bands are a real bummer.
  
• generous bobbin capacity; option for plying bobbin a plus ... we love big bobbins! Though when I spin laceweight, the small size bobbin can be a plus, because you really don't want to fight 4 ounces of laceweight singles all at one time (okay, maybe you do -- I don't!)
  
• easy to change out bobbins ... I admit, this was the one weak spot of my Schacht Matchless (the cadillac of wheels). I love the treadle-on/treadle-off ease of the Majacraft and the simple pinch-and-pull of the SpinOlution wheels.
  
• 14 pounds-ish ... that's an easy-to-haul weight for me. Journey Wheel, Majacraft's Pro, The Bee Travel Wheel, the Lendrum all fall in that bracket. The Pocket Wheel exceeds it, at a mere 6-7 pounds!
  
• won't lose the drive band during a car ride on gravel roads ... nothing so annoying as having to get one back on, bleh. Sure, a minor annoyance, but if I can avoid it, I do.
  
• easy to replace drive band (both material and to put on the wheel) ... can you tell I have a thing about drive bands? You see, I broke my Majacraft drive band and found out I had to partially disassemble the wheel to put a new one one. So I bought 2 and put them both on, the spare at the ready! The Pocket and the Hitchhiker win this, with no drive band at all! The SpinOlution wheels are replaceable without taking the wheel apart, which is nice.
  
• appealing to the eye ... I love the sleek look of the Majacraft, but have to admit the Jensen Tina II turned my head (and made me scribble in my checkbook!). There's something to be said for fairytale spoked wheels. That said, the Danish-modern of the Louet and the SpinOlution wheels have their own appeal, especially in a modern IKEA-furnished home. And the Hitchhiker has a whimsy all its own. The variety of wheels out there clearly shows the wide taste we spinners have for our wheels.
  

Part of what I look for in a wheel is related to how I spin. I mostly spin DK weight or finer 2-plies; occasionally I spin thick low-twist singles or art yarn.

And, I do sell the Bee and the Mach II from SpinOlution; be sure to stop by my booth at Black Sheep Gathering this weekend to give them each a spin! It's a great opportunity to compare them to all the wheels out there, as Carolina Homespun, Woodland Woolworks, and other vendors bring a wide variety of wheels for road testing too: Lendrum, Ashford, Kromski, Schacht, Louet, Fricke, and more.

So, what would you want in a wheel? Leave your input on the comments here, and I'll make sure to pass them on to Michael. After all, I told him, each spinner has their own opinion!

~~
Be sure to see Spin-Off's Spinning Wheel Round-Up for a list of features of a wide variety of wheels!

For details on several wheels I've reviewed on this blog, see the Wheels post list.

posted 15 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Worth the Price of Admission

By Amelia

The absolute highlight of my round of NwRSA classes was when a participant said "that was worth the price of admission" on one of the spindling techniques about halfway through Productive Spindling. She was thrilled! So was I! It really brightened all my classes for the weekend.

Next up was a very color-filled weekend at the CSMSA 2009 convention (that's Circular Sock Machine Society of America). I had a round of dye classes planned, and we all had much colorful fun, as you can see in my flickr set CSMSA 2009.

However, the days were even more colorful than planned ... the delightful Helga shared her ball dyeing with us!

You guessed it -- that was my "worth the price of admission" moment.

Helga has outlined the steps for this on her blog, ansichtsachen. Oh yeah -- Helga's German :-) the blog starts in German, the second half of each entry is in English.

Here you see my ball, after all the dye was in and it was set. We set our dyes using my dye microwave. I was worried about my usual 2 on/2 off/2 on/2 off/2 on not being quite enough for this tightly wound ball, so I added an extra 2 off/2 on at the end -- everyones' ball rinsed cleanly, so it worked!

Here's my yarn, skeined. You can see it's fairly white -- all of that was on the inside. Actually, there isn't much white. My second ball (who could resist? not me) was much richer color inside to out, and some of Helga's students got thorough coverage the first time out. The trick is, not to be afraid of the dye. Go for it, and have fun!



~~
posted 13 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What do you teach in Spinning Sock Yarn?

By Amelia

Sock yarn is about fineness. Fineness, and durability. Fineness, durability, and ... oh wait, I'm channeling a Monty Python skit, it has nothing to do with sock yarn.

Spinning is about having fun! And that's what we do in this workshop as we explore the ins-and-outs of spinning sock yarn.

Let's take a look at that fineness thing. And durability, how do we get that?

We'll play with:
* techniques for spinning fine(r)
* how fine singles are for different plies
* what fibers add durability
* what spinning methods add durability
* how to add durability in plying
* what finishing methods add durability

And to keep it fascinating, let's explore our color options:
* turning barberpoles into beads with cables
* marled 2-color yarns and faux cables
* Navajo-ply: test before you commit...
* self-striping socks
* fractal plying and more striping options

We'll wrap up with a discussion on knitting socks, from dress socks to boot socks, and any sock-knitting-ness you'd like to discuss: DPs or circs? What is a sock machine?

Bring your favorite sock pattern or favorite commercial sock yarn to explore in class.

~~
For a list of all workshops taught by the Belle (that's me!) see, What Workshops do you Teach? Hey -- it would be fun to have a sock blend batt carding class followed by this one. I'm happy to tailor workshops to your group, just let me know.

For posts on spinning sock yarns, see the SockSpinning topic.

Did that mention of sock machines tickle your ear? See the list of SockMachine posts.

Interested in Sock Yarn Dyeing? See the classes and posts on that, too.

(Oh, and ... as I was asked, the blog is quiet as I wrap up "the book" and the heat of show season ... not less than 10 classes to teach in the next two weeks, starting with this one, tomorrow: all fun, all the time!)
~~
posted 1 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/