# spinning wheels



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

i'm looking to add a spinning wheel. 
would you all please tell me what you have, what you like about your wheel and what is not so nice? would be helpful to know if you are just periodicly spinning, beginner or advanced

thanks for all the tips and hints i get out of this :kiss:


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## Pakalana (Mar 9, 2008)

I've got an Ashford Traditional (she's currently out on sick leave). 

Like:
I can spin just about anything on it! This was my beginner wheel and I haven't moved out of it. My girls are starting out on it (11 and 6). The one thing I don't do are the art yarns, but I just have the standard flyer and bobbin that it comes with. It's possible that it's a first love thing, but IMO it's a good versatile wheel.
I've spun pure angora on it with no real difficulty. 
Parts and repair are readily available from several suppliers online. 


Don't like:
Does take some space, not a ton. I am looking at a castle style wheel for that reason, hoping that dog tails won't be as much of an issue with one.  
Honestly, I can't think of much else that I don't like about it.
Transporting can be...interesting. Another reason I'm looking at a castle style. I also like to spin outside in the summer. 

I spin regularly, more during certain times of the year than others. Spin for daily wear mostly: socks, mitten, hats, the occasional sweater, shawls, etc.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Ashford Traveller:
Castle style wheel = small foot print
This was my first wheel 8 years ago and could spin from cobweb to bulky.
Double drive with optional scotch tension
Has both lace weight and jumbo flyers / bobbins available.

I have the Jumbo flyer. Great for plying. (getting a WooLee Winder for the Jumbo flyer/bobbing)

Kromski Sonota:
This has been my 'go-to' wheel the past 2 years.
castle style
folding wheel
larger drive wheel than Traveller
easier to treadle than Traveller
I got the WooLee winder for this wheel.

I spin on the Sonata and ply on the Traveller.

I spin most every day (that I'm not knitting!). Started spindling about 1998 and wheel spinning in 2002


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

My first wheel and my favorite wheel was/is an Ashford Traditional. Love this wheel and agree with everything Pakalana says about it. It is a very sturdy wheel, a real workhorse. It is expandable, I bought the high speed flyer for mine and I can spin just about anything I want on it. I can always find parts and bobbins when I want or need them.

Not much I dislike. I do take my wheel with me to lost of places, it can be tricky but the wheel is well built and I've never had a problem with the wheel other than getting it into the car. I have a very small car and I manage every time.

I am looking to add a Sonata but I'd like to spin on one first.

I do have a second wheel, a Country Craftsman. They are not made any longer but I don't think I would recommend it as a first wheel. Although, I do have two friends who have them as their first wheel. It can be a bit finicky but it is a pretty wheel and is good for living history type stuff.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Susanne, would this be your first wheel?


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

first and only wheel  
planning to do mostly fine yarn for socks and maybe some sweaters, i have a knitting machine.
no interest in bulky. 
with goats and making cheese and a big garden, time is limited.
all reasons why i'm not interested in a beginners wheel. )
i want a wheel that will be with me for the rest of my life.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I'm also an Ashford Traditional 'owner'. I love her in that she's a double drive (just discovered that, was told she was a single), she's purdy to look at, sturdy and her voice is like a sweet haunting song calling out to me...Stroke me, Sit before me, be one with me and we will spin like Grandmother spider.

The only thing that I don't like is that she's a single treadle but that can be remedied in the future.

I've looked at wheels that be can taken out and about and carried on ones back but I have plenty of drop spindles so why bother...~lol~...


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> For me, my wheel HAD to please me aesthetically - just in case I never got the hang of spinning â I figured I would still appreciate her for what she is - a lovely wooden sculpture based on a historic traditional Norwegian design and built by a local craftsman with locally harvested woods. I am thrilled just to look at her. AND I am thrilled to spin with her â she pleases me.


that sound like i would have said to someone looking for a wheel 
that looks beautiful and something i can look at (and dust from time to time LOL )
no artsy but very practical. i'm bulky myself (or just too short on one end? )
and putting bulky on top does not make it better.

double or single drive? i just read that single drive is none complicated andthought that would be the way to go? 
single pedal ot two padle? i guess i really have to try some wheels.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I have two spinning reels, a Pflueger and a Daiwa. I prefer the American-made Pflueger over the Japanese Daiwa. It has a Mother-of-Pearl spinning mechanism which allows longer cast-ons. The flyer and handle have a 6:1 ball bearing gear making retrieving and drafting much smoother. Both spinning reels came with several bobbins making it easy to change from one line weight to another, say changing from 8 lb test to 4 lb test.

I highly recommend the Plueger, but if you want to go with a Japanese spinning reel you might want to consider the new Shimano Stella SW...it's over $800 but worth every penny.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

Cabin Fever said:


> I have two spinning reels, a Pflueger and a Daiwa. I prefer the American-made Pflueger over the Japanese Daiwa. It has a Mother-of-Pearl spinning mechanism which allows longer cast-ons. The flyer and handle have a 6:1 ball bearing gear making retrieving and drafting much smoother. Both spinning reels came with several bobbins making it easy to change from one line weight to another, say changing from 8 lb test to 4 lb test.
> 
> I highly recommend the Plueger, but if you want to go with a Japanese spinning reel you might want to consider the new Shimano Stella SW...it's over $800 but worth every penny.


i like the shimano, very smooth  
never thought about using it for spinning fiber tho LOL


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I have a little Ashford Traveler that has become my friend over the past nine + years. I bought it unfinished, and applied several coats of beeswax and lemon oil to each wooden part before I assembled it.At that time, the double treadle was new in the Traveler, and I specifically ordered that feature. I had learned to spin on a rented Ashford Traditional-and knew a good thing when I saw it.

After all the taveling, children, dogs, and outdoor spinning, it still looks good. It has a bit of squeak from being knocked over by my aging dog one too many times (poor old thing ended up trapped under the wheel once or twice as well), but it has just added to its value in my heart and home.

A wheel is like a friend. You learn to know its good qualities and its not so good qualities. But if you have choosen well, you learn to love your friend for who they are, regardless of the things that can drive you nuts. That's how I feel about my little wheel. 

Look, listen, ask-then choose with your heart and your head. If you choose right, you'll have gained both a lovely piece of furniture, and eventually, a well loved one as well.

betty


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

[qupte]all I know is that my drive band is big and it doubles up so that that not only does it wrap and spin the drive wheel, it wraps around and drives the gizmo that screws on the bobbin and drives the flyer. 
or something
[/qupte]WIHH, you have a double drive, the gizmos are called whorls ... the bobbin whorl and the flyer whorl.

The Sonata is a full size folding wheel and is not made from plywood!! (banish that though!)

The Ashford Traveller, double treadle, double drive is the wheel I would recommend for beginners. With the double drive and optional single drive, scotch tension, it's like having 2 wheels in one.

The ratios are wide enough to spin super fine to bulky. It's a castle style wheel so it doesn't have a large footprint. 

If I hadn't started travelling for work (flying) for a week or 2 at a time, I would have never looked at another wheel besides the Traveller that I already owned.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

I also have the Ashford Traveller, double treadle, scotch drive, and I absolutely love it. I researched many wheels, read infomation on Ravelry and here, and found, like Cyndi recommended, that it is a great wheel. But the most important thing I did was to try different wheels. 

Our LYS has a few wheels that they let people try, and the Spinning & Weaving Guild also has a "loaner" wheel that I tried for a few months. I knew right away that I wanted double treadle instead of single, and the orifice height on the traveller was just right for me - some were up higher, some down lower, and they were uncomfortable. 

So if you can try different wheels, that is the best thing you can do. Do you have any historic museums in your area? Ours offers a beginning spinning class so I did that first and had the basics down before I went "test-spinning" 

Good luck, and have fun!


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I have an Majacraft Saxony, double treadle which I love, smooth running and I can spin at low speeds with no issues, has really big bobbins. 
I love this wheel and have found no down sides even after all of these years!










OK.. the down side, they no longer make this wheel. Might be able to find one used.

When I was wheel shopping way back when, I found a Spinning shop that at the time, had almost all the wheels made and tried all of them a number of times. The Majacraft Saxony won out hands down. VBG
So if you can find a spinning guild or shop and able to try the wheels a few times would be best.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

this is my Schant/Reeves. She's 30" and will spin as fast and as thin as you'll ever need.Double drive and double treadle.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

susanne said:


> first and only wheel


famous last words!!


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

OK, this may be sacrilege, but I went to Black Sheep Festival in Eugene Oregon a week ago, and saw a little bitty electric wheel - less than a foot cubed - that people were using there: hansencrafts.com 
I have foot-nerve problems, so wonder if I can pedal for any length of time, and this took up so much less space, that I really thought it might be what I want. I got sheep for meat within the last year and can't stand waste, so apparently I have to do something with their wool.
Has anyone who actually spins and uses the yarn ever tried one of this type? 
Thanks,
Kit


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I've used a Babe electric spinner a few times and really like it! It's not cheating at all! 

Meat sheep = down fleece. Wonderful for items such as socks and mittens. Long lasting and less prone to shrinking during fulling (felting)


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