# Babe Wheel's



## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Does anyone on here have the babe fiberstarter wheel? I am thinking about getting it and wondering what other people have to say about it. 
Many thanks!

Sarah~


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I have their production wheel. I love it!
Its durable as heck. 
I did have to put screws into it where the pvc pieces connect or it fell apart.
That wasnt a big deal. Its easy to screw in screws into plastic. 

I also altered mine because I am physically disabled and don't use my legs.
I spin the wheel by hand as I sit. Its perfect for me. Just the right height and does a great job.

I also painted mine and now its pink with vines and feathers painted all over it. 

The best part in the plying!! I have the dowels for putting spools on the base. I can have up to 4 spools on it for plying. I could easily drill more holes for more dowels than what it came with but I dont need to ply that many! LOL

I love my babe. 
And the price was right!
I have had mine for 3 years now.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I don't have one but have spun on one and I know lots of people who have them and love them. I'd say it a a very good choice for an inexpensive first wheel.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I say its a good choice for a wheel period!!
A wheel doesn't have to be fancy or pretty to be as functional as anything else out there!

Spinning isnt just a wheel, its the person working it.
A fancy expensive wheel wont make better yarn if the spinner lacks.

There are people that can make awesome yarns with a hand spindle that's home made!


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

I had one, I loved it.

I sold it as I felt at the time I was spreading myself too thin interest wise and something had to give.

Ugly as sin, but they work great for the price.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Very true River Pines. 

I wish we had the little buttons on the bottom of our posts like they do on Ravelry.


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Marchwind said:


> Very true River Pines.
> 
> I wish we had the little buttons on the bottom of our posts like they do on Ravelry.


I KNOW!!!!!!! I found myself looking for them the other day...

Thanks for all the replies! I am still debating because for a student that is still a lot of Money.


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

I love my Babe so much, I never upgraded to a pricier wheel. 
Be prepared for a few spinners looking down their noses at you, though, when you mention that you have a Babe.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

ShortSheep said:


> I love my Babe so much, I never upgraded to a pricier wheel.
> Be prepared for a few spinners looking down their noses at you, though, when you mention that you have a Babe.


Yup!
But that doesnt bother me. My babe is to light and easy to move around, I take it outside when its warm to spin and its just as easy to take back in the house when its time to go in!
Plus its small which makes it nice for spinning in front of the tv or in the kitchen and not being in anyone's way!

I think the benefits, the ease of use, and the fact it works just as good as the fancy stuff out weighs any snickers one may get.

And with a paint job, its not so ugly!


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

The all black ones are kinda cool looking. 

I get the same thing with my Old Louet S10. People walk up at demos and ask "did you make that?" 

I've spun on them, and I like them. They are a little lightweight, which lets them move around a little more than I 'd like, but other than that, they spin very much like the Louets. 
Lisa


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

That was one of the things I noticed when I spun on a Babe, it was so light weight it tended to move around. I wonder if you could remove one of the corner pieces on the bottom and fill the bottom with sand to give a little more weight.

Love the paint job!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Marchwind said:


> That was one of the things I noticed when I spun on a Babe, it was so light weight it tended to move around. I wonder if you could remove one of the corner pieces on the bottom and fill the bottom with sand to give a little more weight.
> 
> Love the paint job!


I never thought of that since I hand turn mine and all.
But I imagine that sand or maybe even screwing it to a wooden platform may make a difference.

And thank you. The paint I think is better than the white I had.


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## jhuebner (Mar 29, 2009)

We have a Babe Production also. It's traveled many miles, we love it.

My wife actually prefers it for spinning Angora. It has just the right speed.

http://www.oldhaus.net/Wheel's in Action.htm 

You can see her spinning right off the bunny in the picture above. :cute:

Nels has great service too. Just give him a call & he'll take care of you, that is really NICE! 

Good Luck 

JLH

Oldhaus Fibers & Rabbits
www.oldhaus.net


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Yes, yes, yes!

I have a Babe wheel - the single treadle production, in all black. Love it.

It's easy to use, easy to learn on, and didn't cost the earth ... about half the price of a starter wooden wheel, which made sense since I wasn't sure how much of this spinning thing I was gonna do. I then took the remaining money I'd have spent on a wheel and got a loom! 

I like that it is light, I can carry it one handed, and that means not having to find a permanent home for it - it sits 'out of the way' and when I spin, I move it to where I am sitting. I don't find it travels much but mine has rubber feet thingies (I think) and I have hardwood floors, so it stays pretty still. I love that I can start the wheel with my toe, if I get it stuck at the 12 or 6 o'clock spot - just reach up, push with toe, and go back to treadling. 

The velcro on the front to hold your thread-in-progress rocks, too. That's a feature you could add to any wheel, as well, very handy!

Highly recommended. I had no idea there were so many of us Babe spinners here!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

jhuebner said:


> We have a Babe Production also. It's traveled many miles, we love it.
> 
> My wife actually prefers it for spinning Angora. It has just the right speed.
> 
> ...


I love that picture!!!! I spin off the bun but not with the bun literally in my lap!!!! LOL
Thats so cool. :rock:


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Update!!

I am ordering my Babe tonight plus I am placing a order with The Sheep Shed studio. Sooo Hopefully it will all be here for my Birthday!!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Well, Happy Birthday to you! Yay!

The waiting is always so hard........


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Yeah... only 11 days! And I think this is going to be a good 16th birthday because, I get a spinning wheel, I get wool, and I can drive. What more could a girl ask for??? Besides her horse and Chocolate.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Sarah, for some reason I guess I thought you were already 16...

I would say that if you have a horse, a wheel, wool, chocolate, and can DRIVE...it will be an awesome birthday. The only other thing I would want are some jamming tunes to listen to!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Happy early birthday,Sarah!

You'll love your Babe. 

I've never met a spinner that looked down on any type of wheel. You may get some curious folks that have never seen a Babe and may ask about it. Don't take that as a put down, 'kay?


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Sarah, for some reason I guess I thought you were already 16...
> 
> I would say that if you have a horse, a wheel, wool, chocolate, and can DRIVE...it will be an awesome birthday. The only other thing I would want are some jamming tunes to listen to!


Hmm I will have to find my Mp3 player...Good idea!!



MullersLaneFarm said:


> Happy early birthday,Sarah!
> 
> You'll love your Babe.
> 
> I've never met a spinner that looked down on any type of wheel. You may get some curious folks that have never seen a Babe and may ask about it. Don't take that as a put down, 'kay?


Thanks! Okay... I just placed my order with Sheep Shed.... 
1# of Punta
2# of Mill ends, Brown and White
1# or Dye Soppers or something like that.


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Happy Birthday!! I have a 17yo dd, I was telling her about you getting a wheel and all. She is MissMenagerie here on HT. She has a website you might enjoy (sorry, it's not spinning, lol): http://goatmenagerie.webs.com/


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Happy Birthday Sarah! It sounds like the kind of birthday any of us would love to share with you. Make sure you take pictures and lots of them


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## thatcompchick (Dec 29, 2004)

Congrats! You can't go wrong with Nels customer service. The motor I just got for my Howard Drum Carder is from him. The first one I ordered (pretty sure first one he sold) just didn't work right - so I sent it back and he refunded me the full amount. He notified me as soon as he had an improved unit and it is fantastic!

I also own one of his electric spinners that is now pretty much a plying spinner.

Enjoy!

Andrea
www.arare-breed.net


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## Elsbet (Apr 2, 2009)

oooooh! A Babe! I've always wanted one. There's just something appealing to me about making things from PVC. 
I have 2 Louies, which I adore. But I'd love to add a Babe for one of my kids to use. I remember way back when they used be $99 for a new wheel, lol.

As far as people being snobby about what kind of wheel you use... pooh. People can be so weird. Not everyone has a zillion dollars to throw at a top of the line oh my goodness gorgeous piece of woodworking, much as we might like to. You work with what you have.
I've run into that kind of snobbism before. I was buying a fleece for my daughter to learn to spin on, and the woman asked what we were going to do with it. My daughter was only 8 at the time (this was last year) and she was SO excited. She said, "We are going to dye it with Koolaid!" And this woman gave me a *look* and said, "Well, that's ONE way to do it, but it won't give you as nice a look."
Uh-huh. sheesh. It was an easy, safe way for a child to learn to dye wool, without playing with dangerous chemicals. 
So yeah... snobs? Ignore them. They don't know what they are talking about. And even if they do, who cares what unkind people think, lol.


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## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

I've never seen these! Thanks for pointing me to them - perhaps I can try spinning sooner than I thought. So...what's the difference in the pinkie or the fiber starter???


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