# Help with Spinning Wheel?



## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Hi all. Sorry I haven't been back sooner to report further on the wool experiment. My leg cellulitis flared up again, worst it's ever been. I had debridement in the doctor's office and have been soaking and lightly debriding daily at home while on antibiotics. I didn't want to mess with anything during all that. Go back to the doctor tomorrow to see what she thinks, it's much better but still not great. :sigh:

Anyway...I saw an ad on Craigslist for a spinning wheel that has "some flaws and one missing piece". I don't know what brand it is, what the flaws are or what piece is missing, lol. But it's only $50! Could someone look at the photos and tell me what they think? I see a whitish streak, do you think that's a crack or what? I placed a call, but just got a machine, so would like to know exactly what to ask when they call back. Would I be able to replace the piece and would it be good just for a starter wheel to see if I'm even really interested and can handle the wool? Sorry, I don't know how to post pics, but here's a link:

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/atq/2152082779.html

It's about 60-70 miles from my home, but I have to go to the doctor tomorrow, which makes it 40 miles closer, so would be a perfect time, if I can get some info from y'all and the seller (if possible - it was a man on the machine, so he may not know, lol) before then. Thanks so much!


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Can't tell what that light color 'blem' is. Don't know what type of wheel but there does seem to be something missing or not quite right about the set up...how does the wheel spin the bobbin at that angle.
I wouldn't buy it...been there done that and had a heck of a time getting rid of the 'Grumpy Grandma', even at a price of FREE.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I'm not sure this is a functional wheel. The mother-of-all is in the wrong place and the body of the wheel doesn't have the right holes for it to be placed where it should be placed. The general structure of the wheel looks like it is supposed to be like a flax wheel but the drive wheel and mother-of-all and completely kittywampus to each other. I'd say leave it unless you want a decoration in your living room or a lot of work to do to make it work.

That's my very honest opinion, for what it's worth. You may want to see what some other thing. They may very well see something I do not.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Okay, thanks y'all. I thought maybe it was folded up like WIHH's travel wheel or maybe he had it collapsed to save room or something. Like I said, I'm very green at this, lol, wasn't really sure what it should look like. I'm just getting interested and I thought if it was easily salvageable I shouldn't pass it up at that price. I did go to Google image and tried to find another one that looked like it before posting, but the closest I found was an English wheel, and it didn't match exactly either. 

It may be a moot point anyway, as the guy never has returned my call. His ad says he's available after 3 p.m., and I left the message at 3:30. I'm heading for town first thing in the morning, so there won't be time to hear from him before that. 

Okay, no excuse for a new addiction just yet, lol...maybe soon! 

P.S. Do you think I should get a drop spindle and play around with that for a while in the meantime? If so, do you have any specific recommendations regarding those? I'll go search the archive and see what I can find. :lookout:


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Drop spindles are definitely worth the time!

I learned to spin on a homemade drop spindle made from a wooden toy wheel, a dowel, and a little cup hook. Then I made another drop spindle from CDs and a dowel.

The Joy of Handspinning website has videos
http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Oh yeah, that's a Spinning Wheel Shaped Object, not a real wheel so no loss there. 

As for drop spindles - the toy wheel, dowel & cup hook kind are great. Here's some info that I wrote up about using them.


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

Then there is my unique spindle construction, with bbq skewers and canning jar lids. 










You still will want those cup hooks though. I actually unscrewed some from a cupboard in the kitchen. 

frazzlehead, I love your writing. That is a great beginner tutorial. I hope chickenista sees it here.


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

GAM.... I just want to tell you, that you really make me smile. I love reading your posts. Unscrewing the hooks from the cabinet sounds like something I would do. I am always amazed at your speed and how many things you turn out.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

The wheel is a nice end table.

GAM & Frazzle always brighten my day!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Drop spindles are definitely worth it, you an learn a lot. There are a few books you an look for also. Hands On Spinning by Lee Raven is a good resource for both spindle and wheel. A fairly new book that is strictly about spindle spinning is Respect the Spindle, a very comprehensive book with lots about the history of spindle spinning. I think both of them are put out by Interweave Press. Make sure you check your library too.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

You guys make me feel so loved!  Thanks, I needed that today, winter's starting to get to me!

GAM, how'd you attach those cup hooks to the lids? There's some neato yellow bead thingie on the top of the jar lids. You are so creative - how'd you make that work? (I'm a cup hook fan too - never did get the hang of that half hitch in the notch thing. I've seen others do it but I'm just not able to get it to stick!)

(And I love love love the green, and the dandelions ... what a breath of summer, we have a few feet of snow outside and it's -26 C!)


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, left early this morning and just got home. "Town" days are always a marathon, lol.

Lots of good information and very nice article Frazzle! I'll definitely get a spindle as soon as I can. I don't really have anything around here to make one out of, or maybe I'm just not as good at thinking outside the box as y'all, lol. Loved you taking hooks from your cabinet, GAM! Very nice website Franco, thanks!

I'll definitely look for those books, Marchwind, and check the library, but it may be a couploe of weeks until I go to town again. I have to go then to back to the doctor. Still have to soak and debride daily and two more weeks of antibiotics, yuck. I'm taking probiotics from the health food store right along with them and even gagging down yogurt, which I absolutely hate! But I know what havoc antibiotics cause with my system.

The guy never did call me back. I just love Craigslist...not, lol. Oh well, no loss. Thanks guys, I knew I could count on you!


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

frazzlehead said:


> GAM, how'd you attach those cup hooks to the lids? There's some neato yellow bead thingie on the top of the jar lids. You are so creative - how'd you make that work? (I'm a cup hook fan too - never did get the hang of that half hitch in the notch thing. I've seen others do it but I'm just not able to get it to stick!)


Oh yeah, the pony beads happened out of necessity. You know how bamboo is kinda splitty?
Well, in order to keep it from breaking out on the side I slid a little bead collar over the skewer before I screwed the hook into it.
It ended up working perfectly. 

The lids I just hammered a nail into to punch the holes and slid them on there. They fit pretty tight.

That roving was on that Annie in MN sent me, her own 'sock blend'. 
It was a great pleasure for me to spin and knit it. I made a pair of socks with it. (of course) They are right here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Odinsneedles/clover

I really need to do better at recording all my projects on rav. 

Here is my current "green-wool-on-spindles" project.
This is turning into a winter trend for me, to go GREEN in the cold months. 

The fiber is merino I got from springvalley and dyed with acid dyes. It will be about 8 oz (guessing)


It is fabulously fine and I am spinning it real skinny-like. 









& Here is the same stuff all ready to rock. This spindle has a dowel instead of the bamboo and is a bit heavier.










I am on about day 4 with this stuff and have about half a bobbin. As the spindles fill, I wind them over onto the wheel, where I will do the plying.

I dont know what this yarn will want to be yet. Not socks. It is sooo soft and fine. Hmm. Let's see what the yardage is first.

I am about to DIE, wondering what it will look like as finished yarn.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

GOOOORGEOUS! Maybe it wants to be a shawl. Think how pretty a Swallowtail shawl would be in that green! 

Love the spindle info, that's great! Calliemoonbeam - you can also make a spindle with chopsticks (got any leftover from ordering Chinese food?) stabbed through a circle of cardboard (thicker would be better) or a canning jar lid like GAM did here. Play doh or some other kind of clay that you can dry (fimo?) makes lovely whorls as well.

We are here to help you think outside the box and *get spinning*!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Ladies from our guild made spindles out of the dish drain stoppers and dowels. Lots of different ways to make spindles, just a stik and a bit of weight and your off.

GAM I agree with Frazzle, I was thinking a shawl too, a very pretty lace one.


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

Yes, I think a shawl too. 

Lets see how my yardage comes out. (spins faster)


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

GAM why aren't you spinning this on your wheel? Just curious


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

I am having issues getting it spun fine enough. Finding it very hard to get enough twist, w/o ridiculous time and treadle speed.
After working that shetland, this is merino is just so different. I did spin some on the wheel, but I didnt like the way it came out. 


Plus, with the spindle I can walk around and stand really close to the woodstove.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

LOL! Do you not have different ratios on your wheel?


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

frazzlehead said:


> Here's some info that I wrote up about using them.


Great write up, Frazzle!

Mind if I use that as a handout for my drop spindling class (complete with all credit to you, of course!)


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I may be in luck! I found some cup hooks, I have a bazillion canning lids, lol, and I found a dowel. I thought it was too big, but I think it's just like the one in GAM's picture, yay! Now I guess I just need roving, right? If I get a fleece, then I need carders and other stuff maybe (?), so I figure roving will be my best bet until I see how well I like it.

On that subject, I went ahead and tested the last two fiber samples today...just couldn't wait any longer, lol. They were the Columbia Hampshire and the neighbor's sample Frazzle sent me but I lost the tag somehow and don't remember what that one was, oops! I had washed them, but I still had a slight rash with the Columbia and no reaction to the neighbor's sample, even though I thought they were similar. Is there anything else I can do about the Columbia, or just consider it off limits? 

Anyway, the final tally is that I'm okay with the Icelandic, Corriedale, Alpaca, and the neighbor's sample (help Frazzle?), and I think since OLF can wear merino I probably could too, though I haven't actually tried it. But she seems to be having much stronger reactions than I am, so I figure if the merino is okay for her it should be for me too, right? 

I called the few needlework stores I could find in the closest big city, and none of them sell roving. I thought I could just run to town and get it quicker and if they had drop spindles I might buy one instead of making it, but no go. So...does anyone here sell roving in one of those types and have an enabling spirit?  I can do PayPal or money order. If not, can anyone recommend a good place to order from? That is all I need right, the spindle and the roving? 

.....and another new addiction is born, I thank ewe all, lol! :bouncy:

Oops, I just realized...can I wash roving or only raw fleece? Argh, I haven't been paying enough attention, lol. It's been a long day, I'm pooped and have to work 16 hours tomorrow, but I'll peek in when I can and try to do some more research!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

There are plenty of places to get rovings. You might want to check in the Sticky at the top of the forum. Most of our members who have fibers for sale post them there.

As a general rule rovings are already clean and carder or combed so you don't need to wash them until you are finished with the spinning proccess.

Good Luck and have fun! Check out the website, Joy of hand spinning http://joyofhandspinning.com/ Lots to read, watch, and learn from this site.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

MullersLaneFarm, you are most welcome to use that brochure when you teach ... I would be honoured! I do technical writing as part of my job, so I have a lot of practice describing in easy-to-understand language how to do a particular task. Writing about spinning is MUCH more enjoyable than documenting software, believe me!

Callie, the carded stuff my neighbour prepped was the same Columbia as what I had given you - she just washes better than I do! Same sheep, different years, but same stuff. What that probably tells you is that so long as the stuff is well washed, you will be fine.. have you had reactions to mill-prepped fibre before? Sounds like you don't actually have a problem with most wools (and alpaca, which is expensive but lovely!) ... so you will most likely be fine with rovings from anyone - maybe avoid dyed stuff for starters, as you might react to the mordants and/or dyestuffs - so any naturally coloured wools ought to be okay for you.

As the lanolin did cause you some problems, I'd sugest you start off with breed-specific rovings from one of the lighter lanolin sheep - Icelandic, Shetland, something like that (other recommendations from the crew here? those are the only 2 I know off the top of my head). Don't start spinning with alpaca - it is tricky to work with and will frustrate you.  I'd been spinning for several years already, was gifted some, and had to set it aside until my wheel technique improved further before I was successful!

If you don't see anything that strikes your fancy in the sticky here, you can check with Flannelberry (of Flannelberryfibre.com now!) - it may not all be listed on the site, but I know she recently got a shipment of several breed-specific types of roving and she'd be happy to pick out a 'light lanolin, well washed, no nasty chemicals please' kind for you to try. 

Oh - and Flannelberry has several of the spindles my son makes (the ones you saw in the brochure) and would be happy to sell you one of those, too. They aren't posted, but I know she's got 'em... I delivered them to her myself! <shameless plug here!> She's a total spindle addict - she recently acquired a Golding!!!

Rovings can indeed be rinsed/washed if need be ... same precautions as with raw wool as it may felt with too much agitation. You'd only need to rewash though if the fibre was washed/prepped in something you are allergic to ... and you're probably better off just avoiding things that bother you in the first place, allergies can get worse with repeated exposure so you'll want to be cautious.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

GAM - what kind of wheel do you have, again? If you're not getting enough twist, I'd say perhaps your take up is too fast and if you loosen that, you'll be able to get more twist in before you let the yarn wind on to the bobbin. The wheel shouldn't grab the fibre out of your hands, but only take it when you let off the tension with your hands and purposefully feed the wheel.

I have the opposite problem that you've got: I can't spin nice fluffy loose singles on the wheel *at all* ... but I can do that on the drop spindle!


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

My wheel is very simple. It has no ratio adjustments.
I can adjust the tension so it takes up slower, but it only has a 6:1 ratio so you have to really pump to get enough twist for a fine, fine single. 
(read as: it keeps breaking because I cannot treadle fast enough to keep up with my hands)
I swear I can spin fine faster on the spindle, and with less frustration.
The merino is a shorter staple and I can only go 'so' fine on the wheel with it.
Dont get me wrong, I 'could' do it on the wheel, but it is just so slow. Takes all the fun out of it. 

This means I need another wheel already, right? 

No worries though, I could make a different type of yarn with this fleece.
I am just aiming for a laceweight green merino yarn and the wheel is going to be there for the plying.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

You need a Canadian Production Wheel like my big Jacqueline, GAM - one treadle and whooooooooooosh does she go! 

However, for centuries all fibre was prepared on drop spindles - there's nothin' wrong with using one of those! I read somewhere that somebody had spinners 'race' themselves, drop spindle vs wheel. The difference in production speed was, apparently, not as large as one might expect. Isn't there a book about production spinning using drop spindles ...?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Read the book respect the spindle. She blows may theories about drop spindles out of the water.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

That's the book, Marchie! I was reading a review of it somewhere.

Nothin' at all wrong with spindling. In fact, I should do it more often, it makes me happy, and I only really do it at demos.


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