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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
 Posted - 07/28/2002 : 04:05:31 AM
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Even before I could get the drop spindle to turn without dropping it I believed I would want a spinning wheel and sometime in the past 10 days it became apparent I could not wait till Christmas or Birthday to get one. I’ve been reading articles on spinning wheels, watching videos, and talking to vendors and yesterday I bought my new Ashford Elizabeth from Barbara Gentry of Stony Mountain Fibers just outside Charlottesville, VA.
http://www.StonyMountainFibers.com (and yes, they do have that awful busy background on the homepage of their website, but it gets better on subsequent pages.)
What an experience! And what a surprise too. Nothing turned out as I expected, beyond actually buying a wheel. First, I have never yet accurately estimated how long it takes to get to C’ville and sure enough it took an hour longer than I wanted it to. Second, it rained! Third, I had done a lot of research and talked to several different vendors and had a $$ limit I was absolutely going to stick to. As a result, I had eliminated 2 brands based on my own esthetic taste and comments of others. But I had also promised myself to try them all. One wise vendor had said “...one of them will speak to you.” What I was seriously considering was the Kromski Mazurka because of its size and price and looks and because everyone who sold it had the same thing to say ... “It’s a lovely little wheel”. The two brands I had all but eliminated were Ashford, because one vendor said they popped their drive bands and the only wheel I’ve seen up close did just that, and the Louet, because I just can not like how they look. Well, guess which two wheels made it to the top of my list?
Time for a word here about Stony Mountain Fibers - it’s a grand place to visit. The drive there is so lovely and Barbara Gentry was welcoming and friendly. She has the look of a person who spends her life doing what makes her happy. In fact, I commented that she must have the happiest life, and she smiled and said she did. Her shop is a paradise. One of those “good vibes” places. Looms, wheels, yarns, dyes, fibers, slivers, tops, fleeces, tools, books - it’s the sort of place you could set up camp in. Besides, the building was light and airy and roomy. If Charlottesville, VA is anywhere within your meandering circle, do take a ramble on over there. You will have such sensory delight. She had a fantastic selection of wheels, including some old wheels of unnamed origin. The only wheels I didn’t get to see were the Jensen, which was one on my list, and Lendrum. But she had Kromski, Majacraft, Ashford, Louet, Fricke, nearly all the brands in the under-$500 category - where I was shopping - as well as the Schact. She had every wheel set up ready for me to try, along with lots of lovely colored wool. She was there with advice, or to demonstrate, but didn’t crowd me. She chatted easily with DH while I made my selection.
I must say that the Mazurka really is a lovely little wheel, but I’m afraid it is too little for me. It sat on 3 legs and tilted forward when I treadled, although I could immediately make a passable yarn on it. Keep in mind, I’ve been spinning all of 10 weeks, and this was the first time ever on a spinning wheel, so passable for me is the highest level I can reach. Mazurka is very light and very pretty and even in its unfinished, never-used-before state, it performed for me. I have a very tiny friend who is also interested in a wheel and I am going to encourage her to take a look at Mazurka. The larger Kromski wheel, Polonaise, was not nearly as easy for me to use. It, too, was unfinished, and had a lot of stiffness in it that I believe would smooth out with use. I might have bought it, under different circumstances. One person had warned me that the Polonaise had a lot of fiddly adjustments on it, but I didn’t find them either mystifying or daunting.
I have to confess that my heart yearned for a Saxony wheel and my practical side advised I get a castle style. There is a bit (bit? HA! how about mountain) of romantic fairy princess in me that responds to fancily turned wood, while the practical side whispered “get as many ratios as you can squeeze into the wheel you can afford”. Miss Practical was in the front as I began trying out wheels, and the Louets surprised me no end. They are so contemporary looking - almost industrial, to my eyes - but their action was as smooth as silk and right away I could create satisfactory yarn. The price was certainly right, too, and Miss P kept saying “listen to me - you can paint beautiful designs on that flat circle or that old handsome prince of yours could fancy it up a bit”. So right away, I took Louet off the banned list.
The next wheel I tried was a production level Majacraft wheel and it fought me like a high strung thoroughbred horse fights an unskilled rider. As I struggled with it I knew I could learn to master this wheel, (well, I believe I can master anything except a sailboat) but it would take some time. What I really thought was “this is the wheel for when I turn pro.” All of the Majacrafts were stained and oiled as opposed to the unfinished Kromskis. I tried 3 different styles of them, but they all had that same mettlesome feel.
Along one wall, available, but not put in the forefront, was an Ashford Elizabeth. This one was stained and finished. Miss Fairy Princess began to sigh and swoon and flirt at the sight of that pretty wood, the lovely finish, the princess-like turnings on legs and spokes and distaff. The moment I sat down it said “hello sugar, have some fun”. It just whispered and sang and tickled my fingers. Miss Practical’s eyes popped out of her head at the beautiful yarn that was spinning off of her fingers. It was exactly what I was dreaming of. Fiber flew out of my hands. the treadle caressed my foot, rather than my foot pumping the treadle. “Aren’t I pretty?” it asked me and I had to admit, she really was. Barbara had moved out of sight but DH was sitting next to me and whispered “this is her wheel, and she says she doesn’t use anything else”. Something inside me went “click” and though I tried two more wheels, and even went back to the Polonaise, to give it a fair trial, since I had been awfully excited when I sat down to that one, but really, from the moment I sat down at the Ashford, there really was no other choice. Barbara came back and commented that this was her wheel, and that I was to keep in mind that it had been used a lot and was well broken in, but that only made me want one more.
Still, to continue with the review, I thought the Fricke was another very very fine wheel that performed for me right from the get-go. And it was also quite inexpensive. Not beautiful, with that man made wheel and no-nonsense look. I had a look at the Ashford traveler, too, but it was pretty pointless after my waltz with Elizabeth.
Yes, I know, the Elizabeth has only 2 speeds, and yes I also know that I’ll have to “break mine in”, but after all, this does not have to be my only spinning wheel, ever, for the rest of my life. If I become more serious, if I ever want more wheel, then the two Miss P's can make other choices and other decisions. For a brand new beginner spinner, I believe I’m going to be happy with my choice.
So out came the checkbook. I would like to have bought one of the Gentry’s beautiful Cormo fleeces, but I don’t have carders and I felt I ought to get wheel spinning under my belt first. Also, I resisted (perhaps unwisely) buying any books or back issues of Spin-off magazine, although I am a sucker for magazines. One thing at a time, I told myself. Besides, I can always call and place an order for whatever I regret leaving behind. I did purchase some wonderful mohair/merino, hand dyed by Barbara, in a color called Jamaica It will make the prettiest scarf for my mother for Christmas. Or for any of my blue wearing friends. And a bag of “mystery wool”, in all the natural colors, to play with.
We left the shop and never even bothered to go into C’ville (where one can shop at Food of All Nations, a not to be lightly disregarded food extravaganza). Instead we headed straight to our favorite hardware store in Richmond, bought stains and tung oil, and headed home. It’s a little hard to have to wait the few days it will take to get my new baby finished and assembled, but it was worth the difference in price to buy unfinished and unassembled.
For the curious, I chose Minwax 235 cherry stain for my wheel and put 2 coats on it last night. I’ll give it a tung oil treatment today and if it is dry, DH and I will put it together tomorrow night.
What an adventure this has been. And what wonderful adventures I have to look forward to.
good knitting to you all
and good spinning
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BooksAngel
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 09:17:22 AM
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Bess,
Thank you for the great description of buying a wheel. You are quite a writer. I felt as if I were watching you try them.
Oh how I wished I could have that experience last year when I bought mine. Asking friends what they had and what they wished they had bought finally helped me make a decission but to actually spin on so many differend brands and models would have been great fun.
Thank you for sharing with all of us,
Angel
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Jenanne
Chatty Knitter
154 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 09:23:54 AM
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I missed out on the whole shopping-for-a-wheel experience - but in exchange, mine was just given to me by a spinning friend who heard me muse, "Gosh, I'd love to learn to spin but can't quite imagine affording a wheel..." Two weeks later, a wheel was delivered - one of her older ones - and I've been spinning (badly) ever since. (Sadly I moved to another state before mastering spinning so my yarn has more character than not. LOL!)
--
Jenanne
http://www.jenanne.com/blogger.htm
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 3:31:02 PM
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Thank you Angel, for the comments. I know what you mean about not being able to try out wheels. I live pretty much 50 miles from everything. What surprised me, though, was that once I began looking I found lots of vendors in my state. What I did was buy a copy of spin-off magazine and examined the advertisemnts for dealers. I was thrilled to find so many. All of them were 75+ miles away, but that is why we have Saturdays. What did you buy in the end?
Jenanne, I think free has a whole lot going for it. In fact, that would have been my first pick. But I'm glad I got to go through the tryout process. I am even glad I am putting HeyBaby, (my name for the new wheel) together myself, because I'm getting to really know all the parts. I've rubbed them and stained them and oiled them and read the directions a dozen times. so I'll have some real knowledge of the wheel even before I spin on it.
I'm so glad there are some spinners here on the KR forums - It's really grand to have somebody to share my happiness with.
Good spinning to you all.
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kepkake
Chatty Knitter
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 6:26:28 PM
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Hi Bess,
Congratulations on your new wheel. Thank you for the well-written review of your experience. I feel that you have done some of the leg-work for me. I have drooled over the Kromski wheel at various conventions/wool festivals. I think we have a similar taste in the appearance of the wheel. I love the romantic hand-turned look of the castle wheels. I have yet to spin an ounce of anything, but it's high priority for me. I also have three small children, the youngest being 3-years old, and realize that realistically it would be difficult to keep them away from it. Ah well, someday soon. The Ashford Elizabeth was in the top 3 choices for me. Let us all know how you progress with your spinning on it. Especially how long it takes to "break it in". Thanks again and happy spinning. 
Wendy |
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Kathe
Chatty Knitter
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 9:20:22 PM
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Hi Bess,
Congratulations on your new wheel  ! I have been spinning for about 12 years now and have always used Ashfords, I love them. I have 2, a Traditional and a Traveler and although I've tried many other wheels over the years, the Ashfords are the ones for me. I have never had a problem with them popping their drive bands. I kept mine natural, unstained, and apply tung oil about once a year when I take them apart and do a good cleaning on them (save those assembling directions). I know you will have many happy years of spinning on that wheel.
Kathe
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BooksAngel
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2002 : 9:23:51 PM
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Bess,
I am 60 years old and knew this would be my only wheel, no a time to plan for more expensive wheels in the future. After all my checking, many friends said that their Schacht was the wheel they really were glad they had moved up to. It happened to also be the wheel I had fallen in love with just from a picture in Spin Off.
Not being a romantic, or maybe being an inverted romantic that finds fun in unusual shapes the Schacht really appealed to me. The inlayed layer of walnut in the lighter colored wheel frame really pleases my eye.
I have spent a lot time spinning in the less than a year I have had it and love each minute.
In the fall I fight hay fever. Spinning and knitting the resulting yarn has made me actually look forward to the enforced time inside that will again be here soon.
My husband was smart. He insisted I put the Schacht together when it came. As you are finding out, that took the mystery out of it and made it friendly from the first. I learned how each part helps the wheel as a whole function.
Have fun, if you have not already found it ebay has a special section for spinners. Some of the rovings, tops, and such are just not to be resisted. And the friends I have met by buying their fiber are just great. Ebay-spinning also sometime offers hand made spindles, older Spin Off magazines, book on the subject, dyes, and the books that help us use handspun in our knitting.
My first knit project from my hand spun is a wacky winter hat with a rolled brim, not a fashion statement but great fun to wear.
Angel
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 03:08:05 AM
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Oh - you are all so wonderful to share this special time with me. I am still walking on clouds - find myself waking up early to go downstairs and look at the bits and pieces spread out on the padded and papered dining room table. I am no woodworker, but I've done a little bit of refinishing - and it's so darn hard to remember that it is that next coat of anything that will make wood bloom.
Wendy - I love history - probably more FairyPrincessRomatic stuff - and when i took up spinning last May I borrowed dozens of books on spinning including the history of it. Did you know that children as young as 5 were expected to spin a certain number of spindles worth of yarn every year? Every family was taxed that way in some New England villages. In the beginning I was torn between being sensible and learning on a spindle - which looked tricky and slow - and just taking the plunge and buying a wheel. Well...I am so very glad I bought the spindle and spent the time with it. The very slowness of the process allowed me to make only 3 feet of ugly yarn at a time - and after perhaps 3,000 feet of ugly yarn i began to make pretty yarn. I can't recommend highly enough, the video Drop Spindle Spinning with M. Montgomery: ( http://thewoolery.com ) That is how I began to understand how the twist is like some live thing that you and the spindle are going to control. The people I bought my spindle from had a little girl spinning at a wheel and she told me she had been spinning on a drop spindle since she was 3 and that she'd "been on the wheel" since she was 5. Maybe you can make this a family project.
Kathe - I had to chuckle at the Ashford instructions that said "beech is pretty already so just use oil finish). It is a pretty wood, but I have always loved dark woods and actually choosing cherry is quite a concession for me. DH always teases me about my predilection for dark woods - but it is fortunate this is the case, since all my furniture is inherited Victoriana - about as heavy and curlicue and dark as it is possible for furniture to be. Our bed, which is called Cousin Kate’s Bed (and it came from Linden House, which is haunted, but I would guess probably by Cousin Kate, who was quite eccentric. My grandmother - in - law used to have to go stay there to keep her company, which is probably how the bed came into the family.) is this peaked turretted high gothic thing that looks like it belongs on the cover of a bodice ripper novel. Sort of a Sweet Savage Love type of thing. Yes, for Bess, cherry is a pale wood.
Angel - I never thought about buying fleeces on e-bay. In fact, I’ve never shopped there but this might be what makes me go look. I too am so looking forward to cool indoor weather and the opportunity to stay snugged down with my new toy. I really do see the whole gamut of fiber pleasures coming into my life. I have the space (live on a farm) to grow a dyer’s garden, set up an outdoor dying spot, all the rest. I feel like I’ve had the chance to walk into a new world.
Part of the reason I was so adamant about buying my wheel NOW was that I had spun 200 yds of the most beautiful 2ply wool/silk blend that knit up at just under 5 stitches to the inch and I had enough fiber to spin the yarn for a whole sweater, but the thought of handspinning for 3 months before I could sit down to knit was just more than I could bear. I really had no other choice, now, did I?
I just can’t thank you all enough for your encouragement and interest. I’m so full of happiness with this addition to my world, I couldn’t keep it contained. It’s wonderful to have others to share with.
good spinning to you all
bess
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kepkake
Chatty Knitter
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 05:35:54 AM
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Thanks for the information and link to "The Woolery", Bess. It's looks like a great place to shop but a little too far away for me. I'll have to take a look at some books on spinning and spinning history. You have certainly peaked my interest on the topic. I'm going to order that video as well. Thanks again and have a great day.
Wendy |
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BooksAngel
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 09:31:31 AM
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Bess,
www.ebay.com When you get there register. Most of us find something we want then have to spend the time to register and have the registration OKed. That takes time and if what you like finishes it's time at auction while you wait it is frustrating. So register first, then when ebay says the registration is accepted go to:
www.ebay.com
that is the home page. scroll down a bit so the catagories list reaches "Hobbies and Crafts," click on that. Again scroll down until the catagories list shows in the bottem right corner: "see all the Hobbies and Crafts catagories." Click on that. In the third column is: "Needlecraft cont'd" scroll way down until just above: "Radio Control" is listed: "Spinning"
"Weaving"
"Other"
Click on "Spinning" and have fun.
There you will find people selling hand died fiber in all its stages from raw fleece to rovings and other people selling commercially prepaired top. Both types are beautiful and fun to spin. These people have led me to find other great sources of wool, alpaca and such on the web. My postmistress has a ball when I get another light weight box of goodies. If she has time we ohh and ahh together.
For traveling, I have also found ebay a great source for older nylon circular needles. I knit my way half across country and back this spring knitting with size 10 circular needles. No one questioned them at all even when they took a pair of small embroidery scissors with blunt tips that could not have hurt anyone.
Angel
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BooksAngel
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 09:36:05 AM
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Bess,
I forgot to tell you it is perfectly acceptable to lovingly touch your wheel each time you must walk by it and not take a minute to spin just a foot or two. But I warn, most often it is just so great to take that minute and pause to treadle a tiny bit to gladden your heart.
Angel
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chris
Permanent Resident
USA
2414 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 3:49:36 PM
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Bess, what a writer you are! I could actually see you sitting and spinning at those wheels. I could envision your husband sitting beside you as you tried out the wheels. I can see the pieces on your dining room table. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!
And to all the rest, after reading your posts about spinning, I've decided I must try this one of these days. Pray for Tony to get a job soon so I can become addicted to yet another productive vice!! 
chris
Keep on knittin', mama, knittin' those blues away! |
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knitaly
Chatty Knitter
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2002 : 4:52:49 PM
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After spinning on a drop spindle for about two months, I got bitten by the spin bug so badly that I decided to get myself a wheel. I just wanted to be able to produce enough yarn to knit a sweater without spending months spinning.
So I went through all the motions, did lots of research online, on books, talked to a couple of spinners and spent six hours in the car for the retun trip to the closest vendor. I tried several wheels and found that I like double treadle better. After a while, I narrowed down my choice to a Schact and a Majacraft. The Majacraft won in the end, and I brought it home and gave her a place of honor in the livingroom.
Well, long story short... this happened a month ago and I have done almost no spinning on my new beautiful wheel. I don't know what it is, but I just don't like it as much as the spindles.
I guess I should have spent more time trying to spin on a wheel, as opposed to trying to figure out which wheel to get. I am still feeling guilty about the whole thing, and I hope that it's a matter of bad timing, and I will eventually fall in love with the wheel the same way I fell for the spindle.
Francesca |
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2002 : 01:56:56 AM
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Oh Francesca - that has happened to me so many times. especially with the big dollar items. Or worse - I give it attention for a while and then something happens and it goes out of my heart. (like the Triplett harp that is going to be sold soon)
I'll bet it is because it is hot summer time so you don't feel the pressure to have enough yarn to knit a sweater. First cool days of fall and maybe you'll want to sit down and get to know that new wheel.
p.s. HeyBaby has been still soaking up tung oil but I think she's full now, so as soon as she's good and dry we'll put her together.
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marfa
Permanent Resident
USA
1755 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2002 : 07:07:35 AM
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How do.
As per your usual posts, Bess, WOW. Spinning from your own wheel is not a job - it's an adventure!
You all have mentioned Bess's style, yes it is fabulous. Spinning is totally new to me & the descriptions posted here are so accessible. I look forward to learning more abount wheels & to you, Bess, more about your new love affair.
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2002 : 02:31:53 AM
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HeyBaby is still in pieces but it has been terribly humid the past few days. And DH and I are arguing about how many coats of tung oil are enough. It's a friendly laughing happy argument, mind, so don't feel sorry for me. Truth is - something about the spinning wheel really engages him - unlike any of my other hobbies, he seems to enjoy my enjoyment of knitting and spinning as if it were his too. In fact, at the Md. S & W festival, the oblique questions, his every gesture, all his body language, was saying "hurry up and learn how to spin. I want one of these in the house".
Angel -you are such an enabler! I went to ebay and drooled for 11 pages. wicked wicked girl. (UN)Fortunately I have spent all my $$ for the rest of August so I'm not tempted to buy. but oh my - shame shame on you.  
Chris - you are in my prayers - every day.
Marfa - thank you for your compliments. It really is special to spin my own yarn - and it's about 1/2 the price even if it does add hours to a project. I do love high end yarns, and this is an opportunity to experiment with them without blowing the checkbook out the window. And you sure won't see yourself coming down the street.
Hoping to sit down with HeyBaby by the weekend.
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BooksAngel
Chatty Knitter
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2002 : 2:33:18 PM
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Bess,
This is the second time to try to send this. I got bumped when ready to send a good news letter in.
This is the email address of one of the great people that sell on ebay. This is not an advertisement just one of the sources of learning material. Liz Cowdery helped a friend that was a new spinner by selling her a few ounces of roving of several different breeds of sheep so the new spinner could learn some of the differences that exist in sheep wool. rcowdery@fibersofmichigan.com
Also orders from Liz usually arrive with small samples of the current crop of color blend rovings she is offering. I spin them on a hand spindle and use the yarn as thin color stripes in the ribbing of socks. There is enough for 2 or 3 rows in each sock. This gives me an idea how the yarn will look if used in a larger project.
Save the information for when you are feeling adventurous.
Ebay is also a great place to get alpaca fiber. Most people are offering commercially prepared combed alpaca top. Occasionally a private alpaca farm will offer carded alpaca roving. The carded alpaca makes a soft fuzzy yarn that is great to spin and the best to knit.
Commercially combed alpaca is fun but takes a bit of time to learn to adjuct the tension on the wheel and train your hands. My first spinning on the wheel was "the Beast" from Brown Sheep Co. The next project was alpaca yarn for a Christmas present for my favorite sister-in-law. Of the alpaca I had bought, the super fine combed top was the most lovely. So I started with it. All I could spin was thread. It took 3 ply to get even a thin knitting yarn. Six months later I spun the tag end of that combed top and made single the size I wanted, not the size the top and wheel wanted it to be. And remember that roving or top is just a fraction of the cost of alpaca yarn at your favorite yarn shop.
From the last paragraph you can tell I learned to spin on a wheel from the wheel and fiber not another spinner. The web, a few books and trial and error will work. Another trip or two to that fiber shop is another way to get more information.
Spinning is the fastest way to another world I know. I can relax faster at the wheel than in any other way. Remember spinning barefoot or sockfooted is both traditional and easy on your treadle.
When will you be wearing handspun and handknit socks. I did not spin very thin sock weight yarn for my first several pairs of hand spun socks. In fact that is one of the projects I will try this winter.
All of us are almost as eager as you are to have your wheel together.
It is great to share with you this special time. Waiting for it to dry is both a time of wonder and a tiny bit of fear.
What ever else was in the lost letter will have to stay lost.
Have fun and keep us posted,
Angel
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2002 : 3:02:34 PM
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HeyBaby is all assembled. I'll post more about her soon, but I wanted you to know I'm out of my misery.
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carols
Permanent Resident
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2002 : 5:18:04 PM
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Hi Bess H!
I just cannot believe how hilarious and wonderful your posts about your first wheel are! I have enjoyed reading them so much. Maybe they are especially entertaining since I see so much of myself in them - I just picked up a spindle for the first time last weekend and am already starting to research wheels. And I, too, "suggested" that my husband gift a wheel to me at Christmas or our anniversary (Nov. 4) but am wondering if I can hold out that long. Anyway, if you can recall any of the resources you found particularly helpful in figuring out which wheel to choose, or what to use to make your selection (I've never spun on a wheel before either), I'd greatly appreciate hearing about them. I am going to try to hold out at least until Stitches in October, because I am hoping that I will get a chance to try out one or more wheels there.
Carol
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BessH
Permanent Resident
2946 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2002 : 4:51:21 PM
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Carols, thank you for your kind words - please allow me to enable you in every way - you truly must have a spinning wheel, of course you must. And a spindle. You must have them too - perhaps several so you can just try out that tiny bit of cashmere or silk blend or mylar and alpaca.
The truth is - I had a very hard time finding enough information about how to choose a wheel - and it wasn't until I sat down and tried one that I realized why. It is because the decision is so deeply personal - and yet - so immaterial. Does this sound crazy? Let me see if I can explain a little better.
I tried 5 different brands and several syles in those brands of wheels. every one of them was well constructed, balanced, functional and some were also extremely beautiful. So if I had been given any one of them i would have learned to spin, and spin well, on it. In that way it is not all that important which wheel you end up with. Even the production Magicraft wheel that fought me so hard did not seem beyond my eventual skill - it was merely telling me I wasn't good enough for it yet.
And yet each wheel is as unique as a fine musical instrument or perhaps, as a pet cat or dog. looks matter some, but the most industrial looking wheel that makes your hangs feel like they are dancing is going to give you hours of joy and pleasure. Size matters. The Mazurka wheel spun beautifully for me but I felt like I hulked over it. Also - just how much space do you have. I thought the saxony wheels would be too big for my house, but they weren't that much bigger, and besides, something can just be moved out if needs be. Features can matter to you too, although in the end they didn't matter at all to me. This is where being a beginner is so helpful. I had no idea what I would like to spin and I've spun up over 1000 yards of 2 ply yarns, from heavy worsted to sport weight, in the past month, all on just the larger whorl. I just haven't yet explored all that one ratio can do. Cost is important also. But again, I did have a price range - I just bought at the top end of it instead of the bottom end. I was pretty much broke for the next month but I sure don't miss the money now that another payday has come around.
So it's easy to see how difficult this decision can become. I read the essay on the web page of The Woolery http://woolery.com and then I called them up and talked to the sales person a long time. I asked him about each and every wheel I was considering and he was very friendly and had opinions and thoughts but was not at all pushy. He helped enormously. And if I had lived in North Carolina I may have gone there to shop.
I was a little nervous about committing the $$ so I decided the Mazurka was just the right size and price for a first wheel. Then I looked through spin-off magazine for dealers for those wheels. 2 were in Virginia so I called them and talked wheels. I think talking to dealers was especially helpful. All three had opinions, without seeming to be bullyish. I don't remember who said "one will speak to you" but that is the mantra I kept with me when I went to try them. It kept my own mind open long enough to try every brand available. I'm really glad I got to try out wheels. But honestly, any wheel I could have gotten would have been a good wheel that I would have learned and loved.
I hope this has been helpful. HeyBaby is proving to be one of the great joys in my life. I've spun and spun and spun and she speaks to me every time. It's sometimes a laughing thing, like when I am plying up something new, or a slow patient partner when I am trying to spin fingering weight merino. my routine is to get up early, check my morning email and knittersreview routine and then sit down to spin for an hour or so. What a wonderful way to begin the day.
I bought a box of sample yarns from Paradise Fibers http://www.paradisefibers.com . a 1/2 oz sample will spin up about 26 yards of yarn.
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carols
Permanent Resident
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2002 : 5:17:45 PM
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Oh, BessH, you are so eloquent and have such a warm heart, I love to read your posts! I have figured out budget and thought about practicalities, and come to the conclusion that I should get a castle-style (even inches of extra space will be helpful! 1 small child running around and twins crawling around....), and budget narrows me down to a basic Lendrum, Ashford Traveller (both of which fold) and the Kromski Mazurka or/Minstrel (Minstrel may be pushing it a little on the budget, esp considering those accoutrements I know I will want/need to buy). I am going to try to get to The Mannings which carries all of these brands but as per your suggestion will call them and some other vendors first to pick their brains. I have this soft spot for the Kromskis even before ever setting my hands on a single wheel: my great-grandmother came to this country from Poland in 1911 and the idea of a Baltic-style wheel made in the "motherland" calls to my old Polish soul. But I do realize the importance of test-driving. I also see what you mean about ultimately ending up with any one of several well-made wheels and being happy with them, especially as a beginner who doesn't have any frame of reference! I do want to make sure I can grow into the wheel, but I think all of these will do that. Must say that I cannot even consider the Babe or the Louets on aesthetic grounds... I am much more of a traditionalist than that! And my persnickety husband would faint dead away if I tried to keep an object made of PVC in our home....
Thank you for the pearls of wisdom and keep those posts comin'!!!
Carol
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