More musing about the urban spinning experience...

[msfledermaus]

...last night I played with the spinning wheel some more to get the hang of things. This involved a lot of cursing and fiddling on my part. I ended up not spinning much of any actual wool--the wheel's still kind of stubborn, and it's tricky keeping things going in the right direction. I also definitely need new bobbins--but now I understand the why a little better--if you have a broken one it'll wrap around the bad bit first chance it gets and make you spend precious time swearing under your breath and untangling it.
At least I feel like I understand the process better--now all I have to do is keep replacing bits that aren't working well and keep practicing. (The book I have warns me that it'll take some real practice to get all the treadling and spinning organized. I see their point--every time the spinning wheel actually spun something I'd go, "Ooooh!" and lose my beat on the treadle, losing the thread and having to start over.)

Anyway afterward I took some of the alpaca that I had trouble with on the wheel and spun it on the drop spindle. That soothed me immensely after all that frustration:)

(By the way...at workies I saw someone moving a pretty collection of tiny perfect silver-looking spindles into storage, full of little filigree details and such. I immediately wanted to try them out--they were so PRETTY!!)

So yes, still obsessive, thank you very much...

Comments

[joei.livejournal.com]

A spinning wheel. Cool.
I have an acquaintance who wrote a book about spinning wheels. I think it was called "The Care and Feeding of Spinning Wheels."
I doubt I'd be able to handle spinning my own yarn.

[msfledermaus.livejournal.com]

Hmmm..I may have to look her up:)

spinning yarn isn't so bad...it's just getting the trick of it, really. The drop spindle's really kind of cool now I've got the hang of things.

[msfledermaus.livejournal.com]

I know...people keep asking me to spin straw to gold for them... bastids:)

[aliaspitfire.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you do the drop spindle so well! The wheel will come along, no worries!

[msfledermaus.livejournal.com]

I hope so...I've got a friend who can walk me through a little of this spinning wheel stuff, and a book too. She tells me what's wrong with the wheel, I look up the parts and try to tweak them or replace them, and it gets easier...I think I'd get things quicker with a new wheel, but this poor baby's just got me right here. *thumps heart* Who else would love it but me?

And the spindle's so much fun...I made a neck cosy with my first batch of alpaca and I'm working on a short scarf with batch two. I need to take *good* pictures, I think, because I'm all proud and whatnot. Heh.