[Dans]

What did you get? What are you spinning?

Gotta have the low down 

hehe I got a shetland top at woolfest (just plain white undyed) and have been practising with it on my drop spindle, have done half on there and will try the other half on the wheel. It's an ashford that I have, traditional I think.

If I can get something that isn't too lumpy I'll get started on spinning my hand dyed BFL tops and my undyed Jacob tops from Woolfest! There shall be pics of the first shakey attempt! Although it may be delayed as today the wet stuff seems to be staying above and there's even a strange glow outside. Washing on line and lawn and garden being attacked!

Dans

[Fleecewife]

<<< It's an ashford that I have, traditional I think.>>>
 
Yep, it's an Ashford Traditional, 1970s vintage, single treadle, Scotch tension.  Although it hadn't been used for a few years, it went perfectly well apart from a slight clunk from the knot in the drive band.  It's amazing what oil can do for a wheel      Thank you Sallyintnorth for the brake band  that was very kind of you and meant we could actually get it working.   I think Dans is going to get one of the plastic drive bands ??  Much better than an old piece of string 
 
Happy spinning Dans - it won't take you long to get the hang of it (we could do with a spinning wheel icon on here......)

[Bionic]

I have an Ashford traditional and someone has just replaced my string band with one of the plastic ones. It has made such a difference.
Sally

[FiB]

Ah great - congrats Dans and thanks fleecwife - my piece of string is a right pain in the bum!  Shall replace ASAP!

[Dans]

Yep shall be getting a plastic band and some oil!

Finished off my first BFL top, still lumpy and underspun in places but so much better than my first try on the drop spindle. Have now plyed them (spindle vs wheel) and it's certainly rustic!

Thank you so much to FW and SiN, you are two wonderful ladies! 

Dans

[Welshcob]

Hi everybody!

I'm new here (yes i know I'll go and fill the Newbie forum thing in a min ), but Dans knows me - ehe she should be able to guess from my UN.

Anyway, I went to Woolfest too and got caught in the awesomeness of it all and bought a few Shetland tops to try and spin. Only problem is, don't have a spindle but waiting to get the spinning wheel that my mother-in-law has been keeping in the attic for the last 20 years.
Have tried a wee bit on an Ashford double treadle at Woolfest and liked it better than the single treadle, however I will have to get used to what the mother-in-law has.

My question to the community and more experienced people. Since this wheel I'm getting (in a long time, but it will come) have no idea where it came from, but mother-in-law found it in Orkney (where they lived at the time), has anybody got a clue as to what to expect? I.e. usable/not usable, easy/too difficult for a beginner, what to do to take it back to working glory...

I see no much point going to the local guild now since a. have no wheel yet to show them and ask them to teach me, and b. need to do evil work in the lab most weekends, also if I go and they ask I wouldn't know what to say about it!!!
I spoke on the phone to the mother-in-law but she claims she can't remember a thing about it/using it (she's only 52 ) and I will have to go and see it for myself, but I live 300 miles away!

Any suggestion much appreciated. I suppose time will tell anyway, but I'm getting far too impatient and can't wait to go up north and get it!!! Hope not to be disappointed with something I can't use - although that might mean buying one I like instead of using a hand-me-down!! 

[FiB]

Hiya welshcob - I really would buy a spindle in the meanwhile (<£10)and watch a few you tubes.....They are so cheap and really help you undertand the basics of spinning - because its all slower and in your control.  Also more portable and therefore you can do it in odd minutes - not such a living room 'commitment'!  enjoy,  Fi xx

[Bionic]

Hi Welshcob,
When SallyintheNorth appears she may be able to help with some advice as I understand she repairs and restores spinning wheels, but I guess it would help to work out the condition if we knew the definition of 'found' in Orkney. Did your mother-in-law buy it in a shop, did she find it in a barn etc.  You will also need to know if it comes with bobbins or whether you need to get some but then I suppose that will become clear when you get the wheel.
As Fib has said you could buy a spindle in the meantime. I have never used one so can't comment on them.
Sally

[jaykay]

The chances are, if it's truly an old Orkney wheel, it will be double drive. I picked a double drive wheel up in an auction room locally, in theory to learrn to spin on. I found it extremely difficult as you can't adjust the "twist" and the "pull onto the bobbin" separately on a dd. After struggling for a while I was ready to give up.

I finally treated myself to new wheel which had scotch tension wheel (Lendrum original), where the twist put into the yarn and the 'take up to the bobbin' can be adjusted separately. I learned to spin then without much trouble. Now I can spin, I can use the old dd wheel.

Get your MIL to take some photos and post them here - a side shot of the wheel and a top shot of the 'bobbin bit' - and we'll identify it 

[Welshcob]

Thanks! I see that I will have to get her on the phone again  Hopefully she can be convinced to take a few pics so I can find out something more before getting it.

I think she mentioned that she got the wheel for little or no money when they moved from Kirkwall to Papa Westray, but if it was before the move or after, when they were already on Papay, I wouldn't know. I don't think she remembers that either.
She said she used to get the fleeces from a local farmer (I assume on Papay) and I have seen the remaining of two jumpers she knitted - beautiful fair isle pattern but now sadly quite felted (she has a tendency to wash everything at 60C in the washing machine and has passed it on her son), nobody really wears them now as very prickly but they are so thick and warm 

I will be posting more news/pics when I talk to her!
Thanks all 

[Fleecewife]

Hi Welshcob    Are you near Dans or further south? (ah - I see from your intro you are near Dans)   If  you come to the Smallholder show, there will be a spinning wheel repairer there, who does all sorts I think.  Woodland crafts might be their name - now I will have to go and look it up.  They were at Woolfest too.
Taking some pics is a good idea.  I think Orkney wheels tend to be the castle type.  If it's double drive as jaykay suggests, they are a knack to use, but once you've 'got it', it's no more difficult than Scotch tension.
 
Meanwhile, do try spindling.  Dans uses a twist then park method with a spindle which is great for a beginner 

[SallyintNorth]

Welcome Welshcob  and congratulations on succumbing to the spinning bug!     (Dan, we need that spinning wheel emotiwotsit!  Perleeeaaasse  )

Re: your MIL's wheel, as jaykay says, we need to see pictures.  I have been finding and rescuing neglected old Ashford Traditional wheels, so if it turns out to be one of those I can certainly tell you what to do with it - mind you, so can a hundred other people, some here and most on Ravelry - they're quite common and pretty easy to understand!  (I should clarify - Ashford Traditional wheels are quite common and pretty easy to understand - the folks on Ravelry are mostly pretty easy to understand, certainly numerous but not at all 'common'  )

If it's an Orkney wheel I'll be very interested but, unless I've been lucky enough to rescue a one between now and when you get it, I'll know less about what you'll need to do than others here and on Ravelry.  There will be help, though, of that you can be assured! 

I'd say it quite possibly is still worth checking out your local Guild - my Guild has wheels it can loan out to members; your local one may do the same.  And if you get a spindle, as has been suggested, you could take that along and get some help with that.  I started with a standard Ashford top whorl drop spindle; as soon as I got the hang of it I bought a beautiful creature (yes at Woolfest - how did you guess?  ) and haven't touched the Ashford one since - but for £4.20 it didn't owe me anything, and it is a spare if I ever want to quickly spindle something and already have something on my #1 spindle.  As Fleecewife says, twist park and draft is probably a good technique for beginning spinning - and you can spin in the car with this technique, too!    (Not when driving, obviously  )

[Dans]

and you can spin in the car with this technique, too!    (Not when driving, obviously  )

D'oh Sally, you had me thinking I had a way of making my commute productive until I  finished that sentence!

Dans

[SallyintNorth]

and you can spin in the car with this technique, too!    (Not when driving, obviously  )

D'oh Sally, you had me thinking I had a way of making my commute productive until I  finished that sentence!

Dans

Puts a new spin on "twist, park and draw"  (groan groan) 

[Welshcob]

 

Not sure I should learn spinning whilst driving - have had a car for a short time and plan to keep it whole 

Thank you everybody - I'll have to give a go at spindle spinning then. I'm sure I can borrow Dans's  now she has a new toy to play with! Then make up my mind if I want to buy one.

I have to admit that albeit lack of ££ is one check on my enthusiasm (hence being so keen to grab MIL's wheel), I am also struggling in trying to keep myself from starting too many things at once. I have so many knitting projects in the queue, never mind if I start spinning grand style - then my day job won't ever be done!!

Also have been named beginner hoarder from MIL and I completely disagree (clearly!) but don't want to give reason for more comments. Have been blackmailed to get that wheel - was forced to dispose of "something in your flat, roughly the same weight as a spinning wheel's". It was books 

So, I am dreaming in Technicolour and making plans much bigger than my head, but need to keep things small-ish (if they can hide in my wardrobe it's ok. Italians say out of sight, out of mind lol).