Here's one of my Tools....Spinolution Mach I converted to a Mach II by adding the larger bobbin whorl. It works great. My husband made the lazy Kate and some of the extra bobbins.
-
-
It's beautiful. I would love to take a Spinolution wheel for a spin some day. -
Whoa, those are seriously large bobbins on that wheel!! What’s the capacity?Comment
-
What an interesting treadle design!Comment
-
Bettymo- I don't know how to reply to your reply to my comment and keep it all lined up. Yes, I spin. I have been learning at it for about 8 years now. The last I spun was tunis in 3 ply fingering (Finally) for socks.
I have a lady bug and would love another wheel BUT my bug does everything I need a wheel to do now. I do look at the spinolution wheels and think I"m going to have to try one some day and see what they can do . They look so interesting!! Do you find yours is better for spinning fine or thick yarns ?Comment
-
Callielw The one in the photo Is an older one and it spins with one big toe. It has a huge range but I don't fool around with my settings too much. It is super easy to spin because you are treading in the same direction that the wheel is spinning. This one I use for all yarns but my Hopper is more for thicker and/or art type yarns. It is a powerful wheel.Comment
-
I read somewhere that all the spinolution wheels were more for thick yarn but I can't see that as being true. :I've never gotten into the art yarn. I'm working hard on fingering and smaller for the kind of knitting I do. Can you get a good fingering with yours? -
Callielw Several of my friends at a spinning retreat had them and they were able to spin anything the rest of us were doing.
-
-
Callielw I can get thin yarn on both of my Spinolutions. They are not just for thick or art yarns at all. The Hopper in does have a stronger take up but I can always go around the posts to slow it down but have never really needed to. I get a really good fingering on the Mach II and the Hopper too. They really are versatile and a very good design.Last edited by Bettymo; 08-02-2019, 08:53 AM.Comment
-
I have never spun with a spindle successfully. A friend loaned me her needle felting tools for a class I was teaching, so I asked my hubby to print her out a spindle whirl. I actually got into yarn arts because I saw a felt hat that I loved. It was very simple and beat up and worn but I loved it and decided I need to get one. I looked online and the first site was a knitting pattern....so I thought, Okay, I can do that. So i went out and bought a flock of sheep and learned to spin yarn. I still don't have the hat. -
Now that I re-red it, I see how disjointed it is. I did deliver a spindle to a friend today. I hope she does well with it. I tried with too heavy of a spindle for what I was spinning and didn't get why the ply kept breaking.
Do you ever get 'constipated' from having so many projects in mind that you want to work on/learn to do? I have so many things floating around that I have a very difficult time picking which one to concentrate on.
-
-
Callielw I get so paralyzed sometimes with what to do next I sometimes just jump into something totally random that wasn't even on my mind. I have 4 things going right now and need to finish at least one thing. I totally get what you are saying.Comment
-
Glad to not be alone. Some people/artists just seem to have a vision and then they jump into it. I see what I want, get it started and then life comes along and when I pick it back up again, I can't remember what I was doing it for. Most recently, I bought roving from 4 different breeds of sheep to experiment on sock yarn. I did 2 ply and chain ply and extra twist and 2 plies on direction with 1 the other....and made the cutest little skeins and then they sat on my desk for a while and now I don't know which one is which from what wool. Don't I wish I'd spent 3 minutes putting tags on them. But even that doesn't make me stop spinning. I really dislike multiple projects. Putting one down is pretty much death to it. I force myself to finish one before I start on another. Which can make the first one not so much fun.
I'm learning about the journey thing. Enjoy it all and such. Getting better slightly.
-
-
Callielw No not really. Wow great spinning. I've been spinning off and on. Working on a braid, unidentified, from a guild sale. It came with a Kundert spindle. I haven't tried the spindle yet. I'm pretty sure it's Merino. Seems like it's going on forever so it will most likely wind up fingering.Comment
-
I'm multicraftual when it comes to fiber arts. I also have ADD so I tend to jump from project to project like an amorous toad. I've found that keeping a project journal has been a lifesaver. I use a good old fashioned daytimer type binder with tabs for each craft (knitting, weaving, spinning, etc). Each project has it's own page with pertinent info, and for those with patterns, there is a copy of the pattern in a sheet protector with notes on where I am in the pattern. It can be a cumbersome system, but it works better than any other that I've tried.Comment
-
I know this is an older thread, but I thought I'd show off my new wheel!! The new one is the light colored one, the darker one is the older wheel I got from my MIL. The older wheel is going to my granddaughter for her birthday, and the new wheel is my birthday present. Just a bit early.
Attached FilesLinda
2022 Stasbusting week ending 6/25 WTD = +2 YTD = +54
2021 Stash busted +194
2020 Stash busted +160
Book Challenge 2022 25, 4nf
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost.
The Old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost" JRR TolkienComment
-
Happy Birthday--what a fun birthday present! Sounds like you and your granddaughter have lots of fun spinning times in your future! I have an Ashford Traditional and I love it! Mine is an older one that I got used, but I upgraded it to a double treadle and got an sliding hook flyer for mine. They just don't wear out! I hope you can both join us for the Spin de Fleece later this year! -
@Readyfox
She is actually the reason I took up spinning. We were at a fiber festival and she wanted to know how to spin. I bought a spindle and was learning, when my MIL mentioned a wheel in her basement. This wheel had been "decoration" while my children were small and they were all allowed to play with it. Went down and took a look and my DIL said "That's and ashford wheel". I took it home and patched it up and became a newbie spinner. That's been a number of years ago now and MIL passed away a few years ago but I think she'd be pleased that GD is now going to use the wheel. MIL never did spin on it she just liked having it around.
-
-
Just came across a Schact Ladybug on Craigslist $585 with a bunch of accessories...using all of my strength not to call. I am hoping a Sidekick will come up someday, but darn that is a pretty good price for a very good condition wheel.Last edited by PurlgirlButtons; 10-05-2020, 03:44 PM. Reason: Mistakenly wrote Traveler instead of Schact Sidekick...the one that folds up.The best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time. -SpongeBob SquarePantsComment
-
So, the Schacht Ladybug converts to Double Drive, while the Sidekick does not but does have additional whorls that you can buy separately, but the Sidekick is a little more expensive (I imagine due to the folding up capability.) So having different whorls does not equal Double Drive capability, correct? Is double drive to save energy? time? Is it mainly good for advanced spinners? production spinners?
-
I have a ladybug. I rarely use double drive but there are many that swear by it for different kinds of spinning. Each spinner has to find their own rhythm. Whirls make the wheel spin at different speeds for the same amount of treadling. A 'fast' whirl will allow the wheel to spin more revolutions for each treadle than the 'slow' whirl. (which means the bobbin goes around more times adding more twist with each revolution. Again, each spinner uses them for their own style of spinning. If I want more twist, I generally use a smaller whirl. Sometimes, I am content to just treadle fast to get the same amount of twist with a different whirl.
Comment
-
Well, Callielw I have joined you as a proud Ladybug owner, so I'm hoping you won't mind if I pick your brain once in a while! I am getting to know her a bit this week with some merino/nylon sock combed top while I wait for my hand dyed BFL/nylon to dry.
Last edited by PurlgirlButtons; 10-16-2020, 04:23 PM. Reason: Added a picture of my new (used) Schacht LadybugThe best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time. -SpongeBob SquarePantsComment
-
Tell me something good!!!
Stashbuster MAL 2022: WTD +0; YTD 20
Stashbuster MAL 2021: +435
Stashbuster MAL 2020: -286Comment
-
I don't know how much help I would be, it is an individual thing, depending on what you want to accomplish, portability, etc. I was drooling over both the Joy3 and the Schact Sidekick, for the portability, but when my Ladybug sat on Craigslist for over a week, I thought it was a good sign. I was also happy with the versatility of it (double drive) and the fact that it came with a bunch of extras: whorls, the onboard Lazy Kate (which is kind of meh,) books, some nice Ashford hand cards, and a couple of niddy-noddies. The final plus was that it was 10 minutes from my house, and I don't love driving in Boston! It fits in the back seat of my car, and although I can't hike up to the top of a mountain to spin with it, it is easy to move around and takes up less room than a traditional wheel. Maybe someday I will hit the jackpot and find an affordable used Sidekick to go with it. One thing you may want to check out is the cost of the Bulky Flyer that goes with the wheel. I won't be getting one of those any time soon!
-
Comment