Saying Goodbye to a Wheel

Rustic approach

One thing I know about myself is when I start something I tend to go into it the whole hog. Hence why I have so many wheels and equipment etc. Now I have had a year of spinning (August is my Anniversary) I have refined my tastes a little. So some items are being sold or either upgraded.

One thing I have been finding compared to all the pieces of equipment that pass through my hands is it can be hard to say goodbye to a wheel. I am having to counter attachment to an object. This Peggy was made the same year I was born and came from a lovely lady with a story that touched a lot on why I was doing my PhD project.

So with a sad note, I decided that my poor Wee Peggy deserved better than standing in the corner looking pretty and needed an ower. So today my Peggy is heading home to its new owner in another state. So before she left I decided to do so glamour shots! (Probably should have done that to help sell). I have no more Peggy's now.

Freshly waxed and ready to go

Other items that have gone recently include:

Original Ashford 4 Shaft Loom

Hopefully my 80cm Rigid Heddle is being picked up tomorrow

Still for sale is my Wooden 4 shaft loom

Large Inkle Loom

I still don't know whether I will sell my 8 shaft Kirsten loom or not. 

I have been destashing bags of fleece as well with my sales so getting lots more room as I go. 

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Spinning Knobs and Broomsticks

Ever since I got my Wee Peggy I have been searching for a tension knob. Seems a silly thing to be after when it will run double drive no sweat. However, I liked the idea of a complete wheel. So I have spent ages asking around spinning places and groups to no avail. When I got the Little Peggy I was tempted to take the tension knob of that one and sell the wheel sans tension knob. However to my dismay, the tension knob was way too loose and redundant (plus at risk of being lost easily). So after many fails, I got a win. While doing my window shopping on Etsy I came across a seller who was doing hand made whorls for Peggy's and Wendy spinning wheels (old NZ wheels). On further investigation of their site I contacted them asking if they did tension knobs (seeing they did so many other woodcrafting). To my delight, I got a yes and directed to order from their site VJ Handycrafts and Spinning Wheels.

So my order was put in with specific instructions it had to look like the Peggy one NOT a standard Ashford one (I got burned before). So, on the 1st of March, I put in my order and got a notification it was on its way on the 8th and here it is 14 days later handcrafted from NZ.

I opened my package with some trepidation and having just come off a really bad day at uni was hoping for some good news!

Also well attached is some tension line and spring!

Not only was it the right design it was the darker wood I mentioned my wheel was!

And it fit and could be used as an actual tension knob! A coat of wax and this will be an indistinguishable match!

So I am very happy my wheel is now complete! It cost a bit more than your standard knob and I do realise that it is not a difficult design to do. However, the convenience and knowing it will actually fit and match the wheel was worth the price!

So multiple accolades to the owners of VJ Handycraft and Spinning for their quick responses, good work and quick well-packaged delivery. I am so glad someone has figured out how to make replicas of these well-loved, but no longer manufactured wheels for us spinners! They also repair and re-sell older wheels and many other wheel based products so are worth a look!

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Wheel three..and four and five!

The day of three wheels!

Rappard -Wee Peggy

I had spent a lot more time researching and drooling over wheels in spinning groups. After losing out on heaps of wheels on eBay and Gumtree (sometimes by seconds) all the sudden I had a windfall! Back during my first or second day at spinning/weaving class I also had a bid on another Ashford Traditional, but this one was a double drive! So I got to celebrate that I won it and show pictures to other spinners there! However during this time I had also decided I needed (yes need not want) a double treadle and double drive traveller and after some chats with lovely spinners on the facebook group I arranged to buy one and my sister paid for it for xmas.

Both wheels took a bit of coordination to pick up as they were both over an hours drive away. Luckily while far away they were both close to each other. During this time to coordinate pick up both on one day I came across a highly sort after Wee Peggy and was able to coordinate pick up on the same damn day!

So a lovely Saturday morning rose and I drove to pick up the first wheel. The Wee Peggy, which happened to be only a street away from spinning group! I wish I had more time to talk to the lovely lady who had quite a story about the wheel (which was more furniture, but loved) and found a connection between her and the main aim of my PhD! Got her settled into my car and went for the long drive over the lovely rural Australia.

The Wee Peggy is made in NZ in Otago (where I was originally going for another PhD offer!) and every spinner I have spoken too says "if you find one grab it!". She is single treadle and double drive with an onboard Lazy Kate and and orifice hook. She is missing a tension knob to allow you to use it in scotch tension. So while not essential does reduce choice of drive type. I am trying to track down one jut for completeness. I put new shiny hooks on her with a new drive band, oil and wax.

Ashford Traveller

Wheel two was picked up at a Macca's parking lot! We must have looked funny as most people don't really see spinning wheels. Got to chat to a lovely lady who I had got to know and still chat to on the facebook group and add the wheel to my car.

This wheel is kinda the everything wheel! My first double treadle and my favourite type (over one foot). This wheel also has the ability to be set in single or double drive and has an on-board Lazy Kate. I love this wheel and it will be a forever wheel as it was a present from my sister and later one my father got my the jumbo bobbin (wider and bigger) for xmas. So this wheel is literally part of the family.








The last pick up was my Ashford Traditional double drive, another non-spinner seller who I think was a bit weirded out about the fact I had two other wheels in the car. A lovely drive back and I even stopped at a second store just to see if there was anything hahah.

This wheel is a work horse and was great. Like my first wheel, but this one had the ability to go double drive as well. She did get sold later for an xmas present to a new spinner. While I liked her these big saxony style wheels are hard for me to cart around and didn't offer anything new or interesting. I was thinking of decorating it back in the day (paint of wood-burning) but never got around to it before selling.

Family Picture! Minus my first wheel which got sold before this photo was taken

L-R: Wee Peggy, Celtic, Traditional, Traveller

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