It's a sickness

Wheel 9. Yes it happened again. The Ashford Elizabeth is on its way to a new home and a new spinner. I hope she finds a forever home. I sat there spinning her for the last time and was thinking - maybe I shouldn't. After a little while the leg ache started up again and yeah. New home. Nothing against the Ashford Elizabeth, it's a mixture of my joints and angles.

So I sit down after selling Lizzy and go to all the sites I had her up for sale to take down the ads. So as part of my normal habit I do a quick search on gumtree and something caught my eye. It was a bad ad with just the Ashford logo and the word spinning wheel. So I check, low and behold it is a double drive traveller, albeit single treadle for...... $60. It also included 4 double drive bobbins (the exact bobbins my main wheel uses) and at $15 ish per bobbin so SOLD. A quick message to the owner and a few anxious minutes wait and I spent my Australia Day driving through our beautiful country about an hour away. I wish I could have taken photos of the area (but driving and all dangerous even without the double demerits for the holidays). Beautiful forests and the mountains were almost gone in some areas because of the massive rain clouds. Think scenes from Fern Gully.

Close enough!

Old and dusty, but still in good condition and spins

So Introductions!

Traveller 2! (Name to be decided as I have no idea about names for any of them)
Ashford Traveller, now this one is older than my current one and I have noticed some differences. The Ashford logo has changed from a close up of the drive wheel to a picture of wheel. I also noticed a very slight difference in the spokes on the wheels. One section has one groove in the newer version and 2 in the older ones. The other difference that isn't visual is the whorl screws onto the flyer vs the one twist version they have now (I actually kind alike the screw version because I kept dropping the whorl when changing bobbins). Right now I don't know the ages of the wheels as Ashford only does a timeline of Traditionals. I would say this new acquisition is circa 1985 and my newer one...90's something era.

Comparisons of Wheels. 

Old wheel spokes

Newer wheel spokes

Old logo on maiden

Newer Logo

But anonymous spinning blogger you already have too many wheels (pish tosh no such thing), you don't have enough feet or hands for these wheels (fair call), you already have the same type of wheel that doesn't need major parts (true), you don't even like single treadle, you just sold one for that reason so why?!

WELL....I like wheels, but it is more than that. My newer wheel was bought by my sister and is in lovely condition. One of my previous wheels I originally got with the aim of decorating it. For reasons back then (I forget why). I also have been meaning to learn how to stain a wheel and really disassemble and learn about wheels, wood, and wood burn decoration on it. One day I would love to make my newer wheel a darker stain, but too frightened to touch. So the $60 wheel allows me to do what I need on a wheel that takes up a smaller space. I can also eventually put a double treadle on this if so inclined. So this wheel is not so much bought initially for its spinning wheel capacity, but as a project wheel.

So the next step for this wheel after a brief clean I will disassemble and clean up all the big metal bits and prep the wood (sanding I am thinking - see I am learning!) I will even keep an eye out for maybe a second hand double treadle in a terrible state that I can steal the double treadle off.

Have a great day spinning!

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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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