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. 

Read More

Dutch Merkelbach Wheel

Well, we all knew it would happen. I had been eyeing off this type of wheel for awhile as the castle style was literally an all-in-one wheel with the distaff, skeiner with flyer above and lazy kate. So when I saw the Saxony version I had to sit on my hands. I didn't bid initially, but when it was $99 I couldn't resist. So it became mine and I planned the 3+hour trip to Moruya

The drive was nice with a mixture of coastal cities, wooded drive and of course country! I couldn't take many pictures sadly and it was a grey day.

I picked up the wheel and started the long drive home. I should have planned things better because I passed so many cool shops I would have liked to spend time investigating on the way home. But is was 4pm on a grey Sunday.

I stopped in at Mogo, which wasn't too far and bought a patchwork kit from Rosemount the Patchwork Shop.

They also had a antique store attached which had a great museum of sewing machines. 

I also saw a leather store and picked up a large scrap which I will cut and decorate into a lap mat for when I am flicking. There should also be enough to make something to protect my combs and carders.

Finally I stopped in at Berry as it was getting late and dark to get some fuel for my body. I had noticed on my way past in going to get the wheel they had mentioned Alpaca burgers. So I just had to stop and try it.

It was a nice, and had a nice gamey taste to it. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one, but I am glad I tried it. 

After almost 7 hours of driving and some of it in pitch black, rain in the highway I got home. 

I like the wheel, but I am not in love with it. The wheel comes apart easily and is a double drive. It is very light wood which I am not a fan off (I like a bit of heft in my wheel). The orifice is super tiny, I have been told this is a flax wheel or spinning silk. I really like the way they have a spot above the skeiner where you put your bobbins. The bobbins are SUPER tiny, like palm of the hand tiny. I took this to my spinning class and it caught the attention of my spinning teacher. So after an easy thought this wheel is going to be passed on to my teacher who will appreciate it much more than me. If I had the room for wheels that could just sit there and look pretty and create my own spinning museum it would stay. Alas! I am glad it will go to a good home. 

Read More

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!

Read More

The Peggy's

1980 Little Peggy

Well, I am down to 6 wheels again as the recent acquisition, the Little Peggy, is on its way to a new home. I took her down to Petlins as part of spinning class. We found out she was made in 1980 and while not in perfect condition, could easily be spruced up with some wax and wood glue to make a great little wheel. Since I bought it home and found it was almost too identical to my Wee Peggy with nothing new to offer. As I was feeling a bit under the pump with other activities (uni, spinning entries for the show etc) I wasn't feeling too motivated to fix it up just yet. So I posted it on the hand spinners group at the same price I purchased it mentioning what TLC was needed and within moments, someone was asking for it.

So today the Little Peggy found a new home. While impractical to consider whether the new owner would be a good owner this wheel is definitely going to better home. All the others went to new spinners. These lovely people have more wheels than me and the gentleman was picking up Little Peggy for his girlfriend and I spent a good half hour chatting about wheels and cats and my little purrer got lots of attention. He even now has a fan club and I am still trading cat pictures with the wheel's new owner.

Last two digits are the year

Upside down, Wee Peggy is 1986 the same year as me!

One of the things between chatting at Petlins and the new owner is the similarities and differences of the Wee Peggy and the Little Peggy which is very interesting. So Peggy knowledge!

Both of these wheels originate in New Zealand (Dunedin) and made by John Rappard. John began making wheels full time in 1970. Practically all Rappard wheels are made from a New Zealand wood, Southern Beech. There were a few wheels before The Peggy's. Both the Little and Wee evolved from Shetland Wheels. The big difference between the wheels lies in the Little Peggy was sold assembled and the Wee Peggy was sold as a kit and was able to be exported.

Little Peggy and Wee Peggy from Mel's NattyKnits Collection

NZ Spinning Wheels has the prices listed as Little NZ$88 and Wee NZ$63 back in 1977. There was around 20,000 wheels made before production ceased. Under the wheels you can see the year made (last to digits) and even other information like which wheel production number etc. Ashford did make and supply a few Wee Peggy's  in 1997 with variation that can be read about and seen here.

The most obvious difference can be seen at the maidens and flyer. Depending on the year built (timeline of Little Peggy changes) the flyer is either on the left or right of the maidens and the Little Peggy has two Maidens. The Wee Peggy has one tall maiden at the back and the flyer sits central to the drive wheel. There are other differences based on ease of assembly for the Wee Peggy and my sturdier construction choices of the Little Peggy. However at a glance that is the biggest difference.

When buying a Peggy there are 3 pieces that tend to be missing, the tension peg, orifice hook and the random upright to keep bobbins in.

Random bobbin stopper!

Orifice Hook outside of its holding hole!

Tension knob to allow the Peggy's to go scotch tension.

The Little Peggy had it all, but my Wee Peggy is missing a tension peg I am sourcing right now. Till then she is double drive.

In the end, they spin the same and despite the changes of the year look very, very similar. So if I had unlimited space I would have kept her, but my limited space means the wheels have to have meaning or a unique use. My Wee Peggy is made the same year as mine and I got it from a seller whose story resonates with my PhD. I am saving my space for a Spinolution wheel next year! Or Golding if I hit the jackpot!

Read More

Decorated Wheels

As Majacraft can customise designs on their wheels it is something I am exploring for my new wheel. I have been curious about decorating my own wheels and had one wheel ready before I decided to sell. My Peggy being lovely and authentic will be kept as if with just upkeep. When I gain the courage I would love to re-stain my traveller a darker stain. My Suzie however seems ripe for the decorating by my hand! I am also keeping my eye out for super cheap wheels I can revive and decorate. I almost bought a secondhand Merlin Hitchiker with celtic designs, but decided against it and to put the money to the Aura. I have seen some lovely Hitchhicker wheels decorated in my searches so maybe after I graduate I will do a full project wheel and decorate from start to finish. So while I am mulling over designs here are some beautifully decorated wheels.  

Ashford Wheels

Traditional with very cute designs that follow onto the lazy kate

This is the sort of colourI would like on my Traveller, though I am not quite sure this is a traveller or just an older version with a very similar design

The Thistle on the Joy, very well designed and balanced art

Merlin Tree - Roadbug's

Dragons, with lovely darker wood

I love the balance in this wood burn

Maybe a doctor who theme - Tardis blue?

Lovely use of an already circular device, my dad would love this sea inspired design

I always think this wheel is ready to jump into the race to sit on the Iron Throne!

Wow...is there any better way to describe it?

The Merlin Tree - Hitchhikers 

I love the overall theme on this on

This one is along my aesthetic - the country cottage look with older looking wood

Less my aesthetic, but I love the sheep theme and the matching bobbins

Subtle look that keeps the beauty of the wood

Nicely done wood burning with lovely contrast in the wood colour 

Another cute pained sheep design.

Majacraft Wheels

This Suzie gives me inspiration for mine and I love the green. 

Maybe a Little Gem, but it makes a big impression!

Unknown Makes - Or me being Lazy

Lovely use of pastel and the little bird on top!

Lovely open wheel to add such a pretty design, almost reminds me of Chinese silk material with gold designs. 

Not my style, but well executed design and the gold in the maidens and spokes!

Uncluttered design, but very detailed work.

P.S. If anyone does not wish their wheels to be up or would like links posted please let me know. I just love the work of these wheels and no copyright intended I just wanted to share. Majority were on pinterest and other photo sites which makes sourcing the original work difficult. 

Read More

The Dream List

Golding - Triple flyer - Taking Flight II

What triggered this post is I have been drooling after a particular wheel (those who have read previously can already guess) to the point I would watch videos on it and I think I have read every blog post about it. Strangely I have never tried it, so it is not like my traveller when I tried it beside the ashford kiwi and knew it was the best choice for me. It's interesting how my list changes with new discoveries. So this will be a sort of series every now and again to see how and why certain items pop on my list. This is also a practical list, so while I would love a Golding's Spinning wheel some cost more than my car!

Customised Aura for Woolwench.com

*BOUGHT*
So very soon (once I put in my research proposal this coming week) I am going to put an order in for a Majacraft Aura, hopefully with some customisation on it.

So why the Aura? I am not sure what got me into Majacraft (like how I don't know how I got into spinning), I must have seen one on a blog or facebook group. I love the style of it and after watching videos on its innovative tension system. I understand people either love it or hate the tension system. I did look out for places that have one to demo but unfortunately it was not meant to be. So I will be buying one untested, but I feel that seeing that I already own and like a Majacraft wheel that the chances are slim I'll dislike it. As for the tension system, I am so new to spinning I think I could easily switch between systems and learn to love one easier than someone who has spent years with a particular system.

So this wheel will be my present to me after all the stress and anxiety of this research proposal and also hopefully be a congratulations on passing the first hurdle in my candidature. These wheels take awhile to come as they are from NZ and also hand made, especially if I get one customised. So by the time I hear feedback on whether I can go forward on my research. I am very stressed about this. While I believe my supervisors wouldn't put it in if they thought I would fail one supervisor makes me doubt myself so very much. So present!


So what else is on my list (with less words!)
Majacraft Fusion Engine Drum Carder 
I already have an Inwood drum carder that works fine, but what I appreciate about this is:
- Interchangeable Drums (so you can use the same carder with different tpi cloths)
- Drums are designed to fibre doesn't catch in the sides (demo video)
- Handle folds in
- Additional injection tray for artbatts
- Gears over band or chain to drive the drums

I already have nice wool combs and while I would like a newer blending board and carders (any brand really I haven't found one type that is above and beyond any other brand) the only thing on my "need" list is cotton carders.

LOOMS!

I haven't talked about much beside spinning as of yet really. I do have an ashford rigid heddle, but now I have seen more I would prefer either the Majacraft dynamic heddle loom or Kromski Harp. Why do I prefer them? They both have the ability to fold up (like the Ashford Knitters loom), but both also have a warping board on the bottom which is invaluable for other looms as well and one less piece of equipment. Both also have stands, what I would need to figure is which sizes I would prefer, prices of extra equipment like heddles and the variety of size and adding a second heddle.


Floor loom wise I am enamoured by Saori looms, but they are limited in the number of shafts they have. However a floor loom would require my own house to put it in. So a floor loom will be put in the "wishful thinking" category unless I got my hands on a baby wolf 8 shaft.

Now just have to win a couple of million for all of this and a place to put all these items in. However a person can dream!

Read More

Wheel....7...

Yes this is where one starts to admit they have a problem. I claim they are antiques as well as functional. This is still under 6 months since I started spinning by this stage I had bought 6 wheels and sold 3. So at this stage I was down to 3 wheels (Traveller, Wee Peggy and E-Spinner). I thought I was fairly done. During this stage I had been doing lots of drooling over "future wheels". Future wheels are wheels that are expensive and are so well loved they rarely become available second-hand. During this time I had become enamoured with the NZ Majacraft wheels, especially the Aura.

Drool!!

However this is about $1400-$1500 *cries*. So I had set a Majacraft Aura as a graduation present. So one day I was trolling facebook when I should be studying early December and guess what I found.......

Not an Aura, but a Majacraft Suzie. Knowing how quickly these things sell I jumped on it. I knew that if I didn't like it I could sell it on at the same price easily (and the comments after me asking to be next in line demonstrated that). So wheel 7 arrived packed to the brim with extra fibre (just some bobbins that missed the post and are coming soon.

The majacraft suzie is lovely to use and has some features I like. It is

Older Style Suzie

double treadle (which I love), but is scotch tension. Scotch tension is a bit better for finer spinning so I am going to set this wheel for fine spinning and my traveller as bulky spinning with its jumbo flyer. It has more variation in ratios with different ratios on the whorl and wheel. It is is portable and can be folded up with an on board Lazy Kate. The bobbins are boilable plastic with holes over the more common wood ones, which means they can be wet on the bobbin. I recently saw a Majacraft spindle attachment which will be on its way soon.


The Aura is still on my list for an ultimate wheel (and that includes American wheels I have checked, but until that time I am enjoying my introduction to Majacraft wheels on a wheel that many love as well. Who knows when I get the Aura what I do with this one, but she will be around for awhile yet. 

Look at all that Fibre, there is even a cat on the right to understand how much there is! Most Optim Merino

Read More

Wheel 6 - New technology

Inwood-Smith E-Spinner

Wheel six I also believe as a "need". Due to health issues that caused me to have the brain surgeries I do spend a lot of time in bed. Strangely though traditional wheels do need me to be upright, so an e-spinner or electric spinner was on the cards. As with all my wheels this was a second-hand buy, though I almost put one on on lay-buy! This time the wheel was on a spinning shops website. After a few calls and emails I decided to buy sight-unseen and got it delivered to my house along with a board carder for my equipment. However I had to wait because it wasn't sold with the plugs. Once they came from the manufacture (Australian bran Inwood) I was sitting in bed spinning away!

While I really like this spinner if I had the money I would replace it as I don't like how the flyer is screwed on as sometimes if I hold too tight it unscrews the flyer, which falls off and annoys. It doesn't happen much, but enough that I would consider a different one if money were no issue. This spinner does have the ability to put a lazy kate one by putting two rods on. One day I will get some, but no rush.

This spinner has a foot control (which I use in my hand) to turn the machine on and off quickly. Down the sides it has speed control and direction so you can ply. The drive type is scotch tension and the flyer has a nice with an extra attachment for art yarns (I don't like it) and squeeze and slide hooks.

Read More

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

Read More