wellington womble
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I just won.....An Ashford traditional on ebay. Hurrah - Feel like a proper spinner now!
Hoping it will come this week, so I can play with it over the bank holiday. I also bought a few different types of fibre from forest fibres, so I'll have some to play with.
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cledry yarner
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Well done that girl! Will you take some pics when it arrives?
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wellington womble
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Spect so. Am a bit fed up that the lady is (very kindly) bringing it herself, and has (even more kindly) offered to give me a lesson. I have blasted patients all morning, and can't get away. Ho-hum!
Am pathetically excited, though! All the girls at work thought I was joking, and then wanted to know which bit sleeping beauty did herself a mischeif on!
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sally
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Sleeping Beauty did herself a mischief on a Great Wheel, so not one like you have. Those wheels have a long metal 'quill' which you spin off, and one possible early version of the story goes along the lines of her pricking her finger on a dirty metal spike, getting tetanus or some other blood poisoning ailment, falling into a coma during which she is 'kissed' by the 'prince' and comes round 'a hundred years' later having twins! Grisly things fairy stories 
Very exciting about the wheel though, you'll be in fibre heaven now 
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sally
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so...how is it?
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wellington womble
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Dusty! I have practiced treadling, and can now stop it going backwards unless I mean it. I hope to break out some BFL this afternoon. I'm going to a plant sale, the dairy, making sausage and de-slugging the garden, and then I intend to break a bottle of champagne over it (well, a gin and tonic, but it would be a shame to waste it over the wheel!)
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wellington womble
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It's going very badly. I can't get the bobbin to wind from the flyer consistently, so everything gets overtwisted. I'm messing about with the tension, but I suspect it's something you get the hang of (later!)
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sally
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Have you tried just sitting with a ball of commercial wool and treadling that steadily onto the wheel? Its a good way to practice getting the twist and tension right before you start adding real fibre into the equation
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wellington womble
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And I thought I was being so patient! I'll try that, Thanks Sally.
(It might help if the dog wasn't chewing the other end though. I found him with a chunk of fibre in his mouth looking like Father Christmas. It was very funny, but could get expensive in fibre. He looked so pleased about it too! I have relocated my spinning basket. Must find one with a lid!)
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wellington womble
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Ha ha ha ha! I've just made wool. It's not overtwisted, or undertwisted - it's very definitely YARN! Okay, its a bit wiggly and lumpy, but its recognisably spun yarn. I gave up on the wool and tried some of the gorgeous alpaca and silk that I liberated from Stacey yesterday, and it's working. It's much softer and easier to spin, although seeing half a dozen spinners in action probably also helped.
I can see it would be very relaxing, once you've got the hang of it properly. I'll post some photos, once the camera's found and I've spun more than about three yards (which is what is currently on the bobbin!)
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sally
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yay, well done you!
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wellington womble
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Help! How do you get the bobbin off to take pictures of it!? I daren't fiddle in case something import falls off and I can't figure out how to get it back on!
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sally
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On mine, the back upright that holds the bobbin onto the flyer twists outwards, you pop the brake line off and it slides out
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wellington womble
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Aha - got it. One of the pins that supports the flyer swings away (not the one I spent ages fiddling with yesterday!) I have managed to put it back together with bit of trial and error. I'd love to pretend that Ashford site helped, but I didn't understand a word of it!
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