wheels...

here's a little eye candy for spinning wheel fans...

 this is the weaver's cabin herd of 'working wheels'.   all of these are in working condition and are used by volunteers for demonstration, as well as for teaching.   left to right: a lendrum, a louet, the big one in the middle is a 'pinch nose tilt tension' antique paradis canadian production wheel,  and the dark wheel is a knockoff of an older ashford traditional (not sure who built it or when).

these two beauties are VERY antique saxonies, probably made in pennsylvania.  i'm not sure of the makers or the dates of birth, but one is a family heirloom of a cabin volunteer.    unfortunately both are missing pieces and are not in usable condition.    our 'wheel whisperer' has been seen taking measurements,  so maybe they'll get some replacement parts in the future.  :-)

fiber people are notorious enablers.   it's a well known fact.
last winter,  several of us, at the cabin,  got each other excited about wool combing.   soon,  combs were purchased and techniques were learned and much oooohing and ahhhhing was occurring.    and soon after that,  mountains of combing waste started to pile up.

now,  combing 'waste' is a bit of a misleading term.     combing aligns the longer fibers from the fleece,  and removes the shorter fibers and noils.   the long fibers are a dream to spin into what is known as a 'worsted yarn'.    worsted yarn has a very smooth hand and when knitted shows stitch definition very well.   it is also excellent for weaving a smooth fabric which shows pattern definition well.      but the waste,  the shorter fibers and noils,  are able to be spun into a lofty and textured (at least more textured than worsted yarn) yarn known as 'woolen yarn'.   because of its loft,  it's excellent for knitting or weaving where you want to trap lots of air, making for a warmer garment.

so, we took a small mountain of accumulated combing waste out to Stramba Farms Fiber Mill where we picked it, carded it and made it into roving.

this batch was a blend of two diffeernt black finn fleeces from Lisel's flock of rare breed black finnsheep,  and a little white from a local border leicester.   the variation of  color is gorgeous--from a distance it's a medium gray, but close up there is streaking and swirling of the different grays and white.

we have around a pound of this batch.   it's been listed on etsy (see link in the sidebar),  and we'll have some at the cabin in the next week or so.

students!

I had a spinning student a week and a half ago, or so, here at the cabin.  i am a bit tardy,  but i wanted to share photos so she can snag them for herself,  and just because.  :-)

she'd had a lesson a while back,  and wanted to brush up on her skills.   her drafting was beautiful.  not much to brush up there.

the yarn is even and consistent.  she's doing a great job.  :-)

keeping that pesky treadle going....the bane of most every new spinner....





whether you are a beginning spinner or more experience but wanting to learn new spinning skills and techniques,  we have volunteers who would be happy to work with you.   we have several different types of wheels available for learning, or bring your own,  and drop spindles are an option too.    we have a variety of spinning fiber available for purchase,  or you can bring your own.  :-)

to contact us,  leave a comment here,  or email us at weaversofharmony @ gmail.com (without the spaces).