Dad's Surprising Spinning Wheel Hack (or is it a Kludge?)

Are you ready for a post that isn't related to politics?

I've been working at a part-time, work-at-home job for almost a year now. (If you are interested in information about the job, comment or e-mail me, and I'll tell you more. I'm continuing my tradition of not naming my employer on this blog.) Since my pain problems make it difficult to use the computer for long periods of time, I have to be judicious with the time I do spend on the computer. The same head and neck problems have been keeping me from spinning as well.

Also, I've gotten stuck in the trap of thinking that because it's been so long since I posted, I need to come up with a big comeback post. So I put off blogging even longer because I felt like I had to do something big. Then I finally decided that I just needed to blog something.

Excuses, excuses.

Anyway, recently the conrod joint on Mom's spinning wheel broke. It's the flexible piece of nylon that connects the wheel's treadle with the rod that spins the wheel. (You can see it in a diagram here.) I think sometimes pieces of leather are used as well, but Mom's Ashford has a piece of nylon.

You can go out and buy replacement joints. They're only a couple of dollars. However, by the time you pay for shipping you're paying an awful lot for a little piece of nylon. The best way to do it is to wait until you have something else to buy from the shop and ship them together. Either way, you'll have to wait.

So Dad set out looking for solutions. He tried several things. His search took him to Home Depot, where he found the answer.


You are looking at small piece of RG-59 Coaxial Cable. In this picture, Mom and Dad are working on screwing it into place. Dad bought 1 foot of the stuff for 27 cents, and he still has enough left over to replace several more conrod joints.

So if your conrod joint breaks, and you're having the shakes because you can't spin, go to your hardware store. Be sure to ask for RG-59 coaxial cable. There is more than one type of cable, and this is the one that proved to be the perfect size for Mom's Ashford Traditional wheel. (I would imagine that it's the same size for all the Ashfords, but you'd have to ask them to know for sure.)

They sell coaxial cable in pre-measured lengths with plugs on the ends at electronic stores. Don't waste your money on those. For this job, you need the cable that's sold by the foot. It will probably be in a spool that looks like this. Ask an employee to cut off a piece for you. Dad got an entire foot, but a conrod joint is much shorter than that. You could probably get away with half a foot, but it's not a bad idea to have some extra on hand in case you cut the first piece too short or something else goes wrong. (They may not sell lengths shorter than a foot anyway. I guess it all depends on your hardware store.)


Mom and Dad cut a piece the same length as the old conrod joint. The screws in the conrod and the treadle assembly screwed into the cable, so they didn't have to make any holes manually.


In the video above, you can see the finished repair and hear Mom and Dad talking about it. Mom was having some trouble treadling. It turned out that she had taken off the bobbin before they turned the wheel upside down for the repairs, and that was throwing the whole thing off balance. It's treadling a little better in the video below:


In case you were wondering, yes, we made the repairs on Super Bowl Sunday. (I think I'm remembering that correctly.)

Also, while we're on the subject, I should mention another solution I found on the Knittsings blog. They used vinyl boat cording from an upholstery shop.

As you can see by the title, I've been debating whether to call this a hack or a kludge. Wikipedia seems to imply they are basically the same thing. In my mind, a kludge has negative connotations. it's a fix that isn't very good, like the kind of things you find on There I Fixed It. Kludges are either temporary, desperate, stupid or any combination of those three. Conversely, hack has positive connotations. I'm using hack in the life hack sense of the word. Hacks are clever solutions you wish you would have thought of. Apparently they're not as different as I thought.

This may be a Kludge, because I'm not sure how long the coaxial cable will last. I don't know if Mom has any spinning in progress right now. Only time and lots of spinning will tell how well it works. A true conrod joint is still the ideal solution, but the coaxial cable will last until Mom orders something from somewhere that sells conrod joints.

I'm going to confess that I used hack in the title because I read this post that says headlines with the word hack (and surprise) have the tendency to go viral. I doubt a post about fixing a spinning wheel will go viral, but I thought I'd try it. I think it still sounds like my own voice. I use the word hack, at least online. The challenge with tips like these (as well as any writing related to SEO) is to use the information to your benefit without sounding like a robot. I still want to sound like me. I think I did ok.

Besides, if any of these posts have truly been about a hack, it's this one.

Gandhi Spins

I just had a nice visit with Elizabeth this evening, where we talked a lot about spinning. It wasn't until after I left that I remembered that Gandhi spun yarn. Yes, that Gandhi.

Here's a clip:



I know that clip is only 17 seconds long, so it's hard to see what's going on.

Gandhi spun cotton on a Charkha. Take a closer look:



Of course, Gandhi's not on the second clip. I doubt green nail polish is allowed if you take a vow of poverty.

That's our history lesson for today, class. Next up, Genghis Khan weaves, Abraham Lincoln knits and Timothy Leary crochets.

Junior

Tonight I pulled out the llama roving from "Junior" that I bought at Kid 'n Ewe last year and started spinning it.


The roving itself was thick. It naturally wanted to separate into 4 pieces of roving.


It's also very "rustic." This shot against the light lets you see all the little bits of vegetation in this piece of roving. It's tempting to try to pick out every piece as I spin it, but that would take forever. Instead I'm trying to leave it in and make spin a rougher yarn instead.


This is what I finished tonight. (You can see my pink leader.) This yarn definitely has more "grip" than the alpaca I'm working on. It makes the whole spinning process take longer.


Speaking of the alpaca, I've managed to spin all of it into singles. I need to get the other bobbin of alpaca from Mom's house so I can ply them. Until then, it can look nifty on my Lazy Kate in a corner of my house that's actually organized.

Back on the Wheel

Before Christmas I started spinning this Alpaca. Half of the roving I bought is on a bobbin on Mom's wheel. Today, I finally got out my wheel and started spinning the other half.

The wheel is still a little wonky. I made some adjustments to the mother of all, but it still makes some noise that my Mom's wheel doesn't.

I'm using a strand of purple Patons Classic Merino Wool as a leader. I wonder if I should have chosen a lighter color. I don't think it will matter

This single may not be as nice as the first one, but at least I'm doing it. As you can see from the picture, I'm having to store the wheel next to a bookshelf. I move it to the living in the middle of a "high traffic zone" to actually spin.

I may breeze through the rest in the next day or two, and start working on the rest of my fiber by the end of the week.

How would you finish a spinning wheel?

I've been too busy for serious posting, but my wheel is still in it's box. I'm looking for advice. The wheel is unfinished. How should I finish it?

(And you can see from this angle that Jules finally made it.)

Best Birthday Gift Ever!!!!

Best Birthday Gift Ever!!!!
Originally uploaded by sallyvillarreal

Take a close look at the label.

Mooching at The Knitting Nest

Last weekend when I went home to mooch off Mom and use her wheel, I also made a trip to The Knitting Nest to mooch off Stacy and use her yarn meter. As you can see, they're celebrating their victory.


The shop had several new yarns, including Queensland Collection Tahiti, Elizabeth Austen Andes and Rozetti Baby Soft. However, the Baby Alpaca Chunky Paints was my favorite new yarn. It's soft, pretty and makes for a quick knit.


Of course, I had plenty to do with my own yarn. Here's my Coopworth Single. I now know I have about 251.66 yards (or 755 feet.)


Remember my two-ply merino? I have 202.33 yards of it (or 607 feet.)


Then it was time to measure the Cookie Monster Single I had a lot of problems with it breaking. I may have spun it a little too fine.


I had 208.66 yards (or 626 feet) total.


The hardest part was spinning from the ball so I could have to singles to ply together. Each single is about 104.66 yards (or 314 feet.) Not bad for one ounce of fiber.


Did I mention that I got to spin on Stacy's wheel? It's an Ashford. I'm not sure if it's a Traditional or an Elizabeth.


Somehow, the wheel has both Scotch tension and a double drive band. I'm not sure exactly how that works. I think you can decide which one to use.

I'm starting to think I'm an Ashford person.

You can see all my pictures from my last trip to The Knitting Nest, including more spinning wheel photos, here.

Spinning Alpaca

I wanted to post a lot more pictures tonight, but my camera cable is MIA. So you'll have to settle for a few photos from a week ago.


Last Friday I spent the night at my parents so I could spin the Alpaca fiber I bought at Kid 'n Ewe. It sort of exploded when I opened the bag.



It took me a little bit of time to get my rhythm. The alpaca doesn't have much grip. I'm used to doing lots of pre-drafting. I hardly did any with this roving. In fact, I quit tearing it in half like I usually do.



Here's the yarn part way through the bobbin. I'm spinning it pretty fine. It broke in a few places, but it's going pretty good.



And here's where I was by the time I left on Saturday. I made it about halfway through the fiber. (Mom and Dad have this little bitty postal scale keyring, so I can estimate the weight of what's left.) It's a good place to change bobbins, since I'm planning on plying it. (And then dying it with Kool Aid.) The problem right now is that Mom's other bobbins are full of her own spinning. We'll have to see who gets their single off the bobbin first.

Cookie Monster Single and Fiber Storage

I just finished spinning the Cookie Monster batt into a single. I haven't decided if I'm going to ply it yet. I'm guessing I probably will, but I need to see the yardage first.


When I took pictures of all my fiber for Friday's post I made sure everything was stored in it's own bag and labeled. I'm hoping the plastic bags are ok. It seems like the fiber might need to breathe.

Anyone have any advice on storing fiber long term?

Tuesday Tens: Ten vignettes from Kid 'n Ewe that don't have pictures to go with them

Friday night I spent the night with my parents so I'd be closer to Boerne for Kid 'n Ewe in the morning. Saturday morning I realized I'd left my camera in my apartment. I borrowed my parents' camera, but when I got to Boerne, I realized the battery was dead. I contemplated going to find some fun saver cameras at a gas station. In the end, I decided to save time and money and just enjoy my time at Kid 'N Ewe experience without stressing about taking pictures.

So I don't have pictures, (the one above is just of my loot), but I do have some stories. Here are ten "vignettes" from Kid 'n Ewe.

1. The ladies from Heritage Arts were awesome! They had several spinning wheels in their area, and they let me try them all. They were very friendly and helpful. If I had my camera, it would have been easier to keep track of the different wheels. I know I didn't care for the itty bitty wheels. I was really hunched over on one of them. They said tall people don't like the little ones, but it doesn't get much shorter than me. I guess you have to learn to lean back. Ultimately, I liked the Ashford that looked like my Mom's. I'm about 90% sure it was an Elizabeth. The difference was this one had a Scotch tension system instead of a double drive like my Mom's Ashford. (The group from Heritage Arts explained the difference.) I think I may be an Ashford person, but I'm not certain at this point.

2. Speaking of wheels, Wyatt Wheels was there. I got to try their wheels as well. I could see myself with a Wyatt Wheel. (Although I couldn't see myself paying for one.) I also got to try one of their Charka wheels. The Charka had a big spindle on the side. After spinning for a while, you have to wind the yarn back on the spindle. However, it takes less time than a drop spindle, because you have more control of the wheel with the hand crank.

3. I also tried the Schacht Ladybug. The Weavery at Indian Meridian had one. I asked if I could try it. I didn't realize that it had been sold, but the lady who bought it let me try it anyway. (Thank you random person for letting me try your brand new Ladybug.) It was ok, but I think I'm more of a single treadle person.

4. I heard an alpaca crying. Well, maybe. It didn't look distressed. It was eating hay and hanging out, but making this sort of "maaa" sound as it ate. It was weird. (You had to be there.)

5. Hokett Would Work was back, and they had mini loom kits for sale. They were the perfect size for making potholders, and the kits included all the tools, some yarn and instructions. They had some of the individual looms fancier wood, but Hokett said he made the ones in the kits with a less expensive wood so people could get everything they need at an affordable price. I'm tempted to get one. (Hokett doesn't have a website, but you can e-mail him to ask about ordering.)

6. Hill Country Alpacas was back. I bought another skein of their yarn. This one was from "Escondidos Shadow," and it was lighter in color. I may mix it with the yarn from Stonewall Jaxon, or I might not. (Or I may keep buying a skein every year until I can make an entire blanket or sweater.)

7. I wish I had taken notes when I stopped by Buffalo Gold. They explained how they got the fiber. (They don't shear the bison. It involves an enzyme bath of some sort to remove the fur from the hides. The hides are leftover from getting the bison for their meat.) They also invited me to join The Herd on Ravelry.

8. I saw some fiber dyed with real Indigo. I didn't actually do it, but I got to see the finished product. I may pay to do it myself if they offer it next year.

9. This year I avoided raw fleece. Last year I had this thing against roving for some odd reason. I wanted to make rolags instead. Now I know that I like roving. It's my friend. (And I don't have to worry about preparing it.)

10. I learned an important lesson about fiber. After getting to touch and feel all the fiber, I realize how much the dyeing process can affect the feel of the fiber. In several instances the dyed fiber was much courser, and seemed a little felted. (Or in the case some plant fibers, just stuck together.) I now realize how much fiber can vary, even if it's coming from the same type of plant and animal.

Yarn that makes me want to Om Nom Nom Nom!

After everything that happened last week, I did make it to Kid 'n Ewe. Unfortunately, my camera didn't. I'll have more on that later.

For now, I've already started spinning some of the fiber I bought.


Does this shade of blue look familiar?


That's right, the originator of the Om Nom Nom Nom himself. Cookie Monster's exact fur color seems to vary, although I'm not sure if his actual fur has changed over time or if it's just the quality of the film. Either way, I saw this batt and thought of him. It's so fuzzy and blue.

Anyway...


This is one of the merino/tencel batts that Spinning Straw Into Gold had for sale. Spinning Straw Into Gold's main focus is spinning fur from dogs and cats. But at Kid 'n Ewe Christine had batts for sale in a rainbow of colors. And I couldn't resist the Cookie Monster blue.


I was itching to spin when I got home, and I decided the Cookie Monster batt was a good place to start. This is a piece of the batt, pre-drafted and ready to go. You can see that the Tencel adds some shine. It's very soft and silky. It'd be nice if the real Cookie Monster was part Tencel.


Here's the yarn on the drop spindle. (Sorry for the blurry shot.)


I'm spinning the yarn pretty thin. It drafts very easily. I'll probably ply it, so this is a look at what it may look like completed.


Here's what I've spun so far.

I've had fun looking at at old Cookie Monster clips on YouTube. I found a clip of Cookie Monster before he was Cookie Monster, a disturbing clip of Martha Stewart getting sadistic pleasure out of torturing Cookie Monster and Cookie Monster setting the record straight on the Colbert Report. You can see all the clips I found here.

I'll leave you with Cookie Monster's interview on NPR.

Spinning Wheels: Mom's Louet and Mom's Ashford

Clara may have been ready to jump in and buy a spinning wheel on the yarn crawl, but I have a lot more testing to do before I buy one. I intend to spin on as many wheels as possible before I choose one, and last weekend I started with two.


I started with Mom's Louet.


I've plied on it before, but this was my first time actually spinning. It was pretty lumpy at first.


I eventually got my rhythm, drafting in very short lengths.


This wheel has a lot of "pull." It made it really hard to get started. Eventually I drafted the roving some more, in addition to taking shorter drafts.


Here's the finished single on the Louet. (It's Corriedale wool.) The leather strap on the bobbin adjusts the tension. Mom has it so loose it doesn't even touch the bobbin, but it's still has a lot of pull. I got used to the high tension, but I could see how being able to adjust to a lower tension could be helpful.


This is Mom's Ashford wheel.


It has a thingy to wrap your roving around when you're not spinning. It's a helpful feature.


The knob underneath the bobbin adjusts the tension on the wheel. It took me a while to get the hang of it. I loosened it at first, and then I had to tighten it as I went along.


(I'm still new, so I really have to focus on what I am doing.)


Here's the Ashford in action. I'm still not sure which one I like best. The Ashford seems to have more flexibility.


Here's the completed single on the spindle.

I don't think I'm any closer to making a decision, but I'll have some decent skills to try at wheels next week at Kid 'n Ewe.

Does it turn back to a pumpkin at midnight?

I think I'm getting my Cinderella references crossed, but that's beside the point.


Speaking of points, there are an awful lot of pointy features on this glass wheel. If I had that hanging around my house for very long, I'm sure someone (probably me) would lose an eye. But I guess they didn't make a glass wheel because it was practical.

I'm also intrigued by the spinning technique. I think this is spinning from the fold. I'm amazed that the spinner (spinster?) seems to be getting such even yarn with what looks like no drafting.

Maybe the fiber turns back into Rapunzel's hair at midnight? But only if Rumplestilsken prevents her from pricking her finger on a pointy thing. (Or something like that.)

Spinning Coopworth

Now that I have more fiber I've started spinning again, and it feels good.

This is the Coopworth that I bought at Yarnorama. It's very nubby and light. There's all sorts of little pills in the roving. I've been leaving them there, rather than trying to pick them out. It adds character.

The fiber has a lot of "grip" to it. Yet it's light enough that it's easy to make it really thin. In fact, I'm trying not to make it too thin.


It's going pretty fast. I haven't decided if I'm going to try to spin the whole bag at once, or come back to the rest later.

Yarn (Store) Pr0n: Yarnorama

Yarnorama was the third stop on the yarn crawl. We had lunch while we were there. (It helps that they have their own cafe so you can grab a bite after the drive.)


Yarnorama isn't strictly yarn. They have equipment for several types of fiber arts. I was looking forward to buying more fiber. Here is a herky-jerky look at their fiber selection.


They had some beautiful drop spindles. Click on the picture to get a better look at the craftsmanship.


Here's some more spindles and other tools. I considered getting a wrist distaff that doubled as a wraps per inch tool, but I decided to save my money for fiber.


They also have a nice selection of wheels and looms. Clara bought a Louet Julia while she was there.


This is Susan, the owner. She answered a bunch of my questions, and helped me decide what fiber to buy. She also said I could come back and try out the spinning wheels on the floor before I decide which one to buy. She also helped Clara buy choose her wheel, demonstrated how the silk hankies work and how to spin them.


Speaking of silk, here's some whole silk cocoons. If you shake them you can hear the silk worm inside. (Yes, they're dead. It's gross, but that's how you get silk without breaking the cocoon.)


They had plenty of yarn as well. There was cashmere, Malabrigo and a nice selection of yarns dyed in-house. Here's some of Yarnorama's hand painted sock yarn. They also their own hand dyed linen yarn and silk hankies.


As the sign says, this yarn is from local llamas. I think it's mill spun. Very nice.


In the end, I bought fiber instead of yarn. The one on the left is Corriedale, bought specifically for testing out spinning wheels and learning new techniques.

The middle bag is Coopworth. I'm spinning it right now. After spinning Merino, I was surprised by the "teeth" in the wool.

The one on the right is Blue Faced Leicester (or BFL). I plan to ply it with the Coopworth. Susan thought it would work. All the wool is natural, none of it is dyed.

Yarnorama is a bit of drive, but it is worth it for the selection of spinning surprise. I think I'll be back.

There are more pictures of Yarnorama here.