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.

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.

The Second Coat

I'm up unusually early on a Saturday. This is a good thing. I'm crossing my fingers that I get to bring my spinning wheel home from Mom and Dad's tonight.


On Thursday I made it back down to South Austin for a second coat (and pizza with Mom.)
The second coat went faster than the first.


I was a little bothered to find a couple of black marks on some of the edges. Look closely at the center piece of the wheel. I think the newspaper is to blame. However, it doesn't seem so obvious now that I'm looking at the pictures a couple of days later.


I actually went back and put a little more on the outside of the wheel. I figured it will be exposed to a lot of wear and tear. It's one of the pieces I'll touch the most. I also went heavy on the flyer.

So today I'll probably put on one more coat, a heavy one, and put it together after it dries.

I'm going to get dressed and get going.

The First Coat

Sunday evening I put the first coat of Tung Oil on my spinning wheel. I've been dreaming about the wheel ever since. I may sneak back to Mom and Dad's tomorrow for another coat. Now that I'm no longer overwhelmed by my unfinished wheel, I can't wait to finish finishing and start spinning.

I did the oiling at my parents' house, since I don't have much room to spread out in my apartment. (Especially outside. And my parents don't have neighbors smoking six inches away from their patio.)


Here's an unfinished piece of the wheel. If I remember correctly, the wood is New Zealand Silver Beech.


This is what the Tung Oil looks like up close. It has a smell, but it's not a particularly "chemical" smell. I couldn't find anything online or on the bottle recommending ventilation. (Except when mixing the oil with turpentine.) Still, I did my work on the back porch with newspapers spread out everywhere.

I wiped on the oil with one of Dad's old t-shirt as Douglas suggested.


I took this shot to show the difference between the oiled and un-oiled wood. (Is un-oiled the right word? Maybe non-oiled?) I think I used less oil as I went along. This first piece I did is a little on the dark side. I don't know if that's because of the amount of oil I used, or the variations in the wood itself.


Here's a look at that same piece after applying some more oil.

The piece of sandpaper on the right actually came with the wheel, in the folder that came with it. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Was I supposed to sand the whole thing? I ended up only using when I came across parts that were a bit rough, which wasn't very often. (Mom says I can sand after oiling, but I'm going to try to avoid that.)


I took this picture right before dinner, to show how far I had gotten.


After dinner, I managed to finish all of the first coat in enough time to shower before my sleep study. Looking at this picture makes me think the variations in color come from the wood, not the way I applied the oil. Some of the lightly oiled parts look pretty dark here.

I didn't oil the grooves in the bobbin or the wheel. Part of me wonders if I should oil the groove of the wheel with one light coat, but everyone else has said not to. (I think oiling the grooves of the bobbins would be next to impossible.)

Also, should I put on only one or two coats on the bobbins (instead of my planned three or four) since they'll be having a lot of direct contact with the yarn?

If you have advice, let me know.

It's Oiling Time

Tonight is my sleep study, and I'm about to head to South Austin early so I can crack open this box before I go. My spinning wheel has been sitting in a box way too long.


Last weekend I took a closer look, but I was so overwhelmed, I didn't get very far.

But today I went to Woodcraft, as Lyndsey recommended, and I feel much more confident now.

A very helpful employee named Douglas (It was on his wooden name tag) explained the difference between Tung Oil and Danish Oil. Basically, Danish Oil is Tung Oil with coloring in it. Mineral Oil works ok too. Linseed is a good choice, but it's hard to work with because it's gooey. He said Tung Oil is very non-toxic, and that convinced me it was the best choice. He showed me a sample table for a woodworking class that was finished with Tung Oil. It was very nice.

He also said wax would work, but I like the idea of the wood soaking up the oil.

Douglas told me to put the Tung Oil on with an old t-shirt, and give it at least a couple of hours between coats. Three or four coats should do it. (However, I've heard of some people only doing one coat. I think I need some more protection than that.)

I'm so glad I went. I feel much less intimidated. I'm ready to start oiling.

I think I may name my wheel Douglas.


While we're talking names, did I mention that "Chris" inspected my wheel? Awesome.

Remember This?

My Entrelac Scarf hasn't made an appearance on my blog since October. But last night I watched Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity while I finished the knitting the end of the scarf. Then I gave it a bath in Eucalan.


The Noro Taiyo bled a little, but not too bad.


Now it's blocking.

I had been making steady progress on cleaning. I've stalled, but I've maintained what I've done so far. That means I didn't have to block in the closet.

New Toys

Can you tell we're sad?

Jules and I ate at Phil's Icehouse yesterday before I dropped him off at the airport. *sigh*

It kind of sucks that I have to get back to real life, but the upside is that I have some time to play with my new toys.

I still haven't taken my new spinning wheel out of the box. It's still at Mom and Dad's house. I need to decide exactly how to finish it and devote an entire day to it. I was thinking about staining it, but now I'm not so sure. I'm going to do some research.

The spinning wheel was for my birthday, but I got something else for Christmas.


I was confused when I unwrapped the box. What's a reeling machine? For some reason I was thinking pasta. (I doubted that my parents gave me fishing equipment.)

Then I opened it.



It's a swift!!!

I still don't have a ball winder, but I've always said if I have to choose one or another, I'd take the swift. It will make winding by hand much easier. I won't have to use my knees to hold the yarn.

Then on Christmas morning, Santa came and brought me something else.


I got my own Niddy Noddy!

Mom was a little jealous. She said she'd take the new one, and I could keep her old Niddy Noddy. I said no deal. The dark wood is gorgeous.

I've already blogged all my FOs, but Mom had one.


She made a tea wallet for my sister.


Before I got sick, Mom had planned on sewing a bunch of wonderful gifts for everyone, but staying with me at the hospital screwed up those plans. She did manage to finish this one. I like it. It makes me want to sew some.

But first, I breaking out my new Crock Pot. Stay tuned for pictures of that.

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.

Plying the Cookie Monster Yarn

This yarn has been all about the Om Nom since the beginning. My sister saw the singles I wound, and she was the one who said they looked like little Om Noms. (See them sans Om Noms here.)


Even an alligator got in on the Om Noms.


Thanksgiving Day I plied the Cookie Monster Yarn. It looks like it's going ok here, but plying was not easy. Just like when I wound the singles, I ran into a lot of tangles and breaks.

(Sorry about the sideways movie.)


Here is one of the tangles. (Yes, that's the UT vs A&M game in the background. Everyone else is watching while I ply in the kitchen.)

There's another picture of a tangle here.


Here is the yarn all plied and on the bobbin. It doesn't look like much, but I think it went pretty far for just one ounce.


Overall, there weren't too many inconsistencies.


Here is the almost finished yarn, although. It's about 104 yards of Merino/Tencel. I haven't measured the Wraps Per Inch yet, but I'm guessing it's lace weight, maybe light fingering. And it still reminds me of Cookie Monster. (Maybe Cookie Monster with braids?)

All I need to do now is set it.

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.

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.

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.