FAQ
Please feel free to shoot me an email at tessa@spinthings.com if you’ve got a question not listed here.
Where can I get a spinning wheel? - Your best shot financially will probably be finding a second hand wheel through craigslist, an antique dealer, or an estate sale. Getting a wheel going again can sometimes involve a little drama, but replacement parts are available online or at hardware stores and the mechanisms are simple enough that aging or broken parts can often be jerry-rigged pretty effectively. New wheels are pricy, but there are some great ones currently being produced. Ashford wheels from New Zealand are available internationally, and are the go-to for affordable, quality wheels. There are also some gorgeous e-spinners starting at around $475 made by Ashford, Fricke, and Hansen Crafts if you’d prefer to avoid all that pedaling and go electric.
Keep an eye out for a round-up post talking more about wheels, coming shortly.
What fiber should I use? – As a beginner, don’t shoot for anything too fancy. Start with sheep’s wool but don’t fuss yourself about breed names while you’re mastering technique. Look for either roving or plain old washed and carded wool with a staple longer than 1.5 inches. Within those criteria get something cheap to start with – some of the longer staple, fancier fibers that we all drool over at the yarn store are actually kind of a headache to work with until you have some practice.
Where can I buy fiber? – Ask Google. Or better yet, ask your local yarn store to help you buy fiber locally.
How does spinning fit into the DIY craft movement? - Well, so far it doesn’t really seem to, but with the rise in popularity of felting there is increasing access to raw fiber and the potential to create any type of yarn. The power to create yarn for specific projects expands the possibilities exponentially for knitters, crocheters, and weavers. Yarn can be created from any type of fiber from dog hair to flax grown in your back yard and manufactured into home-made linen, to cassette and video tape to wire. One of the strengths of the current DIY and crafting boom is the re-imagining of old-world skills in combination with technology. I think spinning is prime to join that renaissance.
