This is a learning to spin post. If you are looking for CMUS (Crack Me Up Saturday), please refer to Friday because I couldn't wait. In an effort to branch out to any of you who are mostly clueless like me, I'll refrain from using the "official" spinning part names and include them in parentheses for those more comfortable with the vocabulary.
1. When assembling the wheel, put the string around the wheel before final assembly involving the hub of the wheel, or else you'll have to find a way to take that bad boy apart and get it in there.
2.If the u-shaped thing with all of the hooks on it (clearly an integral part- also called the flyer) goes flying off the little sticks (also called the maidens) every time you try to turn the wheel, chances are your tension is way too tight.
3.There are TWO tension areas to be adjusted on the wheel. One involves a knob on top that moves the whole main part (mother board) the other involves some fishing wire, a hook, and a dowel-y knob at the end of the bobbin (brake tension?). Do not underestimate the importance of proper tension on the fishing line. Even though it seems like a really simple stupid little piece.
4. At first glance, that tension knob that's on that motherboard seems like it's not doing anything. Upon further examination, it really is. It makes the mother board angle up and down thus changing the tension.
5. After about 4 hours of fiddling, maybe put it away for the night, that fresh insight (and a little email help from New Zealand) may come in the morning. If you look up and see that there is a movie about a haunted submarine on t.v. and you're not really sure when the 11:00 news ended, it might be time to stop
6. When fresh insight comes in the morning, maybe be satisfied for a while that all parts are working and not falling off every few minutes. Maybe just enjoy the movement and the sound of the wheel without all the complications of fiber because once you add that fiber and your hot little untrained hands, the odds of that damn flyer coming off again increase ten fold.
Thus concludes life's little lessons for now. As in all things, patience- and it never works out exactly like you picture it in your head-at least not at first.
5 comments:
Ah yes. But when you add fiber there is that fun little surprise that occurs when you finally get going, the fiber is actually drafting and you forget to move the yarn along the hooks as it is wound onto the bobbin. In that case you will find that the newly minted yarn will have wrapped itself tightly around the shaft in ffront of the bobbin and will only come undone with sheer willpower (or two sticks of dynomite). Hang it there. It will be worth it.
I went to the LYS and bought yarn yesterday. I knew what I wanted and it only took like 5 minutes to pick up enough yarn for a sweater. Just saying. :)
I don't think I'd ever have the patience to spin (even though I love the beauty of handspun yarn) but have the highest respect for those who do. You can do it!
I think I would have shot it and thrown it off the roof at about 10:00. You must be a saint.
Nope it never does but if you stick with something it'll usually work out in the end.
I'm glad you figured out the flyer issue. Don't forget to pre-draft your fiber--and I mean, a lot! It's really critical when you're learning. If you don't, you tend to get big hunks of super-bulky mixed in with your worsted weight. If you don't believe me, just refer back to my posts of a month or so ago...
Also, it's really fun at first, and then you go through a period where it starts to get tedious because you can't get the results you want. Just keep going. Eventually, it sort of magically improves and gets really fun again.
Post a Comment