I had the idea that maybe the bobbins of an existing modern wheel might fit the JOS. My guild friend Jennifer collects wheels, so I thought maybe she’d have something the right size. She hit on the EEW Nano bobbins, which are 3D printed. They fit the JOS well enough, Read more…
I tied the repaired footman on, watched a video on how to put on a drive band for a double drive wheel, et voila! The wheel spins very nicely. I’m working on adjusting the takeup for the sweet spot, as I’ve never used a double drive wheel before. A little Read more…
Updated 9/14/24 after reading the Fall 2024 issue of Spin-Off magazine. There are articles on several historical spinning methods in it, including ancient Greece and medieval Europe. In my last Handspinning Technology post, I talked about spinning wheels. This time, let’s talk about spindles. A lot has been written about Read more…
Links to previous posts in this series: part one and part two. Holy crap it’s so much prettier after a good scrubbing with Murphy’s Oil Soap, followed by a rubdown with tung oil. (Tung is what the makers of the wheel would have used to condition the wood.) Here are Read more…
I saw Nick Cave last night in Atlanta, on his solo tour. (He did have a bassist accompanying him on some tracks, but it was mostly him and a piano.) It was amazing and wonderful. I’d always wanted to see him live, but never had the chance before. The thing Read more…
As I think I’ve mentioned before, I was obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books as a child. I first read them when I was five, and reread them frequently until I was around nine. My paternal grandmother even made me a rag doll like Charlotte, Laura’s doll. I Read more…
I’m doing a talk today for my Historical Textiles group, and I wanted to assemble some pictures and info about spinning wheels from different time periods…. The first European spinning wheel was the walking wheel. It was hand-operated, and the yarn went onto a pointy spindle. When the Sleeping Beauty Read more…
If you missed the first post about the antique JOS spinning wheel, please check it out. Today I met with a man I’ll call Dr. Wood, because he’s a retired professor who’s become a professional woodworker. He’s making me very happy. He’s fixing the broken footman for free, and I’ll Read more…
Updated 10/18/23 to add trip details (at the bottom of the post) My mother, my oldest nephew, my nephew’s boyfriend, and I went to New Orleans for a long weekend. We left Florida on Friday, October 13th, and came back on Monday the 16th. I went on a tour of Read more…
I was gifted an antique spinning wheel today. It was a family heirloom from the 1800s, and the giver was a woman in her seventies who wanted the wheel to go to someone who would use it. Thanks to some antique wheel enthusiasts, I was able to discover some information Read more…