I simply wanted to find out about carding wool and you've taken me on a lovely and interesting journey. Admire your proficiency and knowledge. Thank you.
Thankyou for such an Informative video. I love your Style& explanations about all your Spinnings. You only popped ip on you Tube tonight. Thanks again Take care & stay safe. Love from Lancashire xx
Thank you for this! I work at a historical museum in Dallas and am a spinner that has looked and looked for educational information about Great Wheels. Because of you, I’ll be doing a demo with our beauty here very soon. I have CPW so there are a lot of similarities between the two. Again, thank you so very much!✨🧶🌀✨🧶✨🌀✨🧶✨🌀✨🧶✨🌀✨🧶✨
Haha, that reminds me of a story I have in one of my ghost story books. A woman who worked in an historical house said there was a large spinning wheel in one of the rooms of the small house, like the one in your video. She said others have said there was a ghost in the house, but she didn't quite believe it. One day a man came in for a tour of the house, but he was acting a little bit jumpy and the lady didn't know why. He said he just felt uneasy for some reason. So she took him on a tour around the house explaining things about the people who originally owned the house. They got to the room where the spinning wheel was and while she was talking with her back to the wheel, the man's eyes suddenly got really big and he bolted out of the place. She turned around to see what scared him and the big wheel was spinning around by it's self! It looks like those bigger wheels don't spin around too easily. She said all the windows were closed, no drafts flowing through the house. That was her first indication of the ghost.
Thank you very much for explaining the accelerated drive had versus the direct drive. In doing research for a story I'm writing, I've been looking for a video that explains how these things are constructed, and why they're constructed, and this actually helped immensely. The other videos I've found so far either just explain where the thread goes (but don't cover how the machine actually works), or they show you how to build the machine (but don't explain why these things are built these ways).
Thank you Louis! I just bought a great wheel the other day. It has a tiny bit of work that needs done to it before I can start spinning, but this video really has answered a lot of questions I've had about it. Very informative over other great wheel videos. I truly appreciate it.
Finishing singles woolen yarn really doesn't differ from worsted yarn finishing, IMHO. I skein it, tie it loosely in 3-4 places and wash it by hand. Hot soapy water followed by same temp rinse water. It often becomes more 'fluffy' in this process as additional grease is removed. I don't use a weight when it is hung dry. If this yarn is being used for warp (it is possible but historical tradition it is more likely to be used for weft.) I have personal experience with woolen singles used on a warp weighted loom and I have broken no ends so far. Piecing one rolag to another must be carefully done.
+Lois Swales Yes but doesn't the skein of singles get all pigtailed and snarled even with figure-8 ties? And even with washing and fulling how is that enough to stabilize the twist in even a weft yarn without biasing in the cloth? I've also heard that weighting is not a good idea as it tears the fibers in the wet wool and makes the yarn lifeless.
I enjoy your RU-vid videos. I am rebuilding a spinning wheel. I am replacing or modifying its table so I will be able to adjust the placement of the mother of all. I made a new footman out of hickory wood. The old footman looks like pine and is broken. I am going to make maden bearings out of heavy leather. I will send you pictures if you like. Thank you for your fun and informative yarn vids.
Love your videos, love that your hair gets stuck in the twist. Every once in a while I find a hair of mine and I act so surprised, "how did that get in there?!"
Very informative video, thank you. What about plying on a Great Wheel, was that done? Otherwise how was singles yarn traditionally finished to set the twist while maintaining the lofty woollen character?
+basilrose I focus on Historical spinning techniques but I am interested in applying these techniques to modern fiber products. I recently researched plying spindles in Scottish tradition and another video on them is about to be released, which may help you. Along with that, I have heard of a technique in the Scottish tradition for plying on a Great Wheel connected with using a Great Wheel that is waiting for another video shoot. These shoots are gifted to me from my photographer daughter on birthdays and holidays. So stay tuned. Next birthday is in April…….
Thanks lady :) I have a big final coming, and some of the topics include he Industrial Revolution. I could not understand just by reading how you turn the wool you get after carding into a thread. Thanks.
June Pegram, most old great wheels are over one hundred years old, but not all. For a rather comprehensive look at great wheel features, i would suggest joining Ravelry as a (free) member and joining the group 'spindle wheels'. Then Post pictures of your wheel there and see if it resembles other regional wheels of the type you own. The group helps to sort out really old wheels from both sides of the Atlantic from vintage and modern great wheels, as well as other spindle type wheels.
Who owns that patent to that special drive head? And how old is this invention/patent? From here, it looks like there might be some pro-manly / anti-feminine juju on it. I might be mistaken about that vibe, but I'm curious about the patent.
I don't usually comment, but I'm just so curious what made you think the Miner's head accelerator "pro-manly/ anti-feminine"? I'm not looking for a fight or argument, I'm just genuinely curious about your comment. If you're still curious about it's origins, it was patented by Amos Miner in 1810, and helped spinners produce a ton more yarn in a shorter amount of time.
I especially like how you describe the angles here with spinning on the great wheel. I've been trying to figure out some of the finer aspects of doing this well :)
I've taught a whole lot of spinners the Great Wheel over the decades. In the videos I try to demonstrate and offer solutions to the most common frustrations that drive new spinsters crazy while trying to learn.
