Transcript for
Episode 88:
My Three Favorite Wheels for New Spinners
There are so many wheels available these days. If you're just getting started spinning, how do you know which ones might work for you? In this episode, I'll share my three favorite wheels for newer spinners, why I love them, and what new spinners should consider when choosing their first wheel.
Hello there darling Sheepspotter! Welcome to episode 88 of The Sheepspot Podcast. I'm Sasha, and my job is to help you make more yarns you love.
When I was looking for wheel #1, in 2009, I had the good fortune to come across a blog post by Abby Franquemont called "Choosing Your First Spinning Wheel." It's a great post and it's still out there; if you're looking for a first wheel you should seek it out. I'll link to it in the show notes. Abby's post led me to my Schacht Ladybug, which I still own and love. (I loved it so much that I bought another one to live in Nova Scotia.) Abby's post, like most of her writing, is quite measured; she tries, in other words, to keep her opinions to herself—or at least she resists generalizing from her own experience and saying that the wheels she prefers are the best wheels for everyone. I'm going to be a little less measured. I have strong opinions about wheels and I'm going to share them with you today.
First, let me tell you about my criteria for a first wheel.
I deeply believe that the easiest drive system to learn on is Scotch tension, which, for reasons I discussed in episode 87, allows the widest range of adjustments to your take-up tension and I think it's easiest to use and understand for new spinners, so I'm not going to recommend any bobbin-led or double-drive wheels. I learned to spin on a bobbin-led wheel, and it nearly broke me. Double-drive can be great when everything is adjusted perfectly but can be really fiddly.
If it's a treadle wheel as opposed to an electric spinner, it should have the widest-possible range of drive ratios available. This doesn't necessarily mean you need all those ratios when you buy the wheel, though you should have a range right from the start, but rather that you can add additional drive ratios when you need them. Drive ratios allow you to vary the amount of twist in your yarn easily without trying to adjust your treadling or drafting speed, and using the right ratio for the yarn you want to spin just makes life easier. And I want your life to be easy.
It should have a range of differently sized bobbins and flyers available for spinning different kinds of yarn. Again, you don't necessarily need all of these options right away, but if you, say, learn that you love spinning bulky art yarns, you want to have the option of using equipment that will make that as easy as possible, and that means a large orifice, big bobbins, and flyer hooks that won't catch on every single piece of the texture you so lovingly incorporated in your yarn. Similarly, if you decide you want to enter a contest to spin the finest singles in the world, you'll want to have the option of a lace flyer available.
Now, to the wheels.
My first choice is the Lendrum Double Treadle. It's possible that I've never met a Lendrum spinner who didn't like her wheel. Even better, the Lendrum is one of the most affordable wheels out there. I recommend the "complete package," which includes the standard flyer (with 6:1, 8:1 and 10:1 ratios), 4 bobbins, the fast flyer (ratios 12:1, 15:1, 17:1), and the jumbo plying flyer (ratios 5:1, 7:1, 9:1), and 1 large plying bobbin. All for $910 USD at the time of this recording. Another wonderful thing about the Lendrum is that it folds easily for travel. I do all my teaching demos on my Lendrum and I love how straightforward and responsive it is.
My next choice is, perhaps not surprisingly, the Schacht Ladybug. It comes with 3 bobbins, and ratios from 6.5:1 - 10.5:1 included for $997 US at the time of this recording. You can extend that range from 3.2:1 up to 14.5:1 by purchasing additional whorls. An advantage of Schacht wheels is that they all use the same flyer and bobbins, a big advantage if you ever get a second Schacht wheel. A jumbo flyer and bobbin is available.
My third choice my surprise some long-time listeners. It's the Electric Eel 6, from Dreaming Robots. E-spinners aren't my first choice for beginners; I think there's a lot to be said for the precise control of your twist that a treadle wheel gives you, especially when you are first learning. But I love my EE6, which is a scotch tension wheel, and it has a lot of advantages for beginners in certain situations. It's a great choice if you have mobility issues that would prevent you from treadling or treadling comfortably. It's very small and easy to transport, which is great for those living in small spaces or who travel a lot. Drive ratios aren't an issue with electric wheels, as you can put as much or as little twist into your yarn as you want just by turning the speed dial. And its very well priced: you can get the EE6 with 6 jumbo bobbins, power supply, and foot pedal for $299 USD, making it a great option for someone who can't or doesn't want to shell out $1000 for a wheel.
So, those are my three choices: the Lendrum Double Treadle, the Schacht Ladybug and the Electric Eel 6. They're all solid wheels, fun to use, and made by reputable folks who stand behind their products.
Let me close with a couple of additional caveats:
If you can possibly borrow a wheel you're interested in, or try it at a shop or fiber festival, do it. If you have a local spinning guild or someone who teaches spinning locally, they may wheels you could try out or even borrow. Spinning wheels are simple machines, but there are enormous differences between them. Some treadle wheels will fit your body better than others. Some will just feel better to spin on than others.
Like Abby, I don't recommend an antique wheel as a first wheel for most new spinners. It may be incomplete, getting replacement parts will be difficult if not impossible, and they tend to have been designed to spin a particular kind of yarn well, whereas most modern wheels are designed to multitask.
As always, there's a post in The Flock where you can comment on and discuss this episode if you'd like. I'll link to it in the show notes, which you can find at http://www.sheepspot.com/podcast/episode88.
Well, friend, that's it for me this week. Thanks so much for listening! I'll be back next Friday with another episode. I'll meet you right back here. And in the meantime, spin something! It will do you good.