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This is almost identical to my journey. I started with a drop spindle in 2020 and bought my first wheel in 2021. I paid $200 for an Ashford Country Spinner 2 (w/ converted flyer) and a 14” drum carder. I had to buy a $10 washer but besides that, everything was perfect. I also made myself a Niddy Noddy out of PVC pipe. I actually really like my wheel. It suits my needs for the time being. I feel like I got lucky though.

Thankyou so much. I have listened to several podcasters talking about unspun yarn and you are more informative than any others.😀

Dónde está el paso a paso gracias

Perfect fit! ❤

🤡

Thank for the book recommendation ! I like to read murder mysteries without graphic descriptions. I prefer the plot. A romance is nice time to time to clean the palate or to forget what happens in the world ( sometimes reality is too awful to be it is nice to escape)

Very good ideas! I didn’t think about the mohair issue. I usually knit socks for my oldest since he can walk. I didn’t think of knitting positive ease hats but it may help in the future 😊

There's also the Ravelry forum for used spinning equipment, once you decide which wheel to buy, accessories are often included.

All the yarn is SO pretty! The end of the rainbow is definitely my favorite. Moondrake was my first intro to indie yarn! I love that she’s local-ish to me too. I have used that BFL high twist base before and it’s really lovely. I am with you on BFL sock yarn and also corriedale! I’m hard on socks too. 😅

I have an older Jim Reeves wheel and I did have to find a wood worker who was able to craft 2 bobbins for me on Etsy (his sister had had a shop that had sold the Jim Reeves Wheels before Mr Reeves closed his shop, and he knew about them) but it meant sending my only bobbin to him, a little nerve racking, but when I got the bobbins back they were perfect, they were $50 per bobbin. My 2nd wheel is a Kromski Polonaise, which is my favorite, tho too big to travel. I did have an older Ashford Traveler (castle wheel), my first wheel, that I loved, but it was one my aunt had bought years ago that she gifted to my sister who never learned to spin on and had it as a display in her living room for years. When her husband had to take a job in another state she had to down size and sent the wheel to me. Unfortunately the wood was unfinished and over the years of not oiling the wood, the wheel had warped, which as I used it caused the screws holding the maidens to eat the wood up inside the maidens and shaking loose. That would have meant, buying a new wheel to replace the warped one (not inexpensive) and repairing the maidens or buying that part, so I gave it on to someone who would love it and did fix up old wheels. All that to say, unless you know how and are willing to finish the wood and are willing to do that to all the pieces on your wheel, spend the extra money and get the finished wood wheel ;). Tho I can recommend the Ashford Traveler as a good castle wheel, I don’t know about the whorls as I was a new spinner and didn’t know much about changing speeds.

I’m leaning toward BFL for socks as well. I love the merino, but a more “rustic” yarn at a tight gauge makes for a long wearing sock! 9 sts/inch is the minimum, with light fingering I aim for 10 sts/inch. All that to say, that yarn is in my sights. Should I make the TWO tops I recently bought yarn for Before I start another project (socks)??? If you’re going to be getting more gorgeous yarn for the shop, I better get knitting (& finishing…) so I can replenish… ahem Thank you for all you do!

Just take all my money why don't you?

What is th name of the shawl that you showed?

I’ve been on the fence about purchasing the majyo but seeing your sample and swatch made me finally go for it! Thank you for curating this beautiful selection of yarns ❤

Your presentation is perfect, don’t worry! I DID jump in to the shop for soap + stitch marker set + tea … Good to know the soap will last a long time! I’m very interested in trying Soana yarn, and I love the tee! Next items on my “Gotta Have” list! A Tea “Tutorial” sounds like Fun! Based on what you have in the shop now, I’m so Very Curious what’s next!! Thank you for all you do, I’m happy to support your shop/designs…values I share as well!

Hi Aimee , love your new tee design. Can't wait to cast on with your recommended yarns. Oh 😅please your dolly need a bath towel for the bottom part 😂

❤❤❤Congratulations on ur yarn shop

Having no plan worked perfectly! I don’t have a local yarn store with a large selection of yarns I want to try so I really do rely on podcasts for recommendations. Thank you for talking about the yarn and the sustainability. We share the same values in that regard so I appreciate you and what you are doing. And what a coincidence, I just found the Little Big Yarn Co podcast a couple of days ago, but I missed the preorder for the sumire colorway. It looked like Mel had a lot of interesting yarn bases. Thank you again! Sincerely, Tania

Congratulations on opening your shop. Your designs are beautiful!

I love spontaneous informative podcasts. Congratulations on the opening of your new yarn shop. Can you film a tour for those overseas? Thanks.

Congratulations! Love this tee and really appreciate a designer who thinks of all sizes. Very best wishes as you continue your journey.

congratulations on the opening of your new shop. I really like it when Podcasters are informal they tend to speak from the heart ❤. Looking forward to what you have in store for us. Love the tee 😊

Congratulations on your new shop! 🎉

thanks so much for describing the difference between woolen and worsted spun yarns! I find that I'm still learning more about fibers all the time lmaooo.

I love love love the Weekday tee, and im knitting with the Saona now and really like knitting with it! Feels much better to knit with than other cotton blends i have tried.

I am so glad I was able to get mine.

That's Impossible!

Good to hear your views! I’ve only been spinning for 6y. I learnt on an Ashford traditional, but since I have a leg injury (R leg), I found the constant treadling aggravated my leg. Because I wanted to continue with this hobby, I (had!!) to move to an e-spinner… which I LOVE! It sits on my breakfast bar and it’s always handy! Only issue is, that I can’t use it when the power goes off… they say you “can” get a battery pack, but Ashford do NOT recommend this. (I just find other stuff to do 🤣) Happy spinning!

So cute! I definitely want to make one 😍

Thanks so much for sharing your adventures in wheel purchasing. I luckily joined a guild and got some wheels to test run. I have a portable Lendrum wheel as they are made locally to me. Now I'm looking for something a little smaller. I love spinning my own yarn, so the content you share is valuable. I will suggest that others, especially new spinners, watch your videos to get the info they need. Cheers,

Too many new needles? What next, too much yarn?

I can't express how much I love this

Thank you it was very interesting!!! 😊

Of course I am watching this video after having ordered my first wheel 😂 I started on a Kromski drop spindle, but I wanted more efficiency. A friend let me try out her Kromski Sonata, which was an amazing experience, however, when I went to a local weaving studio I tried their Kromski Fantasia, and that was the wheel that I personally ended up really connecting to. They also had me try out a Louet wheel with irish tension before committing, but that wheel was something that would take a long time for me to really get the hang of, unlike the scotch tension ones. Here's to my wheel arriving in two weeks!

I’d love to fins patterns for handspun yarns. Thank You

Hi Aimee. I am a very avid spinner. I have 4 treadle wheels and recently acquired an Ashford e-spinner. My spinning is 90% sport weight singles for weaving, although I have occasionally spun some fine 2ply for sock knitting. I too like to spin semi woolen with a backward draw and I find the only way I can sit turned a bit to the left to do my draw is to use a single Treadle with my right foot. I have two castle style wheels with single treadle which work well, and I have a Kromski Polonaise which I love, for the same reasons you like your Symphony, left side flyer, large wheel with huge speed choices. I have a Lendrum DT that I find very uncomfortable to spin on unless I’m doing a short forward draw, which is almost never. I like the e-spinner. It has huge bobbins, but is scotch tension only, and I prefer DD. Anyway, I do switch around for variety. When I travel the e-spinner is great. The Polonaise is delicate and absolutely doesn’t travel well. I totally understand your trouble with the Symphony. I really think you need several wheels for different purposes.

I really want a wheel but I want to make the right choice and the reality is that I guess there’s no “perfect” wheel until you’ve spun a while and know what subtle differences you prefer so it’s a conundrum. 😣

Can I ask what yarn this is? It's fabulous.

What ?? No ??? You’re knitting ?? As a knitting designer ??? 😮😮😮

Thank you so much for this video Aimee! Like you, I pretty much live in a spinning desert (rural Belgium). Due to health issues I can’t treadle for more than a few minutes at a time but should that improve I would definitely have to go for a double treadle wheel. A castle wheel would be an option as my preferred goes towards worsted style spinning. It would have to be a wheel that allows me to put in a lot of twist but that allows me to finely dial in the tension because as a lace knitter, I tend to spin for my projects which is lace weight yarn. I also don’t have a lot of space, so being able to easily fold up the spinning wheel in order to stash it away and take it out again would definitely come into play. As is, when I hit my spinning wall, mere months after diving down the rabbit hole of spinning, I went for the EEW Nano2 as it’s electric, is just about the cheapest e-spinner available to me and I got to try it out at the only craft fair within feasible distance from where I live (again,health issues). I also tried the EEW 6 but it being bigger and more expensive, and my house being just about as small as my budget, the Nano2 it was. The diminutive bobbin size doesn’t bother me as the average commercially available ball of lace weight yarn I tend to use weighs around 25 grams and I can pack that amount of yarn onto a Nano bobbin. I hope one day I will be able to transition to a traditional wheel. I tried out several at that fair. There is something to be said for the sensation and the rhythm of treadling while spinning. I seem to have a knack for it. But for now, e-spinners it is. There still is the tactile satisfaction of feeling the fibre flow between your fingers. I can spin worsted style of longdraw, depending on how I position my little spinner. I can even chain-ply if I affix it onto a heavy board. As for buying equipment: I built myself a lazy Kate out of a wooden box I found at a thrift store and a set of old knitting needles. A champagne cork works as a stopper on one side. All I had to do was drill a few holes. If I want a tensioned lazy Kate, the simple addition of two nails and a rubber band/elastic band made it tensioned. Most of us who don’t own a drill, know someone who does.

Most people learn using wool with a longer draw. I learned to spin using short foward because I learned with rabbit angora. This caused me to prefer a left handed wheel, or a castle. Having thick thighs, I like to treadle with one left foot even though I have double treadles. Things a person learns as they get new wheels...

Nice

LMAO

You got me 😂

I have a Sparrow also, it is my only wheel. I am currently on the list for a Starling because I want to make bigger skeins. I absolutely love the Sparrow for the ease of use & it is so easy to travel with. I have taken it with me many locations.

4:12 min you say: “I’ve talked about the Twinkle sweater before…” Please can you tell where I can find that talk?

love these! i think that knitting winter/rain boot socks for toddlers is worth it! we keep a pair with our kiddo's boots but use lil target grippy socks in the house.

Thanks for these tips! I definitely want to make the effervescent mini for my little, she's turning 3 this year and would love an 'elsa-blue' sweater!! So beautiful ❤

This was a great video. I'm a new spinner and rented a wheel from my local guide. They only had Ashford Joy's. In researching, I'm really drawn to the Kromski Minstrel and Sonata. I'm torn between getting a double or single drive for my first wheel. I'm taking my first spinning class at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and looking forward to actually seeing and sitting at a Minstrel to see how it feels. Can you talk more about the different drive systems and what they do?

This is so thoughtful. You brought up so many things I haven't ever considered. Thank you!