It's Heeeere!
I'm so excited! The wheel has arrived. I'm sure spinners who read this are going to be surprised to see it! We have always known it as a Cowichan Spinner. My mother bought it 30 years ago when she took a Cowichan spinning class. Recently I have learned it is also called a Tlingit Spinner and an Indian Head Spinner. It is made from fragrant B.C. (West Coast) cedar and is of very primitive construction. I searched online for a long time but couldn't find any more information on it. Here's the hilarious part - I Googled "Cowichan Spinner" and my blog came up as the third 'find'!!!! I laughed about that all day! You might be surprised to know it is not only a bulky spinner, although that was it's original purpose, as anyone who has seen an authentic Cowichan Sweater knows. It is possible to spin a wide range of yarns on it. Patience & practice, as always!
It has a thin leather drive belt and an oversize flyer and bobbin. It was very dusty so I washed it with a sponge. My whole office smelled like cedar for the day! I think I'm going to have to take the flyer & bobbin apart to clean the shaft because the flyer doesn't spin when I treadle. It will turn if I spin it by hand but since the whole thing was so dusty I suspect it needs a good cleaning. I can't see myself doing any spinning on it this week, maybe next weekend I'll have time to give it some attention.
I just had to show you my book haul! Interweave had a scratched & dented book sale - plus they had a Buy-4-get-one-free sale on back issues of their magazines so I scooped some back issues of Spin Off too!
So here's the list:
Hands On: Spinning (about wheels & spindles) Spin It (spindles only - yay!) Knitted Embellishments by Nicky Epstein (I've wanted that one for a while!) Folk Hats Folk Vests Folk Socks Homespun Handknits In Sheep's Clothing (about selecting wool & fleeces)
The only one I didn't get from Interweave is Button Up Your Top Down. I ordered that online from Cabin Fever's website (just click on those words to go there). They are a Canadian self-publishing group of knitters who specialize in patterns for seamless (or nearly seamless) knitting. I was very surprised by the huge number of patterns they have available! I selected the book without realizing that it really IS all cardigans! Not that I won't knit a cardy or two - but I think with very little effort you could knit them without dividing for front and back and just make pullovers. After reading this you'll roar when you see my next post - all about fixing my "how hard can it be to adapt?" project sweater!! ROFL!!
It has a thin leather drive belt and an oversize flyer and bobbin. It was very dusty so I washed it with a sponge. My whole office smelled like cedar for the day! I think I'm going to have to take the flyer & bobbin apart to clean the shaft because the flyer doesn't spin when I treadle. It will turn if I spin it by hand but since the whole thing was so dusty I suspect it needs a good cleaning. I can't see myself doing any spinning on it this week, maybe next weekend I'll have time to give it some attention.
I just had to show you my book haul! Interweave had a scratched & dented book sale - plus they had a Buy-4-get-one-free sale on back issues of their magazines so I scooped some back issues of Spin Off too!
So here's the list:
Hands On: Spinning (about wheels & spindles) Spin It (spindles only - yay!) Knitted Embellishments by Nicky Epstein (I've wanted that one for a while!) Folk Hats Folk Vests Folk Socks Homespun Handknits In Sheep's Clothing (about selecting wool & fleeces)
The only one I didn't get from Interweave is Button Up Your Top Down. I ordered that online from Cabin Fever's website (just click on those words to go there). They are a Canadian self-publishing group of knitters who specialize in patterns for seamless (or nearly seamless) knitting. I was very surprised by the huge number of patterns they have available! I selected the book without realizing that it really IS all cardigans! Not that I won't knit a cardy or two - but I think with very little effort you could knit them without dividing for front and back and just make pullovers. After reading this you'll roar when you see my next post - all about fixing my "how hard can it be to adapt?" project sweater!! ROFL!!
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