It's easy, once you've been spinning for some years, to forget how tricky things can be when you take up the craft for the first time. After solving the first problem - how do I find someone to teach me to spin? - and the second problem - how do I actually do the spinning? - there are the problems of finding the kit.
Take the spinning wheel itself: buy a second-hand one, and take the risk that it may be worn out or even broken? or save up for a brand new one, which could take some time? Our newest members have solved this problem in a variety of ways, renovating old wheels, buying second-hand from a reliable source (the Abergele Guild!) or selling some unwanted items to raise money for a brand new wheel.
Buying a new wheel is a bit nerve-wracking, but very exciting. After getting the bits out of the box and oiling the wood, you are then faced with the fiddling business of putting them together in the right order. Armed with a diagram, a selection of simple tools and a trusty helper, you are in for an afternoon of jigsaw puzzlery before ending up with the finished product: a brand new, fully working shiny spinning wheel.
Here are some action shots of Hilary assembling Haf's new spinning wheel.
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| To begin at the beginning: a table-top full of bits. |
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| ..hmmm... |
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| Nearly there. |
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| And the finished item, ready for many years of faithful service. |
AC
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