It started a few weeks ago, when I started looking into some of the history behind wool processing. I want to be able to talk about how yarn was made and used in the middle ages (being the primary time frame of the ren faires I go to). My "research" (yeah, just googling stuff. Nothing too fancy. I hate history) suggested that drop spindles have been around forever, and sometime in the middle ages, the great wheel came about.
Hmn. A great wheel. I see those on Craigslist all the time! Off to Craigslist I went. And then more googling on what the missing pieces could be, and how to make them. And then I was hooked on the idea. Bringing a big-ass spinning wheel to faire? I can only imagine it'll draw a decent crowd. I'm still working on being able to talk about the pertinent history (yes, I know, I need to pick up a couple of actual books if I want to be fluent in it), but would love to be able to share one of my passions with a large group of people.
I went to CTRF a couple of weeks ago without one. I had contacted someone on Craigslist, but the wheel had sold. It's probably for the better because, even though it was cheap, it was missing pertinent parts (like a spindle) and I didn't have time that week to make replacements. When I got back, I just kept checking everyday.
And then it appeared, Wednesday afternoon. A listing about an hour away. The pics showed a confusing setup. But what was clear was that all the important parts were there: a wheel, a table, a spindle (albeit, tucked up next to the wheel, in the hole on the axle where the cotter pin goes to hole the wheel on), and a complete miner's head. I sent the email off right away. It was still available. He could meet me after work on Thursday. Apparently three others also emailed him after me. He took it upon himself to wait until I had had first dibs at it, as I had contacted him first.
I came home with a great wheel. For the record, a 47" wheel fits in my 2009 CR-V. He was shocked. Once I got home, I managed to figure out what parts go where. It's missing a leg, and there is some damage/wear where the back legs meet the body.
But I got it spinning this weekend. It's not the most pretty yarn as I work on my long draw, but I've got some alpaca roving that falls apart if you look at it cross-eyed, so it's a fairly easy bundle to practice.
I've joined the Spindle Wheels group on Ravelry and they've been a lot of help! We've been brainstorming possible fixes for the back end. I'll work on that this weekend so it's good to go for Mutton & Mead. They've also clued me in to the history of this particular wheel. It has a maker's mark, "J Bell". Apparently there's a James Bell from New York who made wheels approximately 1860s or so.
My daughter and I have decided to name her Belle, a play on the maker as well as the princesses, because we all know it wasn't Belle who pricked her finger.
