What I wish I knew before I bought my first spinning wheel

WHAT I’M WEARING
Oolong Tank, pattern available today
Knit in Purl Soho Linen Quill.

MY WHEELS
Kromski Symphony
Ashford Traditional

BRANDS TO LOOK AT
These brands all still maintain all their wheels and provide accessories, support, etc:
Schacht, Ashford, Kromski

I’ve had good experiences trying out wheels of different styles from all of these since my first purchase

ELECTRIC WHEELS MENTIONED
Dedalus, Ashford, and Hansen

ADDITIONAL SPINNING VIDEOS

See me assemble my 2nd wheel, the Kromski Symphony, and spin on it for the first time:

See a bunch of woolen spun and semi-woolen spun yarns I made here:

MY KNITTING PATTERNS

WHERE TO FIND ME
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[daniellebissonnette]

I started handspinning on a drop spindle back in August 2023, and I got hooked. In September, I bought a single treadle, antique Canadian Production Wheel. It is a fantastic wheel, but there are three drawbacks of this wheel:
1. there is only one whorl, therefore only one ratio/speed
2. The bobbin will only hold about 50 g of fiber, so once you fill up the bobbin, you need to unwind to a separate bobbin before plying back. If you ply two or three bobbins together (as opposed to chain plying or bracelet plying), I need to unwind as many times as I made singles' bobbins
3. It is big and old, so travelling with it is a very bad idea.

Despite these drawbacks, I still think that it was a very good deal, as it gave me the opportunity to try wheel spinning before jumping in and making a more significant purchase.
Because I had no wheel spinning experience, no one to teach me, and a fast ratio of 14:1, the learning curve was steep and I had to figure out how to compensate for the fact that the wheel wanted to spin much faster than I could draft. For this reason, I figured that I needed to spin as far away from the orifice as possible, but drafting backward was uncomfortable and took away any control that I had on the wheel. I eventually figured out that positioning myself to face the tip of the drive wheel and treading with my left foot allowed me to draft with my left hand and pull back my fiber source with my right hand. This increased my control of the wheel and the yarn, as I had extra time to draft and stop as needed to fix overtwisting and inconsistencies.
With practice, this allowed me to develop a very comfortable and consistent long draw yarn.
I have only been spinning on a wheel for a couple of months, and I am now very good at long draw. A couple of weeks ago, I purchased an EEW 6.0, which will allow me to compensate for any of the limitations of my other wheel. I like it very much, but I still much prefer the feel of a treadle. I think that I will be using both of them equally in the long term. The large bobbins on the EEW will be very useful for plying the smaller CPW singles bobbins.

[ArtByJUSTSAM]

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.

[jonnapeguero]

Aimee, thank you for all of this information. Buying a spinning wheel is such a huge investment and I have been debating it for years. These tips are really helpful and I will definitely take the opportunity to test some out before I purchase one!

[karenbochinski]

Great video. I have owned several wheels and your advice is awesome

[Janet-ovzx]

Thank you for a very helpful video! I am getting ready to purchase my first new wheel. I have an ancient Ashford "Scholar" that was made in the 1960’s. It's a single treadle, castle style, Irish tension wheel that has been great to learn on. I found it in an antique store, still working. All it needed was oiling, tightening up the screws, and a new drive band. But there are no options for different whorls /speeds. I'm ready to up my wheel options.
Your consideration of what kind of spinning and drafting you like to do is not something I'd considered. Your discussion of the relation of the orifice to your feet and body position was also very helpful. I knew I was going to purchase another castle style wheel, but your discussion helped me know why that's the style I I want. Twisting doesn’t work for me, and so far I like making worsted drafted yarns. I'm considering a Lendrum double treadle, which I've tried and find comfortable, or a Schact Matchless, which I've not tried. My favorite LYS has had a Matchless for sale for years, so that's my next step - go try it before I make a final decision. Thanks, Aimee, for a very timely (for me) and helpful video. harpingJanet

[nz-nz]

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!

[ilovejack]

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,

[Eliotyarnbunny]

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!

[grayautumnday]

I bought the first EEW Nano in 2019 and learned to spin on that. (I'd done a small bit of drop spinning as a kid in homeschool coop decades before.) I also got more seriously into spinning in 2020 and was very lucky that my first spinning wheel - Ashford Joy 2 - turned out to be the best of the affordable wheels and grew with me over the years as I increasingly spend more time spinning than any other craft - fleece processing, dyeing, soap making, etc.

I've also bought, fixed/upgraded, used for a while, and resold several new and used wheels - Louët S10, Schacht Flatiron, Ashford Traditional, Schacht Matchless, charkhas, e-spinners... and helped other even more new spinners figure out the quirks of their new/used wheels - I'm a tinkerer and investigator by nature.

Besides wanting to find the best first wheel, it seems like many people benefit from a wheel with versatility, so the wheel can grow with a spinner, or be upgraded to grow with them as they learn. Some wheels do this better than others. Among good wheels for both beginners and experts that are also more affordable, I think the Ashford Joy 2, the Ashford Kiwi, the Ashford Traditional, the customizable version of the Louët S10 (allows switching to Scotch tension), and the castle style wheels by Lendrum and Kromski are all great. For more expensive wheels, the Schacht Matchless is great but I wouldn't recommend a beginner spend that much until they know they're going to stick with spinning for a long time.

But really, find a way to try wheels out in person. Buying a wheel as a beginner without trying it is a near-guaranteed formula for headaches and heartbreak and does the opposite of setting oneself up for success.

[anettetandberg]

Such an informative episode! Thank you🙏🏻🤩

[eddavanleemputten]

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.

[OneWorldFabrics]

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.

[marie-susanmartini]

Thanks a lot, this was really helpful. I'm at my first wheel atm (an old Louet S70) which I got quite cheap. Castle style, 1 treadle, 3 bobbins, Irish tension, BUT the fastest ratio is like 7.5:1 and the new flyer with at least 4 bobbins alone would cost me 200$ and I would need an additional lazy Kate... now I'm thinking I'd probably just get another wheel which really fits me before investing all that money in an old wheel...

[lizjones]

Great video. Learned so much. I have a wheel that I bought 20 years ago and now I know that it may be worth it to buy another vs buy all the accessories to make this one fit my needs. Thanks!

[teresayoung]

Thank you for your video. I have 3 wheels. I didn't test out any at first. I started with drop spindling too. I don't have any wheels that do double drive. 2 are Scotch tension, my Sonata(first wheel )and my Hansen mini spinner(3rd wheel). My hubby was picking up a dirt bike and since we were traveling right by Paradise fibers I acquired an Ashford country spinner which is Irish tension for large amounts and art yarn. That wheel hasn't gotten even an 1/8 of the hours the others have. I've done modified long draw since that is painful. Right now with my neuropathy in my feet my electric is what I most likely will use for Tour de fleece.

[knitsandnotions]

aimee, this video was so so helpful ! i've been spindle spinning for about 2 years now and i am definitely wanting to spin higher quantities of yarn for larger projects and i am hoping to save up to buy a wheel in the next year or so. there was so much you mentioned that i hadn't considered before (like if i would prefer double or single treadle, what type of wheel might best suite my body) and i'm feeling really encouraged to get out there and try out some wheels!!

[LDSVenus]

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.

[Whisperhollow]

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...

[fleeperification]

Thank you for this video! I also have an ashford traditional I found used and I know it won’t be my forever wheel. I am kind of torn on what kind of wheel I would like but I do think the saxony is more comfortable than I expected. The matchless looks like such an amazing wheel though lol.

I have considered purchasing a jumbo flyer for mine but also felt like it probably wasn’t worth it considering I only paid $200 for the wheel, lazy Kate and extra bobbins.

[jeanneb]

You bring up a lot of points I hadn't thought about yet! Could you maybe try and explain to me what the difference is between double drive and scotch tension when it comes to the actual spinning? Why would I choose one style over the other?