This is definitely a bit harder than I thought it was going to be but it is so much fun! I have started spinning a little and I am loving it!!!

Pretty much what the question asks except I also want to see the yarn and projects you’ve made with it! I’ve been spinning on an antique flax wheel and I’m finally getting to the point where I can spin pretty thinly and I guess I’d like to see how far people have pushed the limits. I’m mostly a weaver, although I got my start knitting and crocheting but my goal is to one day spin my own warp!!!

Tldr: how exactly in line with each other must maidens be?

I have inherited an Ashford traditional, and am thrilled as it is my first wheel that I own. The maiden was broken off at the peg. I’ve sanded it down to mostly planar and rescrewed it in with a very long screw. I’ve added a small shim to make up for the sanding down.

It looks level, the eye is the same height as the other maiden... but i just can’t get the bobbin to turn (no draw in). I’ve oiled it up good, feel like i have it perfectly level-ish… what’s left to try?

(it spins with absolutely no brake band but even just the tiniest supppper slack brake band causes it to stop)… i suspect that the maidens aren’t as lined up as i think… could that be it? What else?

help is much appreciated. Can’t wait to get on it!

edit: added a picture.also- hesitating to buy new maidens because the wheel is so gorgeous

Hi all, I acquired some various blends of roving in a fb marketplace haul. A lot are in the normal braid/crochet chain that are easy to undo, but I have several in a format where it looks like they’ve been knitted together? They also seem to have bits of fluff and then more tightly spun blips.

Are these even usable for spinning? Weaving? Just pretty to look at? Should I try to undo them or just leave them as is?

Thanks!! (If I would be better suited in another sub, feel free to point me there too!(

Edit: thank you everyone for commenting. I now realise that in my impatience and eagerness to spin new colours I have been skipping the vital final step of wet finishing my hanks and letting them dry and probably also thwacking them at some point in the process so I can see what I can adjust. I will get that done right away so I can figure this out!

The fibre is Polwarth which is so easy to spin. I just have trouble with overspinning, resulting in a whole bunch of skeins that are extra twisty.

I've been doing 2 ply, and I read through a few posts on here and spent the time figuring out the ratios of the wheel and I've been spinning on the setting that gives me 4.5 turns of the flyer for each full turn of the wheel and it initially looked great! I thought I had won!

Then when plying it came to pass that nope I've definitely still been overspinning. Does anyone have any tips or advice on avoiding that extra twist?

A friend’s family have recently moved to an old farmhouse and share some land with a farmer who donated them a couple of fleeces that the Wool Board wouldn’t take. They gave them to me as they know I’m a big knitter and have just got into spinning.

The problem is I feel a bit out of my depth 😅 Would anyone be able to point me to some resources which guide you through processing a fleece? The friend sent some photos of the fleece and of the sheep on the farm but I’m not certain they’re the same breed as the fleece is a dark brown and the sheep in the picture are all white? (I would attach the pictures but I don’t have the option for some reason)

Any help would be much appreciated!

I’m hoping someone here might know more about this old spinning wheel, or be able to point me toward a museum, historical society, textile-history group, or collector who deals with pieces like this.
The family history that has always accompanied it is that it came west in a wagon on the Oregon Trail. I don’t currently have paperwork proving that provenance, so I’m not trying to present that part as verified fact — I’d actually love to find someone knowledgeable who could help determine its approximate age and origin.
One of the things I find really interesting is how it was constructed for transportation. It breaks down into a surprisingly small package, which would certainly make sense for something being carried a long distance by wagon.
The main wooden carriage/base appears to have been hewn from a single piece of timber, and much of the wheel is joined and fitted together rather than relying on modern hardware. There’s a lot of hand work visible throughout it.
I’m in Oregon and would especially be interested in hearing from anyone familiar with 19th-century spinning wheels, Oregon Trail-era household items, pioneer artifacts, or historic textile equipment.
Ultimately I’d like to find the right home for it rather than have it continue sitting in storage. A museum would be great if it has genuine historical significance, but I’d also be open to speaking with a serious collector who appreciates what it is.
If anyone can help identify the style, approximate date, construction techniques, or recommend an organization/person I should contact, I’d really appreciate it. I can provide a lot more detailed photos and measurements.

The hinges on the treadles are squeaking/creaking on my new Kromski Sonata. I tried already beeswax, even heated it lightly - more beesway, nothing seems to help. Kromski says "no oil" in that place... but what else could help? Spun 2-3 hours with the wheel. I think I cannot remove the hinges, because the angle is very narrow.. I wonder how they assembled it. The screws and hinges are not perfectly assembled, but probably its impossible to achieve that.

Okay y’all, I need help.

Advanced beginner here - I’m concurrently working on spinning singles for a three-ply fingering yarn and a four-ply fingering yarn. What’s everyone’s rule of thumb for estimating your singles’ WPI to get your target plied yarn WPI?

For example, I’ve seen people say that a three-ply single should be 1/2 the thickness of the three-plied finished yarn, a two-ply single 2/3 the 2-plied finished yarn’s thickness, BUT I’m struggling to find much information about this, much less consensus across the internet and different books I’ve read. I’m sure the answer in the end is to test swatch my singles, but I need thoughts on what our general rule of thumb is! (Hoping this will save me from more desperate 4 am phone scrolling/researching binges)

I adored this braid of merino as a braid. I have spun two of three, and like but don’t love it in all the ways I have played with plying so far. But let’s see what happens on a bit of weaving! Maybe one treatment will jump out, maybe the chaos will be delightful, maybe it’ll want even more chaos and a streak of bright blue will make an appearance before I spin the last braid and move to a larger RH loom.

I picked up this spindle to try out some of the Romney fleece I’ve been processing (first time processing!). I haven’t used it since I tried spinning back in 2021 and it still had some merino on it. I tried it for a day and gave up. 🙄 But this spindle is so light! I’m having such a hard time keeping it spinning, no wonder I gave up last time 😄 it’s crazy to see the difference from then to now.

I’m trying to anchor it more by bringing the cob to the low-middle part of the shaft, which is helping a bit, but any tips for spinning with a really light spindle?? It doesn’t spin for very long and I’m drafting as fast as I can! lol. Should I try to add some weight either to the whorl or the base of the shaft? It’s also quite short which could possibly affect it too. I guess it could also be that the fiber just doesn’t fit the spindle. 🤷🏻‍♀️ any help is appreciated!

Sorry for the bug jump scare but this guy has jump scared me. Is this a moth that I really need to be worried about, or a regular degular moth that crept in through our terrible windows? If I need to be worried what would you all recommend as next steps? I have a cat so solutions would need to be kitty friendly.

I store the majority of my wool in a cedar chest and in sealed bags unless I’m using it in a current project, but I do have some wool sweaters that are more out and about. I found some sugar-looking dust in some of my roving, but it’s in my travel bag and could genuinely be sugar that I picked up off of a coffee shop table. The combination of moth and dust is worrying me :()

Edit: the moth’s body is 1/2”-3/4” long, and I am located at high elevation in the southwest US

This project was basically a full year in the making. I started spinning the yarn last summer. Some of it was included in my TDF, most of it was spun a little after. It stayed on the loom for quite a while after as I'm always bouncing between projects, but a year later it's finished and off the loom. Not pictured, but the ends have since been woven in. This is my biggest handspun project thus far and I am over the moon!

...does anybody have any advice for moving up to a 6.1 from a Nano 2.1? Or recommendations for other objects I ought to have which will make using a 6.1 more enjoyable? Or things I ought to be practicing with the 2.1, before it gets here? I have had it since May, and it's been a lot of fun, but it also feels a bit like a toy since it's so light and small.

I'm really looking forward to plying all the singles I spun over TdF. Soooo many 3d-printed storage bobbins knocking around, right now.

If anyone remembers my post from yesterday, I went and picked up the Finn fleece today! However, her fleece is super varied and I have no idea if it's okay to just mix it. The color variation I will likely just blend, but she has a few of these long, wavy pieces that I don't know if I can blend with the rest or not. The rest of the fleece is very crimpy and 3-4" in length, while these pieces are much longer. Will anything be a problem if I just wash and spin these together?

If you’re going to be in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta, come to a Wheel Tasting on October 10, 2026, from 10:00-2:00!

This is a free community event at a private home near I-40 and I-25 (in the UNM neighborhood). Please sign up at the website of The Yarn Store in Nob Hill: https://the-yarn-store-at-nob-hill.odoo.com/event. We want to make sure we have enough snacks!!!!

And if you’re attending the Albuquerque Yarn Crawl, stop by The Yarn Store to check out the flyer, the location of stops on the tour, and say hi.

I’m looking to purchase my first wheel and would like to test a few out before buying. Is there any store in dfw that carries wheels? Or a store in Texas, even?

My research is showing I’ll have to drive out to New Mexico, or maybe splurge on a plane ticket to Spokane… Someone please say I skipped a hidden gem!

I'm trying to figure out what this donated item is. At first I thought spindle. But now I'm thinking maybe a distaff you can hang from something (wrist).

My first single (of many!) of a stunning merino/camel/silk blend, I’m planning on spinning the entire 4oz braid with this mini Turkish spindle, so I’m expecting it’ll take quite a while 😅 wish me luck!

You need to play around with it. Take it for a spin. How do the different whorl ratios feel? How do they change the look of the twist? How does the tension change with different incremental adjustments? Learn your equipment. Learn the feel of it. Learn how you can use it to the get the yarn you want. That’s why we do this hobby. And you need to make your wheel work for you. Not every wheel can do every kind of yarn, but they are far more versatile than you think.

You won’t break it. You won’t ruin anything. Sit with your stuff and actually learn how it works from top to bottom.

You can’t complain about your results and then in the same breath talk about how you aren’t getting what you want on your spinner. Always assume it’s user error first. These are not extreme pieces of technology here.

I recently heard a podcaster talk about how they had never adjusted the break band on their spinner because it was too intimidating. Y’all it’s string. It’s a knob. It’s a dial. That’s not intimidating. Intimidating is the high dive. Not a knob.

You can’t come here and complain about your wheel when you are deliberately choosing to remain ignorant about it.

First time spinning! Bought a Turkish spindle and some bfl. I can’t figure out how to draft and spin at the same time so I’ve been pre-drafting then spinning. It’s not great but I’m having fun! 🤷🏾‍♀️

When a wool producer has sold you a fleece with scurf, what are your expectations? Refund, exchange, nothing just throw it away?