• Odds and Ends

    Dropping a Line

    At the beginning of September, I got an email asking if I could spin linen fishing line. I’ve been spinning linen thread/yarn, so from a technical perspective, it wouldn’t be too different. The site that was requesting it had a bamboo fishing pole event scheduled for the end of the month. Folks could stop by and try their hand at fishing with 19th century style fishing poles and hooks. I asked for a sample that I should try to match, how much they were looking for, and a deadline. I had about 300g of unbleached flax top on hand, so I wasn’t terribly worried about having the necessary supplies. This…

  • Close up of a spinning wheel with geometric decorations sitting on a glass table. Black cat with red collar in the background.
    Equipment,  Spinning,  Updates

    Spinning Wheels Are Like Pretzels – It’s Hard to Stop at One

    Okay, it’s usually potato chips, but I’m not as much a fan of those snacks, so I changed the phrase. Moving on… A couple weeks ago, someone in one of the Facebook spinning wheel groups posted a photo of a wheel that they were considering acquiring. That inspired me to go check eBay for antique wheels. I do it from time to time, but rarely find anything worth dealing with the potential hazards of shipping a wheel (or find one that’s amazing but way too expensive for me). So imagine my surprise when I found a *really interesting* looking wheel. The seller described it as a “German Bride wheel”. It…