My Betty Roberts Wheel
This is my spinning wheel! Isn't she gorgeous!?
So, I got an amazingly beautiful spinning wheel for my birthday, from the best husband ever. It was made/built by Betty Roberts, of Oroville, Washington (the closest town to where I live). She’s kind of a big deal. She makes the most incredibly beautiful wheels I’ve ever seen.
See photos throughout this post for some of the details of my wheel. It has resin inlay, with local wildflowers, butterflies, and morels. Betty’s initials are included in tiny flower heads. I feel awed every time I touch this thing!
I also feel a little daunted, as I’m a really novice spinner and feel like I don’t deserve something this nice, like I can’t do it justice. So, I’m practicing a LOT. I had been trying to spin some fleece from a friend’s pet sheep. It’s very coarse, and VERY short staple, I thought I was just really bad at spinning, but once I watched some video classes, and purchased some combed top Shetland, BFL (Blue Faced Leicester), and Corriedale wool, I realized that I CAN do this, I just need to practice to do it well!
I actually spun two bobbins of the Shetland, and plied them together. I made yarn! The twist is too tight, the singles are uneven, the yarn is lumpy-bumpy, but it’s definitely yarn. And I’m going to make something out of it! Now I have to run to the shop and make myself a niddy-noddy, so I can skein it! Here’s some video of me practicing, breaking off my fiber a LOT, retrying, spinning a little more. It’s sped up to three times normal speed, so don’t think that I’m all competent or something, everything looks better in fast motion! Hey, if you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to the YouTube channel, and here, so you never miss anything!
Subscribe, leave a comment, tell me what you think I should make from my lumpy bumpy first-timer yarn! Happy Crafting!