The Fruit of My First Spinning Class... A Sweet 2-ply Hand Spun Yarn!

Today I had my first spinning class and learned to make hand spun yarn on a wheel.  In the photo above is the fruit of my labor.  The yarn that I made today is 42 yards of 2-ply with wool and silk fibers mixed.   The six hour class was somewhat exhausting both physically and mentally, but I learned quite a lot.  Overall, I was satisfied with my learning experience.  My only wish is that I had gotten to spin on more than one kind of wheel.  I was only able to use a Kromski Minstrel wheel.  I liked it, but I haven't ever used anything else and would really like to get a feel for other wheels before getting one of my own.  At least I have begun the journey of spinning though.  With many other things preoccupying my time right now, I am uncertain if I will be taking the plunge and purchasing a spinning wheel of my own anytime soon, but it certainly could be in my future.

My mystery spinning wheel . . .

My parents were at a flea market about a month ago and came across this antique, used spinning wheel. They've always been very supportive of my artistic endeavors and knew that I have been wanting a wheel. Of course, I really thought that it would be a year or two before that happened because I had planned to save up for a new spinning wheel, but the loving parents that they are, they went ahead and surprised me with this unusual antique wheel. Now I have to figure out what to do with it and what kind of wheel it is.


I've looked up info on wheel styles in books and on the internet to find the style of wheel that it is. The closest thing that I've found is a Country Craftsman, but the mother-of-all looks very different from that on one of those wheels. The flyer area also looks like that found on a large antique Great Wheel and not more modern spinning wheel designs. I've also asked my local fiber supply shop owner, PJ, at Cottage Fiber, to see what info she might know. She thinks it is a hybrid wheel made from pieces of two other wheels and perhaps made in Canada due to its style. From what I can gather, it is either a modified saxony wheel, entirely home made wheel, or combination of two wheels put together. There aren't any maker's markings that I can find on it for identification. This wheel is a mystery to me . . .


I would certainly appreciate any help in figuring out this wheel. Please post a comment or contact me via my website if you might know any info about my mystery spinning wheel. I'd also be happy to know the titles of any good books on the subject or website links that I could research. Although I'd really like to be able to use my new (old) spinning wheel some day, for now it looks really wonderful as a decoration for my living room.