Spinning on a Flyer Wheel

47 pages; 70 illustrations;  8 ½” x 11” pages.

ISBN: 978-0-9965577-6-4; Second printing. Price: $20.

The spinning wheel is a source of great enjoyment and this 47 page monograph introduces the beginner to the terminology and technique of spinning on a flyer spinning wheel, as well as to the fibers now available to the spinner. Flyer spinning wheels are categorized according to how the flyer is driven relative to the bobbin that will take up the yarn: Scotch tension, bobbin-led, and double-band. Every part of these spinning wheels is labeled in detailed photographs of the front and the back of the wheels, and spots to oil as needed are specified. The basics of spinning are covered: twist, plying, and drive ratios; suggestions for how to proceed in the learning process are outlined. Natural and regenerated fibers in the various forms are described with illustrations, from silk cocoons to handspun nettle. A way to characterize the created handspun includes how to use a yarn balance to calculate yards / lb., how to determine the grist  (akin to the diameter) of the yarn, how to calculate the sett and yardage needed for weaving, how to estimate the needle size and the yardage for knitting, and how to even out handspun in knitting. A bibliography concludes the monograph. 

Sample pages can be viewed in this PDF.

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