(I'm new so don't know all of the correct terms yet. Forgive my ignorance.)
One day I want to meet a sheep, purchase her fleece, and see her again the next year in a garment made of her wool. Like that Spider-Man meme we would be dressed the same.
So far I know how to crochet and knit, and have a little experience with a drop spindle.
That was until I spotted an old Ashford Traditional for sale online and took a long drive to collect her. She had a few issues, but for the price I was ready to do the repairs.
From what I could tell at first the scotch tension needed entirely redoing, the wood needed a good moisturising and a bit of glue, and the footman needed entirely replacing. It seemed the original one had broken and the damage had been cut off, then a piece of leather had been taken from an old belt and used as an extra long conrod joint. Technically it was in working condition, but I wanted her to feel more presentable before I started spinning.
The most time consuming repair was that conrod. I searched my dad's shed for any wood that would do. Nothing fit. So Hobbycraft it was.
Their website lied about what was in stock and Click&Collect failed me too. My trusty Wool Warehouse came to the rescue. I was already going to order yarn for a blanket I was gift knitting so the universe was aligning.
Then I used the replacement leather from the Ashford Maintenance Kit to attach it to the foot pedal.
The tension knob needed a hole drilled into it. The old one had the wire glued into the base of the stopper. As it had started turning blue I knew it needed changing. I also added springs to the tension brake because the internet told me to.
There were a few items not included in the maintenance kit that I had to order online. The bearings holding the flyer in place were old leather that had been stapled into the maidens. They fell off easily, were rock solid, and as they didn’t have a gap in the top, required twisting the maiden out of place every time the bobbin needed changing. They looked as old as the wheel itself.
Thankfully Ashford parts are available online and fit pretty much every model.
The new bearings made a world of difference. I didn’t realise how much friction the old ones caused until I treadled with the new bearings. It spun for twice as long.
A lot of beeswax, bicarbonate, steel wool and spinning oil later and she was ready to go. Now on with the spinning.
I’ve now been spinning on Gillian for 9 months. The wheel has a slight wobble to it as I spin. Wood warps over time and it’s not something that can be fixed, so for now I’m just keeping an eye on it. And it’s not causing the string to come off so it’s not technically a problem yet.
I’m now one step closer to my final goal. I can turn roving into yarn and yarn into a jumper, next comes learning how to process a greasy fleece. Picking, carding, combing, and washing all that lanolin out.
I’ll keep you updated as I search for the perfect sheep.
Happy crafting x