I really need a spinning userpic..
I was on charlotte.craigslist.org earlier in the week, browsing through the various forums, and decided on a whim to try searching for spinning wheels. I had done so before on previous occasions and only came up with Sit 'n' Spins which.. you know.. don't do much for fiber processing.
Lo and behold, this time, I actually came up with something other than nausea-inducing toys. (I'm rather thrilled about that sentence. How many times does one get to use the phrase 'lo and behold' these days, eh?)
This is the pic that was in the ad. I haven't taken my own photos yet.
The spinning wheel in question was advertised as being available at an antiques store called Southern Attic, in Lancaster, SC. In the course of investigation, I found out that the number that was listed in the ad was incorrect, but I managed to find the right number and ascertained the asking price as well as availability. $50, not working. From the picture though it seemed that most things were there and what wasn't, could be replaced. And hey, it was a great chance to tinker with it and figure out how one works :)
I also found out that there was another spinning wheel there which apparently had a wheel that was about 4 feet in diameter.. A walking wheel? I HAD to check it out.
Unfortunately, the distance between me and the store, and their store hours were a bit of a problem. I didn't figure that my employers would be too understanding of my need to cut out of work early just to drive a couple of hours to Lancaster on a fiendish shopping errand. I spent the whole week crossing my fingers that the wheel was going to stay put and not get sold.
And I managed to rope turtlegirl76 into going along on Saturday :)
I called Southern Attic on Friday evening to make sure that the wheels were still there. I found out that the 'walking wheel' (what I suspected it to be) had been sold and was no longer there, but the smaller one was. The smaller one was what I had been interested in anyway, so that was some consolation.
So off we went, and found that the wheel was indeed missing a drive band, needed some TLC and fix-ups.. the footman was disconnected from the treadle but that was no matter, and turtlegirl76 very kindly offered a spare connector from her Ashford maintenance kit which she had no use for. The wheel definitely needs at the very least some wood glue, because the hub doesn't seem altogether fastened together and some of the spokes are loose and seems a little broken-like.. it's all still holding fast together, so I don't know. I'll definitely be taking it apart as soon as I can. It also needs some cleaning and a lot of oil as well as some screw-tightening. I will have to roust out the fishing line to rig a scotch tension wossname for it and and will nose around for one of those spring-like coils that I've seen on Ashfords. This wheel has no identifying stamps or marks that I can find yet, so I have no idea who made it.
Hubby David has said that I probably will want to go find a woodworker because he doesn't feel up to the challenge for the wheel. I'm the one going, "Well it looks fairly straightforward to me!".. but I figure I can probably go find someone through a woodworking store that is in Matthews if I need to.
So then we went to Odd Broads in Fort Mill and were surprised to see the 40% off all yarn stuff sign. I think I am going to try to go through my book stash and figure out what I DO need to stock up on and will possibly have a re-visit next Saturday, possibly with tvini.
Oh and I finished a pair of blue socks from yarn that I had procured on a trip to Kansas! Photos and hurrahs to blog later.
Lo and behold, this time, I actually came up with something other than nausea-inducing toys. (I'm rather thrilled about that sentence. How many times does one get to use the phrase 'lo and behold' these days, eh?)
This is the pic that was in the ad. I haven't taken my own photos yet.
The spinning wheel in question was advertised as being available at an antiques store called Southern Attic, in Lancaster, SC. In the course of investigation, I found out that the number that was listed in the ad was incorrect, but I managed to find the right number and ascertained the asking price as well as availability. $50, not working. From the picture though it seemed that most things were there and what wasn't, could be replaced. And hey, it was a great chance to tinker with it and figure out how one works :)
I also found out that there was another spinning wheel there which apparently had a wheel that was about 4 feet in diameter.. A walking wheel? I HAD to check it out.
Unfortunately, the distance between me and the store, and their store hours were a bit of a problem. I didn't figure that my employers would be too understanding of my need to cut out of work early just to drive a couple of hours to Lancaster on a fiendish shopping errand. I spent the whole week crossing my fingers that the wheel was going to stay put and not get sold.
And I managed to rope turtlegirl76 into going along on Saturday :)
I called Southern Attic on Friday evening to make sure that the wheels were still there. I found out that the 'walking wheel' (what I suspected it to be) had been sold and was no longer there, but the smaller one was. The smaller one was what I had been interested in anyway, so that was some consolation.
So off we went, and found that the wheel was indeed missing a drive band, needed some TLC and fix-ups.. the footman was disconnected from the treadle but that was no matter, and turtlegirl76 very kindly offered a spare connector from her Ashford maintenance kit which she had no use for. The wheel definitely needs at the very least some wood glue, because the hub doesn't seem altogether fastened together and some of the spokes are loose and seems a little broken-like.. it's all still holding fast together, so I don't know. I'll definitely be taking it apart as soon as I can. It also needs some cleaning and a lot of oil as well as some screw-tightening. I will have to roust out the fishing line to rig a scotch tension wossname for it and and will nose around for one of those spring-like coils that I've seen on Ashfords. This wheel has no identifying stamps or marks that I can find yet, so I have no idea who made it.
Hubby David has said that I probably will want to go find a woodworker because he doesn't feel up to the challenge for the wheel. I'm the one going, "Well it looks fairly straightforward to me!".. but I figure I can probably go find someone through a woodworking store that is in Matthews if I need to.
So then we went to Odd Broads in Fort Mill and were surprised to see the 40% off all yarn stuff sign. I think I am going to try to go through my book stash and figure out what I DO need to stock up on and will possibly have a re-visit next Saturday, possibly with tvini.
Oh and I finished a pair of blue socks from yarn that I had procured on a trip to Kansas! Photos and hurrahs to blog later.