Tuesday, May 26, 2015

New Toy!



Only had a few minutes to try her out but what can I say?  I'm smitten!  This may very well be the wheel of my dreams.  It is an antique - likely made sometime around the turn of the century - and I don't mean this one...late 1800's to early 1900's.  I was told it is a Laurence Canadian Production Wheel.  The drive wheel is huge - I didn't measure it but apparently 30 to 32" is common.

I joined a group on Ravelry devoted to this type of wheel and I've been learning more about the typical characteristics of this type of wheel - the spokes are 'three bead' - I think you can just make out the three bumps on the spokes.

This picture isn't great - cell phone camera, after all.

The wheel will reside at the guild room for the time being.  It really is a very large wheel and there isn't room in my living room for it right now.

6 comments:

Sandra Rude said...

Ooh! It's beautiful! Happy spinning...

Nanette said...

How wonderful!

Louisa said...

Amazing to me how many of those Quebec wheels are still around! Thom & I recently helped a guild member get a similar one going. It hadn't been spun on for quite some time and needed a lot of de-gunking and oiling to spin again. But my, it's got momentum! The only drawbacks that I can see are the small bobbin and the fact that you probably only have one of them. (I can't get by with less than 6 per wheel.) Happy spinning!

Laura Fry said...

Hi Louisa, yes the orifice is pretty small but Jude provided an orifice hook that fits. :) Only one bobbin but I can wind off onto one (or more) of my plastic spools and ply from there. I'm thinking I need *another* wheel for plying as I've heard these wheels don't like to go the other direction. :-/

cheers,
Laura

Louisa said...

Ha-ha! One wheel begets another - and another...

Anonymous said...

Ooh, you will love this wheel! I bought one two years ago from a fellow guild member who likes spinning art yarn and that's possibly the one thing this wheel will NOT do very well. I spin to weave and knit, and this has become my 'go to' wheel. Mine is a Bordua, stamped on the table as such. My husband named it "Antonio" as in Antonio Banderas - sleek and sexy and fast like a Maserati. It has stuck. Happy spinning!