My spinning this morning began on the Matchless. It’s made by Schacht and I think it’s their top of the line wheel. I have one I bought new and one I bought used. I think it’s the new one (new in 2015 when I bought it) but I’ve had problems with the treadles not being smooth. Vince has messed with it but he’s going to have to mess with it again. I played around with it for probably over an hour and never could do anything but break the fiber. I never could get it to spinning. Figuring either I was never going to get this or there is something wrong with that wheel, I switched to the Lady Bug. I was able to start spinning yarn immediately with the Lady Bug. It’s so very far from perfect but it doesn’t look bad and I think tomorrow I’ll do even better.
This is the fiber I started with.
Here’s the yarn I spun! It has thick spots. It has overspun spots but hey .. it’s a start!
When I had first started out on the Matchless, I was using a merino fiber. The one I used on the Lady Bug (shown above) is Corriedale so I thought maybe it was the fiber I had used with the Matchless. When I was done for the day on the Lady Bug, I tried using the same Corriedale on the Matchless and still only got breaks and couldn’t get a smooth treadle action going. Sometimes, from a stopped position, I can’t even get the treadles to start without turning the wheel by hand first.
Tomorrow, I think I’ll clean up and oil the other Matchless and see how it works.
Paula N. says
I’m impressed with your first effort! Maybe you could use it to make a rug or coasters?
Sandie says
Looks good!
Nelle Coursey says
I think you did good for your first try in a while!
Joyce says
Your spinning looks great. (You should see my first efforts…). On the Matchless, do you have it set up as double drive or Scotch tension? It sounds like you have the tension too tight. I have heard it is more fiddly to get double drive set right. My wheels are Scotch tension, so I don’t know what you have to do to loosen the tension in double drive.
Denise says
That’s one of the reasons it is important to try wheels out in person before you buy. Different wheels work for different people. Spin on the one that works the best for you at the beginning. Then switch to the others as your skills improve.
And, of course, there may be something off in the “difficult” wheel.
Judy Laquidara says
I did. I tried about a dozen different wheels. I took classes at a shop near Austin, TX and they had so many wheels and would even let us “check out” a wheel, bring it home and then bring it back in a week. That’s how I decided on the wheels I got. I also liked the Majacraft Rose and if I keep spinning, I may add one of those to the pack some day. The difficult wheel was my own fault. With the help of a reader, I figured out what was wrong and have spun on it all day today.
Denise says
Oh, and your first yarn looks great!
Judy Laquidara says
Thanks. What I’m doing today looks so much better. I see improvement! 🙂
dezertsuz says
Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I like lumpy bumpy yarn! That’s pretty colors, and I like the difference in texture as it goes. But since it isn’t optimal, can you respin the yarn or spin it a second time? I have friends who are spinners, even own an antique spinning wheel, but I don’t really know anything about it. I loved watching the Navajo girls spin on a stick. It’s one of the requirements in the contest to be Miss Navajo Nation.