Spinning and Weaving

Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers

In article ,
says...
Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers



Welcome Neal, and glad you've come out of lurkdom to introduce yourself!
I personally don't spin, but I do want to learn. In any case, there are
many many spinners and weavers here, and am sure they will post a
response to your post.
Also, FYI, there ARE 'guys' in this group, quite a few, as a matter of
fact. AND... many woodworkers, either ourselves or vicariously through
our spouses.
Again, welcome to the greatest NG in the 'net.
Hugs,
Noreen

--
Noreen's Knit*che
(Knitting, Crocheting, Tatting & BobbinLace are my NICHE in life...)
NATA #447
(my family tree is FULL of 'nuts')

Good morning and welcome Neal, from the UK,
I'm one of the spinners and weavers of whom Noreen speaks of...lol
There are books on making looms, can't be sure about spinning wheels, but if
you do a google search for Loom constructions you should come across it.
Also you may like to make the two ladies in your life, some hand spindles,
many ladies love to have these, and you obviously as a wood worker have a
lathe, and home made ones are much cherished.
There are Yahoo groups on the net, where anyone wishing to learn more of
this ancient craft can join and you may learn more of crafting these items
from one of these.
go to www.yahoogroups.com and go to Join a group, then put weaving, and of
course spinning, into the search box, and find groups, of interest to you.
Here are some of the names to look for:-





I will search the net myself for instructions on loom and spinning wheel
construction books for you.
In the meantime....thanks for coming in to see us.
Cheers.....Cher south west UK England.
"Neal Rogers" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving
group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers




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I think Cher said it all) Welcome

Ophelia
Scotland


"Cher" wrote in message
...
Good morning and welcome Neal, from the UK,
I'm one of the spinners and weavers of whom Noreen speaks of...lol
There are books on making looms, can't be sure about spinning wheels, but
if
you do a google search for Loom constructions you should come across it.
Also you may like to make the two ladies in your life, some hand spindles,
many ladies love to have these, and you obviously as a wood worker have a
lathe, and home made ones are much cherished.
There are Yahoo groups on the net, where anyone wishing to learn more of
this ancient craft can join and you may learn more of crafting these items
from one of these.
go to www.yahoogroups.com and go to Join a group, then put weaving, and of
course spinning, into the search box, and find groups, of interest to
you.
Here are some of the names to look for:-





I will search the net myself for instructions on loom and spinning wheel
construction books for you.
In the meantime....thanks for coming in to see us.
Cheers.....Cher south west UK England.
"Neal Rogers" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in
weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving
group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers




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Hi Noreen, don't know about being the first in on this one....lol...

Don't think I know a Jackie as yet, but then I don't read every mail that
comes in from these groups....I'll keep a look out for her.

Thanks ..Cher
"Noreen's Knit*che" wrote in message
news:200381524341.705801@j9o2a1...
On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 01:06:02 -0500, Cher wrote:
~carefully snipped with comments inserted~
Good morning and welcome Neal, from the UK,
I'm one of the spinners and weavers of whom Noreen speaks of...lol

grin, Cher, I just KNEW you'd be one of the first to respond, and
thought you would be a wealth of information.

Also you may like to make the two ladies in your life, some hand
spindles,
many ladies love to have these, and you obviously as a wood worker
have a
lathe, and home made ones are much cherished.

True true true, I've got friends who treasure their spindles!

There are Yahoo groups on the net, where anyone wishing to learn
more of
this ancient craft can join and you may learn more of crafting
these items
from one of these.

Cher, do you by any chance know a Jackie in the yahoo groups from
Pennsylvania, USA? *she goes by 'beginnerspinner'...







See, I knew you'd be a treasure trove of info!


In the meantime....thanks for coming in to see us.
Cheers.....Cher south west UK England.

Noreen







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Yes, there are a few spinners and weavers on this group. Wheels and looms
make and use yarn, so this is the place. There are woodworking plans
available for both wheels and looms that will probably come up on a web
search. Your local group will also be a good resource for looking at
existing looms and wheels for ideas. Go for it. We have a really good men's
sheep-to-shawl team here in MD. They need more competition.

| On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 03:21:19 GMT, Neal Rogers wrote:

Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers



Helen "Halla" Fleischer,
Fantasy & Fiber Artist in Fairland, MD USA
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/

| On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 09:18:29 +0100, "Cher" wrote:

Hi Noreen, don't know about being the first in on this one....lol...

Don't think I know a Jackie as yet, but then I don't read every mail that
comes in from these groups....I'll keep a look out for her.

Good luck! I'm on 3 spinning lists and way behind on messages in all of
them. Got a backlog of 7800+ on Spindlers alone! Just can't bring myself
to do a wholesale dump, even if I should. And it takes time even to winnow
out whole threads at a time. So lately I skim over the recent ones just to
keep from drowning and whittle at the old stuff when I get a chance. But
the back log just keeps building. They are a chatty bunch!



Helen "Halla" Fleischer,
Fantasy & Fiber Artist in Fairland, MD USA
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/

It is big shed, but I need it, plus I have an arched walkway through to my
bit, from the tools for the garden although I've got the majority of it.
I've got three quarters of it, and the first bit you come to is just a
room basically so that you can get the mower and that out. Mind you, I've
been looking at the greenhouse and wondering if I could do without that and
extend the shed straight across where that stands...that's 10 x 8 sideways
on, so fromthe fence towards my shed it's 8ft. then there is a small patio
between the two..I could just extend straight across....lo.

Cracked up at your comments on your little ones

Cheers...cher...phew thank goodness mine are out of that stage.
"Claire" wrote in message
...
Blimey, that sounds like a hell of a shed! I'm planning just a small
cornerof the house for a suitable (comfy yet lots of elbow room) chair and
enough shelving/storage for my stash and paraphernalia - with a nice view.
That's to be my 'space' when we get our new house (and new life) next
year.
DP gets separate study *and* an office, it seems. Think we might have to
re-negotiate...

Who else has somewhere special for their crafts? Could you tell me about
it?
All ammunition for the Great Space Battle ahead of us, I think! What would
you think was essential for a craft room/ corner -don't know if I can shut
myself off as the babies will probably chew through the wiring or escape
while I'm out of sight. Number 2 can't walk yet but is already trying to
climb out of the playpen. Maybe I should make a lid... with a padlock.

Claire

"Cher" wrote in message
...
Hi Neal
As promised, some pages for you to browse,at the bottom of this mail..
However, before you rush off and start building looms and wheels can I
make
a few suggestions? Well I'm going to anyhow...LOL.
First of all, a wheel, well these are like cars, there are many of
them,
and every spinner has their preferences, some like huge things and tiny
spindles others like the chunky smaller types, You may find you need to
have
two types of 'Mother of all's' one with a large orifice and one with a
small orifice, or just have the large, and you can still have small
delicate yarns produced from it... it all depends on a few things..
First
are they going to be spinning to weave? If so, what are their
priorities
for weaving....Throws, Rugs, Scarves, everything?
A weaver can weave, as long a piece of fabric as she wants, but her
width
depends on the width of the reed that the yarn is threaded through,
although you can make a double width cloth, you are then limited to
patterns. They may prefer an 8 shaft loom or a 4 shaft loom. They
aren't
going to know until they try either. Are they wanting a foot pedal
(floor
Loom) or a Table top Loom, or both, an overhead beater or not? A lot of
things to consider isn't there? To practise on a 22inch - that's
width -
table top 4 shaft, should be ample....for a START....lol
I think they ought to join the lists I sent you,and also a guild of
Spinners
Weavers and Dyers. Thats another lot of equipment you'll need too.
Unless
they are going to use undyed fleece or commercial yarns, then they will
want
to experiment with dyeing..all they need for this though are some large
cooking pans(never again to be used for food) sticks wooden spoons etc.
How about building them a well constructed Work Room/shed...I've got
one,
18ft x 12ft. But 12 x 10 would be ample...Clad the walls, add cork
tiles
or similar to one wall for a notice board, a waist height bench
underneath
this, with drawers etc, also pigeon type boxes along the walls for
placing
yarns. A space at one end or corner of the ceiling, where washed fleece
can
be hung in cotton bags. Under this I have an oblong square, that holds
all
my sticks paddles etc needed for weaving. Electricity...and a clamp on
light with a must have daylight bulb. A strip light in the ceiling,
infact
two. A floor loom, oh and a table top loom on the bench, two wheels,
(plus
more indoors-this hobby does tend to do a take over bid by the way).
Enough
room to house Bins of all shades of prepared and to be, prepared fleece.
Windows in the ceiling...as well as the walls if you like. Room to hold
a
sewing machine, this will be needed if making cushion covers and
curtains
etc. Double doors for ease of moving things in and out, make sure these
doors have a good stout lock (mine has two) Large hooks on the outside
out
of view side of the shed, to hang those dyeing utensils up. and an
electric
or gas ring for the dyeing process.
Another useful thing is a plug in baby alarm...I have mine on, then if
I'm
needed, DH calls me in, or the door bell rings, I can hear it. I also
have
a phone extension up there. I'm having a patio built around the shed,
with
uprights and beams across to the shed so that I can grow climbers up
over
the shed, and sit out there in the summer months in the shade,
spinning...have to be able to clip it away from the windows at times
though...LOL
Well there's food for thought Neal, after all that here are some pages
for
you to browse.
http://www.woolery.com/booksplans.html

http://www.halfwaytree.com/looms/
another


http://www.newyorkweb.us/cgi-bin/sea...k%20Loom%20Wea
ving

that lot should keep you busy for a while, let us know what you think
and
how you get on.

Cheers......Cher


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One of the main appeals of this house we're in is the number of rooms
(even if they are all sort on the smallish side)! There are 3
'bedrooms' upstairs and 2 bedrooms downstairs plus a parlor/sitting
room, living room, dining room and kitchen. . . (two bathrooms, one up
and one down) So the kids each get their own room plus a mutual
'sitting' room (eventually) upstairs. Downstairs DH and I each have our
own 'hobby' room. DH's is full of computers, electronics and most of
the electronic books and mine is full of sci fi, fantasy, mystery,
computer programming and needlecraft books, yarn, yarn, yarn, did I
mention yarn, my computers, fish. . and a 6' table to spread my sewing
or whatever out on - and then I don't have to move it when it's time to
make/eat supper!!!! The dining room was turned into a library for
our small collection (1000) of books, antique radios, 'antique' phones.

Sonya



Claire wrote:


Who else has somewhere special for their crafts? Could you tell me about it?
All ammunition for the Great Space Battle ahead of us, I think! What would
you think was essential for a craft room/ corner -don't know if I can shut
myself off as the babies will probably chew through the wiring or escape
while I'm out of sight. Number 2 can't walk yet but is already trying to
climb out of the playpen. Maybe I should make a lid... with a padlock.

In article , Neal Rogers
wrote:

Hi everyone:

I'm new to this newsgroup and wondered if anyone is interested in weaving
and hand or wheel spinning. I didn't see any other newsgroups devoted to
looms and wheels.

The reason I'm asking is that my wife and her youngest daughter are
presently taking spinning lessons through a local Spinning and Weaving group
in Ventura Co. CA. As a woodworker, I am interested in making spinning
wheels for the two of them, as well as a table loom to eventually learn
weaving.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks for letting me lurk!

Neal Rogers


Hello Neal:

I have not read through all the answers to your post, but you sure are
getting lots of good info. The first step in understanding how to build a
wheel or loom you have made....join a guild. There are many books and
lots of info out there on building your own loom and wheel, but beware not
all will give you the correct information. When my husband build me looms
as well as wheels, he would go and look at a good working loom. Ask many
questions and measure a lot. The husband of friends down the road from us
also had build his wife a loom from a building plan from a book out of the
library. The loom had major technical flaws. We had the loom for a
while sitting in our basement, and I tried to use it, and it was nearly
im[ossible. The husband thought that his wife did not know how to use a
loom, but in reality, the loom was very poorly constructed. Sheds would
not open, and you had to stand on the treadles with two feet hang on the
castle and push down with all your might to create a shed. In the end he
either had to take the whole thing apart and remake major parts or give up
on the machine.....(that is what they did give up on the machine), she got
a second hand one that worked well.

Go look at good brand name looms and look at the construction. Handwoven
magazine and Spin Off are the two major magazines that may be helpful
here. Interweave press is the publisher and they have a website, plus
e-mail. Ask them for help...they may point you in the right direction.

Otto DH....(smile) never used a "bought" building plan. He sat down and
measured a loom I realy liked and had used during classes. He than drew
his own plans. You can E-mail me and I can tell you more.

The same goes for wheels, let the wheel users tell you what they like
about a wheel they are useing....Again there are may excellent wheels out
there. See how they function look at ratios and ask questions.

God luck with your builing, welcome to the group and happy weaving and spinning.

Els on Vancouver Island

--
delete doba to email me.....:=))