When I told my parents I’d taken my first spinning class, my mother told me, “That’s great! We have an old walking wheel and a flax wheel up in the attic.”
I was very confused at the time, because that spinning class was at the gym and involved a stationary bicycle. It would be years before I was interested in making yarn, and at that point I was very sheepish.
(Sorry. Couldn’t help it.)
Spinning on a Great Wheel is still something I haven’t tried yet, but spindle wheels seem to be making a comeback. And for spinners such as Norman Kennedy, they never went away. In his video From Wool to Waulking, Norman moves back and forth with rolag or roving in hand, creating lovely yarn in a formal dance. He mentions just two advantages to spinning on a great wheel: It’s a very efficient way to spin and a great workout.
In this excerpt from his video, Norman explains the steps (literally) of spinning on a great wheel.
https://youtu.be/HEz3PUxaX4Y
To see Norman card, spin, and weave wool, watch his video, From Wool to Waulking.
—Anne Merrow