It’s not my fault that I have 3 wheels

Well, technically I still only have 2, but a 3rd is on order. You see, it all started when I totally fell in love with a Lendrum…..

(Wayne’s World wavy fingers flashback – dittle-loot, dittle-loot, dittle-loot!)

Back in the end of July, we were all spinning on Anne’s patio and I was in the midst of the throes of deciding which wheel to buy. I liked the Sonata, but wanted to try a Lendrum out before making a final decision. I had seen Marya’s before, and treadled it once, but that was a while ago on the second day of spinning class. I sat down at it on the patio, and immediately started noticing things like the very simple, modern look that would match my living room decor perfectly. The bobbin was a snap to change, and you didn’t have to muck with the drive band at all. It folded for travel in about 2 seconds. The treadling was very nice. I went back and forth, back and forth between it and the Sonata. Then I realized why the Lendrum is tilted. It’s so you can see the yarn on your bobbin without having to get up and peer over it. Then I thought back upon seeing Tom’s Lendrum, with the extra-large plying head that would hold 3 normal bobbin’s worth of yarn, and it was a done deal. I emailed John at Village Spinning and Weaving and put my name on the list! I knew it would be a few months, but I was about to be camping for a month, so the wait didn’t really matter.

Fast forward to getting back from camping.

On the way home, I picked up a pirate wheel for Bonni. “The Pirate Wheel” was the name that our spinning class had given to the Clemes and Clemes traditional wheel that Nancy had. Some people really hated it, and I could see why. It was a typical older-style double-drive castle, so in order to change the bobbin you have to undo the driveband, unscrew it from the flyer, and do everything all over again. The bobbins weren’t very big and the treadle (a single) was a bit on the heavy side. The whole wheel looks kind of chunky-clunky too. It was starting to get a seriously bad rep as everyone took turns with it for a week, so on the last week I decided to take it home and see if I could redeem it. I was drawn the giant wood screw and pirateyness of it. The treadle has 2 planks and it kind of looks peg-legged. I sat down at it, treadled for a bit, and fell in love when I realized it had the perfect place to set down your beer:

Anyway, Bonni had also fallen in love with the wheel and both of us had been stalking craigslist like a couple of fiends, trying to buy one used. She scooped me by something like 2 hours in responding to an ad from a seller near Sacramento. I was…ahem….a bit envious, but I was driving right through Sacramento on my way home, she hadn’t had a chance to pick it up yet, and it just worked out. My car was packed to the gills, but the front passenger seat was open. I carefully wedged it in place, and glanced woefully at it all the way home. I needed a wheel, STAT! It didn’t help that I had accumulated a nice little stash of fiber that was just taunting me with its beady little eyes. I resumed my craigslist stalking for the Clemes and Clemes, and I happened to notice a used single treadle Lendrum in Denver. The one I had on order was a double treadle, but I’m not a treadle snob. The price was right, so I contacted the seller, and yay! She was willing to ship! Three days later, I had my first wheel:

And a day or two before it showed up, an ad for a Clemes and Clemes traditional popped up on craigslist. It even had the darker walnut finish that looked so 1800’s sea vessel. My heart raced as I feverishly typed a text message to the sellers, explaining that I was completely in love with this wheel, had been looking for months for one, and would they consider shipping it can do cash-funded paypal! A phone call later and the answer was yes!!! I was totally stoked. Don’t get me wrong, I still totally love my Lendrum and she’s my faithful wife, but I’m completely in lust with the pirate and she’s my salty wench. They don’t seem to mind.