You've procured a spinning wheel and put it together, and now it's time to spun! Buuuuuut.... 

It might seem like spinning wheels are born, as are fairies, every time a baby laughs. They descend to earth in a shower of gold, clothed in cloud-like splendor, and spin flawlessly forever. 

Hem. About that. 

​In reality, and maybe this is just user error on my part, spinning wheels are born of practice, sweat, and maybe some gentle swears. (Or not so gentle. Cough cough.) They might even be born in tears of frustration. The point I'm trying to make is that a little big of struggle--especially with moving parts--is completely normal. Working through the swears and frustration makes the finished product more valuable to me. (Every time my wheel spins, an angel gets his wings? You're welcome, Clarence.) 

When Alyson said that she was excited about the spinning wheel, I was pleased. It's so nice to have the right tool at the right moment, and I love being a part of that process when customers assemble our products. I didn't realize that Alyson was going the full hog--and mean, the FULL hog. 

Yes, we do use our own spinning wheels. No, they don't endow you with supernatural powers. You might not be able to punch through walls or survive solely on the energy of the universe. Our deepest apologies. (Unless, of course, you count spinning as a superpower. Then you're fine.) However, you ought to be able to spin decent thread and yarn at home. Like so. 

Ta da. Doesn't it just scream Robin Hood or Ireland or something? I would say it screams steamy jungle, but I don't know how well wool works in warmer climates; most cultures from arid/steamy areas seem to favor linen, instead. I'm going mostly from the Egyptians and Minoans, so I might be wrong. Anyway!

Joseph here is spinning a worsted thread that we hope to use later for weaving or for very fine knitting. The terms worsted and woolen are sometimes used to refer to different weights of yarn. However, combed wool produces worsted yarn and carded wool produces woolen yarn. (Go ahead. You can read that twice. No shame.)

Woolen yarn is fluffy and poofs up a little bit even when spun. That traps more air, which makes it more fluffy and insulating. Worsted yarn, by contrast, is dense enough to be called "hard," and tends to be stronger. I mean, on the diamond scale worsted is definitely softer than a rock you'd pull out of the ground, but it's also significantly less than a luxuriously fluffy cloud. 

You might see the difference more apparently in a wool sweater, made with woolen yarn, and a wool suit coat, made with worsted. Sweater=soft and fluffy. Suit coat=hard and tight. 

Thus, to return! Joseph is spinning a worsted yarn, which means he'd like to use it in weaving. If he doesn't get around to it in time, however, I might just kife it and teach myself how to knit a pair of emerald green socks.