There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to work on a fiber project and not having the pieces you need. Joseph, after watching me knitting said, "Man, I wish I had a table loom." And, in the illustrious words of Oversimplified, "so it was." 

We've recieved a product request last year for a home-printable drum carder. Joseph has spent the last few months prototyping, and we're nearly ready to release it to the shop. 

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

We love seeing how and what you're making, especially when the makes look awesome! In this post, we're featuring Nikki and her work with a spinning wheel and Turkish spindle. 

All's well. All's quiet. The printers have their assignments, and are whirring happily away as they print spindles, spokes, and hubs. And then...  

I don't know about you, but it took me awhile to be able to distinguish between different types of fibers. "Fibers," at least to me, means anything I can prepare into a textile. That can include flax, nettles, milkweed, cotton, wool, or even hair, if you're persistent enough. Wool combs, as the name implies, are often used with wool or hair, as are carding combs. Other fibers like flax, nettles, or milkweed, might require a flax hackle to catch the narrower fibers.  Fortunately, we have both in the Etsy store.

I love this Navajo spindle. We lived for a short time in southern Utah and learned a little about the Navajo tribe and their traditional weaving methods. Joseph wanted to honor that heritage when he designed this spindle for Good and Basic Manufacturing. 

This post would also be accurately and excellently titled, "How to Entertain Yourself While You Wait in Line Somewhere" or "How to Stay Sane During Children's Cartoons." We're going to show you how we use our 3D-printed wool combs. 

First, either print or purchase your own set of wool combs. Make sure the nails are well set. You may need to tap them into place with a hammer. If any of the nails are loose, set them in place with a nice epoxy glue. 

Once you're ready to start combing, watch the slideshow below. 

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.