Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel: My "New" Spin Baby

 

Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel (circa 2001)

I always thought if I needed to replace my Louett S90 Spinning Wheel (circa 1998), that the closest thing available would be a Schacht Matchless.  They are both castle wheels, both elegant in design.  

This week, someone nearby posted a used Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel on Facebook Marketplace for what I considered a reasonable price for a used wheel of this caliber.   New ones sell for about $1800.  It needed a little little love and attention -- not too much.  Just a good cleaning and oiling, and a minor adjustment to the treadles, and it is back in working order again!

 

On the back is a serial number so you can figure out how old the wheel is.  It's more precise than the serial numbers on the old Singer sewing machines.  The number above tells me that it was made on August 29, 2001 and it was the 6th Matchless spinning wheel of the day. 

I may need to replace the treadle brackets underneath the wheel.  They are a bit worn.  One of the treadles popped off as I was spinning the initial test yarns.  Plastic parts don't last forever.  It's too bad these wheels are not outfitted with speedometers, so you can tell how many miles are on it -- How many miles of yarn spun!

 

I pulled a variety of fibers from my stash to "give it a whirl" and see how she spins.  To my utter delight, she spins like a dream!  I tried various fibers in my stash, and they all come out pretty nice on this wheel!    In the photo is some old wool fleece (some of the first I bought in 1998 from Patty Reedy at Rainbow Fleece Farm -- It sparkles!), and some newer alpaca.  It all looks pretty good!

What I really want to spin on this wheel is fancy art batts, and sparkle yarn.  ;-). The Louett is reserved for plying these days, although I can spin pretty much anything on it.  ;-)  The Schacht-Reeves Wheel (aka the sleeping beauty wheel) seems to be optimized for alpaca.  A few weeks ago, I grabbed some white fiber to continue spinning, and it was coming out so wiry and crinkly -- I felt like I was a brand new spinner again, like I had to start over and learn it all over again.  It was pretty bad yarn--until I realized it was merino, not alpaca.  When I realized the fiber didn't feel so nice and silky as alpaca, and went back to the alpaca, the spinning looked normal again.  It's kind of a touchy / finicky wheel.  Beautiful to look at, though!

I am so pleased with this Matchless!  Also to know that I still know how to spin!  And equipment makes a difference.

The Schacht Matchless has 2 treadles, rather than the 1 treadle I've been used to for the past 26 years on other spinning wheels.  I thought that might be harder to get used to than it has been.  Not a problem!

I asked the seller if she had named this wheel.  She didn't even  an bat an eye at the question.  She said she got it from a woman in Chicago named Ekaterina, so she called it Katya.  It sounds like this lady got old and couldn't do it anymore, and her family didn't know what to do with the wheel.  Lacey, the seller, hasn't been able to give it the love and attention it needs.  Life got in the way, and she had no time for it.  Although she did take the time to outfit it with the bulky flier -- She sent it back to Schacht in Colorado to have it fitted to this particular wheel.  That's cool!  

There are bobbins with yarn spun by both women, plus 2 by me.  Some of it is quite nice!  Some of it I may use to practice chain plying ...  But that will be a separate post!

The seller also outfitted it with the bulky flier and sent it back to the Schacht factory in Boulder, CO, for it to be perfectly fitted to this wheel.  That was an investment!    

 

Last but not least, I also purchased this Vera Bradley backpack used on MarketPlace for only $15.  I will use it to hold the extra bobbins, fiber, manual and other supplies together for this wheel.  It also makes it easy to take-it-on-the-road if I want to take it somewhere else ...

In the photo above, hanging from the mother-of-all is the tiny tool box I made for oil, lube, oriface hooks, and whatever else might be required to keep such a machine in running order.  I will make a separate post on that little project. 

I was watching a number of videos to prepare for owning a Matchless -- Where to oil it, how to use the various tensionning options, etc.  That may be a separate post in and of itself.  I am used to the Irish tension on the Louet, which is easy to manage.  The double drive is a little trickier.  I have not used the Scotch tension.  Each one has it's uses!

 

For now, I'll leave you with a shot of the old fleece from Patty Reedy's Rainbow Fleece Farm.  It's a good looking single!  I love her fleeces because they just sparkle naturally.  They have such a lovely luster.  With the new wheel, I am committed to finally spinning up those old fleeces.

I made the realization that I can use singles as the pattern yarn in coverlets.  So there's no need to ply them, as they can be used without the additional processing.

More to come ...

A Good Day for Spinning

 

A Good Day for Spinning

It's been a long time since I did any spinning on the big Saxony cherry (aka The Sleeping Beauty) wheel!  Last weekend, the temps and humidity inside the house were just right, and the mood struck to spin.  

On the big cherry wheel, I am spinning some luscious alpaca roving, already carded.  I'm pretty sure this comes from the Sabamba Alpaca Farm, not far from here.

At the beginning of September was the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, but my friend Lynda and I decided not to go down for it this year.  Both of us have everything we need as far as fiber and tools.  That weekend, I went to her house to sit, spin and catch up with her -- using my portable Louet S90.  We had a lovely afternoon!

Spinning Yarns : Chocolate Mint

I spun this yarn on the new cherry Schacht Reeves spinning wheel.  The brown and green mix was a ball I bought at the Sheep and Wool Festival years ago.  I think the green is silk?  I think it came from Hidden Valley Sheep & Wool Farm on the other side of Lake Winnebago.

I plied it with with some black sheep and alpaca wool from Lindago Alpaca Farm in Neenah.   Somehow she manages to get nice fiber batts at very reasonable prices. 

The spool on the left is the Hidden Valley roving spun up into a single thread.  Yes, there's a little mylar in it to add sparkle.   The middle and the left spool are after it's been plied with the black wool from Lindago.

Here's a detail shot.

This looks like some very expensive and fancy yarn! And I made it myself.  ;-)

What will I make with it?

The Haul from Sheep & Wool Festival 2018

My main mission this year was to get an Alpaca quilt batting.   I'd tried to find them online earlier in the summer, but every place seemed to be out of stock.  When I got this one, the vender / farmer said that was the last one he had, and that another alpaca farmer said Pacafil was no longer making these batts for quilting.   Hmmmh ---  I wonder if there's a production problem, or what?

Of course there was lots else to see too.  I had to get another alpaca fleece in preparation for the new Schacht-Reeves spinning wheel coming in October!  I've been working at carding the older fleece I have (from last fall), but it's slow and seasonal work -- and it's not a clean fleece.  Alpaca doesn't have the lanolin in it that sheep fleece has, but there's something in this one ...    Since I started spinning alpaca, most of the sheep's wool --even merino--feels course and rough to the touch.  This 2.4-pound fleece is clean and already carded.  With a little dizzing, it will be easy to spin on the new wheel in a few weeks.  This came from Sharoza Ranch Alpacas by Zach and Sharon Allen in Pine River, WI.  It sounds like they a have a carding mill and offer the service. 

The Weaver's Loft had a few more Jim Hockett shuttles at a really reasonable price.  $35 for this double shuttle in bubinga wood.  Beautiful!   I think Lynda bought one in a dark color, lighter weight wood -- walnut maybe?    She also had some Jim Hockett end-feed shuttles.  You see them for sale online, and they are always so much more expensive than other shuttles -- they are smaller, slimmer -- which makes sense, if you have a tight end of the warp you're trying to wring every last bit out you can, and can't raise the shed much anymore, you want a thin shuttle to squeak through there ...  I didn't get one, but I probably should have!

I always like to buy something at Mielke's Fiber stand, too.  This year, they had 1 cherry Schacht boat shuttle left.  If they'd have had more sizes in cherry, I'd have gotten them, too.  I've decided this is my favorite shape (that kayak shape) and the finish is what I like to touch.  Of course, you need a variety of shuttles for different jobs, but the Schacht cherry is one of my favorites!

Finally, at The Wool Gatherer's stand, I bought a small bottle of "Hans' Own Spinning Wheel Oil."  Lynda asked if 3-in-1 machine oil, or regular old sewing machine oil would work just as well.  Hans said, "No--those oils are not heavy enough for spinning wheels.  That's 10-30 weight motor oil."  I know I can pick that up at Fleet Farm, but it was the bottle I really wanted, with that needle nose spout to help you get the oil right where you need it.

I did stop by Patty Reedy's Rainbow Fleece Farm stand  -- such nice fleece she raises there!  When I first started spinning, I remember her fleece really had me mesmerized because it sparkled.  It actually had a luster and a sheen you just don't see anywhere else.  Not sure how she does it ...  Like magic!

Lots' of gorgeous hanks of spun yarn ...  I would like to try something more artistic and adventuresome than just my straight run-of-the mill spinning.  Perhaps mixing 2 colors in the plying stage?  Or adding some bling?  I think I saw a video about how to add sequins ...  Someone was selling orphan calls of spun yarn with tiny seed beads incorporated into it.  Very nice -- I'd like to learn how to do that!

One stand was selling rugs as what seems to be more than reasonable prices for a buyer.  Might have been slave labor to her -- because I know what it takes to make one now.  Beautiful color combinations at her stand.

Another lady was selling felted scarves --  some looked like northern lights!  Neat!  I think she also had some nice shawl pins there made from cut off tree branches -- finished nicely.  There is always something I wish I would have purchased, but didn't.  I think if I'd have gone back on Sunday, I probably would have gotten one of those shawl pins.

Soap -- One stand was selling French soaps, so I got 2 bars of my favorite Miel (honey) soap.  I don't know what they do to it!  I know I can make soap, and I put honey in it, but it never comes out smelling so light and flowery as the French Miel soap does.  And so I keep buying it when I see it!

After we got tired of shopping, Lynda and I went to sit and spin in the park area -- same place we were last year.  Much cooler this year, with a breeze.  Last year we had company as other spinners came to work their magic alongside us.  This year, it was just the two of us.  Lynda brought a Turkish drop spindle this time -- more portable than her wheel.  I had my trusty Louet S90--plying some of that silk and wool mill end mix I got last year.

Another good day at The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival!

2-Ply Yarn - Wool and Silk

2-ply Wool and Silk Yarn

The Olympics leaves lots of down time in-between the action, so it's good to have something to do during commercials while you're waiting for those exquisite moments of grace or the agony of defeat--hence, spinning.

Here's that fiber before dizzing and spinning.  Nice stuff!

Woollee Winder : My New Toy

I've been thinking about this purchase for more than a year ...  been trying to convince myself that I didn't really need The Woolee Winder, that the hooks on my old flyer work just fine ...  And then I went and put in the order.  So much for disposable income!

It has these gears that run the loop up and down the flier arm, allowing the yarn to fill the bobbin evenly.  It does take a little getting used to. I had to loosen the brake considerably to avoid taking up too much wool too fast.

I think it will be great for plying.

Here's a shot of the old bobbins, wound with the old system of hooks.  It fills the bobbin very unevenly.  It hasn't really been a problem, but it does show a dramatic difference between the old system and the new Woollee Winder.

Here's a close-up of the newly plied yarn. Alpaca is a dream to spin!

I decided I needed to finish spinning this batch of alpaca roving on the old system for the sake of consistency.  Then I can use the Woolee Winder with abandon!

Spinning at Sabamba

On Saturday, Oct 1, Lynda and I went out to Sabamba Alpaca Farm in DePere, WI,  for their Day-on-the-Farm Open House.   They invited spinners to come and spin fiber into yarns for visitors to see what can be done with the alpaca fibers.  

There were 4 of us spinning under a tent just outside the barn, with the alpacas within site.  It was very Scottish weather yesterday, so we were grateful for the makeshift shelter.    Visitors stopped by to see what we were doing, and to ask questions about spinning, the fibers, etc.  We were happy to explain ...

The 2 ladies from the Fox Valley Spinning Guild who'd been there all day had these Woolee Winder fliers on their spinning wheels.  No hooks on the flier.  Instead the Wollee Winder loop moved up and down the arms of the flier and deposits the yarn onto the spool evenly, so you don't have to stop and move the yarn down the hooks when one section of the bobbin gets full.  Kind of a cool innovation! They sell for about $225 and can be fitted for many different spinning wheels -- including my beloved Louet S90.  I'm not quite convinced I need one yet ... but who knows?  It solved a problem I never knew I had!

Lynda was spinning a swanky "Tail Spin" yarn where she plied curly locks in with 2 strands of yarn.  The idea is that the resulting yarn can look like a swanky 1920s (or would that be 1940s?) collar with the kinky/crimpy locks falling out of the yarn.  Would be a great collar ...    [Sorry--I couldn't get the camera to focus on the locks.]

I was working on a simple yarn from an old bag of angora fiber that I won as a door prize when I first started getting interested in the Fiber Arts way back in 1999 (or so).  It's about time I did something with it!  Very soft creamy fiber to work with.  Maybe I'll even have enough for a hat this winter?

 

Clouds of angora fiber.  Ahhh!  

"Drift away on a fluffy cloud ..."

 

It was neat talking to Sally and Tom Schmidt, the owners.  Although they raise the alpacas, they don't do the "finishing" or crafting the fiber into finished products--although their shop is filled with mittens, hats, gloves, shawls, etc, they send that off to a mill to be made for them.  Lynda has a fleece from Abraham, a beautiful gray alpaca -- who just so happens to love having his picture taken with visitors.  She wanted to get more of his fleece, and was happy to meet the old fellow.   Tom and Sally were genuinely moved to see the gorgeous yarn Lynda had made from Abraham's fleece. 

I was looking for a black fleece to go along with Maggie (Newfie) fur.  Sally did not have any raw fleeces on display or for sale on Saturday, as most of these visitors were looking for finished products for Christmas presents.  Although she did introduce us to Abraham, and the couple of beautiful black alpacas in the herd.  She could easily rattle off their family lines.   Lynda and I will have to go back another day after Sally pulls those fleeces out of storage.  Another road trip!

***********
I also got an invitation to join The Twist of Fate Fiber Arts Group that meets at Menasha Public Library on the 4th Wednesday of each month.   I'm hoping this might replace the whole in my heart when Conversations in Cloth died.  I think they meet in the very same room!

New Yarn Spun and Plied

I've been working on this fleece literally for years!  But I wanted to finish off these spools so I can start a new batch with the fiber I purchased this past week : Black and Blue Merino

Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival 2016

Two weeks ago, I attended the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson, WI.  I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, and I was overwhelmed by all the yarns and fibers ...  Wow! So many colors and textures and possibilities!

At the show I only purchased a couple of things :
1) a ball of Polworth fiber for spinning into yarn.  This was so soft, it felt like Merino--but heavier.  I'd never heard of Polworth before.  Turns out, it is a derivative of Merino wool.  Nice stuff!
2) a threading hook for my spinning wheel with a nice wooden handle
3) a couple of stick shuttles for weaving

Here's what I saw on display :
*  Beautiful Rag Rugs
*  Wonderful cloak / shawl pins with a little bling very reasonably priced -- I wished I had purchased one, but didn't get back to that stand.
*  Beautiful handspun yarn in blues with silver.  $45 a skein.  Expensive, and I didn't have a project in mind for it when I saw it -- but I did the next day, back at home, and too far away to go back and get it.  Rats!

I was looking for Patty Reedy of  Rainbow Fleece Farm -- according to the show catalog, they were indeed there, but I didn't see them.  When I first started spinning nearly 20 years ago, I got some of her fiber.  It has a sparkle and a sheen (luster) I haven't seen in other fleece.   Really!  I'm wondering what her Fiber looks like now after 20 more years of breeding and genetics.  At that time, she told me she was a Fiber Arts person, and realized she needed to breed sheep in order to get the fiber she wanted.  Amen!

A few stands were actually selling bags of raw fleece -- I was tempted, but I knew I had 2-3 bags at home -- washed and waiting to be carded.    I see a carding day in my near future ...

Susan's Fiber Shop was also there.  Her stand was hopping, as usual!  I bought my Louet S90 Spinning Wheel from her almost 20 years ago.  And it still works like a charm!  I'm so glad I bought a good wheel, not a fixer-upper at a rummage sale.  If it had given me trouble, I would not have kept spinning.  This particular wheel was discontinued, but I just found out it's making a limited edition comeback!  So you could get one if you really wanted it -- and were willing to pay the price.

I bought the new threading hook and stick shuttles at Mielke's Fiber Arts --- So I stuck with the vendors I was familiar with.

I did keep the catalog as a future reference.  Lots of good information within -- and one worth keeping.

They offered lots of classes, too.  Now I wish I would have signed up to attend some of them ...
How to hand-spin your own fancy yarn, for one.   There's always next year!

Fiber Fest!

I spent Saturday at The Wisconsin Spin In. This is a wonderful gathering of farmers, crafters, artists, vendors--people interested in Old World Traditional Arts and new trends. Spinners, Weavers, Farmers, Knitters. I was planning to restock my stash of wool--as I spun the last of it the other day ...

Although this might look like a lot of fibre, this will probably last me 10 years.

Here's what I purchased, and from whom :


Angora Goat Locks dyed at Colorfield Farm. She had a nice variety of colors to choose from. I have plans for these!




This was a smallish bag of washed "Lotswold" fleece from Two Black Sheep, Ann Lagorio, who lives just outside of Oshkosh. It's good to know the local suppliers! I wanted to see what her wool was like.








2 bags of raw wool (1 light : 1 dark + light) from Hidden Valley Farm
I think it's Coopworth. Raw wool means it's the fleece as it was shorn from the sheep with no additional processing. The wool still has the "grease," or lanolin, in it. These days it's unusual for vendors who raise sheep to bring raw wool. Funny--that's exactly what I was seeking this weekend. People seem to prefer the clean, fluffy, ready to spin fibre. Buying the raw fleece and doing the washing and carding myself saves a lot of money. 1 bag of raw wool from 1 sheep is about $50. It's about twice that (or more) for processed wool. As I process it in coming weeks, I'll share the pics here ...

Carol said her sheep wear jackets, so the fibre doesn't get full of grass and leaves and organic matter that has to be "picked" out in the cleaning process. Her wool IS clean.
I wish you could smell the lanolin. It smells like "down-home-on-the-farm" without the manure.


Stege Springs Llamas was selling paper shopping bags of fibre for $10 each. Nice stuff! The great thing about going to a show like this is that you can touch and feel the fibres. The llama fibre I've seen previously was uncomfortably coarse. I'd written off llama as NOT a fibre I wanted to pursue. But Stege Springs proved that not all llamas are created equal. This bag of fibre was as soft as the "wool" from my fibre-hound, Maggie. I bought a bag of fibre from Taebo, the prize-winning stud of Stege Springs. I'm planning to mix this with Maggie's wool.


My friend Lynda and I bought a second bag of Llama fibre to split between us. You can see the difference. Taebo (2 pictures above) is silkier, smoother. This bag has more body--It's fluffier, more wooly. This stuff spins up very nicely.


Finally, I couldn't resist this "Sweet Leaf" button from Ogle Design. She had all sorts of interesting buttons. They'd be great as closures for journals. This one is for an actual Sweet Leaf Notebook! See more stuff at her Etsy Shop. She actually has much more in stock than in her Etsy shop.

There were many other vendors there worth mentioning :

Susan's Fiber Shop
I bought my spinning wheel from her about 10 years ago. It was an investment, and I'm happy to say that I'm still spinning!

Hillcreek Fibre Studio
She sells triangle looms, and all sorts of ingredients for natural dyeing. She even had woad and natural and synthetic indigo. And she had samples of all the natural dye stocks on various fibres with various mordants. It's amazing the variety that is possible!

Wool, Warp & Wheel
My friend Lynda purchased a spinning wheel from this vendor. She bought a Baynes spinning wheel from New Zealand.

Woolgatherers
This shop is in Fond du Lac. When I want to get a larger loom, I'll probably get it from them some day ... They were very knowledegable and helpful. They also sell these really nifty and comfortable stools that I'd like to have some day.

Handspun by Stephania
This shop had some GORGEOUS (and pricey) drop spindles. I've never really liked using a drop spindle (a wheel seems so much more efficient and easier to operate), but their wares, made me consider changing my stance on that ...

One vendor I was really hoping and expecting to see there was Patty Reedy of Rainbow FLeece Farms in New Glarus ... The fleeces I had were both from her farm--they have a wonderful luster that she's bread into the sheep and fibre. I guess I'll have to plan a trip down to her farm someday ...

Fiber : Part 1

Last April, we were in Madison, WI, visiting some of our old haunts. Some friends were going to an Alpaca convention that day. We decided to tag along ...

Before I left Madison, almost 10 years ago, I took spinning lessons at The Weaving Worksop and bought a spinning wheel from Susan's Fiber Shop. I used to spin a lot--it helped unwind after a long day at work using my brain power. Then I had a kid who was a little too interested in the mechanisms of the spinning wheel -- and I discovered quilting!


My Spinning Wheel : A Louet S-90, a wonderful and portable wheel! I understand it's "out-of'-print" now. The yarn on it now is from a roving I bought from Rainbow Fleece Farm in New Glarus, WI. Patty Reedy is a fiber artist who decided the only way to get the fiber she was looking for was to go into raising sheep herself. The wool of her sheep has a wonderful luster--it actually sparkles! Too bad you can't see that in this picture ...

I am still very interested in fibers and spinning and now, needle felting.

One of the vendors had a lovely array of blended and dyed fibers (not necessarily Alpaca). I couldn't resist! Here's what I bought from Huacaya Moon :


Blue Green


Northern Lights


Agate

I'm thinking these will make wonderful northern lights one way or another. I still have to experiment and work out just how I want to accomplish that ...

At the Alpaca Conference, vendors brought spinning wheels and looms, too. I'd love to get a loom, but I don't have the space. They were also selling simple hand looms that could sit on a tabletop. Heck--you could make one yourself.

So what do I do with the yarn that I spin? Nothing yet. I'm not much of a knitter, though I used to crochet. My Gramma Pickles has several knitting machines, though. One day, I'll hand my yarn off to her for transformation into a sweater ...