Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Great Question

Which is faster, Spindle or Wheel?

This afternoon,  I am spinning semi-worsted, 5,600 ypp from Romney.  It is accumulating on bobbins at ~400 yards per hour.  This is with the #1 flier running at 2,600 to 2,800 rpm.

This is not race conditions, this is sitting in the sunbeam, drinking red wine,  listening to Mozart, and contemplating.  The new setup opens new horizons.

If your spinning teacher still thinks that a spindle might be faster, then have her call me and we will set up an "educational situation."  With the new setup, the competition flier will easily spin continuously and sustainable at over 4,200 rpm.

With this setup, I am hopeful of spinning more than 560 yards of 10s per hour.  This has been the goal for the last 3 years and now it is in sight.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Did anyone claim that a spindle was faster? I think that the old saw was, "slower by the hour, faster by the week" because the idea was that you carried your spindle about with you while tending children, sheep, or whatever, instead of having to sit at the wheel.

Aaron said...

Yes, the other day a well known spinner told me that a spindle could spin at 3,000 rpm, and was thereby faster. The 3,000 rpm is a peak speed and not the average.

The concept of slower by the hour and faster by the week is for subsistence or hobby spinners and not for full-time, professional spinners seeking to maximize their spinning output to maximize their income.

The professional is going to be selling fine yarns to weavers. You are not going to be producing fine yarn while tending sheep or children. Thus, the unstated assumption in "slower by the hour and faster by the week" is that the spinner is NOT producing fine yarns.

Yesterday morning, I sat at my wheel and spun a hank 22,400 ypp worsted in a couple of hours. Have you ever spun a hank of 22,400 ypp on a spindle while watching children or sheep? You can spin 22,400 ypp on a spindle, but it takes focus and concentration. If you are that focused on your spinning, you are not doing a good job of watching the children/sheep.