Still building the wheel
To start with, I contacted a nice lady who has an ebay store with terrific customer reviews, about purchasing silk cocoons. I wanted to make sure I can get them from her all the time. It turns out I can. :) I still can't get a reply from this place in Canada with incredible prices in US dollars. I just want to find out about how much they charge for shipping and handling; criminy.
However, the lady on ebay lives in Oregon. It's not too very far from California, so combine that with her shipping fees(and she only charges $1.25 shipping and handling per item after the first on combined orders), and I have a sneaking suspicion it's a better deal. 30 B-2 cocoons for $2.99 usd, that's a steal at 10 cents a cocoon(comes down to about a buck a hankie). If 24 averages out to 20 grams then 30's around 25 grams. 2 packages will make enough yarn for a pair of glovelets and be enough for me to learn with. After that I can get as many as I need :D She totally keeps them on hand.
On to the wheel. Right now I have ratios from 3:1 to 28:1. I still have to make the flyers and bobbins though. That's just whorl speeds.
Now I'm focused on the base, center post, and treadles. I figured out a simple way to make the treadles work so that the wheel rotates in the direction of the foot you start treadling with. It should also make stopping and reversing and snap too :D.
So now I have to make the base and treadles(so I have something to build up from, though for now I'm using wood and bamboo for the center post :D).
It should be fairly simple. I have a protractor, and since a mitre box won't work with my material on hand, it will have to do for angles.
This should be sweet when complete ;).
Oh, and light weight too, very portable, but simultaniously sturdy :D.
I need to experiment with a wooly winder type flyer. The wooly winder's patented(at least for commercial sales). It only comes in sizes to fit specific brands; and I've read it can have a very jerky motion. I want to make a similair flyer, but it's hook will glide back and forth :D. I guess nobody ever told it's creator that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line ;).
I should patent my design as well, but I'll make it quasi-open source. What I mean is, I don't want anyone but me to profit from it monitarilly, it wouldn't be fair. However; if someone wants to make their own for personal use, I wouldn't stop them or get mad. :)
My knuckle's sore from the slip of a craft knife. OT but true :( Still, I'll keep plugging away.
However, the lady on ebay lives in Oregon. It's not too very far from California, so combine that with her shipping fees(and she only charges $1.25 shipping and handling per item after the first on combined orders), and I have a sneaking suspicion it's a better deal. 30 B-2 cocoons for $2.99 usd, that's a steal at 10 cents a cocoon(comes down to about a buck a hankie). If 24 averages out to 20 grams then 30's around 25 grams. 2 packages will make enough yarn for a pair of glovelets and be enough for me to learn with. After that I can get as many as I need :D She totally keeps them on hand.
On to the wheel. Right now I have ratios from 3:1 to 28:1. I still have to make the flyers and bobbins though. That's just whorl speeds.
Now I'm focused on the base, center post, and treadles. I figured out a simple way to make the treadles work so that the wheel rotates in the direction of the foot you start treadling with. It should also make stopping and reversing and snap too :D.
So now I have to make the base and treadles(so I have something to build up from, though for now I'm using wood and bamboo for the center post :D).
It should be fairly simple. I have a protractor, and since a mitre box won't work with my material on hand, it will have to do for angles.
This should be sweet when complete ;).
Oh, and light weight too, very portable, but simultaniously sturdy :D.
I need to experiment with a wooly winder type flyer. The wooly winder's patented(at least for commercial sales). It only comes in sizes to fit specific brands; and I've read it can have a very jerky motion. I want to make a similair flyer, but it's hook will glide back and forth :D. I guess nobody ever told it's creator that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line ;).
I should patent my design as well, but I'll make it quasi-open source. What I mean is, I don't want anyone but me to profit from it monitarilly, it wouldn't be fair. However; if someone wants to make their own for personal use, I wouldn't stop them or get mad. :)
My knuckle's sore from the slip of a craft knife. OT but true :( Still, I'll keep plugging away.
posted by KnitWit @ 3:51 PM
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