How Your Spinning Wheel Spins, Scotch Tension

Handspinning Techniques

Scotch Tension

Spinning wheels also have some sort of brake or tension mechanism for controlling the speed at which the yarn is drawn onto the bobbin. If you are a beginner spinner, and your wheel seems to be eating up your roving, before you have had a chance to draft it properly, you will want to slow your wheel down a bit. Most wheels only require very small adjustments to the brake.

Tighten the Brake

Move the Drive band back to the largest setting on the whorl. Treadle slowly and spin a few yards onto the bobbin. Turn the scotch tension or brake on your wheel 1/4 turn to the right (or in the direction that tightens the brake of your wheel).
Treadle again and spin a few yards. Do you notice that the yarn is being drawn onto the bobbin more quickly?
Tighten the tension again another 1/4 turn and treadle.
Repeat the above step, tightening the tension 1/4 turn each time, until the wheel is drawing the yarn too quickly for you to handle.

Loosen the Brake

Turn the brake 1/4 turn to the left, loosening the tension slightly. Again, treadle and spin a few yards. Repeat the above steps, loosening the tension 1/4 turn each time, until the bobbin is no longer drawing the yarn in.

You should now be able to adjust the tension of the brake to a comfortable spinning speed for you. As the bobbin fills, slight adjustments to the brake will be necessary to keep the wheel spinning at the correct speed.

How Your Spinning Wheel Spins part 1

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Handspinning Books

Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer) This visual guide shows you the basics, beginning with the tools and fibers, and takes you through spinning, plying, making novelty yarns, using exotic fibers, dyeing, and more. UK: Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning

The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn This covers almost every sheep breed in the world � from the longwool breeds of the United Kingdom to the Tasmanian merino, the Navajo churro, the northern European Faroese, and dozens and dozens more. It also includes goats, camelids (such as alpacas, llamas, and vicunas), bison, horses, musk oxen, rabbits, and even dogs. UK: Fleece and Fiber Source Book

The Whole Craft of Spinning: From the Raw Material to the Finished Yarn Everything you need to know from set-up to finished product in order to create distinctive yarns for use in knitting, weaving, crocheting, needlepoint, embroidery, and macrame. UK: Whole Craft of Spinning

In Sheep's Clothing A comprehensive look at the characteristics of wool of 100 breeds of sheep, this guide gives special attention to fleece characteristics, methods of preparation and spinning, and best end use. UK: In Sheep's Clothing

The Knitter's Book of Wool: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Using, and Loving this Most Fabulous Fiber The vast world of sheep and their wool into the language and context of knitting. UK: Knitters Book of Wool

The Intentional Spinner Offering a blend of technical knowledge, history, and easy-to-use tips, this inspiring collection of spinning wisdom deftly explores the three fundamental areas of yarn production: understanding fibers, managing yarn structure, and making yarns that precisely meet the spinner's needs. UK: Intentional Spinner

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Spindle Spinning

Productive Spindling A look at top whorl, bottom whorl and Turkish spindle methods to boost your techniques for efficiency and make productivity fun UK: Productive Spindling

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Respect the Spindle With step-by-step instructions, this essential manual details the basic steps of spinning and then advances to the more complicated spinning wheel,

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