Cool site of the week - 3/2/09

Happy Monday everyone! We're one step closer to spring! Ahhh...

Today's cool site of the week is a site for spinners. Nope, its not a site with a wealth of spinning info or forums or product reviews. Uh uh, this isn't that kind of site. This site, is about one of the greatest tools for spinners ever! Noooo, not the drum carder. This site is for the Woolee Winder! I know, there are people scratching their heads right now trying to figure out what the heck I'm talking about... but wait a sec, lemme tell ya.

If you're a spinner, you know that spinning involves stopping periodically to move the yarn from one hook to the next so that it spins onto the bobbin evenly. If you have hooks on your flyer (a part of the spinning wheel that spins and holds the hooks) you know that you sometimes end up with little "hills and valleys" as the yarn builds up beneath the hooks. If you have a sliding hook you can do a better job of preventing "hills and valleys" since you aren't limited to where you place the yarn. Your hook slides to any position so you can prevent or fill in any low areas on the bobbin. Even with the sliding hook set up you still have to stop spinning periodically to slide the hook. I don't know about you, but I get into a zone when I spin. I become so engrossed in spinning that its almost like mediatation. I can look up and have a full bobbin and not remember the time it took to fill it. I like that - the uninterrupted mediation of spinning. This is why I am so in love with the Woolee Winder! The Woolee Winder takes care of moving the yarn up and down the bobbin so that it winds on evenly. Its a patented invention that is available only through Nathan at http://www.thewooleewinder.com/.

Woolee winders are a flyer and bobbin set up that contains gears that mesh together and control the hook movement. When you spin on your wheel, the rotation turns the gears which then drive the hook up and down the flyer track. The result? A consistent, even bobbin of yarn without the start / stop involved in changing hooks. It may not seem very glam, but to see one in action or better yet, use one for yourself, is fiber-life changing! My Woolee Winder has made me a better spinner - I'm certain of it.