Me and My Babe

Never Say Never

Article by Jane Plaughter

 

When I first saw the Babe spinning wheel I thought that somehow PVC and homespun was some kind of oxymoron. Why would anyone want a wheel that looked like what it is, plastic. I will never have a wheel like that. And that is where the “never say never” comes into play.

 

My husband and I were going to be heading for Antigua, the island in the West Indies, for 6 weeks. Umm, no spinning for 6 weeks? I don’t think so. My Ashford Traveler would not be able to make the plane trip. We also thought there were possibilities of returning to Antiqua periodically and leaving the wheel was considered but the humidity and heat concerned me. Could a wooden wheel stand the climate?

 

I did it. Yep, I did. I looked into the Babe and settled on the production wheel. It came with everything I would need during visits to the island. You know what they say, “function over form”. And so, a Babe came to live with us.

As I sat down in front of it ready to spin, I wondered how this had happened. But I picked up my roving and proceeded to “try it out." Looking around to make sure I was alone, I acknowledged my first great surprise; “Wow, this spins so easy!” Smooth and easy, easy and smooth. Yep, this will work just fine in the islands.

 

My next wondrous surprise was how it could be broken down to fit into our largest suitcase with the wheel at an angle, front to back of the case and the parts fitting around it. Wow, even room to pad it with, uh huh, fiber. And oh, it is so light I could pick it up with one finger! This was just too much, I had to share this with my spinning group and so Babe went to spinning. There I was telling the really terrific things I was finding about the pvc wheel I would never own.

As it happened, the wheel did not stay in the islands and returned home with me. So I thought, "Do I want this wheel in my collection of 2?" There really was no choice as I am now giving spinning lessons in my home.

 

The Babe as a learning wheel has been debated; my Babe is a single treadle and my Traveler is a double treadle. My first student came, we sat down and began.

 

Ginger Brown was eager to learn and I was definitely eager to enable, ah teach, a new spinner. She came to the mountains to learn and learn she did!!! She sat down at the wheel and began to treadle and treadle (and treadle and treadle) to get the feel and motion of the wheel. I began to realize that there were some real pluses to teaching on the Babe. The drive band is stretchy and stays in place, no matter what ratio is being used. The only other adjustment is the leather band that acts as the brake. And the Babe is a sturdy solid wheel despite its composition! After playing with the drafting concept and working a while with both the treadle and hand motions, Ginger was spinning away. I had a very happy and excited student. She practiced most of the day and the next day she was able to sit down and pick up where she had left off. Now all she needed was practice and time. I decided to see how transferring to a double treadle wheel would work for her after the simpler workings of the Babe. Ginger had no problems transferring what she learned to a different wheel.

 

I am now finding that the “Production” in Production Wheel is very true. I can spin so much faster on the Babe and that is nice when I am trying to build inventory. Otherwise I will have to say I do like my Traveler. But alas one more really great plus for the Babe – the bobbins from Babe sit nicely on the built in Lazy Kate of the Traveler so I can ply to the Traveler directly from the Babe bobbins. I am glad they can play together nicely. Or is that ply???

 

Okay that’s it, I will never say never again…uh oh, I just did, didn’t I?

 

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