Shout-out: Electric Wheel and CVM top

I purchased some just *amazing* white CVM, combed top, Benny's own, from Benny Fibers at Oregon Flock and Fiber this year. And better than that, if you want a good belly chuckle, is Benny's blog. By some, I mean the last 6.5 ounces she had in the booth.

I found out just how amazing it was when I decided to spin it up on a new electric wheel I recently purchased.

Benny Singles

I am now giving serious consideration to pre-ordering a good pound of the 2008 clip (I'm not looking for raw stuff to process, mind you --- a pound of combed top, of course!)

And let me just say that the electric wheel, the Butterfly, lives up to is name (literally, quiet as a butterfly!)

Butterfly and BennySay hello to my new quilted maple Butterfly e-spinner by Jerry Womack.

Between Benny and the Butterfly, I do believe I've finally master point-of-twist long draw on the spinning wheel! And, the cats don't complain about my shifting legs from treadling (no treadling required).

Amazing fiber meets amazing wheel - wheeeeee!

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Related posts:
# How do you make a good looking 2-ply yarn?
# How fine do I spin my singles to get a target WPI in my plied yarn?

See the topic Sock Spinning for tips applied when spinning Benny.

And for great spinning wheel photos, check out the flickr pool of Spinning Wheels.

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I'm happy to answer any questions on the e-spinner - ask in the comments here or contact me. Abby F. put a great post in the ravelry SpinTech forum on the limitations of Woolee Winders (which my Butterfly has -- but it can also come with a traditional flyer) while hands-down agreeing with their overall utility. Yes, it can improve your overall spinning -- it has, mine!

7 comments:

Janice in GA said...

I got to try a Butterfly at SAFF this year, and I gotta say, they're pretty cool. I didn't buy one, because it's just not in my budget. And besides, I think part of the fun of spinning doing it the old-fashioned way?

Alanna said...

Do you think this would be a good electric wheel for doing novelty yarn too? I was looking for an electric wheel that has a large delta orifice like the majacrafts so that bulkier yarn can come through without getting caught. Thanks! - Alanna

Amelia of Ask The Bellwether said...

With the WooLee Winder, the orifice isn't all that big; the manual flyer (which you can see here on my flickr) has a 3/8" orifice, which is pretty good for most novelty yarns.

Or, what I've done, "after-market", is get an Ashford Quill and 2 nylon bearings to seat it in the maidens ... that's *terrific*. I'll try to take a picture of it soon. I spun Pluckyfluff's elastic-core yarn with that, no problem :-)

If you want a delta orifice, the Fricke electric can be made with one; it's a bit louder of an electric wheel (about as loud as a sewing machine) but also a bit less expensive than the Butterfly. I just love how _quiet_ the Butteryfly is :-)

Mary said...

Amelia, are you still loving your Butterfly? I'm tempted to order one and gathering opinions. But also wondering how it compares to the Fricke and the Ashford, (if you've had a chance to test-drive any other e-spinners).

Amelia of Ask The Bellwether said...

Let's see ... 7 months later and YEP, I'm still loving it. I mostly use the manual flyer now so I can stuff more onto the bobbin ... just did my coil-and-cable last step on it, you can see that bobbin here.

I've only used a Fricke, haven't tried Ashford, Babe, or Roberta (or SpinTech, though I hear they are hard to get now?). Abby (abbysyarns.com) loves her Roberta but does mention the noise issue. I think that is the unique feature of the Butterfly, it's sooo quiet. I mean seriously quiet, like less noise than my Majacraft wheel, which is one of the quietest "manual" wheels I've ever spun on. Other than that, it's much like any other electric spinner in terms of functionality. I'm loving it!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have another question for you about the speed of the Butterfly. I spin lots of fine yarns, and am looking for a very fast electric wheel that can keep up with my drafting. Even with a lace flyer, my Ashford seems slow, and I would like a super-fast wheel.

How would you rate the Butterfly. I love the quietness factor, and appreciate your evaluations here. Thanks!

Amelia of Ask The Bellwether said...

Hi Anonymous, thanks for asking!

If you are going for maximum speed, then I'd get the manual flyer on an electric, rather than a WoolLee Winder. That's because you can spin faster than the WW can keep up with, especially lace.

I have not spun my finest on my Butterfly yet, though I have done sock yarn singles on it (about 24-28 wpi). I also have not maxed out its speed on the manual flyer, so I know I have "room to grow" on my Butterfly yet, for finer spinning and faster spinning too. One thing I have found is that 19:1 on my treadle wheel seems slow now :-)

I am pleased to have both a WW and a manual flyer for my own Butterfly, as then I can pick ease-of-wind-on with the WW or speed with the manual flyer.

Does the Ashford lace flyer give you any more ratio options? for getting more twist into yarn, you really want to move up in ratios. I love spinning fine stuff at 32:1 with my Majacraft's accelerator head. I would find it tedious at my MJ's normal head's top speed of 19:1. One of my wheels (the Betty Roberts) goes up to 36:1, that's a real treat for high-twist, fine yarns.