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Journey
of Self-Discovery
Yields Creative
Results
Hand-Made SpinningWheels!
By Paula B. Puckett
My husband and I purchased five alpacas in June 2008.
I spent the remainder of that year feeding, petting, adminis-
tering worming shots, scooping, and well – you know –
all those things alpaca owners do every day as we live
with and care for our animal family.
The youngest member of our human family is one of
three sons and now a Senior in high school. “Don’t worry
about me,” he assured me one night, as he was about to go
out. “Now is your time, Mom. You just take care of you.”
I don’t think we had the same thing in mind when he said
that, yet he made a lot of sense. What if 2009 could be not
only the “International Year of Natural Fibers,” but also
“My Journey of Rediscovering Spinning?”
I usually spin on an Ashford traditional wheel or a drop
spindle. What better way to challenge myself than to try
something I had never done before? When I was a child, one
of my grandmothers gave me a small alarm clock that was no
longer working. I used her tiny sewing machine screwdriver,
took things apart and then tried to put them back together.
Sometimes there seemed to be parts left over. So now,
I wondered: could I make my own tools to use for spinning?
Research into ancient cultures and the history of hand
spinning led me to experiment and make a variety of drop
spindles. I used
1
⁄
4
"
dowel sticks and small racecar wheels
for inexpensive, lightweight spindles. I made others using
1
⁄
2
"
dowel sticks and drilled holes into wooden circles for the
92
Alpacas
Magazine