I had a staring contest with my spinning wheel last night. It won.
I guess I should explain. My spinning wheel and I have had a very rough relationship from the start. I ordered a double-treadle production wheel with Scotch tension from Babe's Fiber Garden about 2 1/2 years ago. I happily spun two skeins of pencil roving up, and things were just swell. I had heard a slight scraping noise while spinning, so I set about making the adjustments. Then the wheel broke off in my hands.
After the incomprehensible sputtering and sobbing, I inspected everything and came to the conclusion that the dowel holding the wheel must have been weakened during shipping (rough handling of packages during the Holiday season isn't unheard of). There was no way I should have been able to break solid oak that easily. I contacted the inventor and explained what happened, and he offered two solutions: He offered to send me a call tag to return it to him for repair, but since that would mean taking the risk of more rough handling during shipping, he also told me how to fix it myself since it was a straightforward repair.
I opted to fix it myself, thinking it would be a good idea to get into the DIY habit. I'll just say that a straightforward repair is only straightforward when you have the right tools on hand. It was truly a comedy of errors to pound the dowel into the wheel without popping out one of the bearings. Several jury-rigging attempts with various clamps and other contraptions proved futile. Many attempts were made over almost two years. Many gadgets and tools were purchased in vain.
Finally, I threw in the towel and took the whole mess with me when I visited my parents a few months ago. Within five minutes, my Dad completely fixed it using a rubber mallet and a piece of scrap wood.
That's when I was CONVINCED that this was personal. The Wheel has a bad grudge against me. It now intimidates me, and I'm afraid to try to spin on it anymore.
Perhaps it would let me out of the doghouse if I bribed it with some fleecy softness. Think the petting zoo would consider an offer on this cutie's next shearing?
