Need vs. Want

In my last post, I was so excited to have brought my new wheel home, and I’ve been spending a lot of time reading everything I can get my hands on about spinning – books, blogs, Ravelry spin groups, etc. – in addition to just jumping in and spinning. The spin groups on Rav have been an enormous help to me because it’s like an informal classroom. Don’t know what this part is? Post a picture and someone will help you. Can’t find what a certain term means? Ask and you’ll get lots of answers. No question is too stupid, and for the most part, everyone is willing to jump in and help out the beginners – from how to find and select a wheel, to processing your own fiber.
But the problem I’m finding with these groups is of a different sort – it’s the enabling factor. Now, as knitters, we never have an issue encouraging fellow knitters to buy yarn, bags, or knit the latest wildfire pattern, but with spinning, the investment is a little more substantial. I paid a hefty price for my wheel – and planned for months where the funds would come from – but what I missed was all the extras that I would “need.”
For example, a WooLee Winder. I didn’t know I needed one until the Fling and I saw people using them on theirs. The regular flyer on the wheel has these little hooks that you have to stop and move the spun yarn on a regular basis so that the bobbin fills evenly. But with the WooLee Winder, it eliminates that step and winds the yarn much like filling a sewing machine bobbin. Way cool, right? And, it’s a significant additional investment, because not only do you have to get the new flyer, but you need the WooLee Winder bobbins because the regular bobbins don’t fit. It comes with one bobbin, but you need at least 4 because what if you want to make a 3-ply yarn? You’ll have 3 bobbins filled with singles, and then need the 4th bobbin to ply them onto.
And then there’s the miscellaneous stuff. Like, why in the world didn’t the wheel come with the needed oil bottle? Oh, and it would be good to have a Go-Knits pouch or other bag to hang on the side of the wheel to hold scissors, tape measure, the oil bottle, a small cloth for wiping up any excess oil, extra whorls – did I mention extra whorls? Yeah, because as you get better, you’re going to want whorls with all the available ratios. And, let’s see – you might want a WPI tool, so you know what weight of yarn you’re making, and you’ll need to have some kitchen twine or pony bead lacing and connectors for extra drive bands, or even an official polyurethane drive band. Oh, and a niddy noddy or skein winder would come in handy, too, so you don’t have to wind the yarn off the bobbin onto a chair back in order to make your skein.
And all of this before you get to the fiber. What’s the point of having the wheel if you don’t have a fiber stash? And knitters beware – it’s much faster to spin up fiber than it is to knit up yarn from your stash – plus, when you’re done spinning, you have even more yarn! Talk about a never-ending circle!
Of course, you don’t have to get absolutely everything right off the bat, you can slowly add to your spinning tools as you go along, and that’s probably wise, if you’re not certain that you’re going to love spinning.
But there’s one tool that’s non-negotiable – an absolute must for a spinning wheel.

A cup holder. Yeah, I needed it.