Warp and Spin

Spinning Wheels

Every skein starts with a wheel that suits you. Start with what you want to make, where you'll spin, and how much putting-together you're happy to do.

32 wheels, 6 first-project guides

A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

Start with what you want to make

Your first wheel

  • Ashford Kiwi 3. Two folding treadles, three bobbins and a built-in lazy kate, with Ashford's Learn to Spin booklet in the box. It comes as a kit.
  • Ashford Joy 2 double treadle. Arrives assembled, with a padded carry bag and the same booklet.
  • Kromski Prelude. One treadle, three bobbins and a built-in lazy kate, at 4 kg (8.8 lb).

Then follow How to start spinning yarn to your first skein.

Fine, lace-weight yarn

A fine yarn needs more twist than a thick one, as Ashford's booklet puts it, and a higher ratio adds more twist with each turn of the wheel.

Thick and textured yarn

A wheel that travels

Try both single and double drive

What to look at on any wheel

  • Ratios. How many times the flyer turns for each turn of the wheel. Higher ratios lean toward finer yarn, lower toward thicker.
  • Orifice. The opening your yarn feeds through. Check it against the thickest yarn you plan to spin.
  • Treadles. One foot or two, whichever suits you.
  • Bobbins and lazy kate. You need at least three bobbins to make a two-ply yarn: two full and one to ply onto.
  • Assembled or kit. Kits come with instructions to work through. Others arrive ready to go.

Try one before you buy

A guild is where spinners meet in person. Find one near you, and ask whether a member can show you a wheel.

First projects

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    How to Start Spinning Yarn: A First-Wheel Guide

    Go from a bundle of wool to your first plied skein: what to gather, setting up the wheel, treadling, drafting, plying and winding your skein.

    Updated

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    Spinning and Weaving Glossary: The Words, Explained

    What is a maiden bar? A shed? A sett? A friendly glossary of spinning and weaving words, from fleece and roving to flyer, orifice and heddle.

    Updated

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    Spinning or Weaving? Where to Start With a First Craft

    Want to make yarn, start spinning. Want to make cloth, start weaving. See what each involves, what you need for a first project, and how to try it first.

    Updated

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    What Is Spinning Yarn? From Fleece to Skein

    Spinning turns loose fiber into yarn by drawing it out and adding twist. See each stage, why people still do it by hand, and spindle, wheel or e-spinner.

    Updated

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    Who Spins and Weaves? The People Who Take It Up

    A student raised with sheep, a Diné weaver, a knitter in lockdown: how real people came to spinning and weaving, in their own words.

    Updated

  • A wooden spinning wheel by a sunlit window
    Photo: Erik Mclean, Unsplash

    First project

    Why People Love Fiber Crafts, in Their Own Words

    Slowness, making for family, and belonging: what spinners and weavers say they get from their craft, in their own words, and how to try it yourself.

    Updated

Wheel guides

  • Joy 2 Double Treadle
    Image: Ashford

    Wheel guide

    Ashford Joy 2: Owner Reviews and Who It Suits

    An assembled folding wheel with ratios up to 14, in one- or two-treadle versions. Who it suits, what owners report, and how it compares with the Kiwi 3.

    Updated

  • Kiwi 3
    Image: Ashford

    Wheel guide

    Ashford Kiwi 3: Owner Reviews and Who It Suits

    A folding double-treadle wheel with three bobbins and a built-in lazy kate. What it suits, what owners report, and how it sits beside the Joy 2 and Sonata.

    Updated

  • Minstrel Spinning Wheel
    Image: Kromski

    Wheel guide

    Kromski Minstrel: Owner Reviews and Who It Suits

    Scotch tension, two treadles and a choice of single or double drive, with ratios to 16:1. Who it suits, what owners report, and the wheels beside it.

    Updated

  • Sonata Spinning Wheel
    Image: Kromski

    Wheel guide

    Kromski Sonata Encore: Who It Suits

    A 5 kg wheel with single or double drive and ratios from 4.5 to 22:1. Who it suits, and how it compares with the Ashford Kiwi 3 and Joy 2.

    Updated

  • S10 Concept
    Image: Louet

    Wheel guide

    Louet S10 Concept: Who It Suits and How to Set It Up

    Choose Scotch or Irish tension and one treadle or two. What each setup gives you, and how the S10 Concept sits beside the Kiwi 3 and Sonata.

    Updated

Every wheel, by maker

Go by what a wheel spins, how it carries, and what comes in the box. See everything we cover.