Your First Spinning Wheel: Styles & Ratios

Considering the styles and ratios when purchasing a spinning wheel.

Sep 14, 2008

In part one of this three part series, we first look at the different wheel styles, including Saxony, Castle, Charkha, and The Great Wheel, as well as drive ratios.

There’s a lot of technical aspects to choosing your first spinning wheel. Drive ratios, treadles, tension – it can all seem like greek for the beginning spinner. Not only are there a plethora of wheel types out there, but the beginning spinner must also ask themselves a few questions so they can choose a first wheel that will be suited to their needs as well.

In part one of this three-part article, we’ll be discussing some of the technical aspects of the spinning wheel, what to consider when purchasing your first wheel, and what it all means to the spinner.

A good illustration on the actual parts of the wheel is located here, please be sure to view it to understand the parts that are being discussed in this article.

Wheel Styles

There are several styles of wheels, and depending upon the preference of the spinner, there is a perfect style for everybody.

Saxony Wheels – this is the style of wheel most people commonly think of when they envision a spinning wheel, and is commonly referred to as the “Cinderella” spinning wheel. The elements of this wheel are positioned horizontally, with the wheel at one end and the flyer and bobbin at the opposite.

Castle Wheels – these wheels are built in an upright position, with the treadles, wheel, and flyer built on top of each other. These wheels are often more compact, and some are even made to fold so that they can be transported easily.

Charkha Wheel – this is an Indian wheel, popularized by Mahatma Ghandi, and is in fact pictured on earlier versions of the Indian flag. It’s a small portable hand powered wheel – unlike the Saxony and Castle wheels that use food power to spin the wheel. This wheel is particularly good for spinning cotton and short staple fibres.

The Great Wheel – one of the earliest forms of the spinning wheel, this is another hand-powered wheel. It usually stands over 5 feet in height, and one hand is used to spin the wheel slowly while the other hand holds the fibre to be spun.

Drive Ratios

One of the most confusing aspects for the first time spinner is the idea of the wheel ratios. These are written as, for example, 5:1, 10:1, 17:1, etc. and any range around that. The ratio is the written form of the relationship between the spinning of the wheel and the spinning of the flyer, which in turn determines the amount of twist that will be put in your yarn. For example, for a ration of 10:1, the wheel will spin once for every 10 spins of the flyer. The yarn will therefore have 10 twists put into it for each time the wheel rotates a full spin.

What this means: Generally, the finer the yarn you want to spin, the more twist it will need. If you are looking for spinning worsted, DK, sock, or lace weight yarns, a wheel that comes with higher ratios will be more suited to you. If you are hoping to spin more bulky yarns, a wheel with a smaller ratio will suit you, as bulkier yarns do not require as much twist.

The copyright of the article Your First Spinning Wheel: Styles & Ratios in Knitting Yarns & Machines is owned by Kelly Gilliam. Permission to republish Your First Spinning Wheel: Styles & Ratios in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.