I wanted to make a review of my new Mother Marion kick-spindle for a bit, as I used to look up every source of info when wondering whether I’d buy it or not…
Today I took the time for a quick video today while the girls were sleeping (or pretending to : Prune opened the door when she heard me talking.. 😉 ) so I figured it might finally be the right time for it… Even if that means 2 posts in the same day ! 😉
Please keep in mind that I’m still a novice spinner. Also, I’m dreaming of having an actual wheel “someday” but for now I really don’t have enough space and time, nor the budget for it.
What I love about my kick-spindle:
– It’s cheap: I bought mine for $ 45, plus shipping (which in my case was high as I’m in France but that’s always the case for anything I buy and I don’t complain !)
– I can spin faster and more consistently than with my drop spindle
– I can also spin more yarn than on the drop spindle which is really appreciable ! (it’s not affected by the weight of the yarn as on a drop spindle)
– My favorite thing on the kick-spindle is the ability to wind the yarn around the spindle real fast with a “kick”. It’s also much less tiring and demanding on the arms than when I spin with the drop spindle
– I also love how the yarn unwinds totally smoothly when I transfer it onto my niddy-noddy, with a transe-like hypnotic noise. Nothing like the mess of the drop spindle rolling everywhere on the floor… 😉
– It’s really small, I can store it on a shelf and move it around the flat to spin while watching the girls take their bath or in their bedroom.
– I like the feeling of kicking the little wooden wheel with my bare feet. Kind of an organic feeling (which I guess would be pretty much the same with a wheel)
– I love the simplicity of it. No fancy spare parts, I figure the day the bearing gets too old, I’ll just get one from my husband’s skateboard gear.. 😛
What I like less about my kick-spindle :
– it doesn’t spin so fast and long as my Ashford drop spindle. And sometimes if I don’t pay attention, the spindle gets out of the bearing. No big deal, it’s back in there in a second.
– I don’t seem to have as much control over the weight of yarn I spin. That may come with gettting more used to it though. For now, if I want to spin some really special yarn, I’ll do it on my drop spindle. (will edit this if it changes with time)
– for some reason, I feel more comfortable plying with my drop spindle. Here again, I feel like I have more control over the process… maybe because it’s slower : 😉
– Because it’s all wooden and not that heavy all in all, it tends to move if you just put it on the floor. To prevent this, I keep it still with my left foot while I kick with my right foot. Works very well ! 🙂
– Like a fellow raveler said, I guess it’s still a lot of “fiddling” compared to a regular spinning wheel. One thing I quite regret is that I can’t transfer my newly spun yarn directly onto a plying rod (because of the hook at the end, as you can’t dis-sassemble the kick-spindle with yarn on it). I’ll try to see if I can wrap the hook with tape and manage to transfer it this way.. (will keep you posted on that)
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I’ll also try to add some reviews of spinning books soon.
Cute video. 🙂
In order to keep the spindle in place, you could try putting a little piece of rubber matting under it – the same kind that is used to hold rugs in place. I use this stuff under the legs of my spinning wheel to keep it from moving across the floor during use!
My brother bought me a Mother Marion kick spindle from the Woolery for Christmas. They are located in Kentucky and as the Heavenly Spinning site gives the credit for the original design as coming from the Ozarks area I would assume that my version is perhaps the original design. It doesn’t have the ball bearing in the base, so it spins slower; it also lacks the hook at the top so I’m “spinning off the tip” like the old Great Wheels. My aunt grew up in Kentucky and verified that info about the wheels in the area. My kick spindle also came with a traditional quill that is made from a corn husk wrapped around the shaft. When I finish a spindle full of thread I can just slide it off and rewrap another. This might solve your problem about removing your thread/yarn without having to wind off right away.
Hi there
Just wanted to say thanks for the info, I’m a novice spinner who at present only uses a drop spindle, but am short of cash and space with two small children and this looks like a great alternative to a spinning wheel – I think I’ll have to get one.
Anit