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Weaving/Spinning/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| SPINNING WHEEL | 8/23/2011 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have recently bought this spinning wheel and would love to find out ANYTHING about it! I beleive ... A: Wow, that is some wheel! I have never seen one like it in all my years of spinning and researching ... | ||
| 1853 Spinning Wheel | 6/9/2011 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: What can you tell me about this spinning wheel? I have been trying to research this, but I can't ... A: Ruthanne, You have a very nice antique wheel! Since the date and initials is are on it, I do ... | ||
| silk | 6/5/2011 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Can you tell any thing about this Dragon and Rooter made of silk i think it have i think a old ... A: Your piece is just beautiful! I just wish I knew where to send you to find more about it. ... | ||
| Frayed Nerves | 5/26/2011 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I'm a newbie spinner. And by "newbie" I mean I just mangled, er, spun my first yarn, if you can ... A: Cindy, Welcome to the wonderful world of spinning! I remember that newbie yarn too. I just wish I ... | ||
| jacquard coverlet restoration | 2/12/2011 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have snagged the coverlet over an area of about 12 x 18 inches and need to find someone who can ... A: I would look in my area to see if there are any companies like dry cleaners, etc. that do ... | ||
| Spinning | 8/8/2010 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Barbara, I went to the site you gave the previous Barbara but it was no help to me. All it did was ... A: Bea Sorry I have been remisss in answering your question. Anyway, what I would do is to find a local ... | ||
| Just asking | 12/15/2009 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have been asked by a friend to try to source a price for an old Hungarian fabric spinning wheel ... A: Julian Wow! I would love to see a picture of this wheel! I would try to find a local spinning guild ... | ||
| unusual spinning wheel | 11/29/2009 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I received a gift of something found by my brother at a flea market that looks like a castle ... A: Cathi I would dearly love to see a picture of your wheel to be able to get more information. I think ... | ||
| Washing and Drying Alpaca Fleece | 5/24/2009 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Curious, after reading your instructions on using a washing machine to clean alpaca fleece. I have a ... A: Mike I would not use the dryer to dry any kind of protein fiber. All of that tumbling even if in a ... | ||
| Washing and Drying Alpaca Fleece | 5/18/2009 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Curious, after reading your instructions on using a washing machine to clean alpaca fleece. I have a ... A: I hope that you have not processed the alpaca yet! I just found out about this question today. I ... | ||
| antique Hungarian spinning wheel | 11/8/2008 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I don't think this is in your area of expertise, but you might be able to point me in the right ... A: Wow! That is a beautiful wheel! There are several places you can get replacement parts made for your ... | ||
| dyeing cotton | 10/20/2008 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I am not sure if you can help me with this question or not but if you can I would be very grateful! ... A: Tori, Forgive me for answering this so late, but I did not know this question was on the site. You ... | ||
| spindles | 5/4/2008 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have a spinning wheel and wish to learn. I am buying my first spindle. I tried to make a CD ... A: You can make CD spindles very easily. This is how I make them: I like to make mine with only one ... | ||
| Warp rep placemats | 1/31/2008 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Will mop cotton make a good filling for warp rep placemats? Does it shrink? I couldn't find the ... A: I am not familiar with mop cotton. If you think it would shrink after weaving I would wash it first ... | ||
| spinning | 12/5/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I would like to learn how to spin and I dont know anyone who can teach me the technique. I would ... A: Camille I suggest that you look for a shop or guild in your area. You did not say where you live, ... | ||
| cleaning alpaca wool | 11/28/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I recently received fleece from one of my alpacas that was sheared at the ranch I am boarding her ... A: I had to ask my experts on this as I have not dealt with fleeces with this problem. Unfortunately it ... | ||
| softness and microns | 10/4/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Which animal fiber is the softest? Which animal fiber has the lowest micron measurement? How ... A: According to a recent article in Wild Fibers magazine, the vicuņa averages 12 microns and is the ... | ||
| Spinning yarn | 9/2/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I washed and dyed and now I am spinning sheep wool on a traditional ashford wheel. I haven'e done ... A: Ruth Pre-drafting is taking a rolag or a length of roving and thinning it out. This makes it easier ... | ||
| Spinning yarn | 8/28/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I washed and dyed and now I am spinning sheep wool on a traditional ashford wheel. I haven'e done ... A: I apologize for taking so long in answering you, Ruth. School started this week and I was called in ... | ||
| Cleaning alpaca fleece | 6/22/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have shorn my two alpacas for the third year. I have all raw fiber and have decided to try to ... A: Terri, How lucky you are to have alpacas! I love spinning alpaca, in fact have some on one of my ... | ||
| Weaving rasta belts | 6/13/2007 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Do you know how jamaican rasta belts are woven? I thought possibly on an inkle loom. Thank you for ... A: Well, have not been asked about these before! I think you are on the right track with the inkle ... | ||
| Plying | 9/22/2006 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I am plying fleece for the first time and things are going nicely, but the cord on the wheel keeps ... A: I have had this problem when the knot used to tie the drive band is too big, or the drive band is ... | ||
| processing raw fleeces | 3/11/2006 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I do some spinning and have washed and carded some raw fleeces.I have a fleece i recently bought ... A: Hey Jo (sorry I could not resist-Jimi Hendrix fan here-& you would have to be as old as me to get it ... | ||
| spinning quiviut | 2/20/2006 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I bought a little bag of unspun quiviut at my yarn shop, and I wonder if it is customary to card it ... A: Oh Jan! I love spinning quivuit. I made a smoke ring out of some last year, but spun the yarn ... | ||
| mesaj | 9/10/2005 | - |
| Q: siz bizim aradagimiz bursali Aydin Atay misiniz ? A: Merhaba, Ben Aydin'nin karisiyim. Aydin hakkinda ogrenmek istediklerinizi bana sorabilirsiniz. Ben ... | ||
| Spinning | 4/19/2005 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have recently started spinning on a top whorl drop spindle, and, as you stated, it is addictive. ... A: Spinning in a vehicle can be problematic! I had my husband accuse me of trying to hit him in the ... | ||
| looms | 4/18/2005 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Do you know anything about inkle looms, thier contruction and setup. Thank you A: Bill Inkle looms are a fun way to get introduced to weaving! You can find many places on the ... | ||
| spinning wheel | 1/3/2005 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Several years ago I admired a small spinning wheel in my elderly neighbors' garage, and offered to ... A: What a lucky girl you are! I keep trying to get free spinning wheels, but it never seems to happen. ... | ||
| weaving machine | 12/20/2004 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: where can yuou get a machine that weaves those WWJD cloth bracelets ? A: I believe those wrist bands are mass produced in Asia somewhere. YOu could duplicate them on an ... | ||
| Navajo plying instructions | 2/5/2002 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: 1) Do you know of any illustrated step-by step instructions for Navajo plying on a wheel in a book ... A: Elisa, Funny, you are the second request that I have had for Navajo plying info in the past week! ... | ||
| How to hang a Navajo blanket on the wall | 11/19/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have a really fine old Navajo wool blanket approximately 50"x78" and would like to use it as a ... A: Gibson, Wow, you are really lucky to have one! I was in New Mexico in '93 and did not know where the ... | ||
| threading the spinning bobbin | 10/22/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I know how to spin. When I learned this , the spinning wheel was already to go, so I didn't take ... A: Wow, what a lovely name! It is mine too :-) Ahem, back to the question at hand, how does the yarn ... | ||
| Yarn Fibers | 8/24/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: How do you do a "burn" test and how do you interpret the results? Thank you very much. Barbara Van ... A: Barbara, Hey that is my first name too! Try using the information on this website ... | ||
| Spinning | 6/30/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I am very interested in learning how to spin. I have taken 1 class in the past (about 3 hrs.) I ... A: Beth, You have just entered into a wonderful world full of great people that will be more than happy ... | ||
| meanings | 5/9/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I'm sorry, but I need to ask you a question. *What is the specific name for a horizantal and ... A: Never apologize for asking a question! That is what we are here for. And to answer your question, ... | ||
| fabric dyeing | 4/23/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Can you recommend any commercial sources for natural dyeing materials? Thanks. A: Randall, I hope I am understanding your question correctly that you would like to know where to get ... | ||
| initiation in weaving | 4/22/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: Hallo. I live in Israel, and recently was inspired by the idea of learning to weave. I'm ... A: Debbie, So you want to be a weaver,huh? That is great! I would suggest finding books about weaving ... | ||
| Warp and Woof | 4/19/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I have a strange question - don't know anything about weaving but am doing a biology paper on ... A: Anne, Hmm, I do not beleive I have heard of those terms referring to tree soil interactions! But ... | ||
| Weaving Schools/Workshops | 3/21/2001 | BJ Heeke |
| Q: I am trying desparately to locate a school to learn loom weaving. I saw a program on WVIA (Public ... A: Wow, you are my first question! I do believe you are referring the The Mannings Handweaving School ... | ||
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BJ Heeke
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions about spindle spinning, low whorl, high whorl, & supported spindles. I can answer questions about navajo plying on a wheel, & andean plying from a spindle. I can also answer questions regarding making one`s own spindles from CD`s or wooden wheels and dowels. I have limited weaving experience, but if I do not know the answer, I surely will find someone who does!
Experience
I have been spinning for 20 years. I make my own spindles. I have taught spindling classes.
Organizations
Northwest Regional Spinner's Association, Texas Fiber Guild, Heart of Texas Spinners & Weavers, & Spindlitis. Past member of the Little Flock Handspinners of Seattle (disbanded) and Valley Spinners (opps, lapsed membership).
Publications
I have written a series of articles for NwRSA's newsletter 'Loose Threads' for spinners about finding information on the Internet called 'Wired Threads'.
I have served as an editor for the Contemporary Handweavers of Texas as well as membership chair for 2 years. I also taught a spindling class at the 2005 conference in Austin, TX.
I will be teaching at Kid 'n Ewe in Boerne, TX November 10-12, 2006.
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