I got a neat new toy:
This is a teensy little electric spinning wheel! (Crayon for scale.) It’s called the Electric Eel Wheel Nano and I got in on the end of the Kickstarter campaign.
I’m still a relatively inexperienced spinner, so I was worried this might be a ridiculous thing to buy, but it’s tiny, can be powered off usb, and is quiet, so I’m hoping it’ll be the start to me taking my spinning places (mostly, I’m thinking Saturday knit group or my work knitting group). It took a while to get used to it (it’s definitely a lot more awkward to control speed with a knob when I’m used to using my feet) but I was soon managing a reasonable single:
I then promptly played with it so long that I tired out my hand and had to take a few days break before it was back to normal. I usually spin with a timer so I guess I’d better stay in that habit!
It’s very different than my big manual wheel, but with a lot less learning curve than the drop spindle. I’ll have to do some more practice to make sure my hand can handle it (and that I don’t need to change my ergonomic setup) but I’m looking forwards to getting a nice carrying case and taking this spinning show on the road, since knit group is one of my few toddler-free crafting blocks.
Said toddler, of course, was very upset that this toy wasn’t for him! He loves my big wheel too (i have to flip the band off when it’s not in use so he can treadle without messing with my work in progress!) but I think it’ll be a while before he has the coordination to try spinning out for real, even if this means he won’t be limited by tiny toddler legs!
I got a Nano too, and I think I’m finding a bit more of a learning curve. I’ve only ever done spindle spinning before as I never had access to a wheel and the drafting situation is totally different than using a spindle. :(
That sounds frustrating! I find the drafting conceptually similar on a spindle but physically different, so I can see why that might not be an easy switch. I *had* just been spinning on a spindle before it arrived, and I found the switch went smoother if I watched some “how to e-spinner” videos while I did it (which is weird, normally I dislike video aids), but I think in my case it was just getting my hands back into the position they were used to as opposed to really learning a new setup.