Meet Hedgehog the Hope, the main character in my Hedgehog Spinning Set. This is my custom order from Tedge, who stands behind Whimsy Wood & Wool.
During our long written discussion over my dream set, not only I could choose the wood and the shapes but I could also share with Tedge a leading theme and asked her to use her whimsical illustrations to tell a story I had in my imagination. At that time, my little poem was not ready yet. By now, however, each of the three elements in the set has been assigned part of the story. Story of Hedgehog the Hope.
Hedgehog Supported Spindle
This is the first element in my Hedgehog Spinning Set.
The whorl is made from Maple and the shaft is made from Beech recycled from part of a chair from a church somewhere in Belgium. The whorl is decorated with pyrography, ink and acrylic paints.
I use supported spindles to spin singles and this is where the fibre story begins. This is where the hedgehog story begins, too.
He lives in a foreign country, where the sun is always warmly welcome,
the trees grow in artistic shapes, the grass has beautiful green colour and is there for everybody to walk on with bare feet.
The architecture is outstanding and each house is occupied with caring owners.
Hedgehog the Hope really likes living in this country…but he misses his homeland.
Additional Feature
The spindle’s tip has a tiny metal insert, which improves spinning significantly. It sits in the wooden pointy base firmly and is smoothly polished.
Shape and Performance
The spindle is very well balanced and centered; it does not wobble when flicked. Its shaft length is just right for my hands and the size of cops I make on supported spindles. Since there are no decorative cuts or shapes on the shaft, I can use its all lengths from the whorl to the very end of the flicking tip for flicking, winding temporary and final cops.
This spindle, however, is delicate, feathery, so it is not for holding thick singles or fat cops. Thin and medium-thin smooth singles are a better match.
The flicking tip might seem almost too thin for flicking, compared to spindles with widened flicking tips. It is, however, a matter of minutes to get more confident that even stronger grab and rapid flicks do not affect the spindle. On the contrary, with more flicks, the spinning movement becomes smooth almost instantly.
The drop-like shape of the spindle’s whorl is my favourite, and I am thrilled to see its beautifully shaped curve.
Hedgehog Spinning Bowl
It is the second element in my Hedgehog Spinning Set. It is made from Maple, to match the set, and has a Mahogany insert, which makes this bowl suitable for use with spindles that have a metal insert in their tip.
The story of Hedgehog the Hope continues…
He built a small boat, sold his house, packed all the memories and began his long journey across the ocean.
The days passed by. Hedgehog the Hope tried to be strong but sometimes he was scared and sometimes felt very lonely. Luckily, his best friends, the sun, the birds, and the fish accompanied him for the whole time. It helped him to believe in his dream and hope that he would make this dream come true.
Hedgehog Drop Spindle
The third element in my Hedgehog Spinning Set, with the Maple whorl and Beech shaft, and set-matching decorations.
I use drop spindles to spin singles and to ply. This is where the yarn story ends and so is the story of Hedgehog the Hope.
After many months, Hedgehog the Hope has finally arrived to his home country.
His heart was bumping in his chest when he walked the familiar path, through the hills from his dreams. He had tears of happiness in his eyes when he saw the old mill and his lovely fluffy sheep, and his house with the red roof, and the old oak tree that he remembered from his childhood.
He finally arrived home, his place on Earth.
His dream has come true. ‘It is good to have hope. It is good to be Hope.’ – he thought.
He looked at the sun and thanked for help and asked to say his ‘thank you’ to the birds and the fish.
Hedgehog the Hope is now in his homeland. Happily living a peaceful life. Although, he still cherishes his memories of the foreign country, he is now is his dream place, and has new memories to make.
I tend to wrap my cop right under the whorl; thus, I prefer drop spindles with a smooth transition between the shaft and the whorl. It allows for comfortable wrapping my spun or plied singles and does not cause any problems when unwinding.
Shape and Performance
Similarly to the supported spindle, this drop spindle has distinctive shape, which sets Tedge’s products apart and that is what I chose out of several shapes she creates in her designs.
One of the important features in drop spindles with hooks, is the hook itself; its setting in the shaft and the curve. It influences the way the spun single or plied yarn travels from under the whorl, through the hook to the fingers. Tedge makes sure that the hook is firmly inserted in the shaft and shaped so the yarn does not catch nor slip while spinning.
Final Touches
Details decide on the quality. The wood in this set is perfectly polished what makes these spindles and the bowl a pleasure to touch and work with.
The ends of the shafts are rounded with tiny curves and transition between the wood types is smooth without visible grooves. Even the smallest elements, edges, cuts are crafted with breath-taking attention.
All the photographs I present here were takes as close-ups; the pyrography contours are really tiny yet show all the details. Looking at them feels like diving into a world of the tiny creatures, plants and houses on the hills of nowhere.
Hedgehoge the Hope – my Spinning Set
This is how the whole set presents itself. The dimensions are:
Hedgehog Supported Spindle
weight: 28 g
whorl diameter: 39 mm
shaft length (working section): 190 mm
total length: 260 mm
Hedgehog Spinning Bowl
weight: 52 g
height: 30 mm
circumference: 68 mm
Hedgehog Drop Spindle
weight: 44 g
whorl diameter: 80 mm
shaft length (working section): 230 mm
total length: 275 mm
I also got some lovely fibre for test spinning. It is always such a nice touch when some lovely fluff is added to the package with the ordered spinning tools.
To express my appreciation for Tedge’s work, and to have a bit of fun, too, I have recorded my whimsical poem in a form of a story for children. Or for adults. For you.
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