A few weeks back I took part in a marathon crafting extravaganza known as
Spinzilla. We spun for seven days straight, and
Team Fancy Tiger created a total of 171,492.6 yards of yarn, that's 97 miles in case you're wondering. That's the distance from Denver to Vail, New York City to Philadelphia, and (so my military historian partner tells me) the range of large artillery.
On the last day of the challenge
Schacht, a local spinning and weaving equipment company, sponsored a spin-in and the Denver Art Museum. Between the camaraderie and the shit-talking we struck up conversation with some of the folks from the factory, and they invited us to come have a tour!
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| Dipping the wood pieces in an oil finish. |
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| Racks of wheels ready to be assembled. |
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| Does this count as a wheelwright? |
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| Machines neatly cut out flat pieces with very little waste. Some parts are cut from plywood, some from hard-wood planks. |
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| Everything is very carefully sanded to make smooth tools. |
The factory is always open for tours, just call ahead first! If you're a fiber artist, and you're in the Boulder CO area, it's a fascinating experience. Even for the non-spinning-inclined the smell of sawdust and danish oil can't be beat. I personally love seeing how things are made, and many of these skilled workers are a joy to watch at work. Have any of you ever been to a factory?
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