Hello everyone!
Happy New Year! It's hard to believe how fast last year flew by. We had a fantastic time last year. We released two newly revised wheels, the Magpie V2 and the Starling V3FP. The Sparrow was also updated with a 2-speed pinion which expanded its speed range. We attended three big events, PLY Away, Maryland Sheep & Wool, and Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. We made strides with our Magpie, Starling, and Falcon queue and were blessed with many more requests.
In the background, Becca and Evanita have been very busy prepping for the Daedalus Fly-In which is fast approaching. For those who are attending keep an eye out for an email on February 1st that will include lots of helpful information to prepare you for the event. We cannot wait to meet everyone and it's going to be such a spectacular time. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful lineup of teachers and vendors.
Teachers
Charan Sachar
Debbie Held,
James Perry
Jillian Moreno
Vendors
Apothefaery Luxury Fibers
Creative with Clay
Deep Dyed Yarn
Jeri Brock Woodworks
Hipstrings
Spotted Circus
Three Waters Farm
Tuft Woolens
Meanwhile Dave has been busy with top secret projects! We are overjoyed to introduce to you two products that Dave has developed over the past year that are ready to make their public appearance.
Introducing
the ROLY-POLY and the WHIRLIGIG
We have been anxiously awaiting the moment when we could share with everyone our brand new Daedalus tools, the Roly-Poly and the Whirligig. The Roly-Poly is an electric ball winder that winds nostepinne-style balls. The Roly-Poly has gone through extensive development to ensure the prettiest winding possible along with the ease of use and the qualities we all know and love of the Daedalus Spinning Wheels.
Born out of the need to continually re-skein the yarn used during the extensive Roly-Poly testing, Dave developed a motorized Skeiner/Swift combo, the Whirligig. Whether you are breaking cones of yarn into hanks or winding your favorite skeins into balls, the Whirligig is the tool for you.
We will be releasing these two new Daedalus tools at the Daedalus Fly-In and plan to have them in the shop in early April with updates to follow.
The following eye candy was wound with our early Roly-Poly prototype that was given to me (Evanita) for testing. I've never owned a ball winder, so I've always wound my own by hand and love the way they look when wound on a nostepinne. The way the Roly-Poly winds is identical to how I hand-wind, and if I dare say, more perfect than I could ever achieve.
There were many considerations during testing that we had to keep in mind such as
Ball density
Capable of working with a wide range of yarn weights
Appropriate tension
Capacity
Work smoothly with a variety of swifts
Characteristics of the winding angle and overall shape
The final version of the Roly-Poly is much larger than the original allowing it to wind a wide range of yarn weights and amount of yarns. It has a capacity of approximately 1 lb of #6 Bulky to 24 oz of #1 Fingering. Estimated capacity varies based on the tension and weight of the yarn. It has a footprint of 16.5" L x 7" W x 11" H ( 42 L x 18 W x 28 H cm), and weighs 4.8 lbs (2.2kg).
Roly-Poly
Will come fully assembled and ready to go. It comes with a wall power supply but can also use the Daedalus battery.
Cost
$690 USD
What's Included
Roly-Poly
On/Off Toggle
Hook Tool
2 Extra Rubber Feet
40 mm Core
Wall Power Supply
User Manual (will be digital only for the first 2 months)
Product Details
Materials: Carbon Fiber and 3D printed ABS plastic
Dimension: 16.5" L x 7" W x 11" H ( 42 L x 18 W x 28 H cm)
Weight: 4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
Orifice: 12 mm
Capacity: Approximately 1 lb #6 Bulky to 24 oz of #1 Fingering. Estimated capacity varies based on the tension and weight of yarn.
Power Requirements: 15V
Whirligig
Will come partially assembled to aid in shipping. Will be capable of creating/managing skeins in sizes of 1.5 -2 yards.
Cost
$550 USD
What's Included
Whirligig
Drive belt
Rotation Counter
Wall Power Supply
2 mm Allen wrench
2.5 mm Allen wrench
3 mm Allen wrench
Assembly/User manual (will be digital only for the first 2 months)
Product Details
Materials: Carbon Fiber and 3D printed ABS plastic
Dimension: 24" W x 28" H (61 W x 71 H cm)
Weight: 4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
Capacity: Lace weight skeins as small as 20g through 24 oz. Bulky yarns up to 1 lb(.5kg). And everything in between.
Power Requirements: 15V
Stay tuned for more information on these two new Daedalus tools. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year and for all those who will be going to the Daedalus Fly-In we cannot wait to see you there!
- Evanita
These new tools of the trade look amazing. I'd really like to have a chance to check them out but I think that I probably should wait fort the e spinner first. I'm on the list (I hope) for a Starling and have been waiting a long time for my name to pop up. Still patient and following your great adventure into this world of making yarn. I'm really looking forward to the Starling. Thanks for such great products.