Hello everyone, Kirstin here. Our post today is somewhere between a review for fellow spinners and a public service announcement, because sometimes you just need someone to tell you the obvious. Or I do, anyway.
When I bought my new wheel, the Schacht Sidekick, it came with bulky flyer. This accessory makes it easier to spin specialty and thick yarn. It has an extra large orifice (…must….resist urge…to make off-color jokes…), a specialized maiden, a huge bobbin, and a loop that winds the yarn on the bobbin instead of hooks.
Normal flyer on the left, larger-than-life bulky flyer on the right. It’s almost comically large.
The large bobbin is great, because I don’t have to stop and wind off finished yarn as often; bulky yarns fill up a regular bobbin quickly.
Anything that fits through the orifice can be plied into yarn. I could spin yarn that has large beads, or loops, or feathers, or bolts, or whatever else I wanted. The plastic loop that winds on the yarn doesn’t catch as easily on all the flotsam as the hooks do.
Now here are the public service announcements. You can spin regular yarn on it too! This thing is great for plying, because you don’t have to stop and wind off your yarn halfway through! And, a cautionary note: just because the bead or bolt or whatever fits through the orifice doesn’t mean it will fit through the plastic loop for winding the yarn on.
All in all, though, I’m really pleased with this accessory. Would I have paid $250-$300 for it? Well, I wouldn’t have, but if you are making large quantities of the same yarn (even if it is just regular worsted weight yarn), you probably should. I know my knitters complain when I send them 3 tiny skeins of yarn they have to join into one project!
Cliff House Alpacas 
The “knitters” Kirstin is talking about who complain when they have to deal with small amounts of yarn that are joined together with knots is me, Momma. I absolutely love working with “a simple piece of string” that goes on forever. That said, I appreciate knitting with yarn hand-spun by my daughter or my best friend anytime.
Very interesting Kirstin. I was wondering about those. Please could you make a video sometime of how the plastic loop works as opposed to the hooks on a traditional wheel?
Sure! The short answer is that you thread through the loop, like you do through the orifice, and then it slides up and down the outside of the flyer (instead of moving the yarn from hook to hook).
I hadnt thought of adding bolts to my yarn – thanks for the great idea!! What you are saying about the quantity of yarn is exactly why I bought my bulky maiden and bobbin – for plying large skeins. Mine didnt cost nearly that much for my Lendrum wheel and I really like it.
I hate switching between the two, but I do like it well enough. I admit it took me way too long to realize I could use it for plying!
And bolts are so in. They are the next feathers 🙂