The day I met Bliss

It is a sunny day, which became even more sunny as the assembly of the spinning wheel progressed. My husband Bob offered to assemble the wheel. He was very happy with the clarity of the instruction manual. And imagine our surprise when we found out we didn’t even have to go look for the correct tools, because they were included in the package! It took less than half an hour to assemble the wheel.

There it was: Bliss. Designed by Louët for Woolmakers. A beautiful contemporary design and a modest airy feel which will be an addition to every studio or living room; truly Dutch Design. It is made from laminated birch and has a white top coat, you know. This is not only beautiful, but also very practical. It is a stable wheel and easy to clean. A spinning wheel always gets a bit greasy from the lanolin in the wool on which the sand in the wool will stick. You can clean this wheel ceasily with a damp cloth.

Why there? Texel is the island I used a spindle to create my first woollen yarn, cosy in front of the tent. Everybody was asking: “What are you doing?”. I got more and more pleasure from it and Bob got it as well. Soon I bought an old Hungarian spinning wheel. Bob restored it and, because of the pounds of wool I already had spun on the spindle, I immediately got the hang of spinning with a wheel. The spinning wheel was nicely decorated, but was very old and the bobbins and orifice were too small. I wanted to spin thick irregular yarn, with a rugged look, to be used for knitting or crocheting. We bought a new wheel, a “Schippertje” (small skipper). It was called that because it was used on a ship and it wasn’t allowed to take up much space. The wheel had bearings, which meant I could spin on it really fast. Unfortunately it also wasn’t suited to spin thick yarns.

So when there was an new model wheel on the market (40 years ago) I was so happy. First I needed to adjust to the fact that it has a solid wheel with a hole in it. I know that Louët has added many improvements over the years, but it became my favorite wheel.

The nice thing is that sheep wool and spinning wool are still an important pastime for me. I still receive nice responses of people who have learned to spin after reading the booklet “Spinnen” I wrote with my husband. It is just like riding a bicycle; once you have learned, you never forget.

A great idea; the first meters of wool I will spin sitting in the sun, with the lighthouse of Texel in the background, the wind in my hair and the whistling birds surrounding me.

The thing I would love to do most is to sit here until the sun goes down. What a superfast and light-treadling wheel!

Next thing I do is go by my fat girl-friend, who is busy with her children. They look surprised when they see the beautiful piece of art, which is going to turn their fleece into nice strings of yarn.

When you find yourself on Texel and would like to try out Bliss: my address on Texel is Krimweg 48 in De Cocksdorp. When there is a black sheep at the fence you are more than welcome; usually you will find me spinning in the garden. Of course you can always call me to make an appointment, you can reach me at 06 531 778 61.