The Wool Goes 'Round

Now we are embarking on a new venture:

E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N-

Yes, we are now starting to produce educational videos to help fiber artists efficiently use our fiber processing tools.

The first one we worked on---it's an experiment---is one covering the proper use of the Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder. Check it out on Youtube at:

Let us know what you think, Otto

Love to hear from our customers!

We really enjoy talking with and getting e-mails from our customers. Just got a lovely note from MK in NY that we wanted to share:

"Just a short note to tell you that I purchased your swift and ball winder and am delighted with the equipment. The quality of the tools and their ease of use are wonderful. I highly recommend these Strauch products to any fiber artist who wants beautiful and quality equipment."

Thanks for all your kind words MK! We really appreciate it!

Feeding a sock machine

Michael in WI writes: "I thought I would send a pic of a ball wound onto a paper towel tube so that I can use skeined yarn on my circular sock machine. The Jumbo Ball Winder does an EXCELLENT job!"

Thanks, Michael, a pat on the back feels soooooo good!

Very clever of you to use the core so you can unwind the ball from the outside.

Ball Winders on my mind....

Hey there! The weather has finally warmed up a bit in Happy Valley. Otto has the wood stoves turned down to "bake" rather than "broil" and we even had to crack open the windows to let in some cool air! Spring's coming. Real soon now. We're sure it is.

We've mostly recovered from inventory and we're back in full production mode this week. With the able assistance of Gregory and Otto, I got a bunch of ball winders made this week. We sent to some of our dealers and drop-shipped a bunch to lucky individuals.

If you've gotten a Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder, you may have noticed that they come with a little ball of yarn wound on them. We test every ball winder we sell by winding a large ball of yarn. This gives us a chance to make sure that everything is adjusted just right so your winder will work perfectly.

Here are a few hints for happy winding:

• Make sure your winder is securely clamped to a bench or table at a comfortable height.
• The yarn should wind freely from it's source (a skein on a swift, another ball, a cone of yarn, etc.). If the yarn catches and jerks it can pull the ball out of shape.
• Keep an even tension on the yarn.
• Don't wind too fast!
• Remember to slip the drive band off the pulleys when you're done winding. That will keep the band from getting stretched out.

Have you wound a particularly lovely ball of yarn on your winder? We'd be glad to see it. Send us a digital photo for our scrapbook.

'Til next time, happy winding everyone!