It ain't much if it ain't Dutch

I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on my lovely Dutch-born Louet s10 wheel. (My wheel is more honey colored than the one pictured here) Since the Tour de France finished the stage yesterday in Holland I thought about my wheel and how lucky I am to have it. I bought it on ebay from a Dutch seller with the unfortunate ID: bloodymare. She's fantastic though and explained enough to me in broken English to get me started on it.

The wheel arrived at my house during a chaotic time: a week before my brother's wedding. My parents were staying with me when the big box showed up and I was desperate to dig into it. Even though we had more important matters to deal with, my family indulged me. My father knew nothing about spinning wheels but kindly agreed to assemble the wheel. I found pictures of what it was supposed to look like and he figured it out rather quickly.

The Louet wheel is a modern design and I wasn't sure I wanted one. I always liked the classic look of the wheels of old and imagined I would end up with one. Money was an issue as it often is so I had to really consider the Louet and read LOTS of reviews. Everyone seemed to be really happy with their wheels. The design is clever and the parts never need oiling. It's simple and utilitarian, highly functional. Sure I'd like to have a lazy kate that holds more that two bobbins but have you seen the size of the orifice? It's enormous! (a favorable quality in a wheel) Besides, the extras will come in time.

The Tour de France started today in Belgium and journeyed back into France. My Dutch wheel and I will watch every minute of it we can and spin along wherever and however this exciting and ever changing Tour goes.