Tools & Accessories

Spinning Cotton on the Charkha Video

The video is a comprehensive hands-on workshop including material from my Charkha 101 and Charkha 201 classes. While I use the Indian book charkha for the video, the techniques are appropriate for any spindle wheel, including the great wheel.

I use teaching techniques I have developed in the years since 1996 when I began teaching on the charkha. My students have taught me as much as I have taught them. I am indebted to them for sharing their struggles and challenging me to solve common problems in simple ways.

DVD $34.95, plus $2.00 domestic, $5.25 international postage & handling

PAL (European) SALE! $25 USD, including surface postage & handling or $35 USD air mail

Postage quoted is for one video only.

Tuned Indian Book Charkha $135.00
I choose the book size charkha because of the quality compared to the briefcase models. The accelerated box charkha was developed for Gandhi's Contructive Programme in the early to mid 1930's. It was designed specifically for spinning cotton, and the ratio is approximately 65 to 1.
Tuned means I tighten what needs to be tightened, loosen what needs to be loosened, use sandpaper and steel wool where needed, replace drive bands, doctor the bearings, check the skeiner for fit and color code if necessary, then test drive.

Ashford Acelerated Charkha $265.00, assembled

This is a nifty little upright wheel. You can drive the spindle unaccelerated for a ratio of 16:1 or accelerate it to 80:1. The spindle is not removable, but is larger and sturdier than the book charkha spindle--which means you can put a lot more on it.

I've assembled it with the handle on the right and the spindle pointing left; I stand behind it to spin. It is easy, however, to disassemble and change either spindle or handle orientation. Let me know if you would like me to do that for you.

Khadi-Khanoo™ shuttle $45.00
A boat shuttle that holds charkha spindles from 6" to 8" in length. (Not just for book charkha spindles.)
This is an application of a very old idea to some newer tools. Until industry went away from shuttle looms, many of the shuttles held the bobbins that were used in the spinning frames. The spindle of the charkha is just the right size for a small hand shuttle. It also allows the thoroughly modern handspinner to break away from the notion that all handspun must be plied, as this shuttle allows handspun singles to be used as weft.
What is "khadi", you ask? It is handspun, handwoven cloth. Click on khadi to see statistics of hand production in India.

Accessories

Briefcase Charkha (26.65" circumference) band set $4.50
Midsize Charkha (24.3" circumference) band set $4.00
Book Charkha (16" circumference) band set     $3.50
Extra spindles    $9.00 each
License plate frame: "My other wheels/spin coloured cotton" $4.00
Guatemalan Charkha tote    $36.00