Trenchwork

(NB! Norsk på bunnen av posten. Til dere som har norsk som morsmål . . . unnskyld! Jeg har fortsatt ganske mange småfeil men ville gjerne at informasjonen om Spinnvilt kunne leses av både engelsk- og norsk-talende selv om norsken min er langt fra feil-fri.)

During moments when I was resting my hands or trying to reactivate a few grey cells, I went hunting for spinning wheels. I knew what I wanted to accomplish with the wheel and that pretty well organized my list of possibilities. The Spindler’s list provided feedback on the wheels I was considering and helped me narrow the choices, but along the way I ran into two vendors who have proven to be outrageously helpful—and who didn’t mind answering really dumb questions.

I had already been in touch with Tracy at Woolly Designs (http://www.woollydesigns.com/) for a special plying spindle. Specifically, I wanted a spindle I could use to ply larger amounts, and after a homemade test, I’d found myself more comfortable with a top whorl than a bottom or Navajo-style spindle. I may outgrow it later, and spindlers everywhere may think I’m nuts, but I wanted a very long shafted, but well-balanced spindle. Tracy agreed to make it, and in short order a balanced Hearts spindle with a 20-inch shaft was on its way and should be here in the next few days. However, the process of working out how to make what I wanted and still have a spindle which would be balanced and spin well was a real pleasure. I came away from that exchange feeling as if I could have nigh well have requested the moon (figuratively speaking) and Tracy would have worked at creating one for me. Nor did he let me engineer myself into something I wouldn’t be able to use, however; he added his own expertise and made suggestions to guarantee I’d not only get the tool wanted, but that I’d get the tool I needed. When I noticed that he and Jean were also selling Majacraft, I wasn’t afraid to ask questions—and ask questions I did. The answers that came back were were educated, evaluative, and honest. I also know that if I had a problem with any product I purchased from Wooly Designs, or if I simply got stuck, I could go back to Tracy and Jean for help or product support. There are some vendors who’d leave an SOS unanswered, but I truly do not believe this is one.

While I was searching for vendors for the three different wheels on my list of finals (the Ashford Traveller, Kromski Polonaise, and Majacraft Rose), I included Norwegian vendors. Any wheel I import would be charged the standard 25% sales tax, and that price should be fairly close to a local vendor’s price. Likewise, there are benefits to having a local vendor you can call on for support rather than having to send those pleas for help halfway around the world. I found one (1!) vendor in Norway. I know there simply must be others, but searching for spinning wheel vendors provided a grand total of one website—Spinnvilt (http://www.spinnvilt.no)—and then only through the Norwegian search engine, Kvasir. Spinnvilt is a fairly new business, but Eirik is working hard to make it accessible, competitive, and an excellent resource for spinners in Norway. He is currently selling Ashford, Babe, Lendrum, Kromski, and—as of about a week ago—will be selling Majacraft. He has the basic tools, and while his selection is a bit limited at the moment, is working on finding and providing good fibers. I know he’s working on getting quality dyes, and has already garnered a solid stock of books on the topic. Like Tracy, Eirik did not hesitate to answer questions, but he also offered that extra bit of information which can make such a tremendous difference. Here, too, the level of customer service was so high that I knew I could depend on support, and I can see myself returning to his shop often in the future. I’m also really tempted by the spinning classes, particularly the fall intermediate class.

Good online vendors who support their products and their services are valuable. As customers extend their demands for service to the online realm, more vendors are realizing the importance of high-level customer service. But you know, the ones really worth their salt are those who get that concept, but who also provide the service not just because it’s good business—but because they genuinely care about their product and their customer. Those are the folks I find myself returning to.

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På norsk: Om Spinnvilt (http://www.spinnvilt.no). I det siste har jeg søkt etter en rokk og har funnet to forskjellige forhandler som har virkelig imponert meg. Jeg har bestemt meg på en Majacraft Rose, men fant det vanskelig å finne en leverandør i Norge. Endelig fant jeg Spinnvilt som har nettopp blitt godkjent som en Majacraft forhandler. Faktisk ble butikken godkjent mens jeg snakket med Eirik om muligheten å få Majacraft! Mens jeg var i ferd med å undersøke flere merker, spurte jeg Eirik utrolig mange spørsmål. Noen av spørsmålene var egentlig ganske dumme, men til andre var han ikke redd å si at han må undersøke noe—og det gjorde han! Han ikke bare svarte spørsmålene, men var like flink å fortelle om hans egen erfaring med de forskjellige rokkene slik at jeg fikk så mye informasjon som mulig og kunne endelig gjøre en informert bestemmelse. Jeg vet at flere butikker som selger rokk og slik til spinning må jo finnes, men han var den eneste som jeg fant. Butikken er basert i Lillehammer, og selv om den er relativt ny jobber han med å utføre varene og mulighetene til spinnere. I rokk har han Ashford, Babe, Lendrum, Kromski, og nå Majacraft. Han har også de vanlige implementer (som karder) og jeg vet at han jobber med å finne og legge inn gode fiber alternativer. I tillegg jobber han med å få i fargestoff til ull og silke. Han har allerede en god linje i bøker. Jeg må si at kundeservice ofte mangler i mange norske butikker, men her er en som—selv om han har ikke gjort et salg ennå—jobber å levere et utrolig godt grad av kundeservice. Ærlig talt ble jeg skikkelig imponert, slik at jeg kan forestille at jeg handler hos Spinnvilt så ofte som mulig. Kursene som er tilbudt i hosten er spesielt fristende.