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Fibrepalooza is a dealer for
all Ashford products. We have many color ways in
their Takapo yarns. These colors are very vibrant
and rich. The yarn comes from New Zealand sheep.
It is wonderful to knit with. It is suitable for
all types of garments, from scarves, shawls, sweaters,
baby clothes, etc. It also felts very nicely and
quickly, which brings out a nice halo. The skeins
are 200 m/218yds and 100gr. The skeins are very
reasonably priced and go a long way.
We also have several
colors of the dyed corriedale rovings, which are
fantastic for spinning and/or felting. Other items
that are in stock are the Knitter's Loom, Joy and
the Traveler (Castle Double Treadle) spinning
wheels, and several Ashford
books. These are some of the Ashford products in
stock, fibrepalooza can order any products from the
Harmonique site. These products can come to the
shop and be picked up or they can be drop shipped to
your door.
Harmonique is a great company to work
with, orders are filled promptly and the customer
is top priority. Ashford has a long standing
reputation for offering innovative, excellent quality
spinning and weaving equipment. Their yarns,
fibres, accessory tools are also of the highest quality
and competively priced.
I decide to include
some history about Ashford on this site. It is a very
interesting company that I thought others may enjoy.
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Tekapo - 100% pure NZ Wool
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Ball Size 100g
Needles 4-5mm/USA 6-9
Weaving Gauge 7.5 epi
2 Ply yarn with a textured homespun look |
Price: |
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029 |
048 |
054 |
037 |
011 |
012 |
047 |
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Corriedale Slivers ... Dyed and Natural |
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Price: |
| Micron 33-26,
Staple length approx. 11cm (4 1/2"). Soft wool for
fine-medium spinning. Ideal for baby wear, woven,
knitted and crocheted garments. |
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It all began with a young
man in the right place at
the right time. However, the
world-wide depression of the
1930's was not Walter
Ashford's idea of a good
time for starting in
business.
But with purpose and
determination he converted
the family laundry into a
tiny workshop in one of the
most depressed suburbs in
Christchurch New Zealand.
Four days a week he worked
making wooden fireside
stools seated with seagrass.
On the fifth day, with a
stool on the handlebars of
his bicycle, he rode the
city knocking on doors and
learned first hand that
quality and value resulted
in orders. |
Walter
Ashford
where it all began.
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"Assemble
and Save"
Not long after this
the Ashford family
moved to Rakaia, a
small country town.
Here Walter rented
an old building and
set up a small
factory. He repaired
furniture and began
making anything from
picture frames to
chicken coops. Good
workmanship and
modest prices
brought their own
rewards. |
Original Ashford
factory - Rakaia
1936
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However, Rakaia's
population of only
900 was hardly
enough for potential
growth. What he
needed was
customers. He gave
it a lot of thought
and eventually an
idea came to him . .
. he would sell his
fireside stools by
mail order. Wrapping
up stools and
posting them
presented him with a
second problem, the
matter of bulk. Then
Walter had his
second bright
idea. He would make
the wood parts for
the stools and post
them together with
an instruction sheet
for customers to
"Assemble and Save"
a catch line that
became the company's
by-line.
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And so kitsets
became a great
success on the New
Zealand
scene. Because
Walter was a
practical man with a
flair for design,
his staff and
production line
expanded to include
nursery and
household furniture,
utilities and
toys. Walter's
greatest assets were
his ability to
design simple
practical products
and the specialized
machinery to make
them. |
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The Spinning
Revolution
In 1938 Walter
designed a spinning
wheel that could be
used to make
knitting yarn. It
had to be
aesthetically
pleasing,
functional, robust,
trouble free and yet
a simple kitset that
could be posted all
over New Zealand.
The first model was
a double drive
model, but Walter
quickly realized
that spinners wanted
to change bobbins
with ease. So, with
the help of his
father the Rev.
Dudly Ashford, the
Ashford scotch
tension flyer was
developed and a
patent pending
awarded for its
unique design. This
revolutionary idea
enabled the drive
belt to be left on
the flyer whorl and
it was just a simple
matter of releasing
the Scotch Tension
to remove the
bobbin. Today this
innovation appears
on many other brands
of spinning wheel. |
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Original 1943
Advertisement |
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With World War 2
upon New Zealand
Walter's wheels were
in great demand to
create yarn for
woolen socks and
caps for our
soldiers, sailors
and airmen
overseas. While he
served in the
Air force, his father
took early
retirement and with
the help of a
disabled foreman and
a team of women,
kept the factory
working at top speed
to produce 3600
spinning wheels.
In 1945 Walter
returned to his
factory only to find
that Nylon, the new
wonder fiber was
overtaking wool and
spinning. It was
over. For the next
twenty years
spinning slumbered
like sleeping
beauty. |
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Interest in
Wool Revived
Then one day in 1965
Mrs. Pamela Simcox
knocked on the
factory door and
said "please
Mr.
Ashford, make me 10
spinning wheels".
This was not the
sort of challenge
Walter wanted to
take up for the
second time,
remembering with
distaste a storeroom
of wheels which had
to be discounted at
the end of the
War. But Pamela
persisted, emphatic
that wool was the
only wonder fibre,
cool in the summer
and warm in
winter. At
agricultural and
pastoral fairs,
Pamela followed the
country's expert
shearers spinning up
the fleece as it
fell from their
blades. She was
persistent. Besides,
why let all that
expertise go to
waste? And so, once
again Walter Ashford
was in the right
place at the right
time. |
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Walter's daughter
Gay on one
of the
original wheels |
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Starting from where
he left off, he saw
the need to keep in
touch with spinners,
and by adapting,
modifying and
streamlining factory
procedures he
produced the popular
Ashford Traditional
spinning wheel.
Still in the modest
Rakaia premises and
without an expensive
advertising
campaign, spinning
groups mushroomed
all over the
country. Orders also
began coming in from
Australia, America
and Europe. |
A larger factory was
constructed in Ashburton. Now
with plenty of space,
machinery and skilled
craftsmen, the manufacture
of spinning wheels surged
ahead. From these small
beginnings Ashford have now
produced over 500 000
spinning wheels, and are
exporting to over 40
different countries. |
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Quality,
Reliability and
Durability
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The key to success
has been Ashford's
devotion to quality,
reliability and
durability. Only the
best of raw
materials are
used. There is also
a continual process
of improvement and
innovation in
design, while
retaining the
aesthetic appeal of
a graceful spinning
wheel.
Incorporating low to
high speed whorls,
optional single or
double belt drives,
or optional bulky or
"high speed" flyers,
spinners now had the
ability to produce
fine, bulky and
novelty yarns from
all types of fibres. |
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As spinner, author
and tutor Bette
Hochberg has written
"among my thousands
of students, I have
never had one who
didn't learn how to
spin the kind of
yarn they wanted if
they were using an
Ashford. They are
low-cost, easy
trouble-free wheels,
that spin all fibres
in a wide range of
sizes. They spin
soft twist or high
twist yarns, fast or
leisurely".
It was only natural
that weaving looms
followed spinning
wheels. Ashford now
produces a range of
high quality weaving
equipment.
In 1986 Walter
Ashford was awarded
the Queen's Service
medal, a fitting
honour for a man who
gave a lifetime's
dedication to crafts
and was the founder
of the NZ Kit-set
industry.
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Ashford's has always
been a family
business, and the
family has been
greatly saddened by
the recent death of
Walter Ashford.
Uncomplaining and
brave throughout his
illness, Walter died
peacefully on the
1st of October 2000
almost a year after
the death of Joy
Ashford, who worked
alongside Walter
during more than
fifty years of
marriage.
The family's work is
continued by son,
Richard and his
wife, Elizabeth, who
manage the factory,
craft village, and
spinning wheel
museum in Ashburton,
New Zealand, and
daughters Gay and
Heather, who also
promote the Ashford
legacy. |
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Today the factory's
family tradition of good
workmanship and customer
satisfaction is
continued by Richard and
Elizabeth Ashford, who
continue to experiment
and introduce new
products.
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