5 Best Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheels For Beginners

You’ve raised the sheep, sheared the fleece, and washed the wool until it’s clean and soft. Now, you’re holding a cloud of potential in your hands, ready to turn it into something useful. Choosing your first spinning wheel can feel like a bigger commitment than getting your first chickens, but it doesn’t have to be.

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Key Factors in Choosing Your First Ashford Wheel

Before you look at specific models, think about how and where you’ll spin. Will the wheel live in a dedicated corner of the living room, or does it need to be tucked into a closet between sessions? Your space dictates whether a large, stable wheel is a joy or a constant obstacle. A wheel that’s easy to pull out is a wheel you’ll actually use.

Consider the treadle options. A single treadle requires a simple push-and-release rhythm, which some find intuitive. A double treadle allows you to use both feet in an alternating motion, which can feel smoother and less tiring over long spinning sessions. There’s no right answer, but if you have issues with knee or ankle fatigue, a double treadle often provides better ergonomics and control.

Finally, don’t overlook the ecosystem of accessories. Ashford wheels are popular for a reason: bobbins, flyers, and other parts are widely available. Think about your future goals. Do you dream of making chunky, textured art yarn? You’ll need a jumbo flyer and bobbins, so make sure the wheel you choose has those available as add-ons.

Ashford Traditional: A Timeless, Versatile Start

The Ashford Traditional is the wheel many people picture in their minds. It’s a classic Saxony design with a large drive wheel that provides excellent momentum. Once you get it going, it practically spins by itself, making it fantastic for long, meditative spinning sessions where you want to produce a lot of consistent yarn.

This wheel is a workhorse. Its large bobbins can hold a generous amount of yarn, meaning you stop less often to change them out. It’s also incredibly stable due to its wide footprint. This is the wheel you set up in a permanent spot, ready to go whenever inspiration strikes.

The main tradeoff is its size. The "Traddy" is not a portable wheel by any stretch, and it requires a decent amount of floor space. It’s the best choice for spinners with a dedicated craft space who want a reliable, classic machine to learn on and use for decades.

Ashford Traveller: Compact Saxony-Style Spinning

Think of the Ashford Traveller as the Traditional’s smaller, more adaptable sibling. It keeps the classic Saxony look but shrinks the footprint, making it a much better fit for smaller homes or multi-purpose rooms. The drive wheel is smaller, but it still offers a wonderfully smooth spinning experience.

Because it’s more compact and lighter, the Traveller is easier to move from room to room. While not a true "travel" wheel, you can certainly take it to a guild meeting or workshop without too much fuss. It offers the same reliable Scotch tension system as the Traditional, making it easy to adjust for different yarn thicknesses.

The key difference is momentum. The smaller wheel means you have to treadle a bit more actively to keep it going, especially at slower speeds. However, the Traveller strikes an excellent balance between classic feel and practical size, making it ideal for those who love the Saxony style but lack the space for a full-sized wheel.

Ashford Kiwi 3: Modern Design for Easy Learning

The Ashford Kiwi 3 throws classic design out the window in favor of pure function. This upright "castle" style wheel is designed from the ground up to be user-friendly for new spinners. Its most notable feature is the folding double treadles, which makes it easy to start and stop with control.

The best part for a beginner is the sliding hook flyer. Instead of stopping to re-hook your yarn every inch or so, you just slide the guide along the flyer arm. This simple innovation removes a major point of frustration and helps you build a smooth rhythm faster. It’s a small detail that makes a huge difference.

The Kiwi is also easy to store. The treadles fold up, and its upright posture gives it a small footprint. While it’s not as portable as the Joy, it’s simple to tuck into a corner. The Kiwi 3 is the top choice for beginners who prioritize ease of use and a frustration-free learning curve over traditional aesthetics.

Ashford Joy 2: The Ultimate Portable Spinning Wheel

If your spinning plans involve taking your craft on the road, the Ashford Joy 2 is the clear winner. This wheel is engineered for portability. It folds down into a compact shape with a built-in carry handle, fitting easily into the trunk of a car or an overhead bin.

Despite its small size, the Joy is a capable wheel. It comes with a sliding hook flyer and offers both single and double treadle options. The bobbins are smaller, but they are quick and easy to change. This is the wheel you take to fiber festivals, on vacation, or to a friend’s farm for a spin-in.

The compromise here is stability and drive wheel size. It’s much lighter than other wheels, and the smaller wheel means it doesn’t have the same inertia. You’ll be treadling more actively. Choose the Joy 2 if portability is your number one priority and you need a wheel that can go anywhere you do.

Ashford Elizabeth 2: For Classic, Upright Spinning

The Ashford Elizabeth 2 is a beautiful, high-performance castle wheel. It combines the space-saving upright design with a massive 24-inch drive wheel, giving you the best of both worlds: a small footprint and incredible speed potential. This is a wheel you can truly grow with.

The large wheel provides amazing momentum, making it effortless to spin everything from fine lace-weight yarns to standard worsted weights. It comes standard as a double treadle, offering fantastic control. The Elizabeth 2 is as much a piece of fine furniture as it is a tool.

While it’s a fantastic wheel, it’s also the priciest of the beginner-friendly options. It’s an investment. This wheel is for the serious beginner who wants a top-tier, elegant machine from day one and plans to explore high-speed spinning for fine yarns.

Comparing Key Specs: Ratios and Portability

When you look at wheel specs, "ratio" is the number you’ll see most. It simply means how many times the flyer twists the fiber for every one full rotation of the drive wheel. A low ratio (like 5:1) is slow and gives you lots of time to draft your fiber, perfect for bulky yarns. A high ratio (like 15:1) is fast and puts twist in quickly, which is ideal for fine yarns.

Here’s a quick comparison of the models:

• Traditional: Ratios from 6.5:1 to 12.5:1. Not portable.
• Traveller: Ratios from 5.5:1 to 10:1. Slightly portable.
• Kiwi 3: Ratios from 5.5:1 to 7.5:1. Storeable and easy to move.
• Joy 2: Ratios from 6:1 to 14:1. Extremely portable.
• Elizabeth 2: Ratios from 8:1 to 15:1. Not portable, but has a small footprint.

Notice that most wheels offer a range of ratios by moving the drive band to different whorls on the flyer. All of these wheels have a great range for a beginner. The key differences come down to the top-end speed (Elizabeth 2) and how they balance performance with portability (Joy 2).

Final Thoughts: Matching a Wheel to Your Goals

There is no single "best" Ashford wheel. The right choice is the one that fits your space, your budget, and your spinning aspirations. Don’t get caught up in finding a wheel that can "do it all." Instead, find the wheel that does what you need it to do right now.

If you want a classic, stable learning platform and have the space, the Traditional or Traveller are unbeatable. If you want the easiest possible learning experience and value modern convenience, the Kiwi 3 is designed for you. If you know you’ll be spinning with friends or on the go, the Joy 2 is the only practical choice. And if you’re starting this hobby with serious ambition and an appreciation for craftsmanship, the Elizabeth 2 will not disappoint.

Ultimately, the best wheel is the one that gets used. Think honestly about your lifestyle. A beautiful wheel that gathers dust because it’s too heavy to move is less useful than a compact one you can pull out for 20 minutes after dinner. Choose the tool that fits the life you have, and you’ll be making your own yarn in no time.

The journey from fleece to yarn is one of the most rewarding parts of raising fiber animals. Pick the wheel that calls to you, get your hands on some fiber, and start treadling. You’ll be surprised how quickly the rhythm becomes second nature.