Look what Karen helped me find!
Can you guess what it is? Here’s another clue.
Know what it is yet? Okay, another clue…
How about now?
Yup! It’s the ever elusive Louet S40, or more commonly known as Louet Hatbox spinning wheel.
I’ve been wanting one of these since I first saw a photo of it on the web waaaay back when (2003?). It was already discontinued then. I looked periodically on eBay, the Housecleaning pages, and Spinning For-Sale groups for one, but they are always snapped up before I find the listings. Two weeks ago, I get a voice mail message from Karen to say that she found this in the Whidbey Island papers and was I interested? Boy! I was all over it. I left messages on her home and cell phones and kept calling until I reached her. I even tried to call a couple of the other people on the island trying to find her…
Needless to say, this sweet little thing was waiting for me when I got to the island later that same week. The o-ring is a bit brittle and cracked, but otherwise in perfect working order. I have yet to spin on it, because I have been hosting my little niece. (Grace, I wasn’t up to teaching her how to spin on a wheel that’s not functioning at 100% — not the best way to teach an impatient little girl how to spin.) Now that she’s gone, I can try and see if I can get this little darling working while I locate a source for replacement o-rings. If you know where I might be able to find one, please leave a comment.
Update: The o-ring is too old to be grabby, so it’s a no-go until I locate or fashion a new one.