Spindlitis

Spindles,spindles,spindles

I'm devoting the site to spinning again, with a focus on spindles. I'll be tweaking the pages a bit and adding content as I can. I will be posting my latest knitting projects in the blog. All my homesteading stuff will be over at the NotSoThoreau site. My first big update here will be a tutorial for all sorts of wrist distaffs. I hope that have that up next week so please check back.

So why spin?

Spinning is a very relaxing craft. When you've had a stressful day, you can turn off your thoughts by spinning a bit. Spinning connects you to a time when people had to create every thread that made up their clothes. Hold an ancient spindle whorl in your hand and you're instantly connected to that spinner. Spinning allows you, as a designer/creator, to visualize a garment or rug and bring it to life. You control all the elements. You can choose a wool or other fiber with exactly the characteristics you want. You can create the kinds of things that you just can't buy. It allows you to satisfy a need for beauty and creation at a very reasonable price!

Why a spindle and not a wheel?

Spinning wheels are a pretty recent invention. They are machines, made to process fiber quickly. They are relatively expensive. They require the spinner to have some knowledge about the kind of spinning wheel they need. They require a large supply of fiber, prepared and ready to spin. You'll find that you need to purchase prepared rovings or to own a drum carder to really keep up. Spinning wheels lend themselves to spinning sessions. You generally don't sit and spin at one for 10 minutes. Spinning wheels are not especially portable. You can't put one in your purse!

Spindles are extremely portable. You can easily take one with you anywhere, pull it out and spin for a limited time. They're great to use during time killers like phone calls, waiting in lines or offices, attending sporting events. They don't require a lot of investment. You can pick up the finest spindles made for under $50. Most spindles are much cheaper. You can easily make one yourself from doweling and wooden toy wheels. You can easily prepare enough fiber for spinning using hand cards or combs. You can even use dog grooming tools! To me, spindles allow you to work spinning into a busy life style.

What exactly are spindles?

Spindles are pretty simple tools. Let's talk a little about spindle and spinning terminology. A spindle consists of a shaft and a whorl. The whorl is the round piece that acts like a flywheel and keeps the spindle turning. It rests on the shaft. Spindles can be low whorl (whorl at the bottom of the shaft and you spin from the top of the shaft) or high whorl (whorl at the top of the shaft and you spin from the top of the shaft. This type typically has a hook at the top.) A low whorl spindle is set into spin by twirling the bottom of the shaft with your fingers. It then hangs suspended by a leader (a piece of spun yarn). Typically, a leader is tied underneath the whorl and then secured by a half hitch at the top of the shaft. Some low whorl spindles have hooks or grooves that serve the same purpose. You spin by attaching the unspun fiber to the leader and spinning the spindle. A top whorl spindle works the same way except that you start the spindle spinning by rolling the shaft on your thigh.

The whole point of spinning is to put enough twist into the fibers that they hold together. This is where we get into drafting. Drafting is where you thin out the fibers and let the twist enter them. Spinners often refer to the drafting triangle. This is the area between the mass of fibers and the spun yarn. You want to fan this area out into a triangle. You pull against the mass of fibers to thin them out as you let twist enter the lower part of the drafting triangle. For some beginners, it's easier to draft the fibers to an arms length, spin the spindle to twist that length and then stop the spindle. You then draft again. Once you've learned how to draft, you'll be able to do that as the spindle spins.

It is not my intention to provide spinning instructions here. Instead, let me refer you to ICanSpin. There are links for several different documents on how to spin. One of them will be helpful to you. You might also check out Connie Delaney's book "Spindle Spinning" (available from Kokovoko). This is a very reasonably priced book with good instructions on spinning several types of spindles.

What kind of spindle should I buy?

A lot depends on what kind of yarn you want to make and what fibers you like to work with. If you want to spin cotton or other fine fibers, you'd want a supported spindle. These spindles spin on a surface instead of suspended, so that they don't put any weight on the yarn. These are generally small and lightweight (under 1 oz. or 25g.) This probably won't be your first spindle.

Spindles for sport weight to bulky yarn typicially weigh in at around 1.7 to 2.7 oz. (50 to 75g.) Choice of a low whorl or high whorl is up to you. A lot of spinners feel that high whorls are easier to spin. A lot of "beginner's spindles" tend to be heavy. You'll be most comfortable with one around 1.8 oz.

If you want to spin very thick yarn, you'll probably want a Navajo spindle. These are large spindles with long shafts. They are spun with the shaft resting on the floor. You probably won't want this as your first spindle, but they can be handy to have.

You can read some reviews of different spindles on my spindle review page. I also have some pictures of different spindles. People tend to be very opinionated about what they like! It's helpful to be able to try out a spindle first. Take some yarn with you and tie it on the shaft and spin the spindle. If it's well balanced, it shouldn't wobble. It should spin for a good time and shouldn't stop and spin backwards. Some good spindle manufacturers are Grafton, Cascade, Spindlewood, Bosworth, Greensleeves, and Cooper Moose. There are lots of good local spindle makers too.

What kind of spindles are there?

Besides the low and high whorl spindles, there are supported spindles. These can have a regular whorl or can use a bead as a whorl. There's a special kind known as a takli. These are generally made of brass. I've mentioned the Navajo spindle. There's also a Turkish spindle. This kind has wooden arms instead of a round whorl. You wind the spun yarn around the arms on these. When you're done, you slip the arms off the shaft and then out of the ball of spun yarn. You don't have to wind the yarn off onto anything with this type spindle. Another type of spindle is the Akha. This is a spindle with the whorl in the middle of the shaft. It's spun by holding it sideways, spinning it with your fingers, and drafting off to the side.

What other tools do I need to spin?

It depends. You can spin with nothing but a spindle, as long as you buy prepared fiber. This is fiber in either roving (a thick strand of untwisted fiber) or bats (long flat sheets of untwisted fiber). If you buy roving, you'll want to do a little preparation before you use it. You should tear off long pieces of it (arms length or longer) and split these pieces lengthwise. You want these to be a little thicker than the yarn you want to spin. I like to split it into sixths. This will make it easier to draft. You will want to do the same thing with a bat.

If you want to prepare your own fiber, you'll need either hand cards or combs. You'll also need to know a little terminology here. Let's talk about woolen and worsted yarns. Most of the commercial yarns you see are basically worsted, so I'll talk about them first. A worsted yarn has the fibers parallel to each other. These yarns are strong and dense. They don't pill easily. Woolen yarns have the fibers in a more random alignment. They incorporate more air. These yarns are fluffier, softer, but they may pill. Fibers for worsted yarns are combed. Fibers for woolen yarns are carded. You can buy several different types of both combs and cards. You can also use dog grooming tools. You can find both good combs and good cards (slicker brushes). You won't be able to prepare a lot of fiber this way, but it is a good way to experiment with it.

I like to use a nostepinne. This is basically a stick that you wind the yarn onto. I generally use this when I've spun the yarn the first time. I wind it on the nostepinne (which makes a center pull ball) and then ply the yarn from both ends. Plying is when you twist several strands together. It can be very useful. It creates thicker yarn, and it takes out some of the twist. A plied yarn is less likely to bias or twist when used in knitting. Good instructions for using a nostepinne are at the Hatchtown Farms site (see vendors' page).

I also use a niddy-noddy to wind the finished yarn on. This is a center shaft with an arm on each end. It helps you skein the yarn. Yarn stores better in a skein than in a ball. This is not an essential tool, but it does make the job easier. I have pictures of the nostepinne and niddy noddy on my tools page.

Can you really spin enough on a spindle to make anything?

Of course you can! That's how people used to spin all their yarn! It's sometimes called slower by the hour and faster by the week. That's because spindles are portable and can be used for short periods of time. Over the week, it adds up.

How long does it take to spin enough to make a sweater?

It depends. What kind of yarn are you making (thick or thin)? What size sweater? Are you a beginning spinner or an experienced one? Really, one should never ask questions about the time involved in spinning enough yarn to make something. If you really wanted speed, you'd buy the yarn. If you wanted more speed, you'd buy a ready made sweater! It takes time to spin yarn and to knit a sweater. If you enjoy knitting or spinning, it doesn't matter how long it takes.

Some typical beginner's questions:
How do I know if the spindle is full?

I mention this first, as we've been asked this one a lot lately. The spindle will be heavy. The thread will start to break every time you start spinning. With some high whorl spindles, the cop (this is the spun yarn wound on the spindle) will slip down from the top. When these things happen, it's time to wind off.

I like to work from big balls of yarn. Can I join balls of my spindle spun yarn?

This is a question that you usually hear from knitters. Some spinners like to feather the ends of the yarn and join it with the feathered end of another ball. Since I generally knit multi-colored things, I find that having smaller balls of yarn is not a problem. I just join the yarn (yes, I use knots!) and then I work the ends in after I'm done with the piece.

My yarn is really kinky and twists back on itself. What happened?

You let too much twist get into the yarn. If this happened in your singles, then maybe you should consider plying the yarn. You ply the opposite direction that the yarn was originally spun. This takes out some of the twist. If that still doesn't help or if you have this problem with a plied yarn, then you need to draft faster so that you don't get as much twist. You can always stop twist by stopping the spindle! Over twist is a very common problem for beginners.

My yarn comes apart. What happened?

You didn't put enough twist in the yarn. If you're spinning fine yarn, you may want to give the spindle an extra spin, before you wind on.

Are there any good books/videos that will teach me how to spin? Is it something you can learn from a book?

Yes, some of us did learn to spin from books. I find that some people learn from books, some people learn better by being shown. If you don't generally learn well from books, then you should seek out another spinner. Or you could try a video. The ICanSpin site listed above has some nice videos you can view online. There are also some wonderful videos on YouTube. Some vendors even have this as a kit, with a spindle and fiber. Many books briefly mention spindle spinning and go on to talk at length about wheel spinning. That's why I like Connie Delaney's book. If you think you might want a wheel some day and would like a more general book, you might try "Hands On Spinning" by Lee Raven. Spinning is something that you need to teach your hands to do. Once they've learned the motions, you won't need to think about what you're doing.

What is a good fiber to learn on?

I generally recommend wool from a long wool breed like Romney or Corriedale. You want to learn from something well prepared and easy to draft. If you have your heart set on merino, then try it! You'll be more motivated to learn if you're working with something that you love. Fibers like merino need more twist and generally a lighter spindle. For your first project, you should probably pass on silk. Silk is lovely stuff, but it's very slippery and needs a lot of twist. It doesn't have the scales that help the fibers cling together, like wool does. When you've learned a bit, then you'll be ready to try it. The same is true about cotton. Cotton is a short fiber that needs a lot of twist. If you're determined to learn on cotton, then you'll probably have better luck with a blend with another fiber (like wool) or with roving. I haven't heard of anyone starting with flax. Angora is another fiber that requires some spinning experience. If you have an allergy to wool, you might try a hair fiber like alpaca or llama. These are a little tricky to spin but would be worth a try.

I hear spinners talking about Navajo plying. What is that?

Navajo plying is a way to make a three ply yarn. It works well when you are spinning a multicolored roving and want to keep the colors distinct. You start with a strand of spun yarn, attached to the leader of your spindle. Make a slip knot. Now pull a loop through, just like you would if you were crocheting. Spin the spindle. Keep pulling new loops through as the twist goes up the fiber. You'll probably find it easier at first to make a couple of loops, spin the spindle and stop it before it goes all the way up the second loop. Pull through a new loop and spin till it gets close to the top of the new loop. Stop again. When you've finished, you'll see that it looks like a three ply yarn. This is a technique that you'll need to practice before you'll be good at it!

What is Andean Plying?

This is a technique that lets you wind off the yarn onto your hand and then ply from both ends. You can see some short videos of how to do this at ICanSpin/Andean. I use a nostepinne instead.

What is a wrist distaff?

A wrist distaff is a good way to hold your fiber while you spin. They are very simple to make. Just take some yarn (your handspun or commercial) and cut it into lengths long enough to wrap around you wrist and hang down about 6 to 8 inches. You'll wrap the roving on the part that hangs down, so be sure and make it long enough. You can always trim it a little shorter. You'll want several strands depending on the technique you're using. If you use knots (just like macrame) you'll probably want at least four strands. If you want to braid it, try using six strands. Start with a knot about a third up the strands, about an inch below where you want it to go around the wrist. Knot or braid a section long enough to go around your wrist, with at least an inch of ease on each side. Tie another knot and tie the piece together at these knots. It's nice to use large beads on the ends of the strands. It adds some weight to keep them hanging straight. You can always tie knots on the ends of the strands. To use this distaff, you put it over your wrist. Take the roving and tuck the end through the wrist piece. Now wrap the roving around the strands that hang down. Wrap as much as you feel comfortable with. You'll spin from the end of the roving and unwind it as you need it. The advantage to a distaff is that it keeps the roving from wrapping on the spinning yarn. There are good, clear directions for making these in Connie Delaney's book. Another way to deal with the roving is to wrap it around your arm. Using a wrist distaff makes it much easier to put the roving and spindle down and pick back up the next time you spin.

What's a good way to store spindles?

Ah, you've already gotten more than one! The most common ways are either to use a vase or to make a rack of some sort. I have an overhead rack that I hang mine from. You'll also want something to carry a spindle and a little roving in. That way, you can take one with you. I have a knit bag that I use, complete with matching wrist distaff. You could also use a box, wrap one in a bandana, or tuck it into your purse.

Final Thoughts

All spinners want beginners to succeed. It's okay if you find that you don't care for spindles and would rather use a wheel. What is important is that you are a spinner. We hope that, once you've learned, you'll help other people to learn to spin. Young people seem to be especially interested. You might want to join a local spinning guild. Check SpinOff magazine for their listing. You are always welcome on the Spindlitis list. We'll try to help you with any problems you might have. Nowadays, our lives are full and busy. Crafts can provide a means to relax and unwind. We hope that spinning will bring you relaxation and joy!!

Drop me a line