I've been spindling a little every day to keep myself fresh with the technique. Today I decided that I have enough on the whorl to ply it and see what kind of yarn I'm making.
I don't know how to Andean ply so I put it whorl end down into this pitcher and Navajo plied. It certainly was easy enough to do - until I pulled the yarn off the bobbin, and it was a complete mess of corkscrews. Then I remembered
Amy telling me that on the spindle I would be spinning and plying the opposite as on my wheel. It was easy enough to fix. I just started feeding it back on the bobbin, the opposite direction.
Everything was going well until I unwound the rest of the yarn from the spindle. I didn't ply all of the yarn because I had started with something else. The whorl and the shaft simply came cleanly apart. My finished yarn is Shetland - it's very fun to spindle.
I went upstairs and got my first drop spindle. I bought it in 1997, a couple of months before I bought my first wheel. It's so heavy, you could use it for a door stop. It doesn't have a notch and the hook isn't twisted, but by wrapping around the hook twice, I was able to pick up where I left off. I felt like a champ. I'm sad my birthday spindle broke, but I wouldn't have pushed myself had it not. This one is way too heavy to use for long, so I will be shopping for a new spindle. Things like this are why I know better than to say
always or
never, because I never thought I'd truly enjoy drop spindling, and I do!
I've been spindling a little every day to keep myself fresh with the technique. Today I decided that I have enough on the whorl to ply it and see what kind of yarn I'm making.
I don't know how to Andean ply so I put it whorl end down into this pitcher and Navajo plied. It certainly was easy enough to do - until I pulled the yarn off the bobbin, and it was a complete mess of corkscrews. Then I remembered Amy telling me that on the spindle I would be spinning and plying the opposite as on my wheel. It was easy enough to fix. I just started feeding it back on the bobbin, the opposite direction.
Everything was going well until I unwound the rest of the yarn from the spindle. I didn't ply all of the yarn because I had started with something else. The whorl and the shaft simply came cleanly apart. My finished yarn is Shetland - it's very fun to spindle.
I went upstairs and got my first drop spindle. I bought it in 1997, a couple of months before I bought my first wheel. It's so heavy, you could use it for a door stop. It doesn't have a notch and the hook isn't twisted, but by wrapping around the hook twice, I was able to pick up where I left off. I felt like a champ. I'm sad my birthday spindle broke, but I wouldn't have pushed myself had it not. This one is way too heavy to use for long, so I will be shopping for a new spindle. Things like this are why I know better than to say always or never, because I never thought I'd truly enjoy drop spindling, and I do!
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7 comments:
Told you so. ;-) Sorry about the broken spindle, though. :-(
oh gosh-drop spindle-hate it-because i can't do it. total tard! i've tried and tried and drives me nuts- i admire your ability and desire. maybe i should sell my spindles.
Look at you go with a 'not so good' spindle. Just think how much more fun you'll have with a good spindle. Nice work.
String! String! I can help wif that.
You did great! Drop spindling does take a lot of patience. I dont use my spindles much any more, to impatient; I have a wheel that will allow me to spin four or five times more in half the time. A shame really.
The spindling activity would suggest that your shoulder is feeling better?
So sorry about the broken spindle. It's such a pretty one.
The yarn looks like it came out very nice.
Ah, you've been sucked in! Excellent. Welcome to the club.
You might contact the spindle maker about yours. The shaft really shouldn't break like that.
As long as you're shopping, though, allow me to offer you one word: Forrester. :D
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