Spinning with a Drop Spindle
About Wool:
Wools have short or long fiber length, crimped or not crimped strands. The wool we’re using for this class is a
medium-length fiber and is somewhat crimped (the more crimps, the finer the wool).
Wool is like human hair in that it has a shaft and a scale layer (called the cuticle) surrounding the shaft. Wool is
unlike human hair in that the scales are distinct and stand up more. Because of this, wool feels rougher in one
direction when you run your fingers over it. Sometimes wool scales are referred to as “barbs”—this is what
catches and makes wool felt up when pressure and heat are applied.
Before you start spinning, take your roving (wool carded into a long, thin piece) and pull it with both hands to
separate the fibers. It should pull more easily from one side than the other. Whichever side pulls more easily in
your hands is the side you should pull from when spinning. Your spun yarn will be smoother, more even and
less likely to bunch.
If your wool gets matted together after storage or carrying it around, take it in both hands and give it a few
quick, hard jerks apart. This separates up the fibers so you can easily use it again. Do this also if the roving
gets tangled into swirls of fibers. You want all the fibers to lay parallel to each other to make it easier to pull
them out and spin them. Bunched-up fibers running in different directions will be harder to draw out and will
produce a yarn that is lumpy.
To Spin:
The easiest way to start on the drop spindle is to take a foot-long piece of string
and tie it to the spindle. Twist the string up around the spindle, putting a halfhitch about one inch down from the top of the spindle (see photo left).
Next, take the roving and pull it apart a bit until you have a thin “tail” sticking out
one side. Roll this tail out on your thigh to start the spinning (this is how they
used to spin before drop spindles were invented). Lay this piece parallel to the
string with a 3-4 inch overlap, and lay the roving over your left wrist (right if lefthanded). Pinch the end of the string and the wool with your left thumb and
forefinger. Then pull it upright and spin the spindle with your right hand. The
wool should spin around the string
enough to support the weight of the
spindle. The spindle will fall if the string
and wool are not twisted around each other.
When you spin the spindle, it does not matter if you spin it clockwise or
counter-clockwise as long as you’re consistent. (A “Z twist” is
clockwise; an “S twist” is counter-clockwise. It is only important later
on, when you ply the wool or when you weave it.)
Now comes the hard part—spinning the yarn.
Where the wool comes off the roving and twists
into yarn is called the “drawing triangle”. The
drawing triangle is where the whole spinning
process happens—keep your eyes on it and not on
the spindle or the roving.
With the roving laid over your left hand, let it flow
through your thumb and forefinger—hold this part
of the roving very lightly. If you hold the roving
tightly, the fibers will not pull out. Spin the spindle
with your right hand, letting the spindle drop down
as you pull the wool. Your left hand should stay in
one place holding the roving; your right should
move back and forth drawing out the fibers and
spinning the spindle.
The twist that you put into the yarn with the spinning of the spindle is what holds the fibers together. If there is
not enough twist, the fibers will pull apart (this is where “drop” comes into it). It takes a bit of practice to get
the feel of how much twist the fibers need to hold them together. Generally, a thicker bunch of fibers will take
less twist and a thinner bunch of fibers will take more twist.
More twist makes yarn stronger. Don’t overdo it.
The twist will only travel up the yarn if the yarn is tense—
stretched between your hands and the spinning spindle. When the
spindle stops rotating and starts rotating backwards, pinch the
bottom point of the drawing-out triangle with your left hand and
spin the spindle again. Ultimately, you will be able to continue
spinning without the pinching motion as you get more used to the
rhythm of drawing out fibers and spinning the spindle. Another
trick is to spin with the spindle between your knees—when it
slows down, catch it with your knees to prevent it from spinning
backwards. This helps a lot when learning and will keep you
from dropping the spindle a lot as you learn the right hand
motions.
Winding up the Wool
As you spin, you’ll want to wind the spun wool onto the spindle.
To figure out if it’s ready, pinch the end of the drawing out
triangle with your left hand and grab the spindle with your right.
Bring them close together. The wool will twist up on itself. This
tells you several things—how even your spinning is (it can be
surprising) and how twisted it is. If it looks twisted enough, then
you can wind it on. If you want more twist, then set the spindle
back down and give it a good spin. Then check again.
When it’s got enough twist, undo the half-hitch at the top of the spindle. Then pull the wool away from the
spindle until it’s taut so you can wind it on the spindle evenly. Generally, build the wool up around the spindle
whorl in a cone so the weight’s all in the same place. Then whirl the yarn up the shaft, put in another half-hitch
and go.
To find out how to remove your finished yarn from your spindle, ply it and get it ready for knitting or weaving,
here’s some further reading:
Rachel Brown: The Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing Book, ISBN #0-394-71595-0
Bette Hochberg: Handspindles, ISBN 0-9600990-4-2
(Also Handspinner’s Handbook, ISBN 0-9600990-5-0 Deals a lot w/ spinning wheels.)
Wool sources:
The Leather Factory (in Westland & Grand Rapids, MI) sells “Mandala Wool” for making dream catchers,
which is reasonably good wool to start on & easy to find. About $3 for 3 yards.
SCA merchants sometimes sell carded wool and spindles, along with other weaving supplies.
Spinner’s Flock hosts a twice-annual Fleece Festival at Beech Middle School in Chelsea, MI. You can buy
carded wool, spindles, spinning wheels, books, dyes, etc. Many states have fiber festivals where you can buy
cleaned, ready-to-spin wool.
There’s always the Internet, but
you don’t get to feel the wool
before you buy it.
Happy Spinning!
--Sunnifa Gunnarsdottir
(Charlotte Mayhew)
[email protected]
http://www.angelfire.com/
mi4/snotravanta/Spinning/
Spinning.htm
(same article, with photos)
(This box is for
demonstrations of spinning,
showing stages of wool
preparation, and different
breeds of sheep’s wool that
has been spun into sample
skeins.)