# Anybody using a drop spindle?



## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

I've never spun before but am thinking about doing a small bit of yarn with a drop spindle. Have some silk pulled caps I bought ages ago, and there's some local alpaca fleece. But...it rather looks like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time while making like a contortionist. And I just read the injuries thread here.

I only knit gloves, hats & neck pieces. I'd make socks if the idea of them wearing out didn't make me swoon. princess: I know, like those peas in my bed keep me up at night...)

I like that it's portable, primitive, small investment & small thing. Is this really something people do?


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

yes they do. and lots of them.
some use the drop spindle to get the feeling for fiber drafting and as entry portal for spinning wheels. some get so hooked that they have many different spindles.
i think for small amount of yarns for mittens, hats and socks, spindle would be ideal. i started with a spindle and still use them


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I learned on one. It was fun because I could take it where ever I went. I used the yarn for hats and scarves.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Hi Ellen,

I also learned to spin on the drop spindle.
In the beginning it is a bit tricky, but you soon get the hang of it.

I found this video very helpful.
[YOUTUBE]7gXTWgMeMgI[/YOUTUBE]
"Parking" the spindle between your legs like she shows slows the whole process down, especially when you first start.
Before long you will be walking around spinning and you wont need to do park and draft.

I have used my spindled yarns for just about everything, short of a sweater.


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## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

That youtube video is inspiring. I got this bee in my bonnet from downloading a free pdf from the Interweave Spinningtoday link, I think it's doable even for the likes of Herself!


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

My daughter is learning on one. She is 10 and better than me!!!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Any of Abby Franquemont's videos on drop spindling are great. This is her Drop Spindle Basics.

[YOUTUBE]drXid5cT0y8[/YOUTUBE]


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yes I do use a drop spindle. I like it because I can walk around and spin. Abby Franquemont's book Respect the spindle is also very good. I'm a huge advocate for Hands On Spinning by Lee Raven too. Both books are available through interweave Press and I'm sure you an find them used. This free e-book from Interweave might also be a good one for you to look at. http://www.spinningdaily.com/Drop-S...list&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mgl110525e


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## Mrs. Jo (Jun 5, 2007)

Well, we spun for year on drop spindles and spindolyns. It can teach you alot about drafting, but it's a bit slower and uses more of your body. Now we have anew little wheel. Both are really fun ways to spin.


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## kentuckyhippie (May 29, 2004)

I use a drop spindle that I made using a wooden dowel and a round wood piece with a hole in the center that I think was once a wheel for a little wooden toy car LOL. If I were you I would try both a top whorl and a bottom whorl spindle to see which is the easiest for you to work with. I love my bottom whorl one but I can't manage the top whorl kind very well.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

A drop spindle is just an anchor to get you hooked enough to want a spinning wheel. Yupppers, that's exactly what happened to me~! Started out with a DS, branched out to several different kinds....saved my $$$ now I have 2 spinning wheels and probably 6-8 drop spindles. It's GREAT fun!


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## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

Thanks so much Kyhippie, I'm just starting to cast around for a spindle & I didn't know top from bottom! I'm wanting my-own spindle to come to me like a good pagan, I feel like now I'll know how to recognize it...
(Signed)
Ellen too-spacey-for-words West



kyhippie said:


> I use a drop spindle that I made using a wooden dowel and a round wood piece with a hole in the center that I think was once a wheel for a little wooden toy car LOL. If I were you I would try both a top whorl and a bottom whorl spindle to see which is the easiest for you to work with. I love my bottom whorl one but I can't manage the top whorl kind very well.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I was about the same when I made my spindle. I had read somewhere on the internet that you could make a drop spindle from a wooden dowel and a toy car wheel. Vola I made it. Figured out that you needed a leader - I also had only read general things about spinning so had no clue. And got spinning. After I had been spinning for about a year I found the local fiber arts guild and got told that my spindle was upside down! I tried a high whorl but prefer to spin a low whorl because my toy car wheel is fairly small and seems to wobble when it is high. 

So I was more spacy than you (not having found this site until years later) and still managed to spin a scarf worth of yarn -and dye it! These ladies really do know their spinning.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

I use a drop spindle.

I've made them with toy wheels and dowels, cd's and dowels, chopsticks and cardboard.

Have a good day!


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

I would LOVE to learn how to do this. I was given a trash bag full of sheep wool and I'm determined to turn it into a few scarves for Christmas. lol My question is how do you get the roll of unspun wool that both ladies seem to be using? I've seen how to make a small roll with the wool cards but how do you take that small roll and turn it into a long one to spin?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Emeraldcowgirl Welcome to the Fold! That roll of wool I'm assuming (I haven't watched the video yet) is what is called roving. You can buy it like that, or you an make it but you pretty much need to have a drum carder. Hand cards work and spinning from the little ones, called rolags, works really well. You will probably need to lean your fleece unless it is pretty clean as it is. Then you will most likely need to brush (card) or comb ( dog combs work well same with the brushes). At the top of this forum is a sticky called something like 101 things. In there is a thread about cleaning wool.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I've never spun from the roving. If you just card the wool, take it off the card and toss it in a basket untill you have enough to spin you will do fine.


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Marchwind said:


> You can buy it like that, or you an make it but you pretty much need to have a drum carder.


So, just for clarification, I would need a drum carder if I wanted to make one continuous piece of roving? If I just made roving with a hand carder, would I be able ti spin it with a drop spindle? I appreciate the time you're taking to answer my questions!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

emeraldcowgirl said:


> So, just for clarification, I would need a drum carder if I wanted to make one continuous piece of roving? If I just made roving with a hand carder, would I be able ti spin it with a drop spindle? I appreciate the time you're taking to answer my questions!


You will need to learn how to 'join' the fiber onto your yarn you are spinning, either way. 
Just because it comes in a long 'roving' doesnt mean you wont find a way to break it as you spin. 
If it gets too skinny, or you lose your twist... the spindle falls on the ground. Or the wheel sucks up the end of your yarn.
It is not the end of the world!! You try, try again.

I spin on a spindle and a wheel both. I use both rovings and process my fiber by hand.
I do not have a drum carder. Heck, I am not that good with handcarders, really.

I suggest starting with a roving, personally. Something prepped by someone else, for the first try.
Having the fibers all organised and connected helps tremendously when you are figuring out how to draft and twist. 
There is a learning curve and once you get the feel for it, you can try all kinds of stuff.
I even spun some cow tail hair on the spindle and knitted myself a flyswatter out of it.


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Thank you, Milkin! I think I will practice with a ready made one first.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Emerald I think I may have mislead you a bit. You do not need to have roving to spin from, you can spin from anything. But like GAM said there is a learning curve. A drum carder is a huge expense and I would not recommend it unless you were very serious about your fiber life.

I think I made a youtube video about how I make roving from the batts off my crum carder but I can't remember. I'll look and see if I can find it. If not maybe I can make one and post it. But you do not have to have roving to spin from, it's just something that is easy and available. If you are hand carding fibers you can spin directly from the puff of fibers that comes off the cards or roll them off and spin from the end of the rolag.


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Oh, I see. I appreciate you clarifying that for me, Marchwind. I wouldn't run out and buy a drum carder anyway. $500! Ouch! lol I'm going to look into getting some carders and practicing with them before I buy a drop spindle.

Ellen West, I apologize for hijacking your thread! lol


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Emerald hand cards can be pricey too. Get two pet slicker brushes like these http://tinyurl.com/3uqndpm They are the same thing just smaller and a lot less expensive.


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Absolutely, thanks for the tip!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Emerald here is the video I made about how I turn a batt from my drum carder into roving. I hope this explains things a bit better [ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/merlotsmom#p/a/u/2/UJCPkCoi3T4[/ame]


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

See this link for my message about using dog rakes and slicker brushes for carding wool.
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=339136&highlight=slicker+rabbitgeek

Have a good day!


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Thank you, thank you!


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Marchwind, I can't seem to get the link to work. It keeps telling me that the channel is not available.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oh Hang on I need to make them public. Let me go and figure it out. Sorry about that.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Okay try it now I think it should be visible. If not let me know. I'm still new to this


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## emeraldcowgirl (May 23, 2011)

Marchwind, thank you. I really like the way you do that!


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