The Sewing Place

Spinning with a drop spindle

Ploshkin

Spinning with a drop spindle
« on: September 09, 2023, 15:20:45 PM »
I had a very pleasurable but hot couple of hours above the local small haberdashery this morning learning to spin with a drop spindle.

I have zero desire to sit at a spinning wheel or hand dye yarn but I saw the workshop advertised and thought a bit of handspun fleece could be a useful addition to woven items.  The fleece she gave us to use was straight off her own sheep (Ryeland), washed and carded.  Like most other things that you do it's just a case of getting the right feel for it.  My initial spinning is inevitably a bit thick and thin but I have had another go since I got home and found it much easier to get into a rhythm without listening and talking.  The hardest bit is drawing out the fleece to the right thickness depending on what you are aiming for.  There were 4 of us learning.  The male of the group seemed to be aiming to produce a tow rope.

I came away with the spindle with my yarn on it and some more fleece to carry on with, a box of dyed 'tops'  and a couple of freebies that the tutor had dyed herself

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Life's too short for ironing.

realale

Re: Spinning with a drop spindle
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2023, 16:50:37 PM »
That looks interesting. And I love the colours you've got  :thumb:
So many beers, so little time.

BrendaP

Re: Spinning with a drop spindle
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2023, 19:19:45 PM »
Many years ago whilst on holiday in the lake district I stumbled on a place where I could have a one-to-one session learning to spin using a drop spindle like that; I still have it somewhere.  I never took it any further but it was a enjoyable excercise and improved my understanding of thread/yarn which came in handy when I was producing my threads books. 

I also have a vague recollection of using a spinning wheel there to ply the yarn that I produced and hoped that the thick bits of one ply would meet the thin bits of the other ply!
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Celia

Re: Spinning with a drop spindle
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2023, 09:20:49 AM »
That looks great @Ploshkin it is another one of the things I do occasionally, I learnt to spin many years ago and have only recently 2 years ago got back to spinning a bit.

I really enjoyed using a drop spindle but find a wheel a very different thing, I do have one and maybe one day I will get more into it.  I do use the wheel to ply together very fine wool yarn that is on cone so I can process it to knit with by hand.