| You will learn to spin much faster if you have a good | | | | and learn from other spinners, as well as taking much |
| spinning wheel and use the right type of wool. The | | | | less space in your living room. |
| worst way to start when you are learning to spin is | | | | Your First Drop Spindle |
| with rubbish wool and an old spinning wheel with lots of | | | | Those of you who have good hand and foot |
| problems. This is the way many people start and, not | | | | coordination, e.g. the good dancers and drivers, might |
| surprisingly, give up. Avoid falling into this trap, start with | | | | find it easier to start learning on a spinning wheel. I am |
| good wool and a good wheel and you will soon | | | | a little clumsy and found it easier to start spinning on a |
| become a confident spinner and produce beautiful | | | | drop spindle. It took me about four months to learn to |
| hand spun yarn. | | | | spin a good yarn, but I would have learned much |
| Easy to Spin Wool | | | | quicker if I had started with a good drop spindle, good |
| Somebody trying to be helpful may give you a bag of | | | | wool and good instructions. A top whorl drop spindle |
| wool that has been lying in the back of their cupboard | | | | with a hook at the top is a good choice for a beginner, |
| for ages or you might receive a free fleece directly | | | | a sturdy plain drop spindle will cope with falling on the |
| from the back of a sheep, full of vegetable matter, | | | | floor dozens of times. |
| faeces and very likely somewhat felted. Beware | | | | Starting to Spin |
| Greeks, or gods, bearing gifts! Accept the wool and | | | | Before you start to spin, it helps if you split your wool |
| fleece if you want to be polite, put them in your | | | | top into strips about the width of your finger. The next |
| compost, and go and buy some prepared wool tops | | | | step is pre-drafting, just do a search on Google on |
| from a good supplier. If however, you were lucky | | | | 'pre-draft wool' and you will come across several |
| enough to be given a really good fleece, wash it and | | | | videos that will show you exactly what to do. You can |
| save it for when you are more experienced. | | | | then start spinning. |
| When you are experienced, you can buy good fleeces | | | | When you spin, you put twist into fibres so that they |
| and learn to sort, wash and card them. But when you | | | | hold together to form a continuous thread. If your wool |
| are just starting, you are much better off with good | | | | keeps breaking or your drop spindle repeatedly falls on |
| quality wool tops. It is also much easier to learn to spin | | | | the floor, you probably need to add more twist to your |
| wool than silk, cotton or other vegetable fibres. White | | | | fibre, either by letting the drop spindle turn a few more |
| wool might be easier to spin than dyed wool, as dyeing | | | | times before you draft again, or by treadling the wheel |
| can felt or compact the fibres slightly, a challenge you | | | | a few more times. |
| might not want when you are learning. | | | | Many beginners fill the drop spindle with hand spun |
| You would be wise to chose medium length wool, as | | | | wool then find that they don't know what to do next |
| both long wools and short wools are more difficult to | | | | and give up! Do a search on the internet for 'Andean |
| spin. I like Blue Faced Leicester wool; it has a good | | | | Plying' and you will soon see what the next step is. |
| length, plenty of lustre, and takes natural dyes well. | | | | Alternatively you could do what I did, buy another two |
| Don't be afraid to spend money buying wool tops, 100 | | | | spindles, set two of them in holes in a shoe box, and |
| grams of wool can cost you less than a good cup of | | | | ply the yarn with the third spindle. |
| coffee. | | | | Learning to Spin |
| Spinning Wheels | | | | You may not find a good tutor near you, or within |
| There is nothing more disheartening than using a | | | | reasonable driving distance. It is very likely that your |
| decrepit spinning wheel that needs constant oiling and | | | | local library no longer stocks books on spinning. Do not |
| tension readjustment. Your fibre will either feed into the | | | | despair; the internet is a wonderful resource. I found it |
| bobbin too fast and keep breaking, or it will not feed | | | | much easier to learn by watching videos than following |
| fast enough and end up in a tangle of corkscrews, | | | | photos in a book, anyway. |
| surrounded by swear words. | | | | You can start with free YouTube movies, and then go |
| Buy the best possible wheel you can afford, or buy a | | | | onto buying a professional DVD. You may be lucky to |
| drop spindle and save up for a good wheel. Be brave | | | | have friends that can spin or you may be able to join |
| and ignore the cheap wheel in the car boot sale. A | | | | a local group of spinners. Having a travel wheel will |
| travel wheel is a good choice for a beginner. Travel | | | | make it easier for you to go to spinning groups and |
| wheels are light and easy to carry, and most of them | | | | learn tips from other spinners. You will soon be able to |
| fold to a compact shape and size. A folding spinning | | | | make the most beautiful yarn exactly the way you |
| wheel will make it easier for you to attend meetings | | | | want it and make many friends on the way! |