Drop Spindle Tutorial

Spinning wool into yarn is a satisfying, empowering feeling, speaking as a knitter who went years without giving handspinning a second thought. I harbored skepticism about whether I was capable of creating yarn I'd want to use in my knitting, and that alone prevented me from giving it a go for years. 

Save the most gifted and skilled among us, myself definitely not included in that category, most everyone will make yarn which is immediately recognizable as handspun. A slightly uneven slubby single, or a dense rope-like spin, they all wave little flags embroidered on them an obvious fact: we were not made by machine. The best advice I can give to a novice spinner: don't focus on the quality of yarn, and enjoy learning a new task. My first knitting project was a tight, horrible mess, and my first handspun could be described the same way. Get past the horror of creating something imperfect, and know it will eventually improve.

Investing $400+ on a spinning wheel is daunting, especially for those who don't know if they'll stick with spinning in the long term. Drop spindles are fantastic for testing the waters. Low cost investment, totally portable, and the perfect introduction for learning about wool characteristics. 

We thought a drop spindle tutorial would be a helpful resource for those who are new to the idea of spinning, especially those living in an area without a teacher to show the process in person. My coworker Leila helped me film a basic tutorial for how to use our Bare Bones spindle with the Stone Wool Farm Roving in Romney. All instructions are given in text form within the video rather than verbally in audio, and I hope it's helpful for someone trying this out for the first time. 

Basic Drop Spindle Tutorial