Lately we’ve been talking a lot about spinning, and that is because right now in the School of SweetGeorgia, we are doing a Spinning Study Group. It’s a nine-week study plan all about helping people improve their spinning techniques; learning about the things that affect the yarn you create, and how to do a better job of making that yarn. But what if you don’t know how to spin yarn. What about if you’re interested in learning how to start, but you don’t even know where to begin. We talk a lot about fibre, we talk about wool, but what about the tool that you need in order to spin yarn.
Join me at today’s Taking Back Friday vlog where I take you through my little collection of spindles – we’ll talk about what to look for, what to avoid, and what would be just fun to play with – plus how to get started with spinning yarn.
I would love to hear from you… tell me if you’ve never spun before and are curious about learning how to spin. Or, if you have been spinning for awhile, what kind of advice or suggestions can you give to brand new spinners, to help someone on their way. Let me know in the comments!
IN THIS EPISODE
- what I mention in today’s video: Here are links to items mentioned in today’s vlog…
- Drop spindles shown in the video: Student spindle (92g, bottom whorl), Redheart wood spindle by Dave Smith and Shari Hamilton (40g, top whorl), Louet Octo Drop spindle (40g, octagon top whorl), and Hand Turned Spindle by Erik Stewart at CraftyJAK’s (~30g, top whorl).
- Turkish Spindles: Jenkins Turkish spindle, Handmade Turkish spindle by Erik Stewart, and Turtle Made 3D printed spindles.
- Read Debbie Held’s review of the Turtle Made 3D printed spindles.
- Support spindles are also shown – you can find a beautiful selection of these spindles on Etsy.
- Spinning retreat mentioned, hosted by Interweave, is SOAR – Spin Off Autumn Retreat.
- want to learn more about spinning? I encourage you to come visit all of the spinning content available at the School of SweetGeorgia (SOS) for all different levels of spinners! The beginner course which I teach there is Spinning from Scratch. Other course mentioned in today’s video are: Spinning with Suspended Spindles taught by Diana Twiss, Spinning with Supported Spindles taught by Debbie Held, and Spinning Intentional Colour taught by myself.
Learning how to spin yarn doesn’t need to be that complicated. You essentially need two things: you need fibre and you need a tool to add twist. However it can sometimes feel daunting knowing where to get started. We’ve compiled together helpful information both below and in a downloadable PDF as a reference tool to help you along the start of your spinning journey.
