Homestead arts of spinning and weaving

Handspinning is an ancient art. It involves the twisting of fiber into a continuous thread. This is accomplished either by twisting the fibers by hand or with the help of a drop spindle or spinning wheel. Thread can be produced that is either thick or thin, smoothe or lumpy, according to the artist's preference. Two or more threads can then be plyed together. The yarn can be wound into a skein and it can even be dyed a color, or kept in its natural state. Handspun yarn may be woven into a cloth or used for knitting and crocheting.

Animals raised on the homestead provide you with a ready supply of spinning and felting resources. Llamas, alpacas, angora bunnies, sheep and goats all make their contributions to the fiber arts.

sheep shearers.jpg

drop spindle kit

Make A Drop Spindle

You can learn to spin on a drop spindle that you can make yourself for very little cost. Drop spindles are used in some parts of the world even today. All you need is a wooden car wheel (2-3" diameter) and dowel that fits snugly into the hole in the center of the wheel (which becomes the whorl). These are found at craft stores. The dowel length is usually about 3 feet long at the store and you only need a length of 9 - 12" for your drop spindle. So, you might consider making 3 or 4 spindles at once.

Cut your rod to size and push it through the "axel" hole in the wheel. Let about 1½" of rod be below the wheel or whorl. Ideally you can sharpen the end of the dowel near the whorl into a dull point with a pencil sharpener. This will help it spin on a surface like the floor or table top if you want.

The last thing you need to do is drill a tiny hole (use a 5/64" drill bit) in the other end of the shaft. You then screw a ¼" tea cup hook into the hole in the top of the shaft. The yarn will thread through this hook while spinning.

How To Spin With a Drop Spindle

Take an 18" piece of yarn (your leader) and tie it tightly to the rod just above the whorl. Bring the yarn down over the whorl and around the pointy part of the rod and back up again past the whorl toward the top. Draw it up and through the hook. Attach your fibers to this yarn leader and give the drop spindle a spin. As you spin a length of yarn you then wind it aroundthe dowel and continue spinning. It takes some patience and practice to begin drawing the fibers out into a thread but it will come. This is an easy, inexpensive way to learn to spin and makes a much easier transition to spining with a spining wheel.

Click here for an excellent on-line demonstration of spinning with a drop spindle.

Make a Weaving Loom of Cardboard - easy on-line intructions here.

loom with woman.jpg

Weaving Terms

Beam, Warp, Batten, Shuttle, Brake...

The language of weavers explained