the drop spindle

Genuine apologies for the long bit of solitude.  We recently moved and haven't had internet access in quite sometime.  At last I discovered that I was mistaken about the wifi at the local library, and that it IS free and available to all willing laptop carrying patrons. Yipee.  Such is the end (hopefully!) of the short-term blackout.

For years I have been a knitter, drawn to it because of the tactile nature of fibers, particularly wool among other things.  From the world of yarn, I have been lead to the art of spinning. Its been a long standing dream of mine to see through a knitted project from start to finish, from raising the livestock to shearing, carding, spinning, knitting, and ultimately to wearing, selling, or gifting.  Quite a few years ago I had the chance to help a friend raise a pair of angora goats from which I now hold some of their dear virgin wool.  This fleece will have to wait until I master the carding process and find some sheep’s wool to blend with it, but for the moment, I am totally thrilled about spinning roving, that is wool that’s been washed and brushed and in this case dyed. 

I first learned to spin from an elderly man who ran an alpaca farm in Hood River, Oregon.  For $20 I purchased a simple drop spindle and received a brief spinning lesson with some bonus roving.  Quite the steal.  I walked away googly-eyed over my new found hobby. 

Here I’m working on a two-ply yarn made with hand-dyed roving from Raven-Frog out of Sitka, AK.  Not sure what I’ll knit from it just yet.  I'm using a Turkish style drop spindle that my husband and I made together from scrap wood, (Yew & Black Walnut I believe.)

While living in the tiny town of Forks WA, I happened upon a rare find just weeks before moving away.   Each Saturday a group of women got together to share spindles and tales while learning from world renown spinner and teacher Judith MacKenzie.  She introduced me the Turkish drop spindle which fits together like a snug little puzzle and allows for your yarn to come out in a neat, pre-wound ball (as opposed to the tangled mess that so often occurred from the standard drop spindle.) 

The handy part of the drop spindle is the fact that it fits into a bag or purse and can be toted anywhere for productivity and enjoyment.  Judith said when she visited Peru it was just expected that wherever women gathered, they would be spinning.  Non-productivity is practically sin in their society, and so though a full spinning wheel has its perks, these “pocket-spindles” are versatile and quite efficient.  Not to mention easy and satisfying!