Getting Started:

Let's talk about yarn…

Yarn is made of fibers that are stretched out and twisted. Making yarn is a simple process-you just get some fluff and find a way to put twist into it. It can be made out of a myriad of fibers. There are plant fibers, like linen and cotton, animal fibers, like sheep's wool or angora rabbit hair, and even new manmade fibers using recycled materials. The fiber needs to be prepared in some way or another-which could simply be removing it from the animal, or a long process of cleaning and combing. The best prepared fiber for a spinner is called a roving, which is wool that has been cleaned and carded into a long continuous fluffy strip. For beginners nothing beats sheep's wool because of its strength, length, and crimp. Crimp creates friction and helps the individual fibers grab on to each other so your yarn won't slide apart and break.

A drop spindle is a primitive tool that has done the job of spinning yarn for thousands of years. It's made up of a "whorl," the round part, and a "shaft," the stick. For convenience, things like hooks or notches are added to hold and guide the yarn as it's spun, but aren't necessary. Some spindles have the whorl at the top and some have it at the bottom. Spindles come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to spin the finest thread to the thickest novelty yarn. The bigger and heavier the spindle, the thicker and heavier the yarn it produces. Drop spindles are wonderful because they are fun and easy to use, cost hardly anything, and are portable. With a spindle you can spin anywhere!!

The technique of stretching out and twisting your fiber into yarn is called drafting. Each hand has a purpose. One will be your "pinching hand" (typically the left hand) and the other will be your "drafting hand" (probably your right hand). Your "pinching hand" will pinch your yarn and keep the twist where you want it. Your "drafting hand" will hold your fiber mass and stretch it out to a desired thickness, and also reach down and keep your spindle spinning at a good speed in the right direction. The space between your hands is called the drafting triangle, with the point where you are pinching. As you draft out your fiber, you'll slide your pinching hand up toward your fiber mass, letting more fiber get twisted, then pinch it so the twist won't go too far up, stretch out some more fiber, slide your pinching hand up, pinch again, stretch, slide, pinch, stretch, slide… That's it-pinch (with your left hand), stretch (with your right hand), and slide (with your left hand)! Just make sure that you keep your spindle spinning continuously in the same direction so you don't untwist your all of your hard work!

Okay, now let's get started!

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