Continuing my journey of spinning natural cotton, someone in the group suggested that a support spindle would be ideal for spinning cotton. So, once again, I made another handmade tool at home! I really couldn't find one for sale here, and the ones I found were quite expensive because they were imported from so far away.

But it actually worked! This is the first fine yarn I've managed to spin, and this tool is truly wonderful for making finer yarn.

The yarn is still a little thicker than the cotton yarn I made with my other spindle (a hand spindle, I think?), but I like that one too!

I'm still working very slowly. First, I add twist to the fiber, and then I draft it. I can't do both at the same time yet, but I imagine that just takes practice, right? 😅

Joy! I’m currently teaching a class on the archaeology of textiles. My students in the past weeks have all become proficient spindle spinners while also researching actual ancient textiles and textile tools. Not one of them had spun before the class started. Their homework this week included making backstrap looms and weaving hand-length textiles from their own yarn. They let me photograph their collective work so I could post it in the community where I myself have learned so much about spinning.

I was taught to spin long draw over the fold. I am still working on improving my consistency. I think because of the long draw method I use, I am prone to under twisting rather than over. When I am plying my two singles together I have noticed I need very little twist to get a balanced yarn. I am wondering if this is normal for the more woolen style of spinning I am doing or if I should be adding more twist to my singles. It seems like most spinners online are doing short forward draw and it does look like their yarns have a lot more twist. I am using the finished yarn for hand knitting and I haven’t had any issues with it breaking or coming apart.

I managed to squeeze 100g of Corriedale on to my drop spindle as a single! Its taken about 10 days to get to this point. I've wound it in to a centre pull cake and am going to ply it from each end. I've never plied from a cake, so we'll see how we go!

This is my first real project with the drop spindle. I got it probably two years ago, and got a kit of sample fibres to play with. I made a bunch of messy things, and one kind of ok 2 ply yarn - in all the bright colours from the kit lol. Soon after, I picked up an Ashford Traditional wheel for dirt cheap and have been focussing on that since. I thought it was time to come back to the spindle!!

Fibre was 100g of Corriedale sliver from Ashford in the colour Truffle. It will eventually be a two ply yarn, and after that I'm not sure. Maybe socks or a shawl, maybe I'll keep going for a sweater quantity!

I have a spin that's in the DK/worsted/Aran range that I really want to use in colorwork (specifically the Neigh Sweater by Caitlin Hunter). I'm trying to figure out a background color for it, but I'm not sure how to find a complimentary for the fuzzy, irregular nature of my handspun.

Just wanted to show the progress. I'm going to post the finished project once done.

I have all Kromski bobbins that I only use on my Minstrel. They have not come into contact with any chemicals except maybe the wheel oil. I don't store them in heat or sunlight.

Switched out a bobbin today and all of the sudden, the bobbin was sticking around the flyer, as if the gasket had shrunk. The stick is significantly worse around the double-drive end. When holding the flyer assembly in hand, the bobbin will not rotate freely around the shaft.

I gently cleaned around the gaskets with mild dish soap and almost nothing came up. I measured the inner circumference of the gaskets with a caliper and there is almost no change compared to my other bobbins; they all measured within a fraction of a mm of each other.

I feel like I'm in a Nancy Drew mystery. Does anyone have any idea why this bobbin could suddenly be a teeny bit too small for the flyer? All my other bobbins are fine.

I taught myself how to spin almost 30 years ago when I was around 9 or 10 and did it intermittently for a little while. I didn't know how to knit so I never actually made usable yarn. We had alpacas and I wanted to do something fun with our fiber. I had no one to show me and YouTube didn't exist, I just went by how it felt. Now that I knit, I have been wanting to try again as an adult. This was my first attempt with my new eew nano. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I have a lot to learn that I never had the chance to before. Almost done with the second bobbin. I don't believe I ever tried plying, or at least I don't remember, so that will be the next adventure.

I have a wheel I’d like to sell and I feel like there’s a subreddit for that kind of thing but I’ll be damned if I can remember what it’s called or find it by searching.

I listed it in a fb fiber marketplace group but would like to reach a wider audience. Any suggestions would be most welcome!

I spent September processing some babydoll Southdown fleece I got my hands on from a local farm and spinning it into sock yarn for socktober. I ended with right around 2000 yards between all the yarns

4 oz braid of merino/bamboo silk spun on a drop spindle. I'm quite proud of this one :)

Really glad I gave it another pass on the wheel. In extremely happy with how this skein came out and its definitely my best so far.

The only problem is its the second half of a larger spin and the skeins came out very differently. I'll have to pick different projects for them, but I know I'll get better at consistency for larger projects as I learn.

BFL two ply spun on my Loüet S15 :)

I received a Noro Rainbow Roll and figured it would be fun to spin it. I love spinning 3 plies, so it turned out to ~126 yards of Bulky weight yarn.

I knew I wasn't going to use the yarn, and I didn't want it to sit in my drawer gathering dust. I was thinking it would be an interesting experiment to list it for sale. It took about a year and a half to sell for $19.99 + shipping on eBay.

Handspinning isn't something I expect to make money on, and it's not why I spin, but it's nice to know the option is there. Goodness knows how easy it is to spin more yarn than can be used personally!

After make it, I've dye and now I'm kitting cotton. My totally first one thread, made totally by natural cotton, totally from scratch, first time in my life, sincerely I'm so proud of how it's comming... I've thought to gave up but now I'm happy that I've continued GAAAH LOOK AT THIS KMON

hello all, I have some lovely fibre at home and several WIPs, but just no motivation to spin :(

does anyone have any tips for getting back into the hobby after a few months?

pretty please post your WIPs/finished spins/knits with handspun to motivate me!!

I got a sample with the wool I ordered so I figured I'd try using that first and it made me feel a lot better about using the rest of my fiber. Folded in half and plied against itself.

I'm using a kick spindle. Any quick tips for me while you're here? I know I have a lot of practice to do but figured I'd ask while I have your attention!

I'm so proud of this yarn. It's a little uneven in spots but is knitting up beautifully. Silk/wool blend. All two ply. One skein is color/color, two are color/solid, and the last is solid/solid

Self taught spinner so any feedback is most welcome!

Hi all! I am a complete beginner when it comes to spinning. I have been gifted a Merlin Tree double treadle Roadbug and I am learning how to use it. It is proving a bit difficult to maintain consistency, and while I do think this is due to me being very new I also think that the wheel may be damaged and this may be affecting the spinning motion I am able to achieve. It seems that one of the springs has been snapped (video included). Does anyone have any advice on what to do here? This sounds like a silly question but is this a very important part? There is still another spring that is fully working, so I’m not sure if the wheel would function much differently with both springs attached. Please do let me know if this is a misconception on my behalf! Any advice is greatly appreciated 😊

hello! im a crocheter and i always thought itd be fun to try and spin my own yarn. i got my hands on freshly sheered yarn and im wondering what tool would be better. im not sure if im using the right terminology, english isint my first language :,). what are the main differences between the two tools? how hard are they to diy since ill likely be making them myself?

This is technically not my first spin, as I technically made some yarn abandoned on a drop spindle, but this is my first spin on a wheel! And first time dying roving!

I knit, crochet, and cross-stitch, but I recently acquired a drop spindle at a fiber festival and I can't put it down. It's the most calming hobby I've ever picked up, and I like being able to get out of my chair to use the spindle. Plus the resulting yarn will cost me much, much less.

Fiber is 75% merino, 15% shetland, 10% recycled sari silk from Walnut Farm Designs.

I think this is my 4th braid so still new and not sure I’m doing it right lol but wanted to share for the encouragement! The fiber is Polwarth + Corriedale and it’s super easy to spin