Getting started

Teasing

This is a quick and cheerful way to get started. Simply pull a few locks of wool from your fleece and pull them apart a little with your fingers to separate the fibres.

Getting started

Tie a piece of scrap yarn to the spindle. Wind it around the spindle, hook it on the hook and give the spindle a spin. This is called a leader. Pull out a little of your fibre and allow it to catch the end of the leader and start to twist. To make this easier, you can tie a loop at the end of your leader and thread a few of your fibres through this loop.

Always spin the spindle in the clockwise direction, and don't neglect it and allow it to start to spin anti-clockwise.

Some new starters like to spin the spindle and then 'park' it between their knees while they draft some fibre, and then give the spindle another spin. This gives you fewer things to think about at once.

Drafting

Hold the fibre loosely at point B and more tightly at point A. Pull your hands apart until you've achieved the thickness you like, and then bring your fingers at point A back towards point B, allowing the twist to travel up the part you've just drawn. Pinch again with your front hand (right hand in this diagram) to stop the twist from travelling any further while you repeat this 'inchworm' action.

Notice that a neat 'spinner's triangle' forms between points A and B.

A small amount of twist between points A and B is helpful as you draw the fibres, but if too much twist gets there, or even further back into the mass of fibre, it will be difficult or impossible to draw it out to the desired thickness. If this happens, pinch with the front hand to hold your twist and let go of the mass of fibre and allow it to untwist.

Using carded fibre

Fibre that has been carded using hand carders or a drum carder will be in the form of a batt or a rolag. The fibres are well-separated and airy. Spinning from these will produce 'woollen' yarn which is softer and fluffier than 'worsted' yarn.

Using sliver, top or roving

Commercially prepared fibre generally comes in the form of a continuous strand of longer fibres. This will be easier to spin if you 'pre-draft'. This can also rejuvenate sliver which has started to felt a little. Grab each end of a short section and snap it a couple of times. It should start to 'give' a little, so that the fibres are starting to slip against each other, but not pull apart too much.

To spin a worsted yarn which is harder-wearing than woollen, keep the fibres parallel. You can pre-draft your sliver evenly to the right thickness and wrap this around your wrist, so that you can then spin the fibre without further drafting.

'Spin it' starter kit

Contains:

• Ashford student drop spindle with leader attached and a little bit of spun wool
• Corriedale wool ready to spin, approx 100g altogether (3.5 oz). in natural Shades. Enough to spin 100yds, depending on how thick you spin it.
• Spin It: Making Yarn from Scratch' by Lee Raven - a very good 'getting started' book.

Watch Shiela demonstrate how to use a drop spindle

Great gift!

£15.80

Rather order by phone?

Lightning fast delivery and reasonable or free postage
Outside UK - Contact me before ordering

Bonanza Spinning Starter Kit

Similar to the spinning starter kit, with even more goodies. Note that the book I'm supplying at the moment with this kit is Maggie Casey's Start Spinning rather than Lee Raven's Hands-on Spinning which is pictured.

Contains:

• Ashford student drop spindle
• 150g Selection of dyed and natural fibre, ready to spin.
• Start Spinning by Maggie Casey.
• Pair of 72pt Ashford standard hand carders for blending colour or preparing raw fleece
• Ashford standard niddy noddy for winding skeins of your finished handspun
• Yarn guage

Great gift!

£69 post free

Suggestion - save more money by ordering another item(s) at the same time, such as a book or fibre - no extra postage will be added.

The Ashford Book of Hand Spinning - Jo Reeve

Jo, the author of the excellent Ashford Book of Carding, has twenty-seven years of spinning experience and will show you how to spin from the beginning through to advanced techniques. Includes five easy projects to use your handspun yarn.

Read my review of The Ashford Book of Hand Spinning

Great gift!

£14.25

Rather order by phone?

Lightning fast delivery and reasonable or free postage
Outside UK - Contact me before ordering

Start Spinning by Maggie Casey

Detailed instructions for spinning on a spindle and spinning on a wheel, complete with plenty of photos. A special section on troubleshooting and wheel maintenance, plus tips and tricks for creating better yarns. Plying, setting twist, using a niddy noddy, and woolen and worsted spinning.

Paperback, 120 pages, 216 x 228 mm

£14.99

Rather order by phone?

Lightning fast delivery and reasonable or free postage
Outside UK - Contact me before ordering

Spinning wheels

A range of Ashford wheels, either delivered quickly to your door, or assembled and waxed for free. Spinning Wheels