spinning yarn

on a drop spindle

the drop spindle is a very old tool found on all the inhabited continents

 

your ancestors used a drop spindle

 

this is your heritage as a human being

 

you share this culture with all people

types of drop spindles

• suspended vs supported
• bottom whorl, top whorl, turkish drop, bead and spindle

types of spinning wheels

• great wheel - basically a sideways drop spindle
• "saxony" or "castle" wheel
• charka wheel - cotton
• e-spinners

fiber choices

• bast fibers - flax, nettles
• cotton, silk
• wool, angora, mohair, camel / yak / muskox down
• puppy fluff, cattail down, anything else you can find... try it!

but wooooool

• great for beginner spinners
• natural colors, protein dye fiber
• has differing fineness, crimp, scale structure (feltability)
• many different breeds specialized for local craft culture

Which way to twist?

• Z versus S twist (remember O-Chem???)
• most singles are spun Z, plyed S
• do whatever you want, unless you are working with peeps

how much twist?

• depends on fiber, fiber prep, intended weight (thickness), intended use / wear
• singles "should" have a gentle twist, plyed yarns "should" be balanced (don't make coils)
• OTHERWISE you have energized yarn... energized yarn does VERY INTERESTING THINGS. The questions is, can do you want to work with those interesting things? is it a bug or is it a feature?