Pagetop
Menu button brings you back here from anywhere on this page
Pagetop
Menu button brings you back here from anywhere on this page
I make the shafts for all of the Hatchtown spindles in one of two ways:
Note on wood choice: Walnut and Cherry are a good bit softer than the other woods and I'd recommend their use on "indoor" spindles that will be used by "careful" adults. That is to say that Maple, Hickory & Oak are the best choices for spindles that will be generally bashed about, stuffed into fanny packs, tossed into the minivan's cargo area or loaned out to friends.
Shaft
"Ends"
A small change to the hook's profile
suggested a couple of years ago by Jacqueé Gillespie --
proprietress of Fiber Friendzy in Heber, Utah -- has made
the center-draft hook even easier to use.
This is especially true with the hooked version of the Turkish Spindle where the new hook profile is much less likely to tangle when pulling the shaft down through the yarnball while taking the spindle apart.
All of the High (a/k/a Top) Whorl spindles that I make have brass hooks at their shaft tops. I hand bend the hooks from 1/16" ( 1.6 mm ) brass brazing wire.
Click this out for a discussion about tweaking spindle hooks to improve spin.
So, to sum that up! How a spindle will spin is effected by how heavy it is, what the whorl's diameter is and where the whorl's weight is placed on that diameter!
Within certain constraints, I can vary the spindle weights, whorl diameters and shapes (where they're weighted) on all of the round-whorled spindles I make.
Right from the beginning, I've
made the whorls of the "fullsize" spindles' by laminating
layers of contrasting hardwoods -- everything from Ash and Andiroba
to Wenge, Yellowheart and Zebrawood.
A whorl spins on the lathe. A section of Purpleheart is unveiled as my gouge cuts away part of the layer of Red Oak that's been hiding it. Work can't be fun?
Not too long ago I also began laminating
whorls for the smaller spindles like the "Spinimal"
and the "Kaari".
Pictured, clockwise from one o'clock
Whew! How are you going to take all those variables into account when ordering a spindle?? Luckily for you (and for me! <G>), there will always be a few things about any spindle that will be pre-determined.
We're trying hard to offer spindle spinners a lot of what they want. All the different styles or models and various versions amount to our attempt to lend some organization to your search for the perfect spindle for the intended purpose. Please feel free to wander "between the lines" -- suggesting/requesting variations of shaft lengths, whorl diameters, etc. that YOU WANT on your spindle.
Our *usual* recommendation for beginning spinners is that you start with wool roving and a "long spinning", low whorl spindle weighing around 2.25 oz. ( 64g ).
This is heavier than the 1.5 oz ( 43g )spindle that "the experts" say is the perfect all-around spindle weight. But, I'm a "forever beginner" (not getting much practice) and find that the extra weight of a heavier spindle pulling down on the forming yarn is comforting -- it helps pull the twist into the drafting zone. More importantly, the extra weight provides more momentum that helps keep the spindle spinning in the right direction longer during those early days when most beginners are spinning yarn that looks more like "rope" <BG>. Heavy/thick yarn will stop and reverse a light spindle pretty quick.
The Hatchtown spindle that best fits the above description is the "Production". Its shaft has the "centerdraft slotted hook" so you don't have to tie/untie a half-hitch every time you wind on finished yarn -- being a beginner, you have enough to think think about already!
If you want to head down the high or top whorl "road", our 12" High Whorl is what you'll want. We'd suggest the weight of a "beginner high whorl" be a bit less than that for a low whorl -- maybe 1.8 oz. ( 51g ). There's a brass hook at the shaft's end so again you won't be messing with any knots. A beginner can spin a high whorl using their fingers the same as with a low whorl. Then, as ability/confidence increases, you can get the spindle spinning by running the shaft up your thigh with the flat of your hand. This *really* gets it going FAST and accounts for the popularity of high whorls.
If $$$ is a big consideration (there are times it's not?? <G>)
and/or you're not sure you'll "stick" with the "spinning
thing", we'd suggest you get one of the spindles made by
Louet, the spinning wheel manufacturers. They come in one version
that has a cuphook at either end of the shaft so it doubles as
both a high and a low whorl. They are a little heavier than 2
oz. but are usually a very smooth spinners and retail for under
$10.00 -- most Louet dealers carry them.
My favorite book is Hands On Spinning by Lee Raven / Interweave Press -- it has the best step-by-step instructions and illustrations for getting you spinning == on a handspindle and right thru to doing it on a wheel.
Two very good "online" sources for spindle help are the "Spindlitis" website -- Spindlitis! --and the "Spindlitis" mail list == both inhabited by bunches of "spindle nuts". The website is a labor of love created by Teri Pittman -- the "top" Spindle Nut! I just refer to her as the Queen of Handspindles. The site has pictures and reviews of spindles from various makers. There's a spindling help section and access to the official archives of the Spindlitis! mailing list (see the following).
"Spindlitis" the mail list is a relatively small and very friendly list that's "produced" by Teri Pittman (a/k/a the "Queen of Spindliacs"). There're bunches of subscribers whose spindling abilities go all the way from struggling to expert. I promise that no one will laugh at your ignorance -- hardly a day goes by that a new subscriber doesn't ask for, and receive, help.
This is a really good first mailing list for a newbie to try. Teri finally gave up manually managing the list manually, but it's still a good, friendly list. There's info on signing up for the Spindlitis mailing list at the Spindlitis website -- also on our own page of Favorite Links.
