Last night, I completed teaching Weighty Matters,a class that took beginning spindlers to the next level. In this three week class they got to try out spindles of all different weights, materials and styles.
They experimented with top whorl, bottom whorl, suspended, supported, tahkli, Turkish, Navajo, charka spindles; heavy spindles and featherweight spindles. Who knew there were so many kinds of spindles? And there are more that we did not try!
During the class they learned to make airy rolags and tight punis. They learned the difference between combed top and carded roving…they even learned about the issue of grain in commercially combed top.
When all was said and done, they had spun medium wool, fine
wool, merino/yak, merino/silk, bamboo rayon, combed cotton, carded cotton and a wild batt!
Way too much fun! And they all exited the class as far more proficient spindlers than when they arrived. I think I may have made them believers in the true efficiency of hand spindles!
