Spinning, like knitting, is one of those amazing crafts that can really make something substantial out of nothing much. Take a little wool roving, add some twist and you have useable, knittable, crochetable yarn, simple as that. Spinning on a spindle is a great, portable way to spin, with only your spindle and your wool, you can take it practically anywhere. Here we’ll talk about getting started with the park and draft method of spinning.
Things you’ll need:
Spindle (make your own! here)
24 inches or so of yarn or string
Wool roving
Things to do:
1. Fold your string in half and fold it over the shaft of your spindle below the disk. Pull the tails through creating a half-hitch knot.
2. Hook the tails of the string under the hook so that the spindle is suspended below your hands and give it a spin. Pay attention to what direction you are spinning the shaft as you’ll want to continue in this method.
3. Pinch the top of the twisted string and tuck a small piece of roving into it then let go and let the spin catch the wool.
4. Roll the shaft of the spindle along the side of your leg in the same direction that you started the spin, pinching the yarn at the top where the wool meets the string.
5. Once the shaft starts to slow down, pinch it between your knees. This is the “park”. Then tease out the fiber a little and let the spin travel up to create yarn. This is the “draft”. Pinch at the top of the spun yarn and repeat the process.
6. When you have a few feet of yarn, wind it onto the shaft and re-hook the yarn through the hook before continuing to park and draft.
