Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool

In the Acknowledgement section, the author mentions that friends say, “You should write a book about spinning” Did she ever! What a gorgeous book! Almost every page has either a color photo or a graphic – often multiple photos to reinforce the concepts that the author discusses in the text. This 135 page book has an Introduction which is followed by 3 main sections/ units, supported by their various sub-sections/ chapters and delves into problem-solving throughout: I. Know about Spindles: A. Choosing a Spindle B. The Science of Spindles C. What about the Wheel? II. Spinning on a Spindle A. Starting to Spin B. Fine-Tuning Your Yarn C. Getting More Done D. Which Spindle When E. Plying F. Living with Spindles II. Spindle-spun Projects Following these are 2 final section: Resources and the Index. I both hand knit (HK) and machine knit (MK); I also crochet and weave on a tabletop loom, so I already deal with yarn during the pre-project stage of making something: I have several yarn winders (Passap) for my knitting machines, and I own a Strauch (made in USA) yarn winder which winds at an amazing rate in amazingly large balls/ cakes. (https://www.amazon.com/BW-Strauch-Jumbo-Ball-Winder/dp/B0108OZRRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519591840&sr=8-1&keywords=strauch+ball+winder Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder ). I use this winder religiously and almost get into a state of zen while using it because of the soothing, rhythmic, circular motions that it employs while winding yarn. I bought this book, Respect the Spindle, in order to increase my yarn knowledge skill sets because spinning yarn on spindles is not easy even though it seems to be so. To build her own yarn skillsets, the author began her spinning journey in the Andes in Peru as a child. In the book, I also liked that she looked at various spindles from various cultures: Turkish, Russian, and Navajo (encompassing its uses in the ME, Asia and the US Southwest). It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of the spindles and how yarn is spun with these devices. We have 2 American Eskimo dogs, and their double-coated fir, during their daily brushings, might make some lovely yarn. A book on making yarn from dog hair will be the next book that I buy to use in my knitting and tabletop loom weaving. This is a ‘have-to-have’ book for every person who deals with fiber arts and wants to make their own yarn.

Great book. Lots of beautiful and informative pictures and loaded with information. I keep going back to it and reading it again and learning more new things. Very helpful in learning to spin on a spindle.

tl;dr = If you would love to get more out of your spindles or you're looking to buy a spindle, here's the book for you. This review is for the paperback version of Abby Franquemont's "Respect the Spindle". CONS - I wish pages could hold video! Sometimes it was hard to tell what she is doing in the pictures, but I understood more when I tried it myself. PROS - In addition to the most commonly seen spindles, unusual spindles like Navajo and Russian spindles are covered. Lots of pictures for both eye candy and of practical value. There's a chart helping you match spindle, spin speed, and fiber type for easier spinning. Plying is also covered. Franquemont covers many types of spindles (although I wish she'd covered turkish spindles a little more*). Supported spindles and suspended spindles. High-whorl, mid-whorl, low-whorl, no-whorl. She describes in detail how to get them spinning and how to increase the efficiency of your spinning. Franquemont talks about the science behind the spindle and how bits of fiber are transformed into yarn. If you've seen any of her videos on Youtube, you'll see how spinning is so natural to her. This book will help you be more comfortable with your own spinning (but you have to practice!). * Abby has a Youtube video just on turkish spindles

I jerryrigged a top whorl drop spindle a Navajo spindle years ago to make plarn and clarn (plastic and cloth yarn, respectively), but I was very aware that I would need proper guidance if I wanted to spin "real" yarn from natural fibers. Apparently, I wasn't even attaching the yarn to the spindle correctly :S I'm glad the author put right in the beginning that you can make practically any kind of yarn you want with the right spindle without having to invest in buying a wheel. I was one of many people that thought you would eventually need a spinning wheel. After that, the overviews of different types of spindles and the mechanics of them are very informative. All the techniques mentioned are clearly detailed both verbally and with pictures. Besides spinning, details on plying are also included. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at fibers now.

I'm just learning hand spindling, and this book is a wonderful accompaniment. It is beautiful to look at, has good information on how to spin with various techniques and tools, and is full of fascinating history and lore from various spinning traditions around the world. Four stars because it is hard to learn a physical skill like spinning from a book. Not really the book's fault, but if you are trying to learn hand spindling from scratch I recommend that you buy it, read it for background, then watch some of the author's excellent video tutorials on YouTube. The combination can't be beat!

Strong, good quality. My daughter is the crafty one. She is always making something. She is on TT

This book is amazing for those wanting to learn to us a spindle

Great book. I am no expert on drop spindles or spinning, which is why I bought this book and I haven't tried much out yet but flipping through, it looks like exactly what I was hoping for- enough words to figure things out and lots great pictures to help figure out what the words mean. Seems very well done and exactly what I needed. Update- my 15 or old daughter who is dyslexic and not big on reading more than necessary- loves this book! She had a small amount of exposure to drop spindles through 4H, but with the aid of this book- that she enjoys and picks up on her own!- she has so far learned how to use 3 different types of drop spindle. And she has made thin thread-like yarn on her spindle as well! In my opinion, this book is a must have for anyone interested in drop spindles or yarn making! Buy this before the spindle even so it can help you pick they right type out for your needs.

excellent work

Abby is a powerhouse of knowledge. This book is authoritative and covers everything you need to know about spindle spinning. I recommend it to beginners, but also to those for whom the spindle was a thing to begin with but move on from... The book is as much for you as a newcomer. Come in, read, learn the ways of the spindle and respect it as a simple yet effective tool. Never forget- all textiles the world over were spun using some form of spindle or hand spinning techniques for thousands of years.

お得に良い本が買えたと思います。 スピンドルでのテクニックがたっぷりで、英語が読めなくても画像でなんとなく把握できるのが良い。 翻訳しながらなら、更に色々深められて良いのでは、と思うので頑張りたい。

I downloaded the kindle edition as I don’t have space for loads of books. I got this as I started a new hobby in spinning. It has a lot of information on different spindles and i found it easy to read- it almost feels like the author is having a chat with you, so isn’t too fact heavy (i have dyslexia so find heavy reading quite hard after a page or two, but I sat down and read this book in a few days- when I get into a book and it’s easy to read, I just keep going. Easy to put down when life comes up and things need doing and easy to pick up again. I’ve learnt a lot from it and definitely recommend to anyone starting to learn to spin and I keep going back to it as I’m learning more and getting better at spinning. Would be good for spinners at all stages in this lovely craft. Theres a lot out there focused on spinning wheels but I don’t have space or the money for a spinning wheel and i love the very hands on feel of using a spine. The author is very knowledgeable and it is a lovely book. I definitely recommend it.

I am a begginer and it has showed me much more than what you can learn while watching videos. It includes exercises, ao maybe buy a spindle (sheap) to tey them out and then, aftwr you've decoded which fabric to work with, buy a specialized spindle :)