On January 5th, 2010, I learned how to spin on a drop spindle and I have never gone back.  It seems I am dreaming of spindles day and night.  I try to find the time mostly during movie watching with the family, to spin a cop full of yarn every day.

I started with some merino and a heavy bottom-whorl drop spindle. And by heavy, I mean H E A V Y! That sucker weighed 86g! It didn’t help matters that it took me a very short while to learn to draft my roving really thin, and so my yarn kept breaking at nearly every turn. Why on earth do they call such a heavy monstrosity a “beginner spindle”? It simply does not make sense.

My emotions were mixed. I knew I would love spinning, but I wanted a lighter spindle and perhaps something top whorl. So I bought a Schacht Hi-Lo spindle which provides both options (top whorl and bottom whorl) and weighs only 30g

and then I really really started to love spinning!

Having a good spindle for the job really makes a difference, since, after spinning for only a month, I was able to produce this:

Here is my current spin in progress: