Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool

Perfect for a beginning spindle spinner. I took it to FedEx to have it spiral bound, making it easier to read and follow

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 SpindleB. The Science of SpindlesC. What about the Wheel?II. Spinning on a SpindleA. Starting to SpinB. Fine-Tuning Your YarnC. Getting More DoneD. Which Spindle WhenE. PlyingF. Living with SpindlesII. Spindle-spun ProjectsFollowing 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.

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 :SI'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.

Great book! And even better for people that are beginning or further along on their spinning journey. It's very informative something that I wished I would've gotten when I began spinning. But It's got something for everybody in it and you will learn a lot more about hand spinning. Would highly recommend.

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!

I'm a new spinner and this book helped me so much! got to learn about different spindles and Techniques and how to spin. Worth buying for a novice spinner.

This is a wonderful reference book for spinners. It arrived in perfect condition and the seller stayed in touch regarding delivery. I would recommend both the book and the seller.

Very useful and well written. I am a novice spinner and I think I will find this book helpful for some time. The explanations of spindle types and the issues newbies face helped encourage me to continue learning this skill.