DIY Drop Spindle

Recently, I’ve been really interested in the idea of handspinning and dying my own yarn. I spent a huge chunk of my afternoon last week Googling the basics of handspinning. I learned about different types of spindles, where to get fiber, how to prepare your fiber, and finally how to actually spin it. It seems like it would be a lot of fun to learn so I’ve decided to give it a shot!

Knowing that I would need a spindle first, I did a quick search on Google for DIY spindles and found this post on the blog Of Wool and Loveliness. It seemed simple enough so I spent $5 for the necessary materials and went home to start my DIY experiment.

In case you didn’t read the entry on Of Wool and Loveliness, all it takes to make a basic drop spindle is a dowel, a wooden wheel, and a hook. I bought the dowel and hook at my local home improvement store, and I found the wheel at a craft store.

Technically, once I put the pieces together, my homemade spindle was finished. But I really wanted to customize it and make it look nice so I bought some wood stain and polyurethane. I had stained wood before so it was piece of cake to turn this plain looking spindle into something beautiful.

I haven’t actually spun with it yet, but I’ve been practicing by giving some of my scrap yarn a twirl. It spins so smoothly too! I was concerned that it would have a wobble, but it’s well balanced. I’m hoping to buy some roving next week, so I’ll definitely write an entry about my spinning experience!

I talked to T about planting a cotton garden next year, assuming that I enjoy spinning. I read up on how to care for the plants and harvest the cotton. Cotton seems pretty low maintenance, so I’m actually really excited about the idea of planting some. (I might end up doing it even if I decide not to spin it, just because it seems like a waste not to use all this knowledge, ha ha!)

Are any of y’all handspinners? Leave me a comment and let me know! 🙂