Still Spinning!

This past weekend was the latest meeting for my favorite fiber guild. Once again, the meeting was worth getting up for at 8:15 on a Saturday morning. That’s one of the highest honors I can give. The topic this month was how to spin yarn on a drop spindle and I was so excited about it last month that I started early. So, I packed my spindle, some wool, and my finished yarn and headed over to the meeting.

The teacher had brought a few spindles from her collection and encouraged everyone to try them out.  I tried a few high whorl spindles and a few bottom whorls. I tried out light spindles and heavy spindles.    Part of the reason I went was try out different varieties of spindles and see if I actually liked what I liked. The verdict, low whorl spindles were and still are the way to go for me. I still like what I liked before so I came home with a few more. 

The one exception to the low whorl love is this wonderful high whorl that I couldn’t resist taking home with me. It’s the first high whorl spindle that I’ve actually liked. Plus, I can remove the whorl to pack it down for traveling. If only I could remember who made it. 

The second reason I went was to refine my technique a bit. Every single I’ve spun so far has been has been consistently worsted with a mix of really thin and really thick bits thrown in for good measure. When plied, the resulting yarn is bulky and wonderful but I want some variety. I don’t knit much with bulky yarn after all. The secret to thin singles and lighter yarn: a lighter spindle and a lot more prep work than I’ve been doing. My latest attempt is consistently thin and I might come up with a sport to worsted weight yarn this time. Let the plying begin!

What are your favorite ways to spin? Top whorl or bottom or wheel? Bulky yarn or fingering?