Spindles

— Drop Spindles, Supported Spindles & Turkish Spindles for Hand Spinning

A spindle is a hand-held fiber tool used to twist raw fiber (wool, cotton, silk, and other natural or synthetic fibers) into handspun yarn. Spindles are one of the oldest and most portable spinning tools, requiring no electricity or mechanical parts. A weighted disc called a whorl gives the spindle its rotational momentum; hooks and notches near the whorl guide and hold the growing yarn during spinning. 

Types of spindles

Type	Whorl position	Skill level	Best for
Top whorl	Top of rod	Beginner	Learning park-and-draft; versatile for all yarn weights
Bottom whorl	Bottom of rod	Beginner - intermediate	Longer spin time; good for worsted-style drafting
Turkish	Cross-spar base (no whorl)	Beginner - intermediate	Winds a center-pull ball as you spin; no separate bobbin needed
Supported	Spins in a bowl	Intermediate - advanced	Ultra-fine yarns too delicate to support a suspended spindle's weight

 

What You Need to Get Started Spindle Spinning:

• Carded fiber or roving — the fiber you'll spin into yarn; wool roving is the most beginner-friendly
• Niddy noddy or skein winder — used to wind finished yarn off the spindle into a skein
• Drop Spindle Basics (book) and/or Drop Spindle Spinning (DVD) — instruction resources for learning the technique

Nice to have:

• Swift and skeinwinder or nostepinne — for winding skeins into usable yarn cakes
• Spinning gauge or control card — for measuring and matching yarn thickness consistently
• More fiber — because you will run out

If you don't find exactly what you want, or would like a spindle recommendation, please call the shop directly at 800-441-9665 or contact us for assistance.

Watch this video to learn more about spindles and the Woolery collection!