Beginner Turkish Drop Spindle Spinning
Why hello there! I’m so excited you have decided to learn how to spin on a Turkish drop spindle. Wether you purchased on of my beginner friendly spindle kits or already have a gorgeous Snyder or Jenkins spindle, I’m happy to help you get started on my personal favorite style of spindle.
All of the following information along with a spinning demo can be found in this YouTube video I made just for you. But if you’re a sensory person or a gen-x who really only wants to read, everything is in text below too. ;)
If you purchased one of my beginner kits, your box contains a 25-30 gram 3D printed drop spindle with a fiberglass shaft, a lead string, and a mix of different types of fiber roving for you to try. As for the fiber, no two boxes are exactly the same, but they all include some pure wool, some alpaca or llama, some commercial blends, and some indie dyed roving.
If you are a true beginner spinner, you’ll be learning how to draft your fiber AND spin your spindle at the same time. That is ok! You can do this. But let’s make it easy. Go ahead and feel free to pick a fiber that feels right for you and do what we call pre-drafting. Take that length of roving and peel off a strip lengthwise. I like starting with something about the size of a pencil, especially if it is a dense fiber. Now you have your fiber noodle, let’s get your spindle ready.
(pre-drated roving pic)
Turkish spindles are unique because they have two arms that slot inside each other and a shaft that goes through both arms. I love this design because it means I don’t have to wind my singles off my spindle in order to ply them. Spinning on a Turkish spindle leaves you with a center pull ball called a turtle!
Your spindle came assembled. It is ok to go ahead and take it apart and put it back together. Just slide the shaft out and pull the smaller arm out through the larger arm. Reassemble in reverse.
(unassembled spindle pic)
You also have a lead in your kit. It is a length of thread about a foot long that has a loop tied in each end. If you ever break or lose your lead, you can make a new one with any cotton yarn. Take the bottom loop of your lead and hook it over the bottom of the spindle shaft under the arms. Now take the lead and use a half hitch to connect it to the top of the spindle leaving you a few inches of lead heading off the top of the shaft.
It is time to spin!
Wait- let’s talk drafting. Drafting is the term for taking prepared fibers and feeding them at a thickness you like. Thick drafting makes thick yarn. Thin makes thin. Once you have decided how thick you want your yarn to be, you’ll have to add enough twist to make those individual fibers grab hands and wrap around each other and stay together over the length of your yarn. I have mostly just given you beginner friendly fibers that are long enough to hold together even if you under spin them.
(drafted and pre-spun)
Now it is time to spin. Thread the end of your pre-drafted roving through the top loop and fold it back up against itself. I’m right hand dominant, so I hold my roving in my left hand and draft and spin with my right. But you should try both hands and see what feels best for you. In one had hold your roving which is now connected to your spindle by the lead. Dangle it a little.
Now give your spindle a twirl!
Which way?!!!
You pick. You’ll want to set a standard for yourself where you spin your singles one way and ply the other way. Most folks spin their singles clockwise and ply counter clockwise. The technical term for this is S and Z twist. TBH I’ve been spinning almost a decade and I can’t remember which is which without looking at them and thinking about it very very hard. It is ok to stick with clockwise and counterclockwise. ;)
(pic of twirling spindle)
Now your spindle is spinning! You have your roving in one hand and it is pinched a few inches from the top of the lead, and the other hand has started that spin cycle by twirling the shaft at either the top of the bottom. Let’s draft.
Gently release your pinch/deathgrip on that roving and feed a little down. Use your twirling hand and slowly pull the fibers down and out to create whatever weight yarn you want. Or whatever weight doesn’t give you a panic attack at this point in your learning curve. No judgement here.
As you draft that fiber, your length of yarn is going to extend and your spinning spindle is going to add twist to your yarn. Remember, you have to add enough twist to keep your yarn from falling apart. If your spindle slows down or stops, stop drafting and give it another twirl.
Since you’re a beginner, make about two feet of yarn. You now have a hand of roving, two-ish feet of a spun single, and a drop spindle dangling off the end of it. Let’s get that yarn wound onto your bobbin so you can make more.
Undo your half hitch, Leave the bottom loop on the spindle. Wind the yarn around the middle of the spindle where the arms and the shaft come together. Go over two arms and under on, over two, under one, around and around until you have just enough yarn left to make a fresh half-hitch up at the top of the shaft, plus a few more inches.
(pick of winding on)
Twirl your spindle, start drafting, and repeat on and on!
You’re spinning. We’ll if you’re one of those freaky preternatural artists who get everything the first time they try it, you’re spinning. If you’re like the rest of us you’re trying and maybe giggling and/or cussing.
Keep spinning until you have a full ball wound on (called a turtle), and I’ll make another video and blog post about removing that turtle and plying your single into finished yarn asap.
Spinning really is about practice and training your muscles. If you practice spinning 20-30 minutes a day for a month, you’ll be a spinner. Don’t go much longer than that. You run the risk of getting frustrated and not continuing your spinning journey and your muscles can really only train for short periods of time. I want you to be successful, and that means go easy on yourself.
ALSO, go easy on your spinning. I learned on a wheel and I’ve included a pic of my first spins below. They’re rough. I know. BUT they’re mine, and I did them, and I’m still spinning years and years later. Your beginner yarn may be thick and thin, may be under and over spun, and may not be what you envisioned. You’ll get there!
I also want you to try all the different fibers in your box. Some folks start spinning something common like merino, and 3 years later they’re still spinning merino and they’re bored. Go through your learning curve with LOTS of different fibers. Learn what you love and what you don’t like. Train your muscles on as many fibers as possible. It is more fun this way, I promise!
Next steps! I don’t want you to stay with this spindle forever. It is a great learning spindle, but you deserve better. My two favorite spindle makers are Snyder and Jenkins. Poke around their websites and look at all the gorgeous spindles in different styles and woods. I always tell folks to learn on a 25-30g spindle. It is a good weight that makes pretty mid-weight yarn. Lighter spindles make lighter weight yarn, heavier make heavier.
And start buying fiber. This post is already too long, but I will circle back and make a post about fiber pre types soon-ish. Fiber festivals are a wonderful way to talk to fiber producers and ask ALL THE QUESTIONS. And if you’re a homebody, check out Wool and Fiber Arts and their monthly online fiber festival.
Links!
Turkish Drop Spindles 101 ~ Youtube
3D printer file I use for my spindles