Portable and productive, the hand spindle has been responsible for creating the world's yarn for millennia. In Respect the Spindle, veteran spinner and spindle aficionado Abby Franquemont teaches spinners old and new how to create incredible yarn with this amazing, yet simple tool. Many contemporary spinners view the hand spindle as a beginner's tool, suited to learn the basic steps of spinning before moving on to a spinning wheel. In Respect the Spindle, Abby emphasizes the spindle's importance and its use in making yarn in advanced ways for high-end to novelty cloth. The perfect how-to book for any spinner with a growing collection of spindles or even just a dowel, Respect the Spindle includes: Step-by-step photography with detailed illustrations, making the spindle spinning techniques clear to even the novice spinner. Techniques from the basics, such as getting started on the spindle, to more specialized techniques, such as using the spindle to make specific kinds of yarn faster than imagined. Profiles of spindle spinners from various traditions are presented in sidebars throughout the book, which introduce heartwarming and historical fiber stories from around the world. Five simple projects give spinners practice in creating a variety of yarns and patterns. And more!
Respect the Spindle
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.85
Trade in Respect The Spindle for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.85, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
This is much more than a technique book. There are 50 pages about spindles and the history of spinning, before you get to "Starting to Spin". The instructions are very well done, nothing is rushed and there are good photos of everything you need. I'd happily recommend this to a beginner. It is a very readable book. We have tales of Abby's own experiences as a spinner, a chapter on how spindles work (it does get a bit technical, but she does explain it all clearly), all spindle spinning and plying techniques well covered, and even a few pages on looking after your spindles and repairing them. A good read, excellent spinning instructions, helpful photos.-Yarn Maker
About the Author
Abby Franquemont was raised in the United States and the Andes, where she was taught to spin on a spindle at the age of five. She has been spinning, knitting, weaving, and crocheting, for more than thirty years. She is a fiber artist, teacher, technical editor, and writer whose work has appeared in Spin-Off, Spindlecity, and Twist Collective.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I went to a craft fair and became interested in spinning wool with a hand spindle. Someone showed me how to do it, but it's not as easy as it looks! I asked for a book that could help me, and Respect The Spindle was recommended to me as the best book on the market. I went home and ordered the book from Amazon, and I can only say that this book has been very very helpful. Not only is the book packed with lots of photographs of different types of spindles and spinning wheels, but it also demonstrates very clearly in words and pictures how to use the various spindles, with lots of tips and tricks of how to get good results. This book has been a great help in choosing the right type of hand spindle for me and also to understand how to use it correctly.
I cannot recommend the book highly enough - it really is a 'must have' if you are interested in spinning!
I cannot recommend the book highly enough - it really is a 'must have' if you are interested in spinning!
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By SCS
Format:Paperback
Spinning on a spindle is thousands of years old. It has its origins in the mists of time and was how our ancestors produced thread for the first garments and blankets made by mankind. The spindle predates the spinning wheel and any other technology invented in the last 2000 years.
However there is one other reason that working with a spindle has made a huge difference in my life. Learning to spin on a spindle has provided me with enhanced mobility due to the sedate movements required in order to form yarn. The physiotherapy I have got has been tremendous. My shoulders now have more movement than they have had in years.
The movements involved in using a spindle to make yarn, look very much like Ti Chi. The added benefit to this light form of exercise and rhythmic movement is yarn as a bi-product to use for your knitting, crochet and weaving.
The author uses numerous photos to demonstrate the technique to using a spindle and how to then ply your yarn ready for final use in garment production. This author has a number of Youtube videos demonstrating how to use a spindle. Within the spinning and crafting community this book represents a real solution to a gap in the market that has frustrated would be spindlers for a number of years who wish to learn but didn't have access to a wonderful book like this before.
The author learned to spin as a child aged five and her wealth of experience at spinning shows in her teaching technique.
It's well worth buying this book if you wish to learn this ancient technique.
However there is one other reason that working with a spindle has made a huge difference in my life. Learning to spin on a spindle has provided me with enhanced mobility due to the sedate movements required in order to form yarn. The physiotherapy I have got has been tremendous. My shoulders now have more movement than they have had in years.
The movements involved in using a spindle to make yarn, look very much like Ti Chi. The added benefit to this light form of exercise and rhythmic movement is yarn as a bi-product to use for your knitting, crochet and weaving.
The author uses numerous photos to demonstrate the technique to using a spindle and how to then ply your yarn ready for final use in garment production. This author has a number of Youtube videos demonstrating how to use a spindle. Within the spinning and crafting community this book represents a real solution to a gap in the market that has frustrated would be spindlers for a number of years who wish to learn but didn't have access to a wonderful book like this before.
The author learned to spin as a child aged five and her wealth of experience at spinning shows in her teaching technique.
It's well worth buying this book if you wish to learn this ancient technique.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A J J
Format:Paperback
This is a very thorough introduction to the techniques of the drop spindle. There is just enough history and cultural commentary to keep the reader interested and perhaps spark a quest for more information. The meat of the book however is a step by step (chapter by chapter) introduction to spindles, including how to choose different spindles and different techniques for different fibres and finished yarns. Each of the major principles, such as drafting and plying are concisely explained and illustrated with photographs. Potential problems are addressed as they are likely to occur, not before, so as not to discourage you; and not buried at the end of the book so that you have to flick back and forth. There is also a useful chapter on the storage, care and repair of spindles. The three free knitting/crochet patterns at the end of the book showcase three very different yarns that can be created using a drop spindle.
I also purchased the video of the same name from the publisher which really aided my understanding of this book - not essential, but valuable if you can get both together. Overall the tone of both are very encouraging, very clear and beautifully presented.
I also purchased the video of the same name from the publisher which really aided my understanding of this book - not essential, but valuable if you can get both together. Overall the tone of both are very encouraging, very clear and beautifully presented.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 30 reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Getting You Started
Having bought some fleece and a spindle on a whim, with no other equipment, this book told me everything I needed to get some pretty decent yarn spun. Read more
Published 1 month ago by What I Think
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
Exactly the book I needed to help with my new hobby of spindle spinning. Recommended for everyone learning to spin.
Published 4 months ago by Sophistakat
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not that helpful
Nicely presented but for me personally, not enough detail about the actual technique ((especially drafting) compared with information about the different type of spindles.
Published 4 months ago by Mrs Margaret F
4.0 out of 5 stars
respect the spindle
A very useful book providing lots of hints and tips about spindle spinning - I look forward to working through it.
Published 4 months ago by Susan Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
drop spindle
This book is very informative and a great help to people learning to spin for the first time as well as for people who already know how. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Knitty Milly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Respect the Spindle
Product arrived very promptly, well-packed and in good condition. The instructions are very clear and informative, so an excellent choice for beginners.
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. JH Price
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Book for High and Low Whorling
This book is a very in depth manual on spindle spinning covering both the history and methods of spinning. It covers both high and low whorls from all over the world. Read more
Published 16 months ago by denise
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Happened across video of spinning with a spindle, this book is a brilliant starter point. Instructions are clear and the author's enthusiasm for spinning is infectious. Read more
Published 22 months ago by ruby
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book - very informative for the beginner
I was silly enough to go to a knitting and fibre fair back in February and was taken by the hand spinning people. I'm now hooked! Read more
Published 24 months ago by Calcitestar
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ready to spin....
I have the book, I'm waiting for the spindles to arrive - then I'm good to go! This is a good book, and well recommended in the spinning community. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2011 by S. darnbrough
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
