High Whorling: A Spinners Guide to an Old World Skill [Hardcover]

Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In her three previous booksKnitting in the Old Way (1985), Salish Indian Sweaters (Dos Tejedoras, 1989), and Ethnic Socks & Stockings (XRX, 1995)Gibson-Roberts, a passionate interpreter of traditional knitting and spinning techniques, has led the current revival of techniques used by traditional fiber artisans. High Whorling is her long-awaited first book on handspinning. Handspindlessometimes called drop spindleshave two parts, the shaft and the whorl. The low-whorl spindle was commonly used in Engish-speaking parts of the world, while the high-whorl spindle was more common in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Gibson-Roberts recommends the high-whorl spindle as the superior of the two, both in speed and ease of use. Clear instructions and line drawings lead the beginning spinner through choosing a spindle and supplementary tools, acquiring fiber, preparing it for spinning, mastering spinning techniques, and finishing the yarn. A reading list and a directory of suppliers round out the book. Highly recommended for public libraries and textile collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: Nomad Pr (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966828909
• ISBN-13: 978-0966828900
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,150,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SOULFUL ROVING OF CLARITY AND ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE, June 18, 2000

By 

Catherine A. Bordi - See all my reviews

This review is from: High Whorling: A Spinners Guide to an Old World Skill (Hardcover)

+AH4-This is a wonderful book - much more than just a book. Like a single piece of fiber, which floats in the air and has no particular tensile strength, but can be drawn into a current with other single fibers, and turned and twisted to synergistically generate something that sparkles with power, so does this book pull in single moments from Pricilla's life, gleanings of discovery from decades of immersing herself in ancient textiles, and her own instinctual ability to move in circles with+AH4-+AH4- certainty, and she spins you a book which yes, tells you how to prepare fibers, high whorl spin them, and finish your yarns, but at the same time contains the very air in which fiber floats, endowing us readers with a magical sense of wonder and primal recognition of this ancient art at a cellular level. Sorry for the length of that sentence! Yarn is long, too. In addition to setting your soul a'spin, Pricilla will walk you through so much about spinning that you can apply to both wheel and+AH4-+AH4- spindle. Her love and devotion to the art has made her one of the most fluent of teachers. I bought a Norge Mongold spindle to go with this book and I am fast falling in love with it - never having spun with a handspindle before. Being able to walk around while spinning, ah! What a joy. Thank you, Pricilla, for unveiling your soul and the soul of spinning in this book, along with the practical sequences and elements of the art.+AH4-

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the craft, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: High Whorling: A Spinners Guide to an Old World Skill (Hardcover)

This is a good book for those just starting to spindle, although you might want to pair it with "Hands on Spinning", and/or "Spindle Spinning". It covers most of what you need to know for top-whorl spindle spinning. A good reference to have until you develop your own style.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting!, February 1, 2010

By 

Dorothy Moore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: High Whorling: A Spinners Guide to an Old World Skill (Hardcover)

This book has it all. The beginner to the experienced spinner will find very useful information. I haven't spun for several years and so needed a refresher.