Enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to the current trend of DIY crafts, the hand spindle remains one of the most productive, versatile, and convenient tools for creating stunning fiber arts from home, as this beautifully illustrated guide from a veteran spinner and spindle aficionado demonstrates. With step-by-step instructions, this essential manual details the basic steps of spinning and then advances to the more complicated spinning wheel, showing how to use the spindle to make specific types of yarn, explaining traditional spindle spinning techniques, and detailing five simple projects designed to instill confidence in creating a variety of yarns with this simple tool. Combining fascinating historical narratives, traditions, and cultures from around the globe with vivid photography, this all-encompassing tour of the spindle also boasts easy-to-follow, contemporary techniques and styles that affirm the tool's enduring legacy.
Respect the Spindle
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A good introduction for those beginning to explore spinning, and a comprehensive guide to technique for experienced spindlers." — Library Journal
"I have a decent assortment of spinning books, including some excellent ones that focus on spindles, but this book blows them away." — KnittingScholar.com
"A great choice for those new to spinning and those who might feel cheated because their budget—or their living arrangements—make a wheel an impossibility." — About.com Guide to Knitting
"Be prepared to have clichéd thoughts about spindles and spinning on spindles blasted out of the water. Abby Franquemont has given spinners a encyclopedic gift on the topic of spindles. In a single volume, she will change the way you look at, think about and use...spindles." — Knitty.com
"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." — YarnMaker
"Respect the Spindle is really lovely. It's perfect if you've always wanted to spin but were intimidated by spinning wheels because it makes the whole process a lot more elemental. Perfect for even the novice spinner!" – The Purl Bee
"Abby Franquemont says spinning with a spindle can get you any kind of yarn you want; a spinning wheel never needs to be in your house if you don't want it. She makes this argument -- and proves the point nicely -- in her book Respect the Spindle." - About.com
"It's a comprehensive guide to using a drop spindle and it starts at the very beginning, which is perfect for a total novice like me." – Canadian Living craft blog
"I have a decent assortment of spinning books, including some excellent ones that focus on spindles, but this book blows them away." — KnittingScholar.com
"A great choice for those new to spinning and those who might feel cheated because their budget—or their living arrangements—make a wheel an impossibility." — About.com Guide to Knitting
"Be prepared to have clichéd thoughts about spindles and spinning on spindles blasted out of the water. Abby Franquemont has given spinners a encyclopedic gift on the topic of spindles. In a single volume, she will change the way you look at, think about and use...spindles." — Knitty.com
"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." — YarnMaker
"Respect the Spindle is really lovely. It's perfect if you've always wanted to spin but were intimidated by spinning wheels because it makes the whole process a lot more elemental. Perfect for even the novice spinner!" – The Purl Bee
"Abby Franquemont says spinning with a spindle can get you any kind of yarn you want; a spinning wheel never needs to be in your house if you don't want it. She makes this argument -- and proves the point nicely -- in her book Respect the Spindle." - About.com
"It's a comprehensive guide to using a drop spindle and it starts at the very beginning, which is perfect for a total novice like me." – Canadian Living craft blog
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, Spindlicity, and Twist Collective. She lives in Lebanon, Ohio.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 59 people found the following review helpful
By JG
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book for people who want more than just a few pictures and words of advice about spinning on a spindle. You get history lessons, science lessons, math lessons, as well as spindling lessons. There is wonderful advice for beginning spinners as well as the more experienced - on everything from choosing a spindle to the varying techniques for using the tools.
The book is informative, beautiful, helpful, well organized and fun to read. You will rush through it the first time, and then settle back and read in detail the second - and then use it for reference the next time you need to figure a way out of the problem you have gotten yourself into. The photographs are informative, detailed, and if you are a spindle geek, beautiful. The book is a treasure, and you NEED one for your spinning library!
The book is informative, beautiful, helpful, well organized and fun to read. You will rush through it the first time, and then settle back and read in detail the second - and then use it for reference the next time you need to figure a way out of the problem you have gotten yourself into. The photographs are informative, detailed, and if you are a spindle geek, beautiful. The book is a treasure, and you NEED one for your spinning library!
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By Chewiedox
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a passionate spindler, I eagerly awaited the release of Abby Franquemont's book. I was not disappointed. The text is written in an engaging manner, complemented with photographs that illustrate the various concepts in a clear, step-by-step fashion. The graphics and photography are beautifully executed and the author covers all types of spindles..bottom-whorl, top-whorl, and supported. If you are a beginner, you will find everything here that you need to get started making yarn with a spindle. If you are already an accomplished spindler, you will find ways to pack more yarn onto your spindle, understand WHY different types of spindles behave the way they that do and learn new methods of spinning to add to your repertoire. There is something for everyone in this fabulous book!
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By L. Downey
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a spinner of a few years now, I still find there's always more to learn and try. This book covers a great deal of information both for the basics and well beyond. The exercises are very useful and there is emphasis on the fact that this is a craft that you may understand quickly but takes time and practice for your body to execute without thought.
The pictures are beautiful and the spindles varied. The layout flows easily.
In short, I've learned from it already and am looking forward to going through this more than once. As long as I'm open to learning something new from it, it's almost inevitable that each reading will refresh or inspire something new and different.
The pictures are beautiful and the spindles varied. The layout flows easily.
In short, I've learned from it already and am looking forward to going through this more than once. As long as I'm open to learning something new from it, it's almost inevitable that each reading will refresh or inspire something new and different.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ok, why, given we have spinning wheels (and also, we have wonderful yarns available everywhere) would you want to take a rock and a stick and spin your own yarn? It turns out that spindle spinning is very popular, in fact, more popular than ever and crafters are spinning beautiful yarns using this simplest of tool. "Respect the Spindle" gives you an overview of spindle spinning, shows you types of spindles, yarns created by them and gives you basic techniques to start spinning as well as including a DVD that shows you the methods.
I first learned to spindle as part of a spinning course. It is FRUSTRATING. They don't call it a "drop spindle" for nothing. Clunk it goes, right on the floor. Learning to spin is like riding a bike--you have to learn to coordinate. But with about a week or two of practice, you can actually make finer yarns than you do on the wheel. I belong to a group on Ravelry, a large fiber arts website, and the spindle-spun yarns never cease to amaze me. And you can now purchase the most beautiful tool-as-art spindles from artisans around the world, or make your own from a dowel and a CD.
The book starts with the basics of spindling, how to choose one shows you how it works, and then you learn about different ways to spin. Drafting (pulling out the fiber to insert twist) is demonstrated, as well as pulling out slubs and thick areas to make your yarn smooth and even in diameter. There is a demo of Russian spindles; these are support spindles, rather like long sharpened sticks, with a thick point at one end (the whorl) and a thin point at the other, the spindle itself, where the fibers get twisted.... Read more ›
I first learned to spindle as part of a spinning course. It is FRUSTRATING. They don't call it a "drop spindle" for nothing. Clunk it goes, right on the floor. Learning to spin is like riding a bike--you have to learn to coordinate. But with about a week or two of practice, you can actually make finer yarns than you do on the wheel. I belong to a group on Ravelry, a large fiber arts website, and the spindle-spun yarns never cease to amaze me. And you can now purchase the most beautiful tool-as-art spindles from artisans around the world, or make your own from a dowel and a CD.
The book starts with the basics of spindling, how to choose one shows you how it works, and then you learn about different ways to spin. Drafting (pulling out the fiber to insert twist) is demonstrated, as well as pulling out slubs and thick areas to make your yarn smooth and even in diameter. There is a demo of Russian spindles; these are support spindles, rather like long sharpened sticks, with a thick point at one end (the whorl) and a thin point at the other, the spindle itself, where the fibers get twisted.... Read more ›
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By WLL
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've attended a couple of beginning drop spindle classes, and they give you a homemade spindle and a bit of coarse wool, tell you how to start it off and, when at the end of an hour you might have something that will hold the spindle and not drop it on the floor, tell you to go home and practice. So many questions unanswered! Why does the spindle do this, why does the fiber do that, what if you want to spin a different fiber, how do you know if you have produced something you can really use, etc., etc. Ms. Franquemont answers all the questions, and even gives a lot of special tips to make the process easier and more fun. And it's a really beautiful book, too! Highly recommended.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Jamie Fritz
Format:Paperback
In a departure for Interweave, this is a spinning book that is actually chock-full of information. Not since Alden Amos' Big Book of Handspinning has there been so much excellent reference material in one place, and refreshingly, this book is devoted entirely to the humble spindle. Abby Franquemont draws on a lifetime of experience and appreciation for the simple tool that brought fabric to civilization in this deceptively slim volume. Page after page is packed with science, art, and practical advice. The photos are clear and informative and purely decorative photos are limited to the beginning of each chapter, which is a relief. Ms Franquemont writes with clear and informative language without being overly prosy or pretentious. It's so easy to read you barely know how much you're learning!
If you are interested in becoming a better spinner, in the history of the hand spindle, or in the science behind spinning, this book is for you. I am sure I will return to it time and time again as I seek to become a more accomplished spinner with a variety of tools.
If you are interested in becoming a better spinner, in the history of the hand spindle, or in the science behind spinning, this book is for you. I am sure I will return to it time and time again as I seek to become a more accomplished spinner with a variety of tools.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Learning Experience
I do not have the DVD, and I do not have access to YouTube videos most of the time, so this was the perfect way to learn the basics of spinning, as well as the history.
Published 9 hours ago by jrnylst
5.0 out of 5 stars
great for any spinner!
This is terrific for beginning spinners & experienced spinners alike. She really gets into the mechanics of it all, and explains it well. Read more
Published 24 days ago by L. Brothman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Lots of good info for a beginner, I'm sure I will refer back to it as I learn to spin.
Published 1 month ago by A. Hairfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful resource book
I do not spin thread... well, not much. What I do, though is woodturn. I have been looking for a good reference book that describes the different styles of drop spindles, how they... Read more
Published 1 month ago by code4wood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got me started within an hour
I had always been taken by the mysteries of the drop spindle, but unsure of the details. This provided really useful information really clearly - and the all this other wonderful... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-have book for any spinner
This is a well written book whether you're a beginner or expert. Great directions with photos. Excellent history of different spindles and materials to spin with.
Published 2 months ago by Rachel Shirk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Introduction To Spinning
I'm just learning to spin and this book is a great beginners reference guide. I had no idea there were this many different types of spindles. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Susanne B. Myers
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book purchased for my wife's birthday. She has enjoyed it.
Excellent book purchased for my wife's birthday. She has enjoyed it. Excellent book purchased for my wife's birthday. She has enjoyed it.
Published 4 months ago by I D GASTON
4.0 out of 5 stars
Learning to Spin
I do like the background information. The author is obviously very knowledgable. I am still looking for more in depth information on proper drafting. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Noelle Meade
5.0 out of 5 stars
the drop spindle bible
this is the bible for the drop spindle. it's easy to read and is clear and concise. the illustrations show the beauty of spinning and the beauty of drop spindles.
Published 5 months ago by navbp
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
