Customer Reviews

Spin It

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up "Spin-It" along with several other new spinning books to add to my library (the others being "The Spinners Companion" and "Spin to Knit" -- both excellent books). I was very surprised when I opened the box and found that what I thought was a reasonably sized book was in fact a twenty-five-ish page booklet.

The content is good and mainly covers the mechanics of spinning. It also includes a good how-to on how to make a CD spindle, although you can find similar instructions for free on the Interweave webpage. The booklet additionally covers a brief introduction to scouring and carding. There were three or four knit projects in the back, although how any spinning beginner could tackle a three ply angora still boggles my mind.

The booklet does not cover anything other than basic spindle spinning. If you need a intro to wheel spinning you would be better off with the author's other intro "Hands On Spinning" or or Shannon Okey's "Spin to Knit." I would actually recommend "Spinning in the Old Way" above this title for new spindle spinners as it has much more information to grow with as you become more proficient with spindle spinning.

As I ventured into the world of spinning there were a many books but none interested me as much as this one. The beautifull color pictures and easy to fallow instructions are the best. even the projects in the back have meaning to the beginner spinner. The best part is that there is instructions on how to make your own spindle!

Excellent instructions for preparing the roving for spinning. Up until reading this book I was unable to get the roving to separate and allow the fibers to slip past each other. Great job.

I found this book really helpful and have read it and referred back to it MANY TIMES!

Nearly 40 years ago a sheep farmer neighbor taught me to spin wool into yarn using a homemade drop spindle (a dowel with a carved hook stuck into 2x4 which was cut into an octagon ...) I was first attracted to Spin It by the picture on the cover; I had never before seen a drop spindle with the whorl under the weight, and was curious to see what else might be new to me. I did not expect very much, but was pleasantly surprised.
This book is in no way intimating. It encourages experimentation. Spin It gently leads a curious person with a bit of fleece through the various steps to some interesting and useful wool projects. These can be accomplished with little or no expense. There are even instructions for making your own drop spindle.
While Spin It presents information on a variety of drop spindles, do not expect information on spinning wheels, dyeing, sheep, fibers other than wool, or on fancy varieties of spun yarn. The resource list at the end of the book can lead the reader to further information.

I found this book really helpful and have read it and referred back to it for assistance many times over. Definately not a large book but more of a booklet or reference guide.

I think this is a great little book that covers a variety of information on spinning and learning to spin specifically with a spindle. The information that is not covered is how to choose a spindle. Specifically how to choose a spindle related to what you would like to spin. What does weight of the spindle have to do with my choice of spindles? If this information is in the book, I do not see it.

I did find the information that I need in an old copy of Spin Off magazine, so I really did not need the book at all.

O.K. so you have read all about it and you may even have watched videos. Bus as with most all things until you try you will never truly know. There are many neat tricks of the trade packed in this thin book.
It may be stretching the amount of information that can be packed in one book as we see different spindles and different fibers; there are tricks for handling the fibers such as using a chair back for skein-winder. We see the different uses for carded and/or combed fiber. Well I do not want to go through the whole book but are even projects that you can do with your newly spun fiber.

The author Lea Raven does have a book on wheel spinning also.

Hands on Spinning

this little 'booklet' is a great addition to the library of anyone that is trying to learn to spin, learn more about spinning, or someone that just loves colorful books :o)

I am learning to spin with a drop spindle & I found this book very helpful. The only thing that could have improved this booklet is for it to have been bigger!

I've never spun anything in my life. I found this book, and after looking through it, I WILL say, it has good illustrations,but, still too advanced for me. Like I said, I know ZERO about fiber, yarns, spinning.
I will still have to have personal instructions to learn how to spin any yarn or fibers, or whatever term is used.
I wanted to know exactly how to pull fiber from roving, and how to do the tension thing properly, and how exactly to get it to go from the pile of roving to becoming a piece of yarn. I haven't learned that from this book, yet.