Hands on Spinning (Paperback)

by Lee Raven (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Understanding how spinning works, building a simple spindle, spinning on a treadle wheel, choosing a wheel, preparing fibers, carding, twisting, and plying are explored in fully illustrated detail.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (December 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934026270
• ISBN-13: 978-0934026277
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #389,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #23 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Spinning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good book for beginners., July 3, 2000

By	Ruth Henriquez Lyon (Duluth, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been spinning on and off for a few years now, and I still refer back to Hands On Spinning as my primary source. This book originally taught me to spin on a spindle, all by myself, with no teacher. Ms. Raven's instructions allowed me to pick it up quite quickly, and after working a couple of hours with some rough wool, I soon found myself making some very nice silk singles yarn. Later, I had two hours of instruction on a wheel, and used the book at home to help me through those awkward first hours of wheel spinning.

Ms. Raven assumes you know nothing, and provides enough information to cover each topic thoroughly without giving you too much to ponder. Thus the book is not too big, but just big enough. She starts you out by having you roll wool on your lap to twist it into a short length of yarn, which is probably how the first threads were made.

Then she proceeds into the chapter on spindle spinning, which is clearly written and well organized. Moving along, she explains the parts of the spinning wheel, what they do, and how to tension them properly. Her chapter on learning to spin on the wheel is as good a verbal description of how to do this as any I've read. Other chapters include: Fiber Preparation; Drafting and Spinning Techniques; Plying; Finishing, and more. There are numerous diagrams and color photos in this book, plus many simple but attractive projects to start you off. If you are new to spinning this is a wonderful book to begin with.

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes spinning easy to understand, June 26, 1998

By A Customer

After reading the chapters in this book on how to use a drop spindle, I was literally able to produce yarn in 10 minutes after purchasing a spindle & wool. Very clear and easy to understand and follow.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very clear and thorough---, January 8, 2001

By	Martha E. Nelson (Watertown, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

I had not spun in about 25 years prior to this fall, so I knew that I needed a refresher book to get me going again when I got my spinning wheel. This is an excellent book. It has good photographs, clear text, and very nice projects for novice spinners and knitters intersperced in the text. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in spinning and needs information and confidence building.