Hi Shearling, I only just spotted this post. The balance of a hand spindle is all-important so could make the difference between success and failure. The overall weight is also fairly specific to the weight of fibre you are spinning - a fine yarn will need a light spindle, a thick, chunky one will need a heavier and overall larger spindle.
Also there are various different types of spindle, some of which are easier to use than others. I have always found a top-whorl spindle easier than a bottom whorl, and once you get good you can roll it up your thigh to spin it which is more difficult with a bottom whorl. Another type, harder to get hold of, is a quill-supported spindle - this sounds complicated but is just a top whorl spindle with a fine metal stem, supported in an upright narrow metal tube. The advantage of this is that it doesn't drop to the ground every time the yarn breaks as it is twirled in it's support. Another spindle type I love to spin with is the turkish. This is a bottom whorl, but has a cross instead of a circular whorl. The whole thing comes to pieces once you have filled it, so you remove the stem, then each part of the cross and your cop has turned into a ball of yarn, ready to use or to ply. I think these look beautiful spinning and even my OH has managed to spin with one of those
There are all sorts of suppliers, but the specialists are small and the best spindles often come from America and Canada, so you need to find an importer. My turkish spindle was hand turned by a lady I met at a spinning fair and I have no contact details for her - Ashford do one but it is grossly enormous, as are their other spindles. Try googling some of the American sites to see what is available, or go to Woolfest in June
www.woolfest.co.uk where you will meet the importers and be able to get their advice and try out the spindles, to see what suits you. There is a similar event further south but not sure if it's already been. Pete and Carol whose surname I have forgotten but call themselves Spindlers2 are the real experts and SO helpful with their advice. Sorry but I find I have been uncharacteristically tidy and springcleaned my inbox so don't have their contact details but I could get them for you or you could google them. It might be on the woolfest website........
For hand cards, a pair of dog brushes, the type with thin, bent wire pins, work well to make small rolags and don't cost much, but otherwise any spinning supplier such as P&M Woolcraft, WWW as already suggested, Scottish Fibres
www.Scottishfibres.co.uk, will have them and you can compare prices. I have Ashford ones which are a good general purpose carder but other companies such as Louet make them with different teeth numbers and densities, which are for a variety of different fibre weights.
Topic: best price (Read 2426 times)
