Everyone has probably heard of, or seen, a spinning wheel before… but most people have never heard of a drop spindle which is the precursor to the spinning wheel. It’s great for those who want to try their hand at spinning wool (or other fibers) into yarn without having to go to the expense of purchasing (and storing) a large spinning wheel. A drop spindle is small and can easily be tossed into a drawer so it is perfect for tiny living and RV life! It was also small enough for pioneers to travel with and use on their wagons when going west! So a very important piece to fiber history.
Over the summer I did drop spindle demonstrations at a museum and the kids especially liked to take a turn trying to make some yarn on the drop spindle. They were naturals and caught on very fast! Even very young children did a very good job at making yarn and I took their yarn and knitted up some samples (the items in yellow mostly) for the museum for display after we got enough to make something with. Which is cool because pioneer children (boys and girls) would have historically been taught at a very young age to drop spindle and knit/crochet. Who do you think was responsible for making all the socks for the grownups lol. The children of course… using a drop spindle and knitting needles. Both of which are easy to make yourself! Now remember… all the yarn in the photos are made by very young children on their very first try! So no ugly comments, it’s not going to look like the store bought stuff but it’s still very usable and sturdy and with a bit of practice it would look as good as store bought. I think they did an exceptionally good job and would proudly wear anything made from this yarn!
Knitting needles are basically just pointy sticks and can be whittled out of any handy tree branch. A drop spindle is just a round piece of wood (used for weight) with a long stick that has a hook placed thru a hole drilled in the round weight piece. I made one this summer out of a sawed off piece of fire wood and a whittled stick and a brass hook. I left that one at the museum (along with some homemade knitting needles) for visitors to play with along with some home sheered/washed/carded/ and then dyed using natural dyes, wool.
There are tons of “how to” videos online on how to use a drop spindle so I won’t go into that here. But you can also buy a drop spindle for about $10 or less and some wool roving to play with. Every kid that tried mine this summer looked at their parents and excitedly said “can we get one? PLEASE!” So inspire your kids and give it a try yourself, it’s a lot of fun! Not to mention a great history lesson. Please note: as an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. drop spindle
Conestoga Chuck 