Cotton Spinning Made Easy (DVD)

by Joan Ruane
Copyright 2004, www.cottonspinning.com

“Cotton Spinning Made Easy” by Joan Ruane is a comprehensive set of lessons, available on DVD or VHS, which begins with spinning wheel basics, moves through methods of fiber preparation and on to how to spin various types and preparations of cotton. Joan is cute as a button and a thorough instructor. 

This DVD has a lot of content appropriate for the beginning spinner. If you are an intermediate or experienced spinner, you may find some redundancies here and there, but rest assured there is a lot of very useful information if you are not familiar with spinning cotton.

I found Joan’s overview of the various types and preparations of cotton to be most interesting. Additionally, the review and problem-solving chapter is quite helpful. Joanne creates issues, including slubs, thick and thin areas and broken threads, and demonstrates a remedy for each.

I had two small samples of Joan’s “Easy to Spin” cotton that I began to spin as I was watching the video. As I watched and learned various tips and tricks, I could see my yarn improving. Aside from a brief encounter during a spinning class a few years back, I had no additional cotton spinning experience. By the end of the video, it was like I had been spinning cotton all along. Not only that, Joan’s cotton is beautifully prepared, and feels like a dream as you’re spinning. I am officially hooked.

Joan did focus quite a bit on Lendrum wheels, but the information is easily transferable if you, like me, spin on a different wheel.

Overall, I found this video to be very helpful, and I would certainly recommend it if you’d like to learn how to spin cotton. Joan also has a website that I checked out as well: www.cottonspinning.com. Both DVD and VHS versions of “Cotton Spinning Made Easy” are available for purchase here, and many of Joan’s articles and photos about growing and spinning cotton are available to read as well. She also lists a number of shops where her “Easy to Spin” cotton roving is available for purchase—click on ‘“Easy to Spin” Cotton’ in the list of Joan’s articles.