Respect the Spindle

Reviewed by Syne Mitchell on November 29, 2010

Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool
by Abby Franquemont
135 pages
Interweave Press, 2009

If you saw me this summer, I probably had a spindle in my hand. I spindled while walking around, at restaurants, in line at the post office, and even during the calmer moments of teaching rigid-heddle weaving classes.

The reason for this was the inspirational book: Respect the Spindle by Abby Franquemont. I doubt there’s any way to read this book and not feel your fingers itch for a spindle.

The text of the book is clear and easy to follow, but at the same time, the author obviously knows her topic in depth, switching easily from entertaining stories about her childhood in the Peruvian Andes to a completely comprehensible explanation of how the physics of a spindle affects the yarn it produces.

The photos are the gorgeous Joe Coca tour-de-force that I’ve come to expect from Interweave Press books. Respect the Spindle is filled with luscious photos of spindles and handspun as well as clearly illustrated step-by-step photos of spinning techniques.

Spindling is not an easy concept to get across in the static media of text and photos, but this book gets the information across admirably. (Interweave Press filled any gaps by producing a companion DVD: Respect the Spindle (The Video)

Franquemont covers a plethora of spindle types: high-whorl, low whorl, supported, suspended, Turkish, Russian, Navajo and others. She has a similar comprehensive coverage of techniques: basic spindling (including how to teach yourself and others to spin), a wonderful troubleshooting section to help you diagnose what’s happening when something goes awry, and a variety of plying techniques. The final chapters of the book cover how to maintain and care for your spindles, as well as projects to create with spindle-spun yarn.

An easy and engaging read, chock full of information. The only omission I caught was during the discussion of Turkish spindles. I’ve found through hard-won experience that one should turn the ball over, before trying to pull from the center-pull ball.

I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in spindling, or in weaving with handspun yarns (I’ve discovered that yarns spun on a suspended spindle work well as warp yarns because they’ve been strength-tested to at least the weight of the spindle.)

But be warned. If you read this book, you might find yourself with an uncontrollable urge to spindle as you go about your day.

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This is one of the

Submitted by Anonymous on 3 October, 2011 - 19:54

This is one of the inspirational books I have ever read in my life. Hats off to Abby Franquemont. I’m damn sure that once you have read this book your fingers will definitely feel that itch for a spindle. I really got one the very next day itself. The luscious pictures of spindles and hand spun in this book are one of its great features. It’s presented in such an interesting way that even a little boy would fell interested in completing the book. My doubt is that are the naot shoes hand stitched? The step-by-step photos illustration made in the book is remarkable.

Franquemont covers a plethora

Submitted by Anonymous on 13 October, 2011 - 04:08

Franquemont covers a plethora of spindle types: high-whorl, low whorl, supported, suspended, 642-374 dumps Turkish, Russian, Navajo and others. She has a similar comprehensive coverage of techniques: basic 642-384 dumps spindling (including how to teach yourself and others to spin), a wonderful troubleshooting section to help you diagnose what’s happening when something goes awry, and a variety 1Y0-A21 dumps of plying techniques. The final chapters of the book cover how to maintain and care for your spindles, as well as projects to create with spindle-spun yarn.

There's more...

Submitted by Anonymous on 30 November, 2010 - 06:27

And there's a cool wash cloth pattern in the back!!

I have found a lot of useful

Submitted by steward753 on 18 December, 2011 - 23:37