Portable and productive, the hand spindle has been responsible for creating the world's yarn for millennia. Many contemporary spinners view the hand spindle as a beginner's tool, suited to learn the basic steps of spinning before moving on to a spinning wheel. In "Respect the Spindle", Franquemont emphasizes the spindle's importance and use to make yarn in advanced ways for high-end to novelty cloth. In fact, the yarns and cloth made for thousands of years-Viking sails, Egyptian shrouds, Roman togas-all were created with the use of hand spindles. And, in other parts of the world, the spindle still reigns supreme, supplying astounding volumes of yarn for every purpose imaginable. The perfect how-to book for any spinner with a growing collection of spindles or even just a dowel, "Respect the Spindle" combines step-by-step photography with detailed illustrations, making the spindle spinning techniques clear to even the novice spinner. Franquemont teaches techniques from the basics, such as getting started on the spindle, to more specialized techniques, such as using the spindle to make specific kinds of yarn faster than imagined. Profiles of spindle spinners from various traditions are presented in sidebars throughout the book, which introduce heartwarming and historical fiber stories from around the world. Images of gorgeous yarn and spindles provide inspiration and plenty of eye candy for any fiber lover. Franquemont also includes five simple projects give spinners practice in creating a variety of yarns and patterns.

Author Biography

Abby Franquemont is a second-generation textile researcher raised in both the U.S. and the Andes, where she was taught to spin on a spindle at the age of five. She has been spinning, knitting, weaving, and crocheting for over thirty years. She is currently a fiber artist, teacher, technical editor, and writer on spinning and related topics. Her writing has appeared in Spin-Off, Spindlicity, and Twist Collective, and she is a contributor to the forthcoming More Homespun Handknit.