The new spindle is fabulous. It spins longer than my student one, doesn't wobble (except when I don't spin it right) and has notches so my completed yarn is held in place properly. My student spindle has been sporting a push pin for the last few months, which I've used to catch the yarn against as I can't get the hang of making a yarn stopper like you are supposed to do.
The new spindle is a mid weight one but very small compared to my student spindle. The light weight means I can spin thinner yarns which I'm keen to do. I can also flick it more easily than my larger spindle, which I normally thigh rolled, or rolled with my feet. I shan't be rolling this new one with my feet I can assure you of that.
I also got Abby Franquemont's Respect the Spindle book to go with the spindle and cannot praise the book highly enough. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone taking up spinning with a drop spindle for the first time. Recently there was a sale at Interweave knits (who publish the book amongst many other things) and I got a download copy of the dvd that goes with the book. I had promised I wouldn't look at it before I got the book.... and I didn't, but between the two I am sure I will learn loads. I've also downloaded a much longer DVD on spinning which although it mainly shows wheel spinning, has been a really amazing resource as well since it shows how to draft for different styles of yarn which, when I get a bit better should be very helpful. Currently I have thick and thin yarn no matter what I do, but this is quite normal apparently (though frustrating).
The yarn isn't nearly as fuzzy as it appears in the photo. I am struggling a bit with my new camera.... I really need to sit down and try to understand properly how to use it. I do have a PDF of the manual but don't find it very easy to understand unfortunately and getting the hang of the camera is one of the things that is on my list of things to achieve in 2015, but that's a whole other post.
The fibre on the spindle is a mystery one. Its hand dyed and from Oliver Twists. It was in a basket of small bits that were 10p a gram and I'm not sure what it is. I think its BFL or merino or similar. I had two pieces, the other was purple and blue and is already spun up into a double knit weight and will be going into my blanket at some point. I'm managing to get this red quite thin but I don't have much of the fibre so to eke it out a bit I've dyed a little bit of white wool fibre today using food dye, and hope that its going to be a good enough match that I can spin it and ply it with this yarn to make enough to actually do something with.... maybe a stripe or two in a sock if it comes out sock weight.
I recently finished a 100g skein of two ply thick and thin yarn from white wool (mixed origin) using my student spindle and that's waiting to be balled up. I have just short of 100g of fibre left and am keen to knit a shawl with my hand spun. I have a striped garter stitch shawl pattern that I'm keen to do. The large version takes two skeins so I may spin the second half of the fibre up into a skein, dye one skein and leave the other natural, and knit them into a large stripy shawl. Brown might look nice with the natural white, or maybe teal since then it could be worn with the new coat. Hmmm... maybe I'd better spin the yarn up first before I start planning what to knit with it. :)
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