My First Spinning Experience: The Drop Spindle

 The Drop Spindle

Spinning your own yarn can be very rewarding. I have been spinning off and on for a few years. The biggest question was where to start and what materials were needed. If you want to start spinning yarn, my experience suggests a drop spindle or a suspended spindle. As you spin and create yarn, the spindle stays suspended in the air. This type of spindle worked best for me. I felt like I could get a better feel for the fiber using a drop spindle. 

 

This is a top whorl spindle: Notice the hook at the top, the round disk (whorl), and the long shaft. 

The top of my homemade spindle has a hook to hold the yarn. The whorl maintains rotational momentum to keep the spindle spinning.

The shaft is the dowel that holds the yarn on the spindle. The spinner spins the yarn and wraps the yarn around the shaft to create a cop.

Keep in mind that many kinds of spindles are available, and people worldwide use them to create yarn. Some are suspended, and some are supported. It really depends on what works best for you.

Fiber: 

The first fiber I used was Herdwick wool, which I bought from an online fiber arts store. This was a nice fiber to start with. I found it very easy to use. I loved the natural color and the coarse texture. I started with protein fibers because some fibers, like cotton, are a little harder for beginners.

Herdwick is a conservation breed from Great Britain. It has a natural brown-gray color. It has a staple length of 3.5 inches. 

Welcome to Ipharme Creations!

Hi, I’m Maria I., and welcome to Ipharme Creations—a little corner of the internet where yarn, creativity, and the occasional “What was I thinking?” come together.

I’ve been crocheting for more than 15 years, and somewhere along the way, my simple love of yarn turned into a full-blown fiber obsession. It all started innocently enough. I wanted to knit hats for my kids.

Simple, right?

Well… apparently not.

One craft led to another, and before I knew it, I had learned to crochet, knit, spin my own yarn, and weave. At this point, I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as “just one more skein.” If you’ve ever walked into a yarn shop and walked out carrying yarn you had absolutely no plan for, we may have more in common than you think!

A Journey Through Fiber Arts

Ipharme Creations is where I’ll share my adventures—and occasionally my misadventures—in the wonderful world of fiber arts.

I’ll share projects, techniques, tips, and what I’ve learned along the way. My hope is that something here will inspire you to pick up a crochet hook, grab a pair of knitting needles, try spinning some fiber, or sit down at a loom and see what happens.

And if you’re thinking, “I could never do that. I don’t have the patience!”…

I understand.

Believe me, I’ve had projects that tested the limits of my patience, my vocabulary, and occasionally my ability to count to ten.

But that’s part of the fun.

Fiber arts don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes the most interesting creations come from the mistakes, the experiments, and the moments when you say, “Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Come Create With Me

Maybe you’ve always wanted to try crochet but don’t know where to begin. Maybe knitting has been sitting on your “someday” list for years. Perhaps you’ve wondered how people turn fluffy fiber into beautiful handspun yarn—or how in the world a pile of threads becomes a woven piece of fabric.

That’s what I hope to explore here.

I’ll talk about crocheting, knitting, spinning, and weaving, sharing what I know, what I’m learning, and probably a few stories about projects that didn’t quite go as planned.

You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t even have to know what a “skein” is yet!

All you need is a little curiosity and a willingness to try.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea, find a comfortable chair, and come play with yarn with me.

Who knows?

You might discover a new hobby, make something beautiful, and develop a perfectly reasonable excuse for buying more yarn.

Welcome to Ipharme Creations. I’m so glad you’re here!

Happy creating,

Maria I.