Oh, I highly recommend getting a drop spindle to have a go if you haven't got one! You can even make one out of a CD and a wooden dowel, or the lid of a jar and a pencil, with a hook that you screw into your dowel/pencil, if you'd prefer not to spend any money before you know it's for you (although to be honest beginner spindles are generally not hugely expensive and one that's about $10 will spin a good bit better than a DIY one). If you're having trouble figuring it out I am also very happy to jump in a video call to offer some remote help.
There are various spinning forums on Ravelry, some of which have destash threads, so you might be able to pick up some fibre there if you didn't want to buy any.
My advice would be to start with wool, because it's grippier than more slippery fibres like alpaca or flax, and if you can lay your hands on a wool with a long staple length like Blue Faced Leicester rather than Merino that is even better still.
If you like craft books, one I got on well with as a beginner was Respect The Spindle by Abby Franquemont. I started with YouTube videos, but it took me ages to figure out how to get the first but of fibre to stay spun, because I couldn't get a great look at what people were doing at the very start, but fwiw I have seen lots of other beginners get it straight away with someone showing them (I volunteered to be someone's lovely assistant when they were teaching a class) and once I figured out the first bit myself I progressed very quickly.
Tour de Fleece is basically a spinning event that coincides with the Tour de France every year. There are rest days when the cyclists rest, challenge days when they're going uphill, etc. The basic idea is "When their wheels are spinning, so are ours" but plenty of spindle spinners participate too.
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Date: 2024-01-03 11:26 am (UTC)There are various spinning forums on Ravelry, some of which have destash threads, so you might be able to pick up some fibre there if you didn't want to buy any.
My advice would be to start with wool, because it's grippier than more slippery fibres like alpaca or flax, and if you can lay your hands on a wool with a long staple length like Blue Faced Leicester rather than Merino that is even better still.
If you like craft books, one I got on well with as a beginner was Respect The Spindle by Abby Franquemont. I started with YouTube videos, but it took me ages to figure out how to get the first but of fibre to stay spun, because I couldn't get a great look at what people were doing at the very start, but fwiw I have seen lots of other beginners get it straight away with someone showing them (I volunteered to be someone's lovely assistant when they were teaching a class) and once I figured out the first bit myself I progressed very quickly.
Tour de Fleece is basically a spinning event that coincides with the Tour de France every year. There are rest days when the cyclists rest, challenge days when they're going uphill, etc. The basic idea is "When their wheels are spinning, so are ours" but plenty of spindle spinners participate too.