Spindle Love

I haven’t talked about spinning here in awhile, but the scent of spring–which in my brain leads directly to summer and the Tour de Fleece–is in the air, and I’m getting the itch. Plus, I was lucky enough to get several new Jenkins Turkish spindles recently, so that’s probably another reason I’ve got spinning on my mind. These are my absolute favorite spindles, and they can be ridiculously hard to come by.

One of the new spindles is a tiny purpleheart Kuchulu. My idea is that this one is going to make an especially nice travel spindle, so since yesterday was errand day, I decided to take it for a test drive.

By the time we made our usual stop for coffee at Jemima’s on the Laurel River, I’d managed to start the leader and wind on a tiny little cop.

I kept spinning as we drove to Asheville.

As I’d hoped, the Kuchulu is perfect for spinning in a confined space. There was no awkwardness at all as I spun in the car.

It turns out it’s also super convenient for dropping in a bag or purse and pulling out when there’s a bit of down time. I spun for a few minutes after lunch while we figured out the game plan for the rest of the afternoon.

On the way home, I was needing to knit, so I put this little guy away and pulled out my Inlet cardigan. I love it, though, and I can see taking it with me everywhere so I’ve got it when I find myself in the mood to spin.

If you like the idea of traveling spindles and want to see some great pictures, check out this thread in the Jenkins Ravelry group for instant happiness.

Does anyone else have spinning on the brain these days?

9 Comments

  1. Jay

    I haven’t found the love for Turkish spindles everyone else seems to have. My problem is that I spin 3 or 4 feet and then wind it onto the spindle and add to the copp. It just seems like so much more work than spinning on a regular spindle and winding it around the spindle. What am I missing?

    • melinda

      I know what you mean, but for me, the winding on itself is part of the appeal. I enjoy that part. I’m not sure if others feel that way or not. I definitely wouldn’t choose a Turkish spindle if speed were the objective.

  2. I much prefer a Turkish spindle over all others. I like that I can ply on the fly much easier on the Turk than I can on any other spindle, if I choose. Even if I don’t ply on the fly, plying itself is so much easier using a turtle. NO matter how hard I try, though, I can’t make a pretty turtle. (or cop on a regular spindle, for that matter)

Talk to me!