Spinning is making yarn by twisting fibers together to form a continuous strand. Adding twist interlocks the fibers, so they work together to give the yarn strength.


People have been spinning for at least 20,000 years, first by rolling tufts of animal hair or plant fiber down their thighs. By Neolithic times, simple spindles—sticks weighted with small disc-shaped weights called whorls—made spinning faster and easier. Primitive hand-cranked spinning wheels appeared around 1030, and over the centuries, innovations like the foot pedal led to the familiar spinning wheels we use today. Mechanized yarn spinning began with early inventions like James Hargreaves’ spinning jenny in 1764. Later advancements significantly decreased the time and cost of producing yarn, leading to a dramatic shift from home-based yarn production to mill-spun yarns. 


Today, hand-spinning is primarily a creative endeavor rather than a household necessity. Spinners blend and dye their own fibers, explore texture and color, and produce one-of-a-kind yarns perfectly suited to their specific requirements. Keep reading for your introduction to the world of hand spinning! Hint: Use the links above to jump to the sections you're most interested in.

Materials and Tools:

Terminology:

  • Cellulose fibers are plant-derived fibers like cotton, flax, rayon, and bamboo.
  • Crimp is the wave along the length of wool fibers. Measured in crimps per inch, this property affects the elasticity (bounce) of spun yarns. 
  • Drafting is gently pulling fibers out to a consistent thickness before adding twist. The greater the amount of fiber in the "drafting triangle," the thicker your yarn will be.
  • Fiber preparations: Click here for a summary of the differences between roving, batts, top, sliver, and rolags.
  • A lazy kate holds bobbins of yarn while they are being plied, allowing them to unwind smoothly. Make your own by poking holes in a box or using a plastic basket with holes in the side to hold your spindles or bobbins.
  • Leader: A length of string or yarn attached to a spindle or a spinning wheel's bobbin that serves as a starting point to attach the first fibers.
  • Niddy noddy: A simple hand-held tool that looks like a capital “I”, used to wind yarn into a hank and to measure its length.
  • Plying is twisting multiple strands/plies of yarn together to create a stronger yarn.
  • Protein fibers are derived from animal sources and include wool, alpaca, mohair, and silk.
  • Singles: One strand/ply of yarn.
  • Spinning wheel parts: Bobbins, flyer, treadle, orifice, oh my! Click here to make sense of it all.
  • Staple Length: The average length of the individual fibers you are spinning.
  • Twist direction: Twist can be added to fibers in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Generally, singles are spun Z-twist and then plyed S-twist.
  • Z twist is created by spinning clockwise, causing the fibers to slant upwards and to the right like the middle bar of a “Z”.
  • S twist is made by spinning counter-clockwise, causing the fibers to slant upwards and to the left like the middle bar of an “S”. 
  • Twists per inch (TPI): A measurement of how tightly a yarn is spun or plied. Click here for a primer on TPI from Interweave Press. 
  • Wraps per inch (WPI) is the number of strands of yarn that can be laid next to each other in an inch, a standard measurement of how thick your yarn is.

Process:

The basic process is the same whether you are using a spindle or a spinning wheel:

  • Attach your fiber to a leader. An easy way to do this is to create a loop at the end of your leader, put some fiber through the loop, fold it back on itself, and start spinning. The twist will lock the fibers together.
  • Pull out/draft some fiber. Hint: To draft easily, your hands must be slightly farther apart than the staple length of your fiber, so that you are allowing the fibers to slide past one another rather than trying to pull them apart. Pull a few individual fibers out to get an idea of their length, then start with your hands about 1.5 times that distance apart.
  • Add twist.
  • Wind the spun yarn onto your spindle or bobbin.
  • Continue drafting, adding twist, and winding on until your yarn is the desired length.
  • Ply your yarn with another singles, if desired.
  • Wind your finished yarn into a hank
  • Hand-wash and dry it to set the twist.
  • Wind your hank into a ball when you are ready to use it.

Variations:

  • Art yarn: Non-traditional, novelty yarns which may or may not be suitable for use as traditionally-spun yarns.

FAQ's:

  • Should I learn to spin on a spindle or a wheel? Spindles are less expensive and more portable; wheels produce yarn faster and can be more versatile. Click here for a more thorough discussion.
  • Do you produce more yarn on a spindle or a wheel? That depends. Wheels produce yarn faster, but spindles allow you to spin in small pockets of time throughout the day while waiting, walking, or doing other hands-free chores. So, your cumulative production may be greater with a spindle. 
  • This is hard! True, but it’s like riding a bicycle; there is a learning curve, and you are awfully wobbly before you start spinning smoothly. Here are some tips:
  • Practice for 10 minutes a day. If you get frustrated, take a break.
  • If you are using a wheel, practice treadling before you try to start spinning. Get the feel for how much foot pressure it takes to get the wheel going and to keep it going consistently.
  • Hold your fiber supply as lightly as you can. If you need a death grip to keep it from getting away from you, loosen the tension on your wheel or use a lighter spindle.
  • Pinch your fiber supply between your fingers to keep twist from entering the fiber before you've drafted it.
  • Don’t worry about rules, consistent yarn thickness, or yarn smoothness. Just make yarn. At some point down the road, you will try to make the “art yarn” you are spinning now, and you will find it difficult to create the lumps and bumps you are effortlessly creating today.
  • What is the difference between woolen-spun and worsted-spun? Different fiber preparation and different spinning techniques:
  • Woolen spun yarn starts from fibers that are carded, a process that leaves them in random alignment. The fibers are then spun with a technique called long draw, and the resulting yarn is soft, lofty, and airy.
  • Worsted spun yarns start from a combed preparation, where the fibers are aligned parallel to one another. They are spun with a short draw technique, and the resulting yarn is dense, compact, and smooth.
  • Is it a hank or a skein? Spinners typically call a hank (a length of yarn wound into a large loop, and then twisted on itself) a skein. Technically, though, a skein is an oblong package of yarn designed for immediate use, with either a center or outside pull like you would buy to knit with.
  • How did Sleeping Beauty prick her finger? In the original versions of the tale, Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on a splinter of flax (Basile) or a spindle (Grimm Brothers). According to Abby Franquemont, the spinning wheel imagery became common after Disney’s 1959 film. There, Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on a distaff (a stick-like tool attached to a spinning wheel to hold unspun fiber and keep it organized while you spin), rather than on the spinning wheel itself. 

About This Resource:

This resource is intended to provide a broad overview of hand spinning - enough to get you started on your spinning journey. It is not meant to be a comprehensive tutorial or listing of resources.


Please email if you have any suggested corrections, updates, or improvements!