The spinning wheel was
first invented around the year 500 A.D. in the region of modern India.
Before that, the humble spindle is how all of the thread and yarns were
spun. Just because it's humble doesn’t mean it’s not versatile. With a
spindle, you can spin super fine yarns, threads, heavy yarn, or any other
type of yarn you can imagine. If you don't have a wheel then this is the
ideal place to start, because you can make one for practically nothing, or
buy one for very little. The only disadvantage to the spindle is that
they do not spin the yarn as fast as a wheel, but for a beginner this is a
big advantage!
The best beginner
spindle I have used is made with two CDs and a dowel. It spins for a very
long time, doesn't spin as fast as some of the lighter spindles that are
available, and is easy and inexpensive to make. To make your own, you
will need the following things:
1. A dowel - size is not
super important but I recommend a 3/8" diameter dowel. It should be
cut to about one foot in length.
2. A cup hook or wire
that can be bent into a hook, if you wish to use one. You can also make a
notch in the shaft and use a half hitch knot if you don't have a hook on
hand.
3. Two CDs - although
many free CDs come in the mail, I prefer to use good heavy ones. I use
those that I buy in bulk for personal computer use. You can recycle these
and use the old ones.
4. You can purchase
rubber grommets at farm stores and auto parts stores. You need to choose
one that matches the size of your dowel, so the inside hole (bore
diameter) should be 3/8", the panel hole should be 5/8" to match the hole
in the CDs, and finally the outside diameter about 7/8 ". Look for one
that will fit the CD hole, and comes close to the dowel size.
5. Electrical tape - if
you couldn't find the exact grommet you needed you can add some tape to
your dowel to enlarge it a bit.
6. A serrated knife, or
small saw and scissors.
Cut your dowel to be
about 12 inches long, and use a push pin to make a pilot hole as close to
the center of one end as possible. Now screw the cup hook into this hole
firmly.
You will notice that the
grommet has a groove around its middle. This is what holds the CDs
tightly.
Stack the CDs, one on
top of the other, then take the grommet and start pushing the grommet into
the holes of the CDs. This is not an easy process since the grommet
should fit very tightly.
Just keep trying to get
the CD holes wedged into the slot in the sides of the grommet. Once it is
started then you can pry the edges of the grommet up and push it into the
holes as you go around.
Once you have manhandled
and forced the grommet into the center of the CDs, slide your dowel
inside. If you were lucky enough to get a grommet that was just the right
size you're done!
If not take your electrical tape and start wrapping
it around the dowel, about two or three inches below the cup hook
carefully (lining up the edges) until it looks big enough, cut it off and
try sliding the CDs on. You want a nice snug fit so keep adding layers of
tape until it doesn't slip.
