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Getting Started with Spinning by Allena Jackson continued from page 3 Now that you know about twist, and what to watch for, you are ready to start spinning on your own CD spindle. You will need to attach a leader onto the spindle. To do this, use a piece of regular yarn.
You can also add some twist to some of your roving by twisting it clockwise with your fingers. Keep twisting until you have a yarn piece about 18 - 24 inches long. Just tie it on below the CDs, and wind up 18 to 24” around the shaft. Be sure that you wind your leader around the shaft counterclockwise, and then over the whorl (the CDs). You should wrap a few turns around the top of the shaft, and then through the hook.
There are a few things to notice here, first, can you see that the yarn is wrapped around the spindle counterclockwise? The other way to look at this is that if you were to hold the yarn and turn the spindle to wind the yarn on, you would turn the spindle clockwise
Practice spinning the spindle while holding the leader. Which hand feels most comfortable for holding the leader? Which hand is the most effective to spin the spindle? Practice spinning the spindle with just the leader until you figure this out. As you practice, the yarn will become over twisted. You may need to let the spindle hang free and spin counterclockwise to release this extra twist. I encourage you to do everything with both hands to find what is most comfortable for you. None of this is very hard, in fact, it is primarily a rhythm that must be learned, so you can use either hand, and just do what feels the most comfortable. Basically one hand controls the twist and the other drafts and spins the spindle. I draft and spin the spindle with my right, dominant hand, and hold the yarn in my left hand. Either hand is fine and there is no wrong way. If yarn is being made, then you must be doing it right!
There are several good ways to join the roving to the leader, but I think the easiest (and least likely to come apart) method is to separate the leader yarn by un-twisting it a few inches and splitting it into two "tails". Pull a bit of your fiber out a little to form a tip and place this between the two pieces of your leader.
Continued...
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