A potato on a stick…that pretty well sums up the essence of the spindle. You know I’m right. A wad of clay, a potato, a rock, a block of wood; put them on a stick and you’ve got a spindle. My first spindle, the one I learned on, was a 1"x3"x3" block of wood on a dowell. It worked great, still does. Someone in the wood shop at school cut up a bunch of little square pieces of wood, drilled a hole and we slide it onto the stick. The ends were cut sqare, no pointy end, no hook. Not long after that, a friend returning from Peru brought me two spindles that were little more than a wad of fired clay that slide onto a hand whittled stick. The stick was pointed on both ends. The spindles were bottom whorl, rigged (if that is the word) by hand, no hook needed. I LOVE tools, the more basic the better. This said, here’s what I bought at Rhinebeck. I have been eyeing the beautifully carved, incredibly simple, turkish spindles. Now, this one is mine.
Compared to the beautiful little spindles we buy from Forrester, Golding, & Bosworth, these are heavy. But, heavy is good if you have a hairy fiber with a bit of grease in it. The women who use them, use them well… spinning beautiful fine yarns. Often, the arms are chipped. I’m told that this is comes from the spindle being tossed off the roof or balcony of the spinners dwelling, not in anger, but in an effort to get the longest possible draw. LONG DRAW!!! It boggles my mind. Apparently, they sometimes hit the side of the building while twirling their way down, chipping a bit as they bounce along. They do spin forever. Imagine having to go down the stairs and out into the street to reclaim your spindle after a poor toss.
This particular spindle was sold as an antique. I prefer the word "used" or maybe "older". The date it was carved or perhaps given to the spinner is carved into the side of one arm. Not "antique".
These spindles are workhorses. Lots of spin and lots of room for yarn. When you remove the spun yarn from the arms, it’s ready to ply, both ends accessible.
15 responses to “a potato on a stick”
Such beauty was hiding out in those shopping bags!
Please, no climbing up onto your roof!
Nice! 1969 may not be antique for a person, but for a little bit of wood that’s been routinely thrown off a roof, I would think 1969 would qualify. 🙂 What a neat thing.
What a lovely spindle! I love carved wood that has been held and used and worn in a little.
Crap, why did you show me that? I don’t like Turkish spindles. Why why why?
Where did you get it from? I must give them money.
Oh, Judy. You crack me up! Your descriptions of things certainly conjure up some very amusing visuals. Great spindle- what vendor was selling those?!
That’s very cool. I’d like to see you spin with it in person, please.
So will you spinning from trees now? LOL What a beautiful find! I’m getting ever more tempted to at least try one. I barely have time to knit, now B is joking about wheels. Right…
Incredible!
Beautiful!!! Who would have thought that these spindles were tossed off the side of a balcony…LOL! Fiber people are creative if nothing else!
Ok. That’s it. All of you spinners are to cease and desist right this minute. Stop all the tempting descriptions and the lovely pictures of “antique” spindles and gorgeous roving. I’ve had it! I’m this close to taking up spinning myself and you know what that means! Do I have to pull this car over?
Ahem. Really interesting post, Judy. Love the spindle…
I am particularly fond of the carvings and the lovely patina on that spindle. Enjoy spinning on it!
I think I would rather toss a potato on a stick off the roof, than that beautiful turkish spindle!! It is beautiful, makes me wonder what the mileage is on it….
Tossed off the roof! What a great visual.
Intrepid Fiberwizard, Teyani, sent a link to see this spindle – I think she wants my DH, Ed to make something similiar for her. Dropping it off the balcony; I should be so creative. I’ve been working at getting a long draw, so far six feet is max – when I climb on the chair. 🙂
I’m so glad you wrote this post! I want the world to know what a wonderful spindle the Turkish spindles are. (It’s a bit disconcerting that they’re not native to Turkey.) Ed makes Turkish Spindles and he’s also working on the design of Ladakhi spindles from the Himalyas. http://www.jenkinswoodworking.com
Oh my god, Judy! That spindle is stunning. As you can see, I’m only just starting to catch up on the bloggy bits of life, so I know this is way, way out of date, but I just couldn’t let this go by without commenting. It’s just too charming. What a great find.