A New Plying Spindle

As I've learned more about spinning – and especially plying – I've become frustrated with my plying spindle. It's too light. I'm putting more twist into singles nowadays and could use more weight to pull on those kinky strands and get them plied.

So I purchased this lovely creature from the friendly folks at Woodland Woolworks. It's a two-ounce Cascabeles in aromatic cedar. I like the simplicity of the design. And the shaft has just enough 'tooth' to keep the cop from slipping.

And speaking of the shaft -- here it is next to my former plying spindle. That is one loooong shaft, 13 inches actually. The other spindle could just hold 100 grams if I wound on very carefully. This one should have no problem at all.

The Spindle family gathered together to welcome its new member. In the back we have the 1.3 ounce Kundert (now retired from plying). To the left is a .7-oz Spindlewood Square (used to be .75 oz, but a piece broke off the shaft); to the right, a 1-oz Forrester Granny. These two are the workhorses. Generally I spin 1-2 ounces of singles onto each, pop them in the plying box, and we're off. The Bosworth Mini in front is usually reserved for tricky fibers since it has the fastest acceleration of any spindle I've ever encountered. It has, however, proudly spun an entire ounce of merino last week and is eagerly anticipating a trip to the plying box.

I too am eager to see how the next plying session goes.