Your Handspinning

To many of us, a spinning wheel is a romantic relic of other days, more often associated with antique shops and museums than with any form of practical work; yet, with this simple piece of apparatus we can produce a woollen yarn unobtainable by any other means.

Although this little book on handspinning is written primarily for the use of those intending to become handweavers, spinning is such a delightful occupation that people often find great pleasure in creating yarns for others to weave or knit. Of all the natural fibres used for spinning, wool is perhaps the least difficult with which to learn. In this country we have a long and honourable tradition for the production and use of wool and it is still the easiest material to obtain in suitable condition for spinning. For this reason wool spinning forms the main subject of this book although there are chapters on the use of linen, silk, various kinds of hair, cotton, and synthetic materials.

The chapter on British sheep and their fleeces is included in the hope that it will be useful to both town and country readers, helping the former to see that all sheep are not alike, encouraging the later to work with their local wools, at the same time providing them with information about sheep in districts other than their own. A chapter towards the end of this book is devoted to a discussion of the qualities and defects in machine-spun yarns from the handweaver’s viewpoint. A chapter is included on the preparation of handspun yarns for weaving and knitting.