'Flower' drop spindles

I’m always looking to make the perfect drop spindles. Lightweight, durable, pretty, and easy to spin. Despite my love of wood, I went with acrylic tops so I could use heat shaping after cutting.

On this sample, you can see the square shaft (easy spinning, no slippy head), the curved top, and the fitted base (improves balance and handling characteristics). That’s angora (bunny) spun straight from the fluff.

Opaque acrylic lends itself to masking techniques for easy designs; clear frosted gives a lovely faux iridescence when alcohol inks are applied.

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Such an (almost) lost art…those are beautiful! :slightly_smiling_face:

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That’s angora (bunny) spun straight from the fluff.

So you have a purple bunny?

Love the spindles.

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I’d heard it was difficult to dye angora (it’s extremely hydrophobic), so of course, I did it.

No, no, not the bunny, silly! The bunny fluff. A good friend owns a white Angora and plucks her rabbit weekly. I was experimenting with a bag of fluff from Pat the Bunny.

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Trip are for kids!:grin:

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So imaginative !

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Oooh what fun! Nice work!

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Those look very cool! They look like little parasols.

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Wow those are so neat! I thought they were fancy little flowers or parasols until I noticed the hook. Pic of your finished yarn please? That purple is luscious!

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Thank you! I don’t have (wet-)finished yarn yet, except for a little angora. First pix is a 4-strand plied yarn of angora. I found a 2-ply was wound too tight, so plying it back on itself made a nice, soft cabled yarn.

In all the photos, I have a strand of 5/2 weaving cotton for comparison.

Next is a 2-ply wool yarn. Once it is wet-finished, it will swell and dry a bit larger. Probably a fingering-weight knitting yarn.

Now, my first attempt at spinning cotton. Talk about the shortest drafting zone ever!

Last, some alpaca with a sample 2-ply to show how it will finish. Finally getting close to lace-weight territory.

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Pretty!!

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Woah, those are really consistent! Have you ever seen/tried a Turkish spindle before?

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