Hankering for Yarn

Yarn Yarn Yarn - a new strand

by Noreen on June 20th, 2006

Hello

and thanks to Chloe for handing this wonderful blog on to me, and thanks also, to Adelle who began it, many posts ago.

I’m Noreen Crone-Findlay, and I am a designer, author, fiber artist, workshop presenter , and my husband and I make wild and wonderful wooden dolls, spoolknitters and small looms.

Our website is www.crone-findlay.com

I am just delighted to be at the keyboard for ‘Hankering for Yarn’, as I am absolutely passionate about yarn, and the wonderful things we can do with it.

I love commercial yarns, but I also really enjoy spinning. I am a dyed in the wool spindle spinner. I learned how to spin on a Navaho spindle, and I am sure that that ‘imprinted me’ on spindle spinning.

One of my most favorite spindles is the Royale Hare support spindle. I bought mine 12 years ago, and I treasure it.

Here it is on a little bookcase in my studio:

Yes, that’s Albert Einstein looking on. He’s one of my heroes, as I am fascinated by creativity in all it’s guises. My husband turned the plate on the lathe, and I drew the portrait and burned it.

Anyhow….. back to the Royale Hare.

It’s a WONDERFUL little spindle. I have spun many a mile of yarn on mine over the years. I found that it ‘travelled’ and so, I made a little bracket jobbie to hold it in place.

It’s just a little scrap of wood with a hole cut in it. The hole fits the base of the spindle (a spiffy brass bearing I think), and keeps the spindle in place. It spins more efficiently than when it was wandering about.

On the back of the bracket, I glued some ‘non skid’ fabric to make the whole thing work even better.

By the way….. the yarn on the spindle is cotton that I have spun from the cotton batting that comes in the tops of vitamin bottles. It spins up beautifully.

I did a websearch, to make sure these enchanting little spindles are still available, and found that the Royale Hare site seems to be under construction. However, The Woolery has them: http://www.woolery.com/Pages/dropspinfr.html

I wrote and asked them if they still had them and if they had some in stock, and they responded promptly with a positive and cheerful email, saying yes to both questions.

I would never part with my Royale Hare, and I think that the only thing better than one Royale Hare would be having two.

Plying would be a pleasure with 2 of these little sweeties. Some day, I am going to have to indulge myself in a second one.
(No affiliations and all the usual assertions) : o)

Enjoy your yarn passions,

hugs all round,

Noreen

www.crone-findlay.com 

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POSTED IN: Creativity, hand spinning and handspun and spinning