Spindles from around the Bog

Ambush Bog

Here's a partial list of the styles: French, Russian, Drop spindles, Top whorl, Bottom whorl and Navajo style (Armahoe).

This is a miscellenious category with ultra light drop spindles that weigh 4 g or 0.1 oz, and others using unusual materials but with familiar shapes.

My favorite standby workhorse are my Hard drive spindles. They are made from recycled computer hard drive, and occasionally a laptop hard drive, those are very hard to come by but are the cutest thing ever.

they work very well as drop spindles and if desired, when turned upside down, can be turned into a Hand-guided spindle. They are quite affordable and durable. there isn't much variation as to their weight, but my heaviest one weighs 40 g, that's just under 1.5 oz. there are lighter ones, too. I put long shafts on them and use them for plying as well.

French style with Jasper whorl, Teak and Tung oil

Notched at both ends for spinning and plying

French style spindles have a simple notch or a simple spiralling notch at the top to catch the thread. My French style spindles have bigger and deeper grooves that catch the thread very well. These are guided spindles that are not used supported, so i have put in a counterclockwise spiral groove at the other end of the spindle for plying, if one desired to do so with the same spindle. the French used needlessly complicated system with hooks hanging from the ceiling for plying. it's a mystery to me. i often use a drop spindle to ply lace weight thread i made on the French style spindle. I have also put in a semi-precious stone whorl on these for a good weight balance. Since the wood is pretty light in this form, the stone whorl makes it easier to guide it and hold it.

One of the most versatile spindles in my artillery is the Navajo type which I dubbed Armahoe (you know, the Armenian version of the Navajo style). It has a much wider whorl and it spins forever. it is over 2' tall and can be used for anything from lace to heavy stuff to plying. the great advantage of the size is that it can take a huge amount of plied yarn. i often run into that problem with the drop spindles, there comes a point when the spindle cannot take any more yarn and you either have cut it at that point or somehow fit in more.

Russian style spindles, diz, supported spindle

Teak, leopardwood, walnut, Hard drive/walnut

Russian style spindles are not only Russian but are quite spread all over Eastern Europe. However, most people use them unsupported, unlike those who make Orenburg lace, Russia. My goal was to make them to spin longer and not stop short. Some also have a semi-precious stone of some kind to accomplish that. I do not make them super tall because i found that to be unnecessary for lace making. Since i often spin while siting on a sofa, a very tall spindle is tiresome on the drafting arm. These spindles do not have notches, like the French ones, they come to a sharp point.

They are all hand carved by me. There is a lot of elbow grease that goes into sanding them down and finishing them. These are quite a lot more ornate than the traditional ones. The one on the left is teak, the other one is leopard wood.