Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn

by Maggie Casey

For knitters, crocheters, and weavers ready to make their own yarn, this handy guide provides detailed instructions for spinning both on a spindle and a wheel, and offers a special section devoted to troubleshooting and wheel maintenance that keeps projects on track. It offers a comprehensive look at the various available fiber options, choosing and preparing each type of fiber for use, and crafting these materials into ready-to-work pieces. A final chapter on the various uses of spun yarn focuses on project planning, with definitions and context for measuring wraps per inch, determining yards for specific projects, and choosing a yarn size.

Genres: Crafts, Nonfiction, Knitting, Reference, How To, Art, Ebooks

120 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nostalgia Reader]

This seemed very brief in its spindle instruction section, focusing more on wheel spinning, which is unfortunate as most spinners are likely to start out with a spindle. It provided just enough info for me to understand what was needed, but in terms of "technique" I found more info on YouTube. Hopefully this will be more useful if I ever get a wheel!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had this book when I first started spinning. I got this from the library just to review but the carding section is invaluable since I need to use my drum carder for the first time very soon. I would recommend it to anyone that is just thinking about spinning or has just gotten started.

[Wylie Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another library find. Great reference to the beginner for spinning, including drop spindle techniques.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book, but like most books that address both the spindle and the wheel, it's wheel-centric. Not really worth it if you're exclusively interested in spindling.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My new wheel is coming next Friday. I'm getting ready....
Not a bad book, but you can't learn to spin from a book, or I can't. Her advice is good though and I'm sure I'll go back to this one.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I have just started spinning and this book gave me just the info I was looking for. Well written, great pictures.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the basic "intro to spinning" book that I've been looking for. The subtitle is "Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn," and the book lives up to both title and subtitle—not that you couldn't go a lot deeper, , once you get started, but this book covers everything a beginning spinner needs to know.

The book is clearly written, informative, and filled with photographs that illustrate equipment, wool and prepared fiber types, and spinning and drafting techniques. Ms. Casey starts out with an introduction to wool, explaining qualities like staple length, microns, crimp, and so on, and how these differ from breed to breed, before covering some of the most common forms of commercially-prepared wool (roving, combed top, sliver, and batts) as well as hand-carded rolags. She then defines the vocabulary of spinning, covers the general types of spindles and explains how to use a drop spindle. She identifies all the parts of a spinning wheel, explains the differences between scotch and irish tension, single and double drive, and offers examples of a variety of bobbins, flyers, and wheels from several manufacturers. She discusses in detail how to spin using a spinning wheel, offers clear explanations (with accompanying photographs) of various drafting techniques, talks about how to recognize and avoid over- and under-twist, gives several options for plying (including one for plying on a spindle), and goes into how to skein your plied yarn and wash to set the twist. She lays out the differences between spinning "woolen" or "worsted," The author even offers some thoughts on using your handspun yarn. Finally, two appendices discuss, although in less depth, how to choose, wash, prepare (card), and store a fleece, and how to maintain your spinning wheel.

After a year and a half of spinning (albeit not as frequently or diligently as I would wish), I'm not exactly a novice, but I'm still enough of a beginner to find Start Spinning extremely useful. I borrowed it from the library, but I will be adding it to my fiber-arts bookshelves as soon as I can find a copy.

Challenges: Counts for Pop Sugar Challenge 2019 (#10: a book about a hobby), The Backlist Reader Challenge, and the Library Love Challenge.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative. I was able to actually understand the processes described which thoroughly impressed me because (1) I don't know anything about spinning (2) I don't have access to a wheel or a spindle - in fact, I've never even been in the same room with either.

I had been considering learning to spin for some time now, and thought "this will be the year". Then 2020 happened. I'm a "learn by doing" sort of person so I was really skeptical that I would be able to get anything out of reading this. I borrowed it from the library in a "what do I have to lose" moment and am so glad I did. I learned a lot and am now even more enthusiastic about getting some hands-on practice when the opportunity finally arrives.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for anyone who has ever wanted to make their own yarn, but had no idea where to start. It includes instructions for both drop spindle spinning (the method I am currently learning) and for the wheel. The instructions are simple and easy to understand. I am almost done spinning my first single strand and can't wait to finish my second so that I can learn to ply and have some fun dying it!

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible guide! Like most of the beginner spinning books I've looked at, it's weighted more towards the wheel than the drop spindle, but the spindle instructions are still very thorough. The photos progress through every step very clearly without skipping anything, and the "park and draft" method is described as well which is a great starting point for beginners that I've seen skipped elsewhere.

[Candid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book to get a person going. I wouldn’t count on it to be the only book one needs to learn to spin but is fantastic in a pinch. It doesn’t cover drop spindles well, so don’t count on it for that (Respect the Spindle is better on that front), but this is a short easy ready with a reasonable amount of pictures.

[Mimi Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Introduction to spinning

Excellent overview basic spinning techniques. It explains a variety of drafting methods and fiber preparation. It was recommended reading by an experienced spinner.

[Tina Ambury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd forgotten I had this wonderful book! So straightforward and describes the complete process.
Of all my spinning books, this is the best one for a beginner and will be the one I lend my WI friend who wants to learn.

[James Tomasino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to spinning. I'll be referring back to this a great deal as I get started. This is definitely for the novice. Don't bother if you are already comfortable with your wheel.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough - more useful if you have a wheel.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great information, presented in an approachable and clear manner. Good color photographs.

[Dianne Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent intro read to spinning and understanding fiber.

[Rachel Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helicopter) helpful to a new spinner

[Stacy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you need to know to start spinning yarn. A great how-to!👍👍

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are thinking about spinning, interested in fiber arts, or just want to know where yarn comes from then this is a good book! It does get technical in places, but if you want to start spinning some technicalities come in handy. I really enjoyed this, the author spoke of her own experiences as well as things that she does differently. While she looks at all aspects, there are places where her bias toward methods is obvious but ignorable. The glossaries and resources pages are great, it is good to have a definition when she starts talking about rolag and batts, she does define them in the text but something else to look at is nice too. The illustrations of each step are wonderful, it might as well be a 'how to' video in spots.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're just going to get one book to learn to spin, this is it. Yes, it is difficult to learn something so tactile from a book, but it has lovely pictures and covers the topic really well. I also watched some videos, and the pictures in the book were much better at capturing exactly what your hands need to be doing, so out of all the resources I picked up for self-taught spinning, this is the one I've gone back to when I've run into problems. Very recommended.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good, though I'd say as a new spinner that there really is only so much you can get from still pictures. After I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and practiced spinning a lot, the pictures in here still didn't do much for me. Usually I can teach myself anything from a book, but spinning is one of those things that's best seen in action. Nevertheless, it has solid advice and is certainly comprehensive enough for a beginner.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granted, I haven't actually started spinning yet, but this book was great. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of drop spindles, wheels, spinning and plying. It seemed like the book had everything I could possibly need. I borrowed it from the library, but I am going to purchase it and add it to my library as a necessary reference for when I really do get going.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent all-around book, and reading about spinning wheels was interesting (I use a spindle because of lack of money and space), but it definitely doesn't go into much detail on any one subject. I think it works better as a book to borrow than one to own as a resource.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book had some information that could be useful, but overall, it's really hard to learn something like this from a book. None of what I learned was so important that I feel the need to own the book.

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a little less in depth. Not a bad book, by any means, but I think spending a little more for something like the Spinner's Book of Yarn Design would be better. Read once, probably won't ever look at it again.

[Rebekka Steg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction for those wanting to learn how to spin, covering techniques for preperation, spinning techniques on both spindle and spinning wheel, plying and how to design the type of yarn you want.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great photos. I learned a lot from this book.

[Cayenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to spin. Great explanations and wonderful, helpful pictures.

[Dawn aka wolfinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book