the tahkli spurred me on, however. i joined several supported spindle groups on ravelry, and began to stalk the shops of some of the favored spindle makers. i haven't had any expendable income, so all i've been able to do is look, but there are several supported spindles on my bucket list, lol.
recently, my friend, amanda, decided that she wanted to learn wood turning. she aspires to learn the skills necessary for restoring antique spinning wheels. i suggested that 'we' could also make spindles. :-)
she has been learning the basics, and a few nights ago i showed her pictures of phang spindles (a himalayan style supported spindle) which are very simple in design, and seemed like making some would be good turning practice and a great way to suck her in to making supported spindles. hahahahaha. she saw right through me, of course. but friday afternoon she dropped by with her first ever spindle, a phang made from cedarwood. it smells divine. and is deceptively light in weight. she handed it to me with instructions to test drive it. :-D woo hoo!!!
ok. so spinning on a phang is a whole new learning curve for me. i can almost smell the new neuron pathways being burned into my brain. my first thought was that i wanted more heft...that a heavier/more dense wood would be better. i searched through some forum posts and found that many people PREFER a lighter phang. hmmm. so maybe i just need to keep experimenting until i find the right body mechanics/flicking style/drafting style for this type of spindle.....
i have been practicing (and struggling) and today i seem to be finally getting the hang of it. i'm using a 'park and draft' technique, which is sort of like supported spindling with training wheels, but it's making good yarn, so i'm not going to beat myself up about it. :-P
i will keep practicing and, hopefully, will collect some more supported spindles in a variety of styles.
and thank you, amanda, for humoring me. :-)
