We’ve gotten a couple of questions about spinning thread, cord, and rope since we posted this project and then explained our process.  We thought we’d introduce everybody to the book that started our fascination with spinning and its possibilities…

We’ve had The Joy of Spinning by Marilyn Kluger (published by Simon & Schuster 1971) in our workroom library for decades now. It was one of the first books Tchad used to learn how to spin on a flax wheel as a child and has been really useful little book ever since when people want to get a sense of fiber work.  You can use the idea of spinning fiber and thread to do all kinds of things once you understand the basics.

It is written in this easy, calm manner that so many artisan books in the 1970s had.

 

 

She starts off with spinning on a drop spindle – this is the way that humans have been spinning for thousands of years…

She then walks you through the various ways to spin on larger and (relatively speaking) more modern spinning methods…

She walks you through the different ways that you can twist the thread and explains what is going on…

Even if you aren’t interested in spinning, as a craftsperson you will have a nice afternoon read with this book.  It will take you on a bit of a journey.  And that was what Ms. Kluger was trying to do here – reclaim the idea of spinning as an art and craft to preserve it and reintroduce it to the broader culture.

It is worth a look.