Ancient tool, new twist
by Connie Delaney
When I
started looking into how to spin with a Navajo spindle, I found very little
information. The two spindles I owned were very different in size and came with
no instructions. I searched through back issues of Spin-Off Magazine and through
all my spinning and weaving books for tips. Eventually I pieced together
enough information to begin making yarn, and learned some interesting
history.
The Navajo tribes were originally
from northwestern Canada. They migrated south sometime in the 1300s or 1400s and
learned spinning and weaving from the Pueblo people who spun cotton. The
Spaniards didn't bring sheep into the Americas until the late 1500s, so the
Navajo started their spinning careers with cotton.
``Cotton?'' I thought. ``Hmmmmm . .
. '' I dug into my stash of spinning fibers to try some cotton on my Navajo
spindle. It worked like a charm. The only problem was getting enough twist into
the yarn. My interest was sparked.
I started prowling through libraries
and reading books on southwestern people. I traveled to Salt Lake City and
there, in the Natural History Museum at the University of Utah, I discovered two
skeins of cotton singles that had been beautifully spun a thousand years ago.
One of these ancient skeins was spun thick and the other thin. Each was kinky
with twist and rolled into a hank, in the same way we do it today. I wanted to
touch them, but they were guarded by glass.
Cotton has been cultivated in South
America and the southwestern United States for centuries. The climate has
changed a few degrees here and there over time. When it was warm, cultivated
areas shifted northward, then cold spells pushed the farmers and their fields
back south. The prehistoric southwestern peoples, whom we usually call
the Anasazi, disappeared suddenly around 1300. Shortly afterward, the Hohokam
tribes built their cities somewhat to the south of the ancient’s prehistoric
caves. Then they, too, disappeared. When the Navajo tribes, and later Europeans,
came to the area, they found tribes such as the Hopi, Pima, and Zuni living in
small pueblos --growing and spinning cotton.
Using the word “Anasazi�
for the ancient Indians of the southwest is actually quite rude in the eyes of
the Pueblo Indians. In fact, calling
them "Pueblo" is also a bit rude.
“Pueblo� is Spanish meaning “village,� and refers to the fact
that the people live in villages, disregarding their actual identity as the
Hopi, Pima and Zuni. “Anasazi� is a
Navajo word which means “Enemy Ancestors.�
It expresses a lot of fear as the Navajo were deeply superstitious about
the artifacts which these ancestors of their enemies had left about the
landscape. The word “Hohokam� is
more correct as it is from one of the Pueblo tribes and means something like,
“All gone now.� Typical of our
English tongue we have mismashed all these languages into common use.
The spindles found in prehistoric
southwestern Anasazi and Hohokam
ruins are different from the spindles used by the Navajo today. They are
shorter--about 18 inches long--with small whorls about 1 1/2 to 2 inches round.
On my second trip to the Utah Museum of Natural History, Kathy Kankainen,
Collections Manager, took me into a back room. There she let me see one of their
more recent finds: a beautiful spindle about 15 1/2 inches long, pointed at the
top and worn shiny at the bottom from much spinning. I didn't get to touch it
either. It was way too precious for my oily hands--but my fingers are still
itching.
Fortunately for modern spinners, the
materials for making a Hohokam-style spindle are inexpensive and easily
available in any craft store; little toy craft wheels are the perfect size. And
I can touch my own little spindle as much as I want.
Materials:
(Total cost is under a
dollar)
One 2-1/2 inch wooden toy
wheel from a craft store for the whorl
18 inches of dowel to fit
through the hole of the whorl (most wheels take a 3/8-inch dowel)
Pencil sharpener with a
large hole
Sandpaper
Wood glue
Prepared cotton roving for
spinning
Directions
Sharpen both ends of the dowel with
the pencil sharpener and then sand smooth. Don't make the tipS [which tip? both
tips? top or bottom? --BOTH] too sharp. Slip the whorl onto the dowel so it is
about 5 1/2 inches from the bottom. Use a drop of glue to secure it in place.
Let the glue dry, and you're ready to spin!
Rolling the spindle on the
leg
 |
Sit cross-legged on the floor and practice twirling your spindle a few times. Rest the tip of the spindle on the ground to your right side. Roll the spindle up your leg--from knee to thigh--with your right hand; catch the shaft so it rotates between your thumb and forefinger. Repeat this action until you feel comfortable. |
When you sit cross-legged, you will
appreciate the wisdom in spinning up your leg and thereby inserting a
clockwise twist into the yarn; you are actually twirling the spindle downhill
because your knee is a bit higher than your hip. Wonderful, isn't it?
While you are at it,
practice spinning the spindle in a counterclockwise direction. Roll the spindle
from your upper thigh down to your knee, catching it in the curve of your
fingers. This is the direction for plying.
Left or Right?
I first learned to spin on a drop
spindle and I always draft with my left hand even though I am right-handed. Some
people who learn to spin on a spinning wheel learn to draft with their right
hand. These instructions are for drafting with your left hand. If you can't get
it, you may want to reverse the instructions.
The spit join
Pick up the end of your cotton
roving, wet your fingers, and wet the tip of the cotton (or go ahead and spit
directly on the cotton). Stick the tip of the shaft into the wet cotton and
twist the spindle clockwise. The cotton will stick right to the shaft. After it
has caught pretty well, slide the sticky spot down the shaft to the whorl.
That's how you tie on.
If you can't get this technique, go
ahead and do it the normal way--twist the cotton fibers into a short strand of
yarn and tie or wrap it onto the shaft of the spindle.
Rotate the spindle clockwise up your leg. With your left hand, pull away from the spindle on the cotton with your left hand, using gentle tension and letting a small glob of cotton into the twist. Then continue pulling at an even speed, letting the glob even out into the twist. But don't pull too far or your roving will fall apart. If you are having trouble, you may be holding the cotton too close to the twist. Move your hand further up the roving and pull slowly, watching how the cotton evens out. This action is called a long draw.
If you are working with very short fibers, such as most colored cottons, you may have difficulties with this style of long draw. The fibers just aren't long enough to accommodate the pull. Instead of letting the fibers move into the twist in a glob, you will have to watch closely where the twist meets the roving and pull backwards from there in a steady, even motion. This kind of draw is called point-of-twist drafting. Some spinners find it a bit tricky to master. Keep your eyes glued to the point of twist and pull gently but steadily with your left hand.
Don't fret if you have lots of lumps--keep
practicing over and over. In time you will build your skill.
Winding on
 |
When you have stretched your arm out as long as it can go, unwind the yarn that winds around the shaft as you spin and stand the spindle upright on the floor. With your right hand, twirl it clockwise so the roving winds onto the shaft, close to the whorl. Wind a nice tight cone, leaving enough yarn to wrap up the spindle for the next spin. |
Lay the spindle back on your leg,
and give it a few twirls, then draft the roving again.
Repeat until your roving is used up
or the spindle is full.
Joining breaks
If you are having trouble with the
yarn breaking, you are probably allowing it to get too thin. The Navajo spindle
puts no tension on the yarn so it is easy to pull the strand quickly and lose
the integrity of your yarn. Pull slowly, and try to spin a thicker yarn--you can
make contest-thin yarn later. The long draw is like riding a bicycle; all of a
sudden the motion will seem natural and you'll be spinning effortlessly.
Breaking yarn can be quite
frustrating, especially if it breaks because you allow it to get too thin. You
may find that a foot or so of your yarn loses its integrity and the end of the
yarn keeps breaking and breaking until you finally come to a stretch that has
retained its twist. Unwind your spun yarn until you find some with enough twist
to stay together. Feather out the end of the yarn and intertwine new fibers from
your roving into the twist. Spin the spindle and add twist until the yarn grabs
into the roving. Continue spinning, but get more fibers and twist into your yarn
from now on!
Spinning tips
Do not try to pull straight off the
tip of the spindle, but rather hold the strand at about a 45° angle. As you
work, you will develop a feel for the yarn. The twist adds strength. At first,
the yarn will seem to float in the air, then all of a sudden the twist will grab
on and the yarn will magically tighten and strengthen, ``snapping'' off the tip.
Keep spinning each length until the yarn is snapping distinctly. This will even
out the last few lumps and it's a good test for strength.
If things are not going well and
lumps are staying in your yarn, stop spinning and use both hands to untwist the
thick spots and pull them thinner. Then start spinning again. Even the most
experienced spinner will stop occasionally to even out the yarn.
How thick you make the yarn, and how
much twist you add, is a matter of design. If this is a singles yarn, you will
want just enough twist to secure the fiber without making it too dense or kinky.
If you plan to make a two- or three-ply yarn, spin the singles much tighter.
Experience is the best teacher--if you are a beginner, play with the twist and
learn how it behaves. Most ancient spindle-spun yarns were singles and the
Navajo today use most of their wool as singles, choosing two-ply or the famous
Navajo three-ply only for the edges of blankets.
Navajo
spinners spin their yarn two and sometimes even three times. They do this so
they can even out any lumps and add more twist and strength. Perhaps the
prehistoric Puebloans did the same. If you are going to be plying your yarn, you
may want to add a second spin because a plied yarn needs more initial twist than
a singles. Simply roll your yarn into a ball and spin it again onto the spindle,
adding as much twist as you wish. You can tell if your yarn has enough twist for
a plied yarn by letting a strand twist back on itself. This is how your plied
yarn will look once the two strands are wrapped around each other.
[illustration?]
Making a Navajo
three-ply yarn
Here's a nifty way to make a
three-ply yarn. To get ready, roll your singles yarn into a ball with the yarn
end tied to the spindle. Make a loop of yarn about 3 feet long by catching the
yarn with the shaft of the spindle and pulling back with your thumb.
[Illustration 3] Use your right hand to slide this loop next to the spit join.
[Illustration 4] Keep your left hand taut and spin the spindle counterclockwise
to catch all three strands. Then spin it vigorously, pushing it down
your knee (from your thigh toward your knee), catching it, and letting it
rotate in your fingers. [Illustration 5]
 |
Your left thumb is now trapped in a loop. Wind the plied yarn onto the spindle. Transfer the loop from your left thumb to the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, then use the thumb of your left hand to grab the single strand and pull it through the loop like a giant crochet chain. Pull this new loop out a full arm's length. |
Remove the thumb and forefinger of
the right hand from the original loop so that it snaps shut. The left thumb is
holding the new loop. Join it to the third strand of yarn and twirl the spindle
down your leg until enough you add enough twist to make a balanced yarn. Then
wind the plied yarn onto the spindle, continuing until your thumb (still trapped
in its loop) is near the tip of the spindle. Transfer the loop to the thumb and
fingers of your right hand, and use the left thumb to pull another loop.
Repeat this process until all the
yarn is gone.
Making a Navajo
skein
[Illustration 6] Hold your left hand
above your knee. Holding the spindle with your right hand, wrap the yarn over
your foot and then up over your left hand, and then back again until the spindle
is empty. Tie the two ends loosely around the skein to keep it from getting
tangled. Use scrap yarn to tie the skein in two more places. Remove the skein
from your leg.
Making a two-ply
yarn
Wind the yarn off the spindle into
two diverging piles of kinky yarn, keeping track of the two ends. Sit carefully
on the beginning of the yarn and lay the kinky twirls down into one pile until
it looks like you're about half through. Without breaking the yarn, move over
and start a second pile. You'll be back down to your original spit-join.
Tie the first end (the one you were
sitting on) to the spindle near the spit-join so both ends are tied to the
spindle. Put the spindle aside. Very carefully wrap both strings, one coming
from each pile, around-and-around the fingers of your left hand. Be very careful
that you smooth out all the kinks from both strands as you wind. When you are
about halfway through, pull the ball off your hand and continue wrapping both
strands of yarn in the opposite direction. Continue until all the yarn is
wound.
You now have a ball of two plies
ready to spin together. Starting from the outside of the ball, attach both
strands to your spindle and unwind an arm's length of yarn. Twirl the spindle
counterclockwise by rolling it down your knee. When the plied yarn has enough
twist, wind it onto the spindle. Repeat until you've plied the entire ball of
yarn.
Connie Delaney spins and writes in Salmon, Idaho. She is the producer of SpinCraft Pattern Newsletter and author of Spindle Spinning, a new book on spinning with many types of spindles from around the world, by Kokovoko Press.