The coolest blend of tech and hobby ever (a 3D printed spindle!)

A lot of people know that I spin my own yarn from time to time. I have this really lovely, old Ashford Traditional that I picked up from someone on Ravelry. It’s been a great wheel for me, and I’ve even splurged and purchased the lace flyer (for those not in the know, the lace flyer is a piece of equipment that you change out and it makes the twist go into the fiber faster, allowing you to spin thinner yarn. More twist generally = more strength in the yarn so you can get it thinner without it breaking).

The problem with a wheel, though, is that it isn’t exactly portable. They do, in fact, make “travel” wheels that are built smaller and some even fold up into a bag for taking with you. This wheel is not one of those. So when I go on trips much like this last weekend’s knitting retreat I’m left wishing I could spin but not being able to.

My friend Jen dyes yarn and fiber and started making the coolest blend of tech and hobby ever: a 3d printed spindle. I’ve had my eye on one since she started prototyping them, but I finally broke down this week and ordered one. I’ve never been great at spindle spinning – as soon as I used a wheel I was hooked on that and ended up getting rid of the spindle I owned. But I’m now several years in on this hobby and I’ve learned a thing or two and I’m now aware that my first spindle was too heavy for the yarn I wanted to make. Enter this little mini Turkish spindle: It’s such a cute little thing and it’s light weight enough to produce the yarn I want without the weight of it causing problems. And, of course, it’s small and therefore easy to take with me to spin outside of the house.

I toyed around with it last night and this morning and the spindle itself is balanced well and spins well. The problems are, frankly, user error and a bit of needing to get the hang of a spindle again after years and years of using a wheel. Stay tuned for updates on if I manage to get the hang of it!