Drop Spindle

Last week we acquired an alpaca to fill out our fiber herd and we will be getting two more later in the  month. On top of that we were also very fortunate in receiving a large quantity of alpaca and llama fiber in the form of raw fleeces. All that fancy fiber got me thinking about how the fiber was used and processed back in the llama/alpaca homelands in the Andes. I'm afraid I don't really know much on the subject other than a little about the original fiber spinning tool, the drop spindle. Anyone interested in the fiber arts should learn to use this basic tool. I have seen many pictures of women in that region spinning with a spindle while going about their business. I have certainly never gotten to that level of expertise but I can make some yarn, even if it is a bit lumpy! Drop spindles are reasonably priced and learning to use one is a fun activity.  If you have a little time making your own is not difficult either. You can make them as plain or as fancy as you would like.We sold these at one time and will be doing so again at some point along with fiber to spin. Until then check them out on the web, needless to say, there are thousands of sites about them.