I bought a drop spindle years ago and have just brought it out. It came with a string leader tied on. The directions state ,”it is attached to the spindle above the whorl, looped over the bottom and and a crochet loop can be located at the top of the spindle. There is a loop at the end of the string.” Got thoughts on this.
We’re glad to hear that you’re looking to get started! From these instructions, it sounds like you likely have a bottom-whorl spindle. If this is the case, the instructions are asking you to take the leader tied above the whorl (where you will later wind the handspun yarn) down to wrap around the shaft below the whorl and then up to the top of the shaft. You can secure it here with what is often called a half hitch. We have a tutorial on our website: spinoffmagazine.com/half-hitch-drop-spindle-technique/. The loop at the very end of the leader is where you can attached your unspun fiber. Just pull a thin piece through the loop, fold it back on itself and begin adding twist by turning the spindle. For more on getting started, our free beginner course is another great resource to check out: learn.longthreadmedia.com/courses/the-spinning-teacher-with-maggie-casey. Happy spinning!
That does work with many spindles, but the best option is to try it and see what happens. You'll quickly determine if the spindle is balanced enough to spin as a bottom whorl.
