I ordered my first spindle from Etsy Studio on June 12, and it was delivered on the 15th. It’s a 10 inch, 1.8 oz., bottom whorl drop spindle, not pretty to look at and made for beginners. I feel it’s a little too lightweight for beginners, but it’s well within the range cited by the powers-that-be as a good for starting out (1–2 oz).*

After reading Women’s Work and looking through Schliemann’s sketches of the whorls he found at Troy, I decided to paint my new spindle.

That I was frustrated with its backspinning and my chunky yarn surely played no part at all in this decision.

It does actually perform better after having been painted. It’s easier to flick to set it spinning, and it seems to be slightly heavier. In any case, we have a much better relationship, and it has become my second favorite spindle.

*I’ve been vindicated. It is not my imagination or lack of experience: “Your first drop spindle should weigh 2 to 3 ounces.”