And by “making” a distaff, I mean picking up a fortuitously shaped fallen branch from the yard, chopping some bits off, and trying to get the bark off without woodworking tools or skills.

It may or may not be inhabited, so I’m going to have figure out how to take a slightly more than five-foot tall stick and bake it in a low-heat oven or soak it in a bleach solution. Thoroughly drying it out of the weather would mean leaving it in the house (everything else is humid), and I’m not planning to host any guests when they exit the stick.

It may be a bit too tall, but I tend to stand when using a drop spindle. I’ll probably also make a handheld one.