:QUOTE [quotetype:personal] Every thread on Earth was once fiber someone chose to spin. Start there. :INFO Why the Drop Spindle First A drop spindle is a weighted disk (whorl) on a stick (shaft). You draft fiber with your fingers and let the spindle's weight pull it down while it spins — twisting fiber into yarn. Learning on a spindle before a wheel develops the critical hand skills that wheels demand but cannot teach: drafting tension and twist control. A top-whorl drop spindle at 30 to 50 grams is ideal for beginners. :COUNTER.half 30 to 50 Grams | :COUNTER.half S or Z Twist :PATH Pre-Draft Your Fiber Pull apart the fiber preparation to thin it before attempting to spin. | :INFO Pre-Draft Your Fiber Start with prepared top (combed fiber aligned in one direction) in wool. Hold the length of top and pull gently from the center outward to thin it slightly — this is pre-drafting. You want fiber that flows apart with light pressure. Dense, un-pre-drafted top is very hard to spin evenly as a beginner. :PATH Attach a Leader and Begin the Park-and-Draft Tie a leader yarn to the spindle and draft fiber onto it to begin. | :INFO Attach a Leader and Begin the Park-and-Draft Tie 12 inches of pre-spun yarn (the leader) to the shaft above the whorl. Overlap the fiber with the leader end and pinch. Spin the spindle clockwise with your dominant hand. Park the spindle between your knees or let it hang. Use both hands to draft the fiber — pull back with the top hand while the bottom hand holds the twist. This is the park-and-draft method, the best way for beginners to learn. :PATH Wind On and Continue When the spindle nearly reaches the floor, wind yarn onto the shaft and repeat. | :INFO Wind On and Continue When the spindle descends to about 12 inches from the floor, stop. Wind the spun yarn onto the shaft in a cone shape, leaving a tail to continue from. Give the spindle another spin and resume drafting. Consistent twist — neither overtwisted (kinky, stiff) nor undertwisted (weak, drafts apart) — comes with practice over a few sessions. :CHECKLIST Starting Supplies [ ] Top-whorl drop spindle, 30 to 50g [ ] 2oz of prepared wool top — merino or BFL for a beginner [ ] A few yards of smooth pre-spun yarn for a leader [ ] Patience — the first 30 minutes are the hardest :NOTE The Fiber Tells You What It Needs Overtwisted yarn is kinky and coils back on itself. Add less twist: treadle more slowly on a wheel, spin the spindle less. Undertwisted yarn is weak and pulls apart at the thinnest point. Add more twist. The feedback is immediate and physical — pay attention to what the fiber does and respond to it rather than following a count. :QUOTE [quotetype:personal] The spindle will fall. The twist will be wrong. Make the next inch better than the last. :LINK https://www.knitpicks.com/learn-to-spin-on-a-drop-spindle/ KnitPicks — Complete Beginner's Guide to Drop Spindle Spinning