Spindle whorls in Archaeology No. 30 and No. 30b

Book Description

Here are step-by-step instructions and illustrations that explain how to make yarn from scratch using handspindles-simple tools used to turn wool into yarn. Designed to appeal to the beginning spinner, tips and hints are provided that illustrate how easy, enjoyable, and relaxing spinning can be. This manual also includes complete instructions for five simple, appealing projects: a woven sleeve, a knitted bunny bag, a knitted baby hat, knitted fingerless mittens, and a crocheted hat.

Customer Reviews:

Great introductory booklet for new spindle-only spinners.......2007-05-13

I picked up "Spin-It" along with several other new spinning books to add to my library (the others being "The Spinners Companion" and "Spin to Knit" -- both excellent books). I was very surprised when I opened the box and found that what I thought was a reasonably sized book was in fact a twenty-five-ish page booklet.

The content is good and mainly covers the mechanics of spinning. It also includes a good how-to on how to make a CD spindle, although you can find similar instructions for free on the Interweave webpage. The booklet additionally covers a brief introduction to scouring and carding. There were three or four knit projects in the back, although how any spinning beginner could tackle a three ply angora still boggles my mind.

The booklet does not cover anything other than basic spindle spinning. If you need a intro to wheel spinning you would be better off with the author's other intro "Hands On Spinning" or or Shannon Okey's "Spin to Knit." I would actually recommend "Spinning in the Old Way" above this title for new spindle spinners as it has much more information to grow with as you become more proficient with spindle spinning.

What a great book!.......2007-01-10

I found this book really helpful and have read it and referred back to it MANY TIMES!

Learning to Spin.......2006-08-10

Excellent instructions for preparing the roving for spinning. Up until reading this book I was unable to get the roving to separate and allow the fibers to slip past each other. Great job.

Wonderfull!.......2004-03-11

As I ventured into the world of spinning there were a many books but none interested me as much as this one. The beautifull color pictures and easy to fallow instructions are the best. even the projects in the back have meaning to the beginner spinner. The best part is that there is instructions on how to make your own spindle!

Spin It: Making Yarn from Scratch.......2003-09-11

Clear, concise instructions that I could follow. Also includes step-by-step photos of the process that make it a perfect beginners tool & instructions on making your own drop spindles! As a beginning spinner, this is wonderful.

Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Excellent book!
Teach yourself visually handspinning
Learn how to do it all

Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer)
Judith MacKenzie McCuin
Manufacturer: Visual
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0470098457

Book Description

With its soothing, meditative effect, handspinning is a relaxing hobby, and the beautiful yarns you create are an even better reward. This visual guide shows you the basics, beginning with the tools and fibers, and takes you through spinning, plying, making novelty yarns, using exotic fibers, dyeing, and more. Whether you use an inexpensive hand spindle or splurge on a spinning wheel, stick with wool or try alpaca, cashmere, or cotton, you'll learn how to create fun, original, one-of-a-kind yarns that you can knit or weave into truly unique, handmade, and all-natural creations.

Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review

The skill demonstrated is defined and described
Detailed color photos demonstrate each step
Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo
Helpful tips provide additional guidance

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-09-08

This book had a lot of potential - great spinning teacher, big publisher, professional layout and photographer - but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The overall impression I had was that of a spinning class for beginners where the teacher says "Spinning is a great hobby, you can do this, and this, and this, and this, it's really great - well, sorry, I don't have the time to explain HOW you do it, but you'll figure it out". There's supposedly a little bit of everything, but for a beginner the explanations are just not detailed enough (and even for me, with some years of experience, the "rainbow pot" didn't work out). Now, that's just the general impression, but there's also a number of specific points to criticize.

First of all, pictures are not very good. The "closeup" shots of yarn and fibre are not close enough and the pictures don't always go very well with the text: The different types of spinning wheel (bobbin-lead, scotch tension, double drive) are illustrated with full frontal shots of the wheels - you can see pedals and drivewheel, but not even guess how drive band and brake band are running - which is the only important thing. The only picture (in this chapter) that does show the drive/brake band arrangement is that of a scotch tension wheel right next to the headline "bobbin-driven wheels". Page 77: "The hooks on most flyers are offset, which makes it easier to fill the bobbins evenly. You move the yarn from the hood on the right side to the hook on the left side, from one end of the flyer to the other" - for that to work the hooks need to be on opposite sides of the flyer arms (so that both rows of hooks are visible - or invisible - at the same time when the flyer is horizontal) and this is NOT the case on the wheel that's shown on this page. On page 140 we have a picture of a skein of angora yarn and the text says "Do you see how much bigger the yarn is now that it's fulled?" No, we don't - there's no "before" picture.

So, don't buy the book for the pictures. Well, normally I wouldn't anyway - but the title is "Teach yourself visually..." - and the motto "Read less - learn more". Which implies that you are supposed to learn from the pictures...

Textwise, the technical information on spinning wheels is unclear, incomplete or just plain wrong. Examples: Page 15: "A bobbin-driven wheel is the fastest of the wheel types, but it doesn't offer you much control" - what's that supposed to mean? Spinning wheel speed is a function of the transmission ratio between drive wheel and whorl (a concept that's never mentioned anywhere), and incidentally the bobbin-driven wheels I know are all on the slow side. Page 16: "You have more control on a double-drive wheel than you do on a bobbin-driven wheel, but less speed" and finally the flyer-driven wheel is "the slowest of the three types". What is that supposed to mean?

Then, what are we supposed to learn from sentences like this one: "If you have the wheel-maker's instructions, it should tell you how to replace the bobbin. If you do not have the instructions, every wheel should have some way to take the flyer off so that you can replace the bobbin" (page 70). By the way, nowhere is mentioned that the whorl on the double-drive wheel usually unscrews clockwise - that might have been a piece of useful information. Regarding information that's just plain wrong, here's one example: "Remember to put the drive band on the big end of the bobbin if you are using a scotch brake and on the small end if you are using a double drive" (page 71) - wrong! for scotch brake operation you put the drive band on the FLYER whorl and the brake band on the bobbin whorl!

Another peeve: Judith McKenzie McCuin mostly avoids traditional spinning terminology and anything that might make spinning seem technical. Instead of "drafting" she uses mostly "stretching", instead of "S- and Z-twist" "left and right twist (and I like her explanation with the thumb - but would it really have hurt to mention that other sources use S and Z?), there's no mention of spinning wheel ratios, twists per inch or wraps per inch...

I've given the two stars only because the book does seem nice, with an easy to read layout and lots of color pictures, and might create some interest in spinning - I just hope that beginning spinners will then take a class or get another book before being too discouraged by this one. Books I'd recommend are: For explaining how a spinning wheel works: Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning. For learning how to spin: Lee Raven's Hands on Spinning (spindle and wheel) or Connie Delaney's Spindle Spinning from Novice to Expert, or Patsy Zawitoski's videos. For novelty yarns Diane Varney's Spinning Designer Yarns (includes a chapter on chemical dyeing) and/or Patsy Zawitoski's video, for natural dyeing Jenny Dean's Wild Color.

Excellent book!.......2007-09-06

This is the book that I will now be recommending for my spinning students. It has photos of every technique along with clear descriptions and explanations. It covers beginning spinning to a variety of more advanced novelty yarns, and shows how to work with a great variety of fibers including wool,silk, alpaca, and wild fibers. The photos are most helpful.

Teach yourself visually handspinning.......2007-06-14

I will enjoy using this book as a review. But some how I missed that it was a book, not a DVD.

Learn how to do it all.......2007-06-01

I've been a spinner for a couple of years now and yet learned quite a bit from Judith MacKenzie's book. It is as complete an introduction and review of handspinning as you can get in the written/photograhed medium. She ought to do a DVD as an accompaniment. Thanks Ms. MacKenzie.

Average customer rating:

Bitter Disappointment
McKinley paints a vivid picture, but this one is a little dry
Not as good as Rose Daughter or Beauty
A beautiful work of art all the way through
Disappointing Stock Heroine

Spindle's End
Robin McKinley
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0441008658
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com

Renowned fantasy writer Robin McKinley, author of the lush "Beauty and the Beast" retellings Beauty and Rose Daughter, has produced another re-mastered fairy tale, this time about the dreamy Sleeping Beauty. Much like in the original story, the infant princess, here named Rosie, is cursed by an evil fairy to die on her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on a spindle. That same day, Rosie is whisked away into hiding by a peasant fairy who raises her and conceals her royal identity. From that point on, McKinley's plot and characterization become wildly inventive. She imagines Rosie growing up into a strapping young woman who despises her golden hair, prefers leather breeches to ball gowns, and can communicate with animals. And on that fateful birthday, with no help from a prince, Rosie saves herself and her entire sleeping village from destruction, although she pays a realistic price. In a final master stroke, McKinley cleverly takes creative license when the spell-breaking kiss (made famous in "Sleeping Beauty") comes from a surprising source and is bestowed upon the character least expected.

Although the entire novel is well written, McKinley's characterization of Rosie's animal friends is exceptionally fine. Observations such as "...foxes generally wanted to talk about butterflies and grasses and weather for a long time while they sized you up," will spark reader's imaginations. It won't be hard to persuade readers of any age to become lost in this marvelous tale; the difficult part will be convincing them to come back from McKinley's country, where "the magic... was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk dust...." Highly recommended. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

In the tradition of Beauty and Rose Daughter, Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley "lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of Sleeping Beauty into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel" (School Library Journal)

BRILLIANT...[a] sumptuous world. (New York Times Book Review)

MYTHIC GRANDEUR...with magical detail and all-too-human feeling. (Publishers Weekly starred review)

Satisfying reading, pleasing in the depth of the weaving and elaboration. (Chicago Tribune)

Rich prose and colorful description...keep readers spellbound. (Rocky Mountain News)

Customer Reviews:

Bitter Disappointment.......2007-09-23

It took me nearly a month to read this book. I kept slogging along because i really wanted to like it, and because I like McKinley's writing, but this book was s-l-o-w. One reason it took so long was it was just too easy to put down. The real reason, though, why I'm only giving it one star is because the ending was a huge disappointment. I don't want to say too much and ruin the ending for anybody else by giving something away. I'll just say this was one mess of an ending. I'll read more McKinley, but I won't re-read Spindle's End.

McKinley paints a vivid picture, but this one is a little dry.......2007-08-06

In this retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, baby Rosie is whisked away and carefully hidden by fairies for nearly twenty-one years in an attempt to thwart the curse laid upon her by a vengeful evil fairy: That she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an eternal sleep.

I really enjoy McKinley's beautiful prose. Her descriptions are vivid and lifelike. However, I found the story in this retelling slow and a bit dry.

Not as good as Rose Daughter or Beauty.......2007-03-12

I love fairy tales! I was so excited to see the author of Beauty had another retelling. Spindles End has me very confused. I am plugging through it and hope when I am done with it a second time I can give it more stars. I would not recommend it for younger readers.

A beautiful work of art all the way through.......2007-01-31

Spindle's End is not a book for the novice, nor is it a book for light reading at the beach. This is a writer's book: a book that is an experience all in and of itself. In this classic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, it is not the ending that matters, but rather the process it takes to get there.
In this book, Robin McKinley has created a world so dense and so believable that one cannot help but stare in awe at the depth of her imagination. This is not the typical fairytale, where a renaissance world is air-brushed, beautified, and decorated with a bit of Disney magic. Spindle's End is a fully realized but wholly new sort of country, and one reads it with the impression that this must have been fun to write.
The characters, both new and old, have blossomed under McKinley's sure hand, and it's wonderful to have a Sleeping Beauty (she doesn't actually do much sleeping, to be quite honest) who comes off as someone who's much less than perfect.

Disappointing Stock Heroine.......2006-12-07

Although Robin McKinley's stock heroine of "tall awkward ugly girl who loves horses and hates dresses" has worked well in other of her fairytale retellings*, this one is a distinct disappointment because it seems that that's all there is to Princess Briar-Rose. Even being the central character of the tale, she seems to have little personality other than the above attributes, which are emphasised to make sure the readers know Rosie would make an awful princess. Indeed, none of the characters in this book are particularly memorable, except perhaps Katriona who rescues baby Rosie as a teenage fairy agonising over her inability to do magic.

The plot is little better - events seem random and contrived, and the resolution to the problem of the missing princess is more than predictable by the time the reader reaches the second third of the book. Again, this is a let-down because other of McKinley's fantasy novels are well woven together.

One innovation that I did like about this book was "baby-magic" - a phase of uncontrolled, temperamental magic that fairies go through as toddlers - not relevant to the plot at any point, but an amusing distraction from its mediocrity. Note that fairies in this book aren't little people, but simply humans born with magical ability.

*Beauty, The Outlaws of Sherwood, Deerskin, etc.

Designs from Pre-Columbian Mexico (Dover Pictorial Archives)

Average customer rating:

Useful and beautiful motiffs

Designs from Pre-Columbian Mexico (Dover Pictorial Archives)
Jorge Enciso
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486227944

Book Description

300 bold, rhythmic circle designs, originally incorporated on small clay spindle weights, depicting man-like deities, animals both real and fantastic, reptiles, birds, flowers, masks, geometrical figures, wheels, foliage, maze-like patterns, frets — all employed with the boldness and fanciful characteristics of pre-Columbian art.

Customer Reviews:

Useful and beautiful motiffs.......2001-07-10

I have both books by the late Jorge Enciso who did the world a great service by carefully collecting these various designs from the archeological digs of the Mexicas, Toltecs, Totonacs and others.All the designs are black and white and come from various museums and private colections including that of the great Mexican painter Diego Rivera. The designs come from malacates which were small spindles made of clay by the pre-columbiam cultures. There are approximately 2-4 designs per page which allows for clarity for the artists use for reproduction. With the use of computers many of these images may be reproduced for use in any type of creative endeavor where a Mexican motiff is desired. An artist may find the designs inspirational for a new creation or use the existing image as is. Simple geometric designs, including images of humans, animals, flowers both real and imagined give a concise and visual glimpse at the ancient cultures imagery . This is an excellent source book that is useful for a variety of projects and applications for all interested in pre-columbian motiffs. Recommended for teachers, students and artists of all ages. Guaranteed to amaze all with the simplicity of the motiffs yet astound with the imaginative results. This is a worthwhile addition to ones personal libray to be filed under Art or Mexico. School librarians would be helping their students by adding this to their collection of books.

Spindles: Comprehensive Guide to Making Light Milling or Grinding Spindles with a Small Lathe (Workshop Practice Series)

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Spindles: Comprehensive Guide to Making Light Milling or Grinding Spindles with a Small Lathe (Workshop Practice Series)
Harprit S. Sandhu
Manufacturer: Trans-Atlantic Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1854861492

Average customer rating:

Spindle - the pointy end of fun
Sci-fi comedy of the higest order . . .
Spindle
Can't wait for the sequel.
A wonderfully entertaining SciFi novel that is a genuine pleasure from beginning to end

Spindle

Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1419608738
Release Date: 2005-07-18

Book Description

Spindle is the hilarious tale of Peter Turner's first week in the Space Force, facing unknown dangers as he tries to protect the solar system from crime, corruption, and a vast planet-eating space beast.

Customer Reviews:

Spindle - the pointy end of fun.......2007-04-26

I have just finished reading Spindle and have to say that I truly enjoyed the show!
It was fun read from beginning to end. If you like sci-fi and love comedy then read this book. Looking forward to reading more books by Mr Taylor.

Sci-fi comedy of the higest order . . ........2007-02-24

I was reticent to purchase a book from someone I'd never heard of simply because of their association with the Red Dwarf books here on Amazon. Finally, however, I acquiesced.

And it was well worth it.

This book has everything I loved about that first Red Dwarf novel - witty and stupid dialogue (often at the same time and spoken by the same characters), ridiculous situations that appear to have no feasible resolution, yet that . . . resolute . . . wonderfully. And very, very memorable characters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a fun sci-fi romp through the galaxy. It's just convoluted enough to make it fun, and crazy enough to keep you ripping through the pages until the splendid end.

Spindle.......2006-06-14

A light speed romp that takes the reader to the funnier parts of the galaxy. Taylor's heros are an Instellar Odd Couple of Madisonian and Ungerian proportions. If you like comedy science fiction, check out Spindle.

Can't wait for the sequel........2006-05-16

Very funny, as on the order of the Red Dwarf series.Four guys on a spaceship just bumbling around in the galaxy trying to save Earth before they destroy the Universe it seems. Ian Taylor has written an excellent comedic space opera, hope more is forthcoming.

A wonderfully entertaining SciFi novel that is a genuine pleasure from beginning to end.......2006-02-12

In Peter Turner's first week with the Space Force, they've gotten his name wrong, assigned him to the worst ship in the sector, and partnered him with Oblun, an anti-social sociopath who can't stand him. If Peter doesn't learn to cope with all these rather quickly, he'll be pounded into the molecular wind, or succumbing to the manifold dangers of the Ataxic sector. When a planet Peter's just visited somehow explodes, he must find out just how good he can be. All he can rely on is a partner who hates him, an enigmatic pair of all-too-helpful aliens, and his own compulsive desire to help everyone. Spindle is a deftly blend of humor and science fiction. Author Ian Taylor has a genuine flair for comedy and an obvious love for space opera style science fiction. The result is a wonderfully entertaining SciFi novel that is a genuine pleasure from beginning to end.

Average customer rating:

Good Book

Spindle Turning (Fine Woodworking On)

Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0918804736
Release Date: 1989-09-01

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2005-07-29

Won't put a great on this one... It's ok, but does not
have a lot of detail. Was hoping for more I guess.

Average customer rating:

A great read!
Spindle and Bow
An avid reader from NY

Spindle and Bow
Bevis Longstreth
Manufacturer: Hali Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The God Delusion

ASIN: 1898113602

Product Description

Bevis Longstreth's SPINDLE AND BOW tells a story of love, adventure and the transcendent power of art at the dawning of civilization. Set in 5th Century BC, this human drama spans some 3000 miles, from the ancient city of Sardis at the western edge of the Persian Empire in Anatolia, to the Scythian village of Pazyryk in the Altai Mountains of southwestern Siberia. Rachel, a young Sardian Jew, is a weaver of consummate skill in the royal workshop of Cyrus the Younger. Amid the opulence of the Sardian Court, she meets Targitus, a Scythian prince come west to learn the closely kept secrets of gold purification. What unfolds is the imaginative braiding of two lives, thrown together by chance, but resulting in the creation of the oldest known pile carpet in existence, preserved for future generations in a frozen tomb. The carpet, now in St. Petersberg's Hermitage Museum, is a towering achievement in art and weaving, unsurpassed by textiles of later eras.

Customer Reviews:

A great read!.......2007-06-25

This is an entertaining, fast-paced and historically fascinating book. It's filled with cultural and political insights on the 3rd century societies of central Turkey, the steppe of central Russia and places in between. Plus fine descriptions as to the state of the art in weaving and gold refinement. The characters are particularly well crafted ... you really want to find out what happens to them.

Spindle and Bow.......2006-02-02

A gripping novel of adventure and love in the 3rd century steppes of northeastern Asia, this book is carefully researched and beautifully written. Based on the creation of an extraordinary carpet found recently in a frozen tomb of Siberia, the book also describes flowers, birds, horses, gold, and many other wonders of the period. I guarantee you will enjoy this book.

An avid reader from NY.......2005-11-28

I couldn't put this book down. It has romance, history, battles, travel, fascinating cultural information. I finished it two weeks ago and the main characters are still fresh in memory. A perfect gift for readers who have already read everything.

Spindles and spires: A re-study of religion and social change in Gastonia

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Spindles and spires: A re-study of religion and social change in Gastonia
John R Earle
Manufacturer: John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Millhands and Preachers: A Study of Gastonia (Yale Studies in Religious Education)

ASIN: 0804208549

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