EARTH
GUILD

33 Haywood Street
Asheville  NC  28801

1-800-327-8448
828-255-7818
fax: 828-255-8593

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SPINNING: Introduction

We wore our own skins first, of course. Then the second-hand skins of other creatures. Fig leaves, for a season—but the fashion passed. Cloth has been the preferred covering for the past few thousand years. Before the weaving of cloth, the spinning of fibers. An ancient and mysterious craft. Whether performed by living fingers or by whirling machinery, the process is the same. Fibers are set parallel, each one a little ahead of the one before. Then twisted together. Without twist there’d be no cord, nor any yarn, nor rope, nor cloth. What keeps the twist in is the mystery. Geometry, surface cohesion, elasticity, and a little magic.

We have tools, materials and books for spinning. There are books and wheels plans (books for feltmaking are included in this section), as well as free basic instructions for carding and drop spinning (see "Instructions", on either the "Products" or "Home" page). Our fibers are animal and vegetable, undyed and dyed. And our tools include from simple drop spindles to beautifully engineered spinning wheels, from handcards to serious drum carders. Use the links below to explore.