25 June 2018

Distaff spinning hints & tips: drafting

One of the parts of distaff spinning that consistently gets asked about on the Evangelical Church of Distaff Spinning community is about drafting. It does take a bit of getting used to, trying to learn how to draft between distaff and hand rather than between your two hands. So, this weekend my friend took a bit of video which I hope will help you.






I hope the spinner's-eye-view will be helpful. The key points are:
  • The left elbow stays fairly static and close to the body, as (at least for me) it pins my distaff to my side and, along with my belt, helps ensure the distaff is held at a suitable height and angle.
  • Drafting is entirely between left hand and distaff. No drafting happens between the hands (unless you are attempting long-draw, but that's a whole different kettle of fish).
  • Drafting is carried out using a lot of wrist motion in the left hand. This results in the fingertips of the left hand moving away from and back towards the distaff.
  • Contrary to how it may seem, the right hand is reactive, not active. I.e. the right hand does not pull to create thread, it only responds to the left hand's actions - moving away from the distaff when the left hand does, staying still whilst the left hand moves back towards the distaff.

No comments:

Post a Comment