A small bouquet of Spindles adorns a table in our home.
I have seen many holders for the handspindle. Frames on the wall with spindles sticking into spaces and all spaces filled and they over lap to create Spindle Art.
The handspindle is the first form of spinning which was twisted by hand. This is still done today in some areas writes Bette Hochberg in Handspinner's Handbook. Then came the hand spindle which was a stick with a weight described as, "spins like a top". Hochberg goes on to write that "at least 9,000 years, all spinning was done on handspindles. They evolved into an astonishing array of styles for different kinds of fibers and various methods of spinning".
When I took my first spinning class at Studio Three here in Prescott, taught by Carma Koster, Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild member, I first learned to spin with the Spindle. I wasn't very excited about the handspindle because I wanted to get right to the wheel. Since that time I have learned to love the spindle and use it now and then. I relearned how to spin with the spindle during our Guild Group Spinning at Sharlot Hall Museum in the Carriage House.
We spin every Monday from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Museum and share our love of spinning with the public. Kathy Kelly taught me how to take my spindle and spin it on my thigh. This allows a lot of spin to go into motion and less stress on my wrists. I leave that for the seed bead work I do. One thing about spinning in that group on Mondays is we all share in the learning process.