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Here is how I go about pre-drafting many types and conditions of fiber with the use of the navajo type spindle. The main purpose of this method is to align the fibers and to draft them into one continuous roving of a consistent weight that does not contain any weak joins that will pass along to the cord being spun. I don't know when it quits being pre-drafting and becomes spinning. I say this because you are continually adding twist into and taking twist out of the work as it progresses to the place where a final hardy spin of the spindle converts a loosely spun lopi or fingerling roving into a tightly spun worsted cording. Also, trying to explain without a very short demonstration will take many words, I fear. It is simple to do and should also be easily discovered, once it is tried. ��It normally takes about two passes to go down to a large lopi or small roving. Depending on how even the fiber structure is that you start out with and also how even and fine it needs to become before spinning. Aligning longer fibers from a jumbled mess will take more care and so, more passes under increasing amounts of twist. Longer fiber being harder than short, for the most part. ��Through the use of the very tip of a navajo type spindle, I pre draft all fiber, from carded rolags to combed locks, to batts to raw fleece or flicked locks or any other type of wool that can be named. What is needed to be seen as differing from the normal spinning and drafting method is how the very tip of the spindle is used to include twist into the fiber mass beyond the point where it would normally go. The tip is used to induce the spin into the largest part of the mass, instead of allowing it to go to the smallest part being spun, as would be the norm. ��Here is a few of the methods of starting out. ��Carding, and removing rolags from cards: I remove them flat, and then roll with the direction of the fiber, or across the card from side to side, but at an elongated diagonal, so the rolag is two to three times the length it would be if rolled directly off the card. ��These are rolled onto the end of the last one, in order to produce a roving with most all the fiber going the direction of the roving. Only in a spiral or slight twist. ��Combed locks are laid with the tips facing the same direction and piled as high as will fit your hand, in a long row and spun with the tips last from the cut end. ��Some other wool is in a jumbled pile of disarrayed fiber and pointing in all directions. Some is still just as it came from the shearing floor in a fleece, and some is in a carded roving from a carding machine and some is in smaller or wider batts. ��It is of no matter what the form, to this method of pre drafting into a roving and then into a fingerling or a lopi. ��It will work on any form of wool that can be held in your hand to enclose it. To start: � �It is only necessary to wet a small bit of wool coming from any type of wad or mass in the opposite hand from the spindle side, while sitting on the floor with the wool at that side or even on that leg, away from the leg with the spindle. Remember that while sitting on the ground or floor, your wool is handy at your side, regardless of distaff or the form it is in. � �Perhaps this is how the confusion of calling a navajo spindle a distaff-spindle first got started those many years ago. Because it serves as both, as will be shown, hopefully. ��Taking a small amount of wet fiber to the tip of the spindle and giving a few turns will attach it quickly and at that point it is time to pull or draft a small tight, hard string of enough length to go around the shaft for a few or more wraps. ��As soon as this string is made, it should be firmly re-attached to the spindles shaft, down an inch or a little more below the tip and then tightened firmly onto the shaft in that location. ��The spindle shaft will be spun in the hand holding it below this high cop. It may be pushed down to the whorl later. ����This method is a thing much quicker than this telling, I fear. � �Once this attachment is had and throughout this process, the pointed end of the spindle will be used to pass twist into the fiber mass being pulled into a roving or fingerling, from the opposite hand. ��It is not quite spinning, as only a single twist is normally needed at the outset, for the wool being worked to start to pull into an aligned roving. The tip of the spindle is used to pull the fiber away from that held in the drafting hand. This is done with the tip and shaft held at a sever or sharp angle from that of the spun fiber or direction of the spin. ��If you do not advance the tip to the point past where the fiber has narrowed from the spin, it will continue to draft thinner at that point. So by revolving the tip around the fiber mass above where it has been drafted smaller. You are able to put a twist in the mass you wish to draft. This is done by pulling the tip of the spindle away from the mass at a right angle to it, once a slight twist has taken in it. The tip is kept close to the mass. Otherwise the twist will go to the fiber at the tip. ��It is required to keep the roving wound onto the shaft close to the mass and sometime revolve the tip around the mass in order to collect it together into the twist you were preparing to pull. ��You then lift the spindle at an angle from the mass until that amount that is twisted is drafted out to the size roving or fingerling you are making. As soon as there is enough fiber pulled out in this way, it is rolled onto the shaft close to the tip. Later to be un-rolled and un-twisted somewhat before rolling into the cop and continuing on. ��In other words, ��Once this has been done to several rolags, or hands of combed locks or from a rolled or stripped batt or pile of jumbled wool, it is time to un roll it and perhaps untwist it also, and then roll it into your cop just below the tip of the shaft and continue on to drafting another hand or two of more fiber joined in this way and drafted into a large untwisted roving, which is rolled onto the shaft of the spindle. ��When a very large and fluffy ball has formed, simply slip it off the end of the shaft and set it beside you to continue re doing with slightly more twist, but never more than just what is needed to now pull it under twist once more. This time into a lopi or fingerling. It should slip over where your attachment is, and act as a center pull ball while draft/spinning it the second time through. It is important to pull this fiber under an even but gentle twist for two reasons. First is so it will draft evenly and not separate. ����The second is to do this slowly and under twist, to help the fiber align in a more worsted fashion. ��Just remember to use the spindle tip to put the twist where it is needed, as opposed to normal drafting which will allow the twist to 'pile up' in the thinnest part of the fiber. This is all done from the tip with very little twisting and also some un-twisting, as it is needed. Each pass in this way will yield a smaller and more even fingerling of evenly spaced and aligned fiber. ��Slowly drafting into smaller and smaller fingerlings of worsted wool and well made joins becomes important for making navajo warps and also for lopi singles. So is worth learning if you need any one of those. It is a way of producing an even fingerling of a long length, without weak places. If you can resist the urge to start spinning it long enough. LOL ��Once you have spent this amount of time in pre drafting down to a lace weight fingerling, you may as well go ahead and give the spindle a good spin and make yarn, as opposed to going to a drop spindle or a wheel. I feel I should also state this has the most value where you are producing a warp cording, where strength is needed in a small cord to be plied into a two or four ply worsted cord without weak joins, to enable maximum stretching over a long period of time, without worry of breaking it. Clear as mud, I know. I will cover warps a little more, later. Try it!! Walk the beauty way. Chu'a |