Drop Spindle Designs

I love spinning yarn with a drop spindle and decided to make a new spindle for myself and a couple to share.  I started out with 5/16 dowel sticks, some small hooks that screw in and Sculpey clay.  For the clay, I found it less expensive to buy a set of colors and use a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby rather than trying to purchase individual colors..

I drilled a small hole in one end of the dowel and screwed in my hook.

Used a pencil sharpener to bring the other end to a dull point...not too sharp!

I am wanting to spin worsted with this spindle so I am using about 3 ounces of the clay.  I mixed a few colors together, flattened it out with a small roller a and used a glass to cut my circle.   There was a little bit of an outer ring left and I baked that as well to make bracelets for a little friend.  You could also just bag up that extra clay to use later but I had plenty so I opted to make the little bracelets.For the hole I used the unsharpened end of my dowel to make a hole in the center of the clay circle. 

I baked according to the directions on the clay package and let it cool for a bit.  while it was still warm I carefully worked it on to my dowel stick.  As it cooled it tightened and I did not have to glue it in place.  

After it was completely cooled, I painted on a clear sealer and stuck it in a styrofoam block to dry.  

Thrilled with the results!