PLY article index – mobile friendly

Why is the bobbin-led drive system also called “Irish tension”? This article investigates the potential origins of the term in spinning history.

This article profiles Ashford, Babe’s Fiber Garden, Heavenly Handspinning, Henkys, and Louet – all makers of bobbin-led wheels – and why SpinOlution ceased production on their own model.

The humble spindle is one of humanity’s earliest textile tools. This article follows its development from Neolithic stick to complex modern machines.

This article meditates on the connection between crafter and tool.

Quill or spindle wheels like the charkha require some adaptations to fiber preparation. This article offers advice on easier spinning from rolags, punis, roving, and top.

Spindle driven wheels are no less versatile than their bobbin-led or flyer-led counterparts. This article addresses best practices for spinning on great wheels, charkhas, and treadled spikes.

This article profiles a modern guild’s mission to share the craft of spinning.

Is a quill part of your spinning toolkit? There’s a learning curve involved! This article experiments with a quill attachment on a flyer wheel.

This experimental article details the process of learning to use a quill attachment on an e-spinner.

What’s the secret to spinning “off the point”? It depends on your tool: supported spindles, charkhas, quill treadle wheels, great wheels, and flyer wheels with quill attachments all require slightly different approaches.

Before you decide how best to use a bag of mystery fiber (don’t we all have some?), here’s how to evaluate its characteristics.

PLY readers give tips for getting the most our of your bobbin-led wheel (sometimes called Irish tension) and being able to spin finer on these notoriously greedy wheels.

Do you have a double drive or flyer-led (Scotch tension) wheel, but want to experiment with bobbin-led spinning? You may be able to convert your existing wheel!

Did you know your bobbin-led drive setup can double as a bobbin winder? This article shows you how to do it.

What is a “bobbin-led” wheel? How does it work and how do you spin on it?