Handspinning Hacks: Our Favorite Unexpected Spinning Tools

Clever spinners know spinning tools can be found in the most unexpected places. Whether you can’t find a necessary thingamabob or some other pressing need inspires ingenuity, finding new uses for items you already have on hand can be extremely satisfying.

Elizabeth labels her skeins with flagging tape. Photo by Jo Szczepanska via Unsplash

My hack: Flagging Tape

I use 1-inch plastic flagging tape, found at my local hardware store, to identify skeins of yarn during finishing. It comes in an assortment of bright colors. Writing the details on the tape with a waterproof marker helps me distinguish between skeins (and not mix up breeds) when finishing several skeins at once, which is especially helpful in a class or workshop.

Looking for other resourceful ideas? Here are a few gems from our Spin Off community:

Lost your orifice hook? Use a knitter’s all-in-one knitting tool, just like Debbie Held keeps on hand. Tool photo by Elizabeth Prose; background photo by StockSnap via Pixabay

Debbie Held: Grab a Knitting Tool

Wheel orifices vary greatly from one another, so it can be difficult to keep track of the right hook for each wheel. If you’re anything like Debbie, you have a bit of trouble keeping track of your hooks anyway. But Debbie uses her all-in-one stitch-fixing tool for knitters—which features a crochet hook on one end and a knittng needle on the other—to thread any orifice she’s working with, and its 4-inch, lightweight construction makes it efficient for threading any spinning wheel. Debbie can always find her handy tool in her knitting notions pouch on the ottoman of her crafting chair.

Amy Tyler suggests writing the weight of each bobbin on the end. Photo by George Boe

Amy Tyler: Written Reminders

In the Spin Off Summer 2017 issue, Amy shared her hack for easily calculating the weight of yarn while it’s still on the bobbin. Write the weight of each bobbin on the end and you’ll be able to figure out the yarn weight by simply subtracting the bobbin weight.

Maggie Casey pokes a couple of holes in a shoebox to hold her spindle or a knitting needle with a bobbin on it. Photo from The Spinning Teacher with Maggie Casey by Long Thread Media

Maggie Casey: Shoe Box Lazy Kate

A shoe box and a few metal knitting needles are all it takes to make a lazy kate that’s easy to assemble and easy to transport. Maggie shows us how in her free online workshop The Spinning Teacher with Maggie Casey (sign up for a free account to watch it today at learn.longthreadmedia.com).

How do you prevent your loose fiber from coming out of the orifice of your e-spinner if you need to step away? Photo by Kate Larson

Anne Merrow: e-Spinner Tips

Anne has a few ideas for securing the end of her fiber on her new electric spinner. Her spinner doesn't have a knob adjacent to the orifice, but some people have suggested she use a piece of hook-side Velcro, while others have suggested using a bead stopper or a binder clip! Anne has found other great tips for using her e-spinner from Sarah Anderson.

What are some of your favorite spinning hacks?

Elizabeth Prose is a former associate editor of Spin Off.

Originally published February 12, 2018; updated March 20, 2024.