Every style of spindle that Ed makes is his own unique design, with two exceptions: the Swan which he refined from the standard heavy and clunky cross-armed spindle most common in 2004, and the Aegean inspired by a spindle purchased in Greece.
All the other styles Ed has developed on his own, dedicating a great deal of time and effort to developing each one of his designs. There are other spindle makers copying Ed’s original designs. There’sonly one creator and authentic maker of spindles of our Aegean, BeeHummingbird, Delight-discontinued, Dragonfly, Egret, Finch, Gooney, Kuchulu, Lark-discontinued, Phoenix, Roadrunner, Swan, and Wren – the woodworking artist, Ed Jenkins.
Read about each style of Ed’s spindles below the pictures
Ed’s smaller spindles
Ed’s bigger spindles (minus the Phoenix)
Ed’s three biggest.
Phoenix – made for plying 4 – 8 ounces.
Ed began making Turkish Spindles October 2005 using a basic Turkish spindle style.
Standards – which we call Swans S $56 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Weight of Swans: 34grams/1.19oz to 65grams/2.29oz Most are between 45g – 54g. Weight is determined by the type of wood; hard, dense woods weigh more whereas woods with more open grain weigh less. *
Fiber Capacity: well over 2 ounces (Most people can pack on 3 – 4 ounces, depending on the thickness of the yarn.)
Yarn Types: Fingering to Bulky
And excellent spindle for beginners! The long spin provides plenty of drafting time.
May of 2008 Ed created Turkish Delights. He spent many hours during the first part of 2008 designing and testing for the best proportions for a wonderfully balanced little spindle.
Delights Discountinued 1/2019 ; 2023 replaced by the Dovekie which is similar but more slender version.
Weights: 16 grams/0.56oz to 36 grams/1.26oz, most are 22 – 31g *
Fiber Capacity: 2 ounces
Yarn Types: Fine lace up to DK
A good little workhorse willing to tackle just about anything with a long spin great for all levels of spinners. Great travel spindle, especially with the bulkier build of arms and shaft. This was Ed’s first miniaturizing of the Turkish style.
Ed dreamed of a tiny spindle and in the summer of 2009 he designed
Kuchulus K $51 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Weights: 6 grams/0.21oz to 14grams/0.49oz. most are 9 -11 grams *
Capacity: Twice its weight in grams (my max 280 yards – cobweb)
Yarn Types: Fast little turbine spinner perfect for cobweb & fine lace.
Perfect little traveler. Drawback is that it’s not a beginner’s spindle; the spin-back is much quicker than with our other spindles.
Diminutive size limits its capacity and ability to spin anything thicker than fine fingering.
Lark L April 2010 Discontinued 3/2018 sort of replaced by the Wren
Weights: 14 gram to 28grams Most weigh between 18 – 23 grams *
Capacity: 2 ounces
Yarn Types: Laceweight and sock yarns.
Lightweight and fast, though not as fast as the kuchulu.
Lark – Mid-whorl with the long slender arms is excellent for spinning in confined places such as public transit.
Oct ’10, This style was inspired by a spindle bought by a friend at a marketplace in Greece about 30 years ago. Ed has modified it by making the arms thinner, more slender and straighter.
Aegean A $56 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Weight: 14 grams/0.56oz to 28 grams/1.26oz; most are 17 – 23 grams *
Fiber Capacity: 2+ ounces
Yarn Types: Fine lace up to Sport/DK (some of the heavier ones will handle worsted)
The wider arms give this lightweight spindle good stability. Aegeans are made only from wood grown in the US. My Aegean has become my go-to spindle.
February 2013, wanting a bigger, heavier spindle similar to an Aegean Ed developed the
Egret E $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Weight: 28 grams / .98 oz to 45 grams / 1.58 oz; most weigh in the mid-thirty gram range.
Yarn types: Lace weight up to Worsted.
As with the Aegeans, Ed uses only wood grown in the US.
Finch F , January 2014 $52
($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods) Weight: 8 grams / .28oz – 16 grams / .56oz ; most are between 10 – 13 grams
Yarn Types: Cobweb to light sport.
Finches are tiny ballerina dancers whirling with grace and speed. Almost as small as the kuchulus their thinner, flat and straight arms allows Ed to make them slightly bigger than the Kuchulu without the bulk. These dancers are fast to wind and will hold plenty of weight before bogging down.
Bee Hummingbird BH September 2017 Ed’s smallest spindle. $65 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Weight: 2 – 6 grams
Yarn Type: Cobweb only!
Adorably cute. This is not a beginner’s spindle, it’s light weight and smallness limits it to spinning only threadlike yarn.
Kuchulu and Bee
Wren W $56+ January 2019
Sort of a cross between the Aegean and the discontinued Lark.
We’re thrilled with the Wren’s sleekness, size and stability of spin.
Weight: 11+ grams to 35 grams (the heaviest one was made with camelthorn, a very dense wood). Most weigh between 16 – 20 grams.
Phoenix Ph $65 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods) May 2019
Ed developed the Phoenix when a customer requested a spindle big enough to handle all eight ounces when plying. So named because Phoenix is the customer’s Roller Derby name.
As with the Aegeans and Egrets the Phoenix are made using only domestic USA woods, most often local to us woods.
Weight: Mid-thirty grams to mid 50 grams
Phoenix with all eight ounces plyed on it. In this case the legs are barely visible.
Roadrunner RR $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods) April 2020
A casual mention of our spindles being as elusive as a Roadrunner in our Ravelry YarnTools group planted the seed. Within days Ed was dreaming of and creating a brand new to him design. With their slightly upturned arms, they are like famous cartoon Roadrunner: cunning and speedy!
Weight: 17 – 30 grams, most are 20 – 26 grams.
Dragonfly Df May 2021 $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
Sleek and slender with long gracefully curved arms yet relatively lightweight enough for laceweight spinning.
Weight: 18 – 28 grams
Gooney G January 2022 $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
The long, slender flat arms propel this spindle effortlessly. This albatross can fly fast and long!
Weight: 16 – 29 grams, most are between 20 – 25 grams
Dovekie Dv Spring 2023 $55 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)
A refined version of Ed’s older Delights, Dovekies are sturdy, yet fast worker spindles.
Weight: 15 – 26 grams with a few lighter. Most are between 17-20 grams.
