Funny thing about how long it’s taking to complete this series: I have several new favorite spindles which would have been in my top ten, if I had hosted this fashion show now instead of back in April.

April. Wow. This means two things.

One: I write too slowly.

Two: I collect spindles too quickly.

Meet Model 9 from my Supported Spindle Fashion Show – a hot, hot pink Spanish Peacock Tibetan. The whorl is pink, and the shaft is striped pink and black. The result is eye-searing and I love it! The wood in both cases is a laminated dyed birch called Spectraply, which is intensely colored and very lightweight.

(You can see from this photo the one drawback of a birch shaft. Birch is very light, but very soft which means the tip dulls more quickly than harder woods. But that’s okay, because we all know how to fix blunted supported spindle tips.)

During the actual fashion show, the spindle wore a small cop of light pink targhee wool so I didn’t know the exact weight. Since then I plyed the yarn, so I now can say confidently this Tibetan spindle weighs 27 grams. It measures 12″ long, slightly longer than my go-to length of 11″. That means there is more spindle to love!

I acquired this one almost exactly six years ago, September of 2014, making it one of my oldest spindles in regular use. The shape of the Spanish Peacock Tibetan tip has evolved a lot over the years, just like it has for bead spindles. Here is a photo of a more current tip shape (also with a hot pink whorl, from earlier in 2020) so you can see the difference.

My hot pink Tibetan is a “second”, meaning it had too much wobble for the Spanish Peacock to sell. I was thrilled to add this one to my flock, wobble and all! I used it a lot last year during Tour de Fleece (photos here and here). Because I love coordinating spindles and fiber, this is the first spindle I reach for when there is the slightest hint of pink in my spinning.

Just one more “model” after this one! Stay tuned to see the final supported spindle in my top ten favorites (… at least, as of several months ago)! And if you missed the original fashion show live stream, you can still find it on Facebook too!