Jenkins Spindles Comparison

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’s only one creator and authentic maker of spindles of our Aegean, Bee Hummingbird, Chickadee, Delight-discontinued, Dovekie, Dragonfly, Egret, Finch, Gooney, Kuchulu, Lark-discontinued, Six-armed Merlin, Phoenix, Roadrunner, Swan, Six-armed Weaverbird, and Wren
– 
the woodworking artist, Ed Jenkins.

Read about each style of Ed’s spindles below the pictures

  • Swan

    Standards –which we call Swans S 

    Price: $56 ($+ 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

    About: Ed began making Turkish Spindles October 2005 using a basic Turkish spindle style. An excellent spindle for beginners as well as people who love spinning loftier, bulky yarns. The long, slower spin provides plenty of drafting time.

    Year Designed: 2005


    Example spindle is made of Spalted Tamarind

  • Delight

    Delights  D


    Discontinued  1/2019 ; 2023 replaced by the Dovekie
    which is similar but a 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

    About: 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.

    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.

    Year Designed: 2008

    Example spindle is made of Granadillo

  • Kuchulu

    Kuchulus K

    Price
    : $51($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weights
    : 6 grams/0.21oz to 14grams/0.49oz. most are 9 -11 grams *

    Fiber Capacity
    :Twice its weight in grams (my max 280 yards – cobweb)

    Yarn Types
    : Fast little turbine spinner perfect for cobweb & fine lace.

    About: Ed dreamed of a tiny spindle and in the summer of 2009 he designed the Kuchulu. 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.

    Year Designed: 2009
    Example spindle is made of Tineo

  • Lark

    Lark L

    Discontinued 3/2018 sort of replaced by the slightly smaller Wren

    Weights
    : 14 gram to 28grams Most weigh between 18 – 23 grams*

    Capacity
    : 2 ounces

    Yarn Types:
    Laceweight and sock yarns.

    About: 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.

    Year Designed: April 2010

    Example spindle is made of Tulipwood

  • Aegean

    Aegean A

    Price
    : $56 ($+ 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)

    About: 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.

    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.

    Year Designed: October 2010

    Example spindle is made of Mountain Mahogany

  • Egret

    Egret E

    Price: $62  ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: 28 grams / .98 oz to 45 grams / 1.58 oz; most weigh in the mid-thirty gram range.

    Fiber Capacity
    :

    Yarn types
    : Lace weight up to Worsted.

    About: Wanting a bigger, heavier spindle similar to an Aegean Ed developed the Egret. As with the Aegeans, Ed uses only wood grown in the US.

    Year Designed: February 2013

    Example spindle is made of Black Mesquite

  • Finch

    Finch F

    Price: $52 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods) 

    Weight
    : 8 grams / .28oz – 16 grams / .56oz ; most are between 10 – 13 grams

    Fiber Capacity
    :

    Yarn Types
    : Cobweb to light sport.

    About: 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.

    Year Designed: January 2014

    Example spindle is made of Bloodwood

  • Bee Hummingbird

    Bee Hummingbird BH 

    Price: $65 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight
    : 2 – 6 grams

    Fiber Capacity: 10 - 25 grams, depending on the weight of the Bee Hummingbird. The very lightest weight will back-spin quickly then as weight is added they'll be able to spin much longer. When you can no longer get a decent length of spin time the spindle is close to reaching capacity.

    Yarn Type: Cobweb only!

    About: Ed’s smallest spindle. Adorably cute. This is not a beginner’s spindle, its light weight and smallness limits it to spinning only threadlike yarn.

    Year Designed: September 2017

    Example spindle is made of Beeswing Narra

  • Wren

    Wren W

    Price: $56+ 

    Weight: 11+ grams to 35 grams (the heaviest one was made with camelthorn, a very dense wood). Most weigh between 16 – 20 grams.

    Fiber Capacity: Approximately twice the weight of the Wren.

    Yarn Types: Laceweight to Fingering

    About
    : Sort of a cross between the Aegean and the discontinued Lark. We’re thrilled with the Wren’s sleekness, size and stability of spin.

    Year Designed: January 2019

    Example spindle is made of Patagonian Rosewood

  • Phoenix

    Phoenix Ph

    Price
    : $65($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: Mid-thirty grams to mid 50 grams

    Fiber Capacity: Phoenix is an amazing plying spindle capable of holding up to eight ounces plyed on it. In this case the legs are barely visible.

    Yarn Types: Sport - Bulky

    About
    : 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, usually woods that are local to us.

    Year Designed: May 2019

    Example spindle is made of Holly

  • Roadrunner

    Roadrunner RR

    Price
    : $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods) April 2020.

    Weight: 17 – 30 grams, most are 20 – 26 grams.

    Fiber Capacity: 50 - 100 grams, depending on the type of wood and spindle weight.

     

    Yarn Types: Fingering to Worsted

     

    About: 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 the famous cartoon Roadrunner: Cunning and speedy!

    Year Designed: March 2020

    Example spindle is made of Elderberry

  • Dragonfly

    Dragonfly Df  

    Price
    : $62($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: 18 – 28 grams

    Fiber Capacity: 50 - 100 grams, depending on wood and spindle weight.

     

    Yarn Types: Fingering - Worsted. Also great for plying

     

    About: Sleek and slender with long gracefully curved arms yet relatively lightweight enough for laceweight spinning.

     

    Year Designed: May 2021

    Example spindle is made of Carob

  • Gooney

    Gooney G

    Price
    : $62 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: 16 – 29 grams, most are between 20 – 25 grams

    Fiber Capacity: 50 - 100 grams, depending on wood and weight.

     

    Yarn Types: Fingering - Worsted. Also great for plying.

     

    About: The long, slender flat arms propel this spindle effortlessly. This albatross can fly fast and long!

     

    Year Designed: January 2022

    Example spindle is made of Spalted Madrone

  • Dovekie

    Dovekie Dv

    Price: $55 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: 15 – 26 grams with a few lighter. Most are between 17-20 grams.

    Fiber Capacity: 40 - 60 grams

     

    Yarn Types: Light Fingering - Sport. Also great for plying small amounts of laceweight to fingering yarns.

     

    About: A refined version of the older Delight style. Having had a number of customers tell Ed their Delight spindle was their favorite he decided he needed to come up with a replacement: Dovekie – an adorable small, round, and fast-flying North Pacific bird. Dovekies are sturdy, yet fast worker spindles.

     

    Year Designed: Summer 2023


    Example spindle is made of Silver Maple

  • Merlin

    Merlin M

    Price: $75+

    Weight: 26 - 40 grams, average is 30 - 33 grams.

    Fiber Capacity: 60 - 100 grams

     

    Yarn Types: Fingering to Worsted

     

    About: Ed’s most excited about his new concept and creation. This one took a lot of thought and design work to develop. Possibly the first 3-arm/6-Spoke spindle ever created?

     

    Year Designed: September 2023

    Example spindle is made of Fig

  • Weaverbird

    Weaverbird Wb

    Price: $75+

    Weight: 13 - 20 grams, average 15 - 18 grams

    Fiber Capacity: 35 - 60 grams

     

    Yarn Types: Laceweight to Sport

     

    About: Having successfully designed, and making several dozen of the excellent spinning 6-Spoke/3-Armed Merlins, Ed set about to scale down and refine the specs to develop what we named Weaverbird. These spindles also seem to float on the air while spinning fast and efficiently.
    Remember: These are made by hand! No computers or lasers ever used. Only shop tools that would have been used in a 1970's era woodshop.

     

    Year Designed: Oct 2023

    Example spindle is made of Birdseye Maple

  • Chickadee

    Chickadee Ch

    Price: $52 ($+ colorful, and/or expensive woods)

    Weight: 9 grams / .3 oz – 15 grams / .53oz ; most are 10 – 12 grams with an occasional 8 grams.

    Fiber Capacity: Up to 25 grams 

    Yarn Types
    : Cobweb - Laceweight

    About:
    For years I’ve been wanting to name one of Ed’s designs “Chickadee” but as much as I wanted to use that name whenever he developed a new style I’d hold it and spin it but none whispered “Chickadee”. Until this April.

    A friend asked if Ed would consider making a “baby Dovekie” something between the Kuchulu and the Finch. Ed was immediately taken by the idea. A week later Ed put a new spindle on the kitchen table for me to test. As soon as It began spinning I knew this was the Chickadee, a sweet, cheerful flyer.

    Year Designed
    : April 2024

    Example spindle is made of Lilac