I have downloaded the free 3D modeling software called Blender. The first thing I decided to build is a drop spindle of my own design. I know a local company that does 3D printing and I’ve been itching to create something. The 3D print came out exactly like my model (after I had some help with sizing), which is very exciting. The printer used an ABS like resin, which is less brittle than regular resin, which I appreciate.

I tried out the spindle with some alpaca yarn.

It works! But, the design could use some tweaking. The head, that looked so big in the software, was too small to securely hold the newly spun yarn, and the resin is more dense than I anticipated, so I need to address that. The possibilities of this kind of design are intoxicating. I could be dangerous.