In previous posts I have talked about choosing tools that are right for the fleece you want to work with. On a recent trip to Iceland I was able to pick up two traditional, Icelandic spindles. They are top whorl, with the large whorls placed very close to the hook and have long, cone shaped shafts. Even the smaller, all light wood one, is very robust compared to all my other spindles. It actually weighs more than an Ashford spindle I have, which is pretty chunky compared to a Forester or Ledbetter spindle. Icelandic sheep's wool is dual coated, but the two coats are usually carded together. The resulting batt or roving has a long staple length, without a lot of crimp. I had brought a small medieval style spindle with me in the trip. When I tried the small spindle I had brought, it was very frustrating, it would come to a halt very quickly. Same fleece did very well with either of the larger Icelandic spindles. Design is driven by what your resources are and the environmental conditions in which you work.