My oldest DD is a knitter/spinner/dyer.
She taught herself to knit when she was 9, and to spin when she was 14. She is now 28 and has a hand dye shop on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HippiePengu...ref=ss_profile
Anyway, she can spin on a drop spindle or any wheel...she used to have 5 of them, including a great wheel. However, she has downsized now and has only a couple. She even made a drop spindle out of a CD once...