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Spindle (textiles)
 
 
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A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
en spike weighted at one end with a circular whorl
Whorl

Whorl is a type of spiral pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , a single, complete 360? turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell...
; it may have an optional hook at either end of the spike. It is used for spinning
Spinning (textiles)

Spinning is an ancient textile arts in which fiber crop, animal fiber or synthetic fiber fibers are twisted together to form yarn . For thousands of years, fiber was spun by hand using simple tools, the Spindle and distaff....
 wool
Wool

Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
 and other fiber
Fiber

Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of yarn. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissue s together....
s into thread
Yarn

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking....
. Spindles or parts of them have been found in archaeological sites; they may represent one of the earliest pieces of technology
Technology

Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its Natural environment....
 available to humankind.

Modern spindles are typically available in high-whorl or low-whorl types.






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A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
en spike weighted at one end with a circular whorl
Whorl

Whorl is a type of spiral pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , a single, complete 360? turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell...
; it may have an optional hook at either end of the spike. It is used for spinning
Spinning (textiles)

Spinning is an ancient textile arts in which fiber crop, animal fiber or synthetic fiber fibers are twisted together to form yarn . For thousands of years, fiber was spun by hand using simple tools, the Spindle and distaff....
 wool
Wool

Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
 and other fiber
Fiber

Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of yarn. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissue s together....
s into thread
Yarn

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking....
. Spindles or parts of them have been found in archaeological sites; they may represent one of the earliest pieces of technology
Technology

Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its Natural environment....
 available to humankind.

Modern spindles are typically available in high-whorl or low-whorl types. In a high-whorl spindle, the whorl sits very close to the top of the shaft, which is anywhere from 15-45cm long. A hook is placed on the top of the shaft to secure the developing yarn, and the newly-spun yarn is wound around the shaft underneath the whorl. In a low-whorl spindle, the whorl sits near the bottom of the shaft. The newly spun yarn is wound around the shaft just above the whorl. If there is a hook at the upper end of the shaft, the yarn is spiral-wound up the shaft and caught in the hook; if there is no hook at the top, then the yarn is spiral-wound up the shaft and secured with a half hitch (or more, for slippery fibers) at the top. Some low whorl spindles are notched at the top of the shaft to keep the half hitch secured, although this is not necessary. An alternate method of securing the yarn involves passing it down over the edge of the whorl, around the bottom end of the shaft, and back up over the whorl to be secured with a half hitch at the top of the shaft.

Other forms of spindles include supported spindles, such as the large Navajo spindle and the tiny cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
-spinning tahkli. The spinning wheel
Spinning wheel

A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers....
 is also used for the same purpose.

See also


  • Timeline of clothing and textiles technology
    Timeline of clothing and textiles technology

    Timeline of clothing and textiles technology.*pre-history - spindle used to create yarn from fibers.* - loom.*c. Upper Paleolithic - Impressions of textiles and basketry and nets left on little pieces of hard clay....
  • Distaff
    Distaff

    As a noun, a distaff is a tool used in Spinning . It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process....
  • see cotton spinning by william taggart


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