Spindle (textiles)

A spindle is a straight spike, usually made from wood, used for spinning,[1] twisting fibers such as wool, flax, hemp, and cotton into yarn.

Possible remains of spindle whorls were found in a Natufian village at Nahal Ein Gev II archeological site, Israel, from 12000 years ago.

Most supported spindles continue to rest with the tip on one's thigh, on the ground, on a table, or in a small bowl while rotating.

While spindle types are divided into these three main categories, some traditional spinning styles employ multiple or blended techniques.

A familiar sight from history books is a spindle used in conjunction with a distaff, an upright stick with a large quantity of loose fibre wound around it, to be easily accessed.

There are many other methods for controlling the pre-spun fibre, such as coiling it around one's lower arm, or through a bracelet, or wrapping it loosely around a yarn braid hanging from one's wrist.

The shaft is how the spinner inserts twist through turning it between the fingers or rolling it between the hand and another part of their anatomy, such as their thigh.

Options include a simple length of shaft to tie the thread around, a shaped notch or bulb, or a hook.

[10] A whorl is a weight that is added to many types of spindles and can be made out of a large variety of materials including wood, metal, glass, plastic, stone, clay or bone.

Once a length of yarn or thread is spun it is wound around the spindle shaft or whorl to form a cop or a ball.

[14] In Christianity, the apocryphal Gospel of James portrays the Virgin Mary as engaged in spinning thread for the Temple Curtain when the angel Gabriel tells her that she is going to bear Jesus.

[15] Most modern illustrations of the fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty have the princess pricking her finger on the distaff of a modern flyer spinning wheel; this version of the wheel was either not invented or not as commonly used across Europe when the major versions of the story were commonly told.

The various types of supported spindles range due to the difference in styles of spinning and yarn weight.

[18] In Icelandic Viking times, the people used a high whorl lap spindle to spin wool into yarn.

Even though it turns much more slowly than winding onto a regular spindle, it creates a center pull ball of yarn.