Hand spinning

Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic fibres are drawn out and twisted together to form yarn.

For thousands of years, fibre was spun by hand using simple tools, the spindle and distaff.

After the introduction of the spinning wheel in the 13th century, the output of individual spinners increased dramatically.

The origins of spinning fibre to make string or yarn are lost in time, but archaeological evidence in the form of representation of string skirts has been dated to the Upper Paleolithic era some 20,000 years ago.

[1] There has also been recent discovery of plied cord spun by Neanderthals and dating back 41,000-52,000 years.

[2] In the earliest type of spinning, tufts of animal hair or plant fibre are rolled down the thigh with the hand, and additional tufts are added as needed until the desired length of spun fibre is achieved.

With the right hand the fibres are drawn out several inches and the end fastened securely in the slit or hook on the top of the spindle.

Subsequent improvements with spinning wheels and then mechanical methods made hand-spinning increasingly uneconomic, but as late as the twentieth century hand-spinning remained widespread in poor countries: in conscious rejection of international industrialization, Gandhi was a notable practitioner.

The spinning jenny, a multi-spool spinning wheel invented c. 1764 by James Hargreaves, dramatically reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn of high consistency, with a single worker able to work eight or more spools at once.

The name comes from a method used by Andean spinners to manage and splice unevenly matched singles being plied from multiple spindles.

[14] Within the recent past, many new spinners have joined into this ancient process, innovating the craft and creating new techniques.

From using new dyeing methods before spinning, to mixing in novelty elements (Christmas Garland, eccentric beads, money, etc.)

that would not normally be found in traditional yarns, to creating and employing new techniques like coiling,[15] this craft is constantly evolving and shifting.

When working with shorter hairs, such as from llama or angora rabbit, the spinner may choose to integrate longer fibres, such as mohair, to prevent yarn breakage.

Wool may be spun before or after washing, although excessive amounts of lanolin may make spinning difficult, especially when using a drop-spindle.

In washing wool the key thing to avoid is too much agitation and fast temperature changes from hot to cold.

[16] Olds College in Alberta, Canada offers a Master Spinner program both on campus and by distance education.

[18][19] These programs feature in-depth examinations of handspinning topics, as well as extensive assignments and skill evaluations.

A tightly spun wool yarn made from fibre with a long staple length in it is called worsted.

It is hand spun from combed top, and the fibres all lie in the same direction as the yarn.

More traditional spinners are more willing to spin in the grease, as it is less work to wash the wool after it is in yarn form.

Such spinners generally buy their fibres pre-washed and carded, in the form of roving, sliver, or batts.

Some spinners use spray-on lanolin-like products to get the same feel of spinning in the grease with carded fibre.