Spinning is one of the earliest crafts developed by Man. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of string
skirts that are some 20,000 years
old!
In ancient times, people began spinning without tools. They collected bundles of long grass or animal hair and twisted the fibers between the palm of the hand and thigh of the leg to make thread. The spun or twisted fibers were wound onto a stone or a short, straight stick.
With the passing of time, in the Neolithic era, the stick was notched to hold the thread, and a weight called a "whorl" was added to hold the stick steady and give it momentum as it whirled. The whorl was made of discs of clay, metal, wood, or a flat stone. The stick had a cleft or split in the top where the thread was fixed; later, a hook of bone was added to the upper end. This was the hand spindle or drop spindle.
The distaff was short stick on which the raw material was wound. The end of the distaff was held in the hand, under the arm or thrust in the girdle of the spinner. One hand was left free for drawing out the fibers.
For thousands of years, fiber was spun by hand using only these simple tools, the spindle and distaff. Much later, the spinning wheel was introduced, and mass-production arose only with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
Hand-spinning remains a popular handicraft today.
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