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  4. Spinning and Spindles
Spinning

Spinning is a kind of magic - it turns fibres into yarn just by adding twist. Of course there's some skill of the spinner involved as well.

Since yarns are the basic building block for most textile techniques, spinning is one of the key tasks in textile work overall. While the principle is really simple, or maybe because the principle is really simple, there is a multitude of spinning tools and spinning techniques that can be found around the world and through time. In some instances, we have a pretty good understanding of how yarns were spun; in other cases, we know next to nothing.

As spinning was mostly a very mundane task, there are few sources that go into detail. Especially for the earlier periods of history, this poses a problem if we try to reconstruct the techniques. Archaeological finds can provide some evidence for spinning tools (mostly spindle whorls, as these are fairly easy to recognise and, if made from ceramics, survive well in the ground) and sometimes some evidence for fabrics and yarns, but this does not necessarily mean that we know how the tools were used to make the yarns. 

Handspinning, both historical and modern, remains a fascinating topic with a lot of open questions. For some of your questions, though, I do hope you will find the answers on these pages!

There are a few differences between medieval hand-spindles and the hand-spindles commonly available and commonly used today. One of the most obvious of these differences: Medieval-style spindles, as opposed to modern spindles, don’t have the whorl attached permanently. Instead, the shape of the two pieces makes it possible to attach the whorl to the tapering stick by just pushing it on. This means easier storage of the spindles plus more flexibility, as you can use one whorl with several sticks, or exchange the whorl for a lighter one to account for more weight of the yarn on a partly-filled spindle stick. You could also use the filled spindle stick directly as a shuttle for weaving on a warp-weighted loom, if you were so inclined.

If you have been spinning with modern spindles and are switching to medieval-style spindles now, you might be concerned about the whorl slipping off the spindle stick. This can definitely happen, but it is avoidable with the right technique.

The method of fitting the whorl onto the spindle stick relies on enough friction between the two parts. To avoid the whorl falling off, there are two things to take into account: Firstly, fitting it securely enough when you place it on the stick, and secondly, making sure that there is no downward pressure onto the whorl while working.

To fit the spindle whorl to the stick, I recommend sliding it up the stick as far as it will go up easily, then give a light twist to the whorl and gently pressing it upwards at the same time. Gentle pressure will suffice, as will just a few millimetres of twisting of the spindle against the whorl. It should now sit quite firmly on the shaft. You can test the fit by gently tugging downward on the whorl; it should not budge.

If you have mounted the whorl like this, it should stay there throughout your spinning. If you drop the spindle, the whorl might come off – that is perfectly normal, just put it back into place as before, and carry on.

If the whorl falls off even though you have not dropped the spindle, there are two possible reasons for this.

"What whorl weight should I choose?" is one of the questions I get very frequently - and as with so many questions, there is no single clear answer.

In my experience, whorl weight and spindle weight are a very personal thing. I've made good experiences with whorl weights of about 25-35 g for beginning spinners, and that is also what I pack into my starter kits. There are, however, always a few people who feel better spinning with a lighter or a heavier whorl.

According to my experience over the years, and also to the results of the Spinning Experiment back in 2009, the only thing that the weight of the whorl will definitely mean for spinning is what I call a "running quality control". If your spindle weighs 40 g, you can be sure that the thread will, at any point, be able to sustain a 40 g load or tension (provided you spin suspended). For somebody who spins for a weaver, as most spinners, historically, will have done, this is a crucial thing. If the thread breaks while spinning, it's not something you rejoice over, but it's also no big deal. You pick up the spindle, fluff up the end of your thread, re-connect it to the fibre supply, and on you go. A thread breaking on the loom is an entirely different story and much less fun, plus much more work to fix, so the last thing a weaver wants are unreliable, breakage-prone threads. Hence a running quality control would be a very good thing. That does not mean a yarn spun on a lighter spindle may not be able to hold the required weight, but you don't have this running quality control built into the process.

One question keeps popping up again and again when spinning is demonstrated or discussed - the Sleeping Beauty question. What did Sleeping Beauty prick her finger on? As answers, you can get the wildest speculations.

Was it a hand spindle?

Hand spindles consist of a spindle stick, usually made from wood, and a spindle whorl. The ends of the spindle stick taper out, becoming ever more narrow. This is necessary for a smooth turning of the spindle, as the thread fixed to the top is closer to the rotational axis, resulting in less wobbling. It also means the spindle can be put into motion easier and faster, as it is easier to twirl a thin stick between the fingers than a thick one. The taper at the lower end allows to fix whorls with different inner hole diameters to the stick.

Here you find my videos regarding spinning - first, an introduction to the topic that I did for an online yarn festival:

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And this is my presentation from the NESAT conference in Liberec, Czech Republic, 2017: 

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There's an enormous amount of books, texts, and articles about hand-spinning, but most of these are about modern hand-spinning and not about historical techniques or their history. Historical spinning methods and tools, and the spun yarns made with them, have only gotten more attention in the recent years. So here are a few suggestions for further reading, should you be interested - including some publications with spindle whorls:

K. Kania, 'The Spinning Experiment – Influences on Yarn in Spinning with a Handspindle', in H. J. Hopkins, ed., Ancient Textiles - Modern Science (Oxford, 2013), pp. 11-29.

E. J. Tiedemann and K. A. Jakes, 'An Exploration of Prehistoric Spinning Technology: Spinning Efficiency and Technology Transition', Archaeometry, 48 (2006), pp. 293-307.

A. Höllhuber, 'Spinnwirtel aus dem Fundgut von Mühlviertler Burgen', Jahrbuch des OÖ: Musealvereines Gesellschaft für Landeskunde, 126 (1981), p. 79.

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