| The weaving of cloth was usually done by men, but spinning, which provided the thread for the textile industry was invariably done by women, usually working at home. The close connection between women and spinning has entered the language: single women are spinsters; the female side of the family is the distaff side. | |
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All women were expected to spin, princesses as well as peasants. While it was an economic necessity for most women, it was regarded as a charmingly elegant past time for ladies. |
The simplest form of spinning used a spindle - a stick, weighted with a whorl - which was suspended by the spinning thread. Set spinning it would keep turning on its own, leaving the spinner's hands free to control the thread and feed in new fibres, from the distaff, a rod to which the fibres, wool or linen, were bound. This method was used for thousands of years. No heavy machinery was needed, the spinner could even move around the house while spinning, and the quality of the finished product was very fine.
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The first major development, established by the 13th
Century, was the great or wool wheel. The spindle was held horizontally,
and turned by a band which passed round the whorl and a large
wheel. The spinner would turn the wheel with one hand, and draw
out the thread with the other till her arm was full extended,
then stop and wind the finished thread onto the spindle.
This was quicker that simple spindle spinning, but it meant that the spinner was confined to her spinning wheel. The thread was not as strong and fine as that produced on the spindle. |
| The next step was the invention of the flyer or flax spinning wheel in the fifteenth century. A double band round the wheel now turned both the spindle and the flyer, a horseshoe shaped piece of wood, set with hooks, which guided the finished thread onto the bobbin. The flyer and spindle turned at different speeds, so that thread could be spun and wound on continuously. This type of wheel was faster than the great wheel and produced better quality thread, although both styles continued in use until the industrial revolution. |  |
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The last refinement was the addition of a treadle to keep the wheel turning, leaving the hands free to control the thread.
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