Spinning fibers into thread is a technique common to many diverse cultures throughout the ages. Handspinning involves a wood axle or spindle with a disc-shaped ‘whorl’ acting as a weighted flywheel to maintain momentum. A turn of the spindle then draws and twists fibers into workable yarn. This small whorl is decorated with concentric rings and an interlocking design that would have created a dizzying effect when spun.
wool
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I like this drawing a lot. The history of the object makes the sketch quite interesting.
I learned to drop spin in Bolivia with a wooden spindle, similar in shape to this one. Cool!–Great drawing!
So many cool, old devices made from old-fashioned ingenuity. It’s always neat to see what interesting object you will feature each week!
lovely! especially the nicely researched “story behind” your drawings!