Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-09-06
Interesting Old World News
HISTORY Of
THE Spindle
AND DISTAFF

The extreme antiquity of the arts
OF spinning and weaving is not more
remarkable than the slowness of their
development into their present condi-
ton. We cannot fix date for their
primitive origin, but it Is certain that
they retained the greater part OF their
primitive character until the begin
ming of the eighteenth century. Then,
as from the earliest days, wool, like
all other textile materials; was spun
entirely by hand. -.
The most primitive method OF spin
ming was by means of the distaf and
spindle. 1t is said nowadays that any
thing which has two ends can be In
Icorporated into a WOODEN thread and
cloth. But for the purposes OF the
primitive spinner the fiber to be spun
must have had sufficient length to
enable 1t to be manipulated, drawn out
and twisted by the fingers OF the spin
ner: and even SO the manual dexter
ity whereby fibers not more than a
few inches in length--the longest cot
ton nber, that of the best Sea Island
cotton, is unaer two inches long into
a continuous and uniform thread
many miles in length issone OF the
most wondrous manifestations OF pri-
mitiye human ingenuity. The spindle
was round stick of wood about
foot or less in length according To
the material to be handled tapering
to either end, to which the extremity
of the yarn to be spun Is attached 1t
was surrounded near its center by a
perforated disk or whorl made OF clay,
stone, wood or other suitable mater
ial--it said that a potato or other
tuber was sometimes used for the
purpose--its function being to give
Esteadiness and momentum to the spin
ole in its rotation. The distaff was a
longer stick Of swood with loose
ball or bunch of the material to be
spun-suitabl prepared by processes
which need not here be described
attached to its upper end.
The spinner either fixed the lower
end of the distaff In her girdle or car
ried it under her left arm. Then draw
ing out a prepared end of the yarn,
afterward called a rowing" from the
distaff, she twisted it with her fingers
until It had attained some approxi-
nation to the required degree of at
tenuation and fixed the end OF the
yarn to the notch in the spindle. The
spindle was then, made to-. rotate
either by twirling 1t with the fingers,
or more commonly by rolling 1t be-
tween the hand and the thigh, and
casting 1t loose as soon as the re-
CURED speed of rotation was attained.
AS soon as it was loose fresh sup
plies Of fiber were drawn out from
the distaff and manipulated by both
hands into an equal and uniform
strand of yarn or thread having the
degree Of attenuation required. The
yarn thus formed was then wound
on the spindle until the point was
reached at which the rowing was still
insufficiently attenuated. At that
point the spun yarn was caught into
the notch of the spindle and the pro-
cess was repeated from time to time
until the fiber carried by the distaff
was all spun into yarn. The use of the
spindle in this process now gives the
name of spindle" to definite meas
ure Of length in the linen industry, the
spindle" of yarn being taken as
measuring Il, 400 yards in length. This
is perhaps rather length of conven-
fence than maximum attainable
length. for it has long been vastly exr
ceeded by the native spinners of In
dia. -London Times.
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