Hand spinning
Hand Spinning is the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials without the use of power equipment.
Process
Separate fibers are twisted together to bind them into a strong, long yarn. Characteristics of the yarn vary based on the material used, fiber length and alignment, quantity of fiber used and degree of twist.
History
The earliest spinning probably involved simply twisting the fibres in the hand. Later a stick, called a spindle, was used to add the twist and hold the twisted fiber. Usually a whorl or weight stabilizes the spindle. The spindle is spun and twists the fiber until it becomes yarn. The spindle may be suspended or supported. Later the spinning wheel was developed which allowed continuous and faster yarn production. Spinning wheels may be foot, hand or electrically powered.
Modern powered spinning, originally done by water or steam power but now done by electricity, is vastly faster than hand-spinning.
Hobby or small scale artisan spinners spin their own yarn to control specific yarn qualities and produce yarn not commercially available. They also may spin for self-sufficiency, sense of accomplishment, or sense of connection to history and the land. And, of course, for the meditative qualities of spinning.
Materials
Materials that can be used to create yarn fall into three broad classes: plant, animal, and synthetic.
- Plant fibers: cotton, flax (to produce linen), ramie, hemp, nettle, raffia, yucca, coconut husk, and soy(soysilk)
- Animal materials: wool, goat (angora, or cashmere goat), rabbit (angora), llama, alpaca, dog, camel, yak, qiviut, and silk
- Manufactured fibers: nylon, rayon(derived from wood pulp), acetate, polyester, tencel(derived from wood pulp), and ingeo(derived from corn)
Soy is unique in that while it is a plant fiber, its protein content accepts dye like animal fiber
==In Books and stories==.
- Rumpelstiltskin: After a miller boasts to the king that his daughter can turn grain into gold, the daughter finds herself thrown in a dungeon with orders to spin straw into gold.
In Mythology
In Greek mythology, Clotho spins the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle.
See also
External links
- Interweave Spin-Off - popular spinning magazine
- Hand Spinners.com - spinning links directory, fiber resources
- Hampshire Spinning Guild - glossary of spinning terms, and pictures
- Joy of Hand Spinning - video instruction
- ICanSpin.com - video instruction