Making Distaffs and Spindles

A drop spindle made from an ancient spindle whorl.

Constructi on of a distaff based on examples from period illustrati ons. An older version of this article can be found here .

Discusses how to construct a drop spindle.

The East Kingdom of the SCA has a nascent fiber arts guild. Topics covered are varied and diverse. We are spinners, knitters, weavers, naalbinders, dyers, felters and others and we're interested in flax, wool, cotton, silk, hemp and nettle. And if you're carving spindles and you want to talk to people who would use them, you're welcome too!

This document discusses spindle whorls and shafts found throughout the areas Scandinavians lived in during the Middle Ages (800-1500 CE).

Spoons, Ligulae, and Forks; Lamps and Candlesticks; Steelyards, Balances, and Measures; Bells; Objects Used in Games; Spindles, Needles, and Netting-tools; Strigils; Oculists' Stamps; Writing Appliances and Seal Boxes

Construction and use of a drop spindle from ''The Triumph of Minerva,'' c.1470.