None of these fibres – animal or vegetable – is long enough to be woven into cloth without further treatment. In order to make a usable thread, the fibres have to be laid out parallel known as spinning.
Originally the tool for doing this was the spindle, a weighted stick which hung free and to which the fibres were attached. When spun between finger and thumb, the spindle imparted a twist to the fibres, which would then be drawn out from fibres stored on a second stick, the distaff.
Spinning machines achieve the same result mechanically. The first spinning wheel – which simply turned the spindle – was introduced to Europe, probably from India, in the early 14th century. But it was not until 1767 that a British weaver, James Hargreaves, built an eight-spindle spinning mass production to the industry. Throughout the Industrial Revolution spinning machines were improved and refined, and spinning machines – the ring-spinning frame – was devised in America. A modern ring-spinner may have as many as 500 spindles, each carrying up to 4 miles (6400m) of yarn.
Picture Credit : Google
