Spindle whorl

 ( Spinning Tools ) 

A spindle whorl is a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn.

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History A spindle whorl may be a disk or spherical object. It is typically positioned on the bottom of the spindle. The spinner spins the weighted spindle pulling off a mass of fibers which is twisted into yarn.

Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead alloy), and wood (oak). Local sourced materials have been also used, such as chalk, limestone, mudstone, sandstone, slate, lydite and soapstone.

Natufian artifacts unearthed in Israel at Nahal Ein Gev II, an archeological site, are believed to be the oldest spindle whorls found to date. Archaeologists say the perforated pebbles found scattered at the village site are 12,000 years old. According to scans of the pebbles, the perforations were biconical in shape and drilled in two directions, creating an hourglass shape. "Earliest Spindle Wheels May Have Been Discovered in 12,000-year-old Village in Israel", Haaretz

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