handspinning
Twisting fiber by hand
Handspinning is the craft of twisting fibers into yarn or thread using hand-powered tools rather than industrial machinery.
The spinner draws out fibers—wool, cotton, flax, silk—and twists them together using a spindle or spinning wheel: She took up handspinning after learning to knit.
The practice persists as a fiber arts hobby and for producing specialty yarns.
Spiral arrangement of ridges
- distaffFiber-holding spinning tool
- rovingMoving from place to place
- draftingCreating technical blueprints
- twistRotating motion or surprise
ply · singles · skein · hank · bobbin · flyer · orifice · ratios
Sheared animal fiber
- fleeceWool still on sheep
- silkFine woven insect fiber
- flaxFiber and oil crop
- cottonPlant fiber for textiles
alpaca · angora · cashmere · mohair · merino · bamboo · hemp · linen
Foot-operated lever
- homespunPlain and unpretentious
- cottage industrySmall home-based business
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- colonialOf occupied territories
indigenous · traditional · ancestry · revival · artisan · self-sufficiency · homesteading
whorl
Spiral arrangement of ridges
- distaffFiber-holding spinning tool
- rovingMoving from place to place
- draftingCreating technical blueprints
twist · ply · singles · skein · hank · bobbin · flyer · orifice · ratios · tension
wool
Sheared animal fiber
cotton · alpaca · angora · cashmere · mohair · merino · bamboo · hemp · linen · bast
treadle
Foot-operated lever
- homespunPlain and unpretentious
- cottage industrySmall home-based business
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
colonial · indigenous · traditional · ancestry · revival · artisan · self-sufficiency · homesteading
carding
Preparing fibers for spinning
washing · picking · teasing · blending · batts · top · sliver · locks · sorting · grading