Drop spindle

A drop spindle is a tool for spinning wool, flax or other fibres into thread. It consists of a spindle shaft and usually a whorl that provides weight and maintains rotation. Fibres are drawn out and twisted as the spindle turns.

Use in Norway

Store norske leksikon describes the hand spindle as an important Norwegian spinning tool before the spinning wheel became widespread in the seventeenth century. It did not disappear when the wheel arrived. It was portable and offered good control of the thread.

Identification

Preserve a documented association between shaft and whorl. Loose whorls occur in wood, stone, bone and other materials, while the wooden shaft is often lost. A loose whorl cannot automatically be assigned to a particular spindle, owner or date. Record material, hole, wear, decoration and provenance separately.

Source: Store norske leksikon, Håndtein.