Spinning is the process by which cotton, wool, flax, and other short fibers are twisted together to produce a yarn or thread suitable for weaving into cloth, knitting into a garment, winding into rope or cable, or used in sewing.   The fibers are drawn out and, with sufficient twist, lock together so firmly that they can no longer slide past each other, thus forming a strong yarn.
Until about 1300, yarn was spun on the spindle and whorl.  A spindle is a rounded, tapered stick to which the fibers are attached and twisted; a whorl is a weight attached to the spindle that acts as a flywheel to keep the spindle rotating.
The spinning wheel made its European appearance during the 14th century.  It consisted of a horizontally mounted spindle that was connected to a large, hand-driven wheel by a circular band.
About 150 years after the introduction of the spinning wheel, a mechanical improvement, the Saxon wheel, was introduced.  The Saxon wheel was operated by a foot pedal that left both hands free to manipulate the fibers.
The ring frame, invented 1828, based on Arkwright's spinning frame, allowed for high spindle speeds and, until recently, was the most widely used spinning method.(1)
Fiber Spinning Process
Eight (8) Spindle Spinning Machine

Mini-Mills Ltd, provide Fantasy Fibers with quality fiber processing equipment and services.
Drafted Fibers prior to Spinning
Single and two ply Yarn

SPINNING (Minimum of Three (3) Pounds)

  • Singles

  • Multi-plys

    All exotic fibers and wool done to your specifications. Price may vary for unusual novelty yarns.  Estimates based on spun sample.
Last Update: Sunday, March 9, 2003
Note: (1)  Information from 1998 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia