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spindle and whorl
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Visit Aymara and Quechua people on the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru to see the ancient drop-spindle technique
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drop spindle
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spindle and whorl

device
Also known as: drop spindle
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
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History

spindle and whorl, Earliest device for spinning fibres into thread or yarn. The spinster lets the spindle fall to draw out the fibres while the whorl keeps it rotating to apply the necessary twist. The spindle and whorl was replaced by the spinning wheel.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Robert Curley.