Engineering:Spindle whorl

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Spinning with a whorl (c) on a spindle (b) and distaff (above)

A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. For ages the whorls have been made of many different materials: amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, metal (iron, lead, lead alloy), and wood (oak). Some types of local materials have been also used, such as chalk, limestone, mudstone, sandstone, slate, and soapstone. One of the most famous spindle whorl artists is Susan Point.

Gallery

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  Spindle Whorl (Sulsultin), Chemainus, Coast Salish (Native American), 19th century, Brooklyn Museum

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  Whorl (12th or 13th century) found in Poland

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  Ancient Greece spindle whorls, 10th century BC, Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens

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  Muisca spindle whorl (500AD – 1500AD). Archaeology Museum, Sogamoso, Colombia