Cambodian Spinning
Fibers produced in Cambodia were silk, cotton, and hemp, [1] and banana fibers are used to make resists strings.[2] Silk fibers are especially common as they are used in the ikat weaving Cambodia is known for, and was made popular by the Angkor Dynasty.[3]
The silk produced in Cambodia is a saffron-yellow color by nature (not the typical silk white) because of the breed of silkworm that grows best there.[4]
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A modern woman spinning on a wheel in Cambodia.[5] It’s *NOT* a period wheel, but it’s clearly modeled after on, probably a Japanese style one? Hard to tell.
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It’s a reeling wheel![5] Hard to say exactly how old this one is, but it looks like the ones from Chinese paintings from the 1300s!​
References
[1] Albion Gould, “A Brief History of Weaving in Cambodia,” A Brief History of Weaving in Cambodia, July 3, 2023, https://albiongould.com/a-brief-history-of-weaving-in-cambodia/#:~:text=Weaving%20in%20Cambodia%20dates%20back,hemp%2C%20which%20were%20sourced%20locally.
[2] Emily von Borsitel, Textile Arts Center, August 27, 2019, https://textileartscenter.com/feature/the-complex-art-of-cambodian-ikat/.
[4] Morimoto Kikuo, “Traces of War: The Revival of Silk Weaving in Cambodia,” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2002, 199–204.
[5] Albion Gould, “A Brief History of Weaving in Cambodia,” A Brief History of Weaving in Cambodia, July 3, 2023, https://albiongould.com/a-brief-history-of-weaving-in-cambodia/#:~:text=Weaving%20in%20Cambodia%20dates%20back,hemp%2C%20which%20were%20sourced%20locally.