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Azerbaijani Spinning Spun wool dates to the 4th millennium BCE, and while dyed spun flax date to 34,000 BCE.[1] Sericulture (silk production) has been an industry in Azerbaijan since the 7th century.[2] Azerbaijan was known for its silk fabrics, as they were the basis of brocades, darai, diba and zarbaft.[3] An Azerbaijani woman spinning on a wheel.[4] References [1] Cosima Stewart, “The History of Weaving in the Caucasus,” Cabana Magazine, December 21, 2024, https://cabanamagazine.com/blogs/atlas-of-craftsmanship/the-history-of-weaving-in-the-caucasus . [2] B. Abbasov, “Azerbaijan National Sericulture Development Plan,” Azerbaijan national sericulture development plan :: The Black, Caspian Seas and Central Asia Silk Association (BACSA), accessed June 16, 2025, https://www.bacsa-silk.org/en/azerbaijan-national-sericulture-development-plan/ . [3] “Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijan | Silk Roads Programme, accessed June 16, 2025, https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/countries-alongside-silk-road-routes/azerbaijan. [4] Cosima Stewart, “The History of Weaving in the Caucasus,” Cabana Magazine, December 21, 2024, https://cabanamagazine.com/blogs/atlas-of-craftsmanship/the-history-of-weaving-in-the-caucasus .

Drum Wheel – Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Uzbekistan Afghanistan I found pictures of Afghani women spinning on drum wheels, I’m just not sure about anything else. An Afghani woman spinning what appears to be cotton on a floor hand cranked wheel[1] Armenia Armenia has used drum wheels recently, not sure when they started or what was used before. An Armenian woman spinning on a weird drum wheel.[2] I love the way this wheel looks. I wonder how heavy it is? Azerbaijan In Azerbaijan, modernly, they use drum wheels. Once again, not sure how long they’ve been using them. An Azerbaijani woman spinning on a wheel.[3] Cyprus My research on Cyprus came up mostly with spindles, but I found an engraving of a woman spinning on a tilted drum wheel. A woodblock engraving of a Cyprus woman spinning. It’s interesting that she has the wheel tilted. I like it.[4] Uzbekistan In Uzbekistan, it was the farming/agriculturally based sector of the population that would have used the wheel, and they used the drum wheel. The nomadic peoples would have used spindles. It looks like the distance between drum and spindle is really hecking small on this one! Anyway, this is a Uzbekistani woman spinning cotton.[5] References [1] R.B. Holmes, Pathan Woman Spinning, North-West Frontier , January 7, 2022, photograph, Facebook , January 7, 2022. [2] An Armenian Woman Spinning Thread, April 4, 2023, photograph, Instagram, April 4, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/p/CqnVshAgzj8/. [3] Cosima Stewart, “The History of Weaving in the Caucasus,” Cabana Magazine, December 21, 2024, https://cabanamagazine.com/blogs/atlas-of-craftsmanship/the-history-of-weaving-in-the-caucasus . [4] Tristam Ellis, Spinning Wheel in Cyprus, July 15, 2011, photograph, Getty Images, July 15, 2011, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/spinning-wheel-in-cyprus-royalty-free-illustration/184314918?adppopup=true. [5] David Trilling, “Before Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry Exploded, a Russian General Made These Pictures,” Eurasianet, April 26, 2019, https://eurasianet.org/before-uzbekistans-cotton-industry-exploded-a-russian-general-made-these-pictures.

Maldives Spinning I'm finding nothing except this one set of photos on Facebook[1] These look like something that would come from the region. But beyond that I'm clueless![2] References [1] #DhivehiArchives A Lacquered Spinning Wheel Made of Wood, Acquired from Maldives in 1893  📷 the British Museum, December 13, 2021, photograph, Facebook , December 13, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4789751341085457. [2] #DhivehiArchives A Lacquered Spinning Wheel Made of Wood, Acquired from Maldives in 1893  📷 the British Museum, December 13, 2021, photograph, Facebook , December 13, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4789751341085457.

Charkha – Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia India The wheel they use in India is called a chakra or charkhra depending on how it’s translated, though the word translates to English as “wheel” so it’s actually not super helpful in looking at things translated from Hindi. There are two main types, a standing and a peti, box, or “book” form.[1] The standing form is the older of the two being written about as early as the 13th century, and it is difficult to tell how much older as not many people wrote about the joys of spinning in their books until later, but it’s been a hot minute. A picture of a full sized standing charkhra. The one on display is a miniature version of this. Most are about 18-24 inches tall, and about 36 inches long.[2] Bangladesh In Bangladesh, spinners would use charkhas to spin the cotton while on boats trying to get the humidity correct for the tiny Dhaka cotton fibers, then sell the teeny threads to the weavers in the next town.[3] A Bangladeshi woman spinning cotton[4] I love the way her spinning wheel looks. I think it looks like a flower. Bhutan In Bhutan, spinning wheels are called haphang.[5] Bhutanese woman spinning in a market[6] Chinese China had hand cranked spinning wheels in the Han Dynasty (206BCE–220CE)[7] , which sounds early to me, but whatever. An Quinlong painting of a woman spinning, not at a large industry style wheel, but a smaller floor wheel. This is more like an Indian style, and would have presumably been found at most houses. [8] Malaysia Malaysia doesn’t have a lot of information on their spinning techniques, but it looks like they used a chakra style wheel. Malaysian “girl” spinning. I don’t know, spinning doesn’t seem to have an age limit.[9] References [1] Nakonechny, Joanne. “First Steps in Charkha Spinning.” Spin Off, July 4, 2022. https://spinoffmagazine.com/first-steps-in-charkha-spinning/ . [2] Dinodia Photos. “Mahatma Gandhi Charkha Spinning Wheel India Stock Photo.” Alamy. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mahatma-gandhi-charkha-spinning-wheel-india-43150626.html . [3] Gopika Nath, “Garland Magazine,” Garland Magazine Spinning a Yarn Unparalleled Comments, December 6, 2016, https://garlandmag.com/article/spinning-a-yarn-unparalleled/. [4] Rudolph Ackermann, Bengali Woman Spinning Using a Simple Spinning Wheel, 1821, photograph, 1821. [5] Thagzo: The Art of Weaving.” Ich Links. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?elementsUid=13916806808844150811. [6] Travelib Bhutan, Bhutan, Nobding Bazaar, Woman Spinning Cotton Thread by Hand on Wheel, July 22, 2012, photograph, July 22, 2012. [7] Ibid. [8] Chien Lung, “A Chinese Woman Spinning,” Guache on Paper, 1736, Meisterdrucke. [9] Sarawak: A native girl weaving cotton on a loom. photograph., accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24882598.

Turkmenistan Spinning It was a bustling center of sericulture in the 4th through 7th centuries CE.[1] Silk and cotton threads seem to be spun on a wheel, while woolen threads are spun on a spindles.[2] Dating to the Sassanian Empire (224 to 651 CE), the fibers found and produced in Turkmenistan were wool, cotton, and silk.[3] During this time period, cotton was spun on a drop spindle.[3] Early silk in Turkmenistan was said to be so fine, that it wasn’t spun, it was just a single strand of silkworm thread. While silk reels were used, neither spindles nor wheels were used on silk in Turkmenistan until after the 8th century.[3] Whorls found in a dig at Gurukly Depe in southeastern Turkmenistan[3] References [1] “History of Turkmenistan,” Wikipedia, June 15, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Turkmenistan . [2] “Turkmens,” Wikipedia, June 14, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmens. [3] Dominika Maja Kossowska-Janik, “Cotton and Wool: Textile Economy in the SERAKHS Oasis during the Late Sasanian Period, the Case of Spindle Whorls from Gurukly Depe (Turkmenistan),” Ethnobiology Letters 7, no. 1 (December 31, 2016), https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.7.1.2016.682.

Sri Lanka Spinning The spinning and weaving of cotton can be traced back to at least 543 BCE.[1] The story goes that Prince Vijaya saw Kuveni, Queen of the Yakshas, spinning cotton at a wheel, and they fell in love and started a dynasty of Sri Lankan royalty.[2] Hemp has also been processed and spun through history, also using the wheels.[3] Silk is also found being processed in the homes of Sri Lankans.[3] You know, I can’t honestly figure out the wooden cone thing. If she’s spinning silk, it could be a reeling… thing. And I’m struggling to come up with other guesses. I’d love to hear them![4] References [1] Thilina Premjayanth, “Fibershed Sri Lanka,” Fibershed, March 24, 2023, https://fibershed.org/affiliate/sri-lanka/#:~:text=Cotton%20spinning%20and%20weaving%20in,home%20or%20community%2Doriented%20industry. [2] “The History of Sri Lanka Handloom Culture,” Khiri Travel, January 1, 2022, https://khiri.com/the-history-of-sri-lanka-handloom-culture/. [3] Karin Hellaby, “Traditional Crafts of Sri Lanka,” Stitchtopia Craft Holidays, accessed June 20, 2025, https://www.stitchtopia.co.uk/holiday/traditional-crafts-of-sri-lanka#:~:text=Handloom%20weaving%20is%20a%20centuries,create%20intricate%20patterns%20and%20designs. [4] Evolution of Sri Lankan Textile Education from Ancient Times to the 21st Century, 2008, photograph, Google Images, 2008, https://images.app.goo.gl/Zp57pxLNSeouXtRy6.3

Laos Spinning When the Tai Kadai arrived in Laos, the people there, the Mon- Khmer, had a tradition of weaving cotton and hemp.[1] While it’s possible they imported spun cotton and hemp, it’s more likely they spun it themselves. Wheels made in Southern Laos often feature a naga or a river dragon head for protection. The wheels are “hand operated”[2] . The culture is known for a warp ikat, so there’s plenty of weaving going on, I just don’t know how much hand spinning is being done, though the silk is supposedly hand spun as well.[2] It’s Japanese? That’s so weird. I would have thought Indian, for sure…[3] Oh, it’s tilted too! I feel the need to try and feel the difference on my wheels References [1] “Textile Guide: Lao Weaves,” House of Wandering Silk, August 1, 2016, https://www.wanderingsilk.org/post/2016/08/01/textiles-360-lao-weaves. [2] “Weaving of Laos,” Global InCH, accessed June 15, 2025, https://globalinch.org/craft/textiles-of-laos/. [3] Tammachat, Using a Traditional Lao Spinning Wheel, September 24, 2009, photograph, Flickr, September 24, 2009, https://www.flickr.com/photos/9255099@N08/3950237653.

Uzbekistan Spinning The society of Uzbekistan in the pre 10th century was very divided, with part being agricultural and part being nomadic.[1] The nomads would use a lot of wool and cashmere, as that’s what was available and spin on spindles as they didn't have much space.[1] The agricultural people would also grow cotton and silkworms (sericulture) and spin on hand cranked wheels.[1] Women Spinning or “twisting” at their wheels.[2] I love it. (The photo is titled “Ancient Technology of Twisting” and it makes me giggle) It looks like the distance between drum and spindle is really hecking small on this one! Anyway, this is a Uzbekistani woman spinning cotton.[3] References [1] Binafsha Nodir, “Historical Overview of Weaving in Uzbekistan ,” World Bulletin of Social Science 22 (May 24, 2023): 143–54. https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbss/article/view/2765/2373 https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbss/article/view/2765/2373 [2] Turgunboy Mirzaakhmedov, Ancient Technology of Twisting, 2017, photograph, Photo Pop up - UNESCO, 2017, https://ich.unesco.org/en/photo-pop-up-00973?photoID=10809 . [3] David Trilling, “Before Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry Exploded, a Russian General Made These Pictures,” Eurasianet, April 26, 2019, https://eurasianet.org/before-uzbekistans-cotton-industry-exploded-a-russian-general-made-these-pictures.

Indian Spinning This is where I started. The wheel they use is called a chakra or charkhra depending on how it’s translated, though the word translates to English as “wheel” so it’s actually not super helpful in looking at things translated from Hindi. There are two main types, a standing and a peti, box, or “book” form.[1] The standing form is the older of the two being written about as early as the 13th century, and it is difficult to tell how much older as not many people wrote about the joys of spinning in their books until later, but it’s been a hot minute. Modernly, the book form is a novelty spinning wheel that is relatively cheap to purchase compared to most wheels and can be found on quite a few websites where spinning wheels are sold, though there are delicately few instructions for them. I have also found instructions for 3D printed book charkas which might be good for classes, but I’m not sure how good they would be for general wear and tear. Book chakras were invented by Gandhi in the 1920-1930. Thus, it's not in SCA period, but they are cool and I totally understand if people want to use them. Hand spinning was assumed to have been done, but almost no written records survive of the hand spinning process. The takli is a type of supported spindle that has survived to now, but there is no evidence for suspended or drop style spinning. The takli was very small, made of metal, and would have been used to spin silk and cotton fibers super fine.[2] The hand spun tradition is mostly lost wheels became very common in India in the early 1900s.[3] Silks are super common to see spun in India. As are cottons. Those are probably the two most common fibers depending on exactly where you are in India (it’s a big place!) with the north seeing a little more silk than the south, though the south would see silk in the cities and wealthier areas. A picture of a full sized standing charkhra. The one on display is a miniature version of this. Most are about 18-24 inches tall, and about 36 inches long.[4] A picture of an open book charkhra. This will disassemble and fold down to be the size of a large book. I've had success spinning wool on it more than cotton or silk, but that might be because I'm more practiced in wool.[5] Remember: No Period, But Fun!! Picture of a takli. This is a supported spindle, very much like the kind I have on display. I'm not very good at it, but I can make decently thin silk threads with it. They just are a little lumpy.[6] References [1] Nakonechny, Joanne. “First Steps in Charkha Spinning.” Spin Off, July 4, 2022. https://spinoffmagazine.com/first-steps-in-charkha-spinning/ . [2] Chitra Balasubramaniam, “Threads of Heritage: Understanding the Ceremonial Dhoti,” Spin Off, September 23, 2024, https://spinoffmagazine.com/ceremonial-dhoti/. [3] Schroer, Andrea. “Tahkli Spindle Spinning How To.” Mielke’s Fiber Arts, January 4, 2018. https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/tahkli-spinning-how-to/ . [4] Dinodia Photos. “Mahatma Gandhi Charkha Spinning Wheel India Stock Photo.” Alamy. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mahatma-gandhi-charkha-spinning-wheel-india-43150626.html . [5] Nakonechny, Joanne. “First Steps in Charkha Spinning.” Spin Off, July 4, 2022. https://spinoffmagazine.com/first-steps-in-charkha-spinning/ . [6] Josefin Waltin, “Spinning Cotton on a Tahkli Spindle,” Josefin Waltin spinner, November 3, 2018, https://waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/spinning-cotton-on-a-tahkli-spindle/.

Thailand Spinning According to Wikipedia (not a great source, but it’s where I start), not much is known about Thailand before the 13th century. [1] I'm wondering if that's why I'm not finding anything. So this spinning wheel was gifted to the US National Museum during the STL world fair in 1904.[2] It looks like an Indian wheel that's lost several strings to me! It also looks like it lost its spindle. Whorls for cotton thread have been found in excavation sites in Sukhothai.[3] But I’m not sure what these would have looked like. My guess would have been a takli, especially with all the other Indian influences they have had, but I wouldn’t consider the takli a two piece spindle. Found that they used hemp as a major fiber type.[3] The hemp is treated very similarly to flax, where it's dried and retted, then the fibers are spun. That's been spun in Thailand since 3,000 BCE.[3] The silk has been dated to 1,000-300 BCE.[3] How did it get there? Not sure. It's very similar to Chinese silk. One theory is that they had their own silk worms to play with, but Northern Thailand definitely had silk in the first century BCE. Cotton was imported from India as early as 100 CE.[3] With the date of these imports, it's likely that cotton was also grown, just in small amounts. By the 12th century cotton was a cash crop. References [1] “History of Thailand.” Wikipedia, June 7, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Thailand . [2] “Thai Spinning Wheel 19th C.,” Original catalog card describes this as a spinning wheel. Part of an acquisition in 1905 by the US National Museum, from the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904, of Thai (Siamese) textile-working tools and equipment from the Royal Siamese Commission., n.d., National Museum of History , Bering Center. [3] Jackson, “Thai Traditional Fabrics: 3,000 Years in 15 Minutes,” My Thailand , May 20, 2019, https://www.mythailand.blog/2019/01/14/thai-traditional-fabrics/amp/ .

Brunei Spinning So a lot of cotton is spun and woven in Brunei. This is mostly due to the fact that religiously, men can only wear cotton. As a note, silk fabrics are produced for household goods and women’s clothing, just not for men’s clothing, and men are considered to be the largest consumers in Brunei.[1] Songket is popular in Brunei, where the fabric is intricately woven with patterns and then inlaid with silver and gold threads.[2] Brunei does not spin all the thread it uses for the weaving that it does, nor has it done so historically.[3] References [1] Siti Norkhalbi Haji Wahsalfelah, “Brunei Culture through Its Textile Weaving Tradition,” SUVANNABHUMI 8, no. 2 (December 2016): 113–29, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO201612359886243.pdf. [2] The Jakarta Post Dina Indrasafitri, “Glimmering ‘Songket’ Aims at Spotlight,” The Jakarta Post, accessed June 22, 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20131217082836/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/05/19/glimmering-%E2%80%98songket%E2%80%99-aims-spotlight.html. [3] Wafi Rahim, “The Production of Kain Tenunan Brunei,” The Symposium on Cultural Identity, June 2015, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325987048_The_Production_of_Kain_Tenunan_Brunei.

Philippines Spinning Spindles were mostly in hand done on long thin sticks with little to no whorl.[1] As of yet, I could find no evidence of wheels being used in period in the Philippines. Fibers are mostly cotton blends with other plants, such as abaca, pineapple, and banana fibers.[2] Woman unwinding her spindle. Her niddy noddy is hecking cool and I want one. Spindle is either two parts and the whorl can be removed or has no whorl ever. [3] References [1] John Tewell, “Woman Spinning Thread, Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Northwest Luzon, Philippines, 1920-1925,” Flickr, 1920, https://www.flickr.com/photos/johntewell/49572157051/in/photolist-2iBUxef-2iwwgdX-2dYeSvi-QKRvWU-Q6xniD-cqH8cj-7M28W7-7LXapi-aKUKJZ-2prdpZ7. [2] Arel B Sia-Ed, “Inventory and Resource Mapping of Fiber Yielding Plants in Mountain Province ,” www.ijsmsjournal.org , 2019, https://www.ijsmsjournal.org/2019/volume-2%20issue-1/ijsms-v2i1p101.pdf. [3] John Tewell, “Woman Spinning Thread, Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Northwest Luzon, Philippines, 1920-1925,” Flickr, 1920, https://www.flickr.com/photos/johntewell/49572157051/in/photolist-2iBUxef-2iwwgdX-2dYeSvi-QKRvWU-Q6xniD-cqH8cj-7M28W7-7LXapi-aKUKJZ-2prdpZ7.