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

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.

Silk Spinning – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Armenia Armenia, started by importing silk from China, but eventually had their own sericulture.[1] Sericulture 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] Bangladesh made more than 50% of textiles of the Indian subcontinent and around 40% of silks imported by the Dutch from Asia .[4] Bhutan Bhutanese do not kill the silkworm before it escapes the cocoon, so it is not a single, smooth thread.[5] This is why the silk from Bhutan is not as smooth as the silk from India or China.[6] In Brunei, 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.[7] Songket is popular in Brunei, where the fabric is intricately woven with patterns and then inlaid with silver and gold threads.[8] Brunei does not spin all the thread it uses for the weaving that it does, nor has it done so historically.[9] Cambodia 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.[10] 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.[11] China Based on their technology and exports, silk was the primary driving fiber in China. Discovered in 2640 BCE, the silk industry has been growing in China since, first limited to emperors and kings, then spreading to the upper then lower classes.[12] The industry was a jealously guarded secret for three millenia, until Japan got a hold of it.[13] India 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. Japan Most of the fabric in Japan was silk. Silk production was HUGE. Well, huge after the 4th century when Silk was available in Japan. Before that, silk was limited to China.[14] There are depictions of silk reeling being done in Japan, as silkworm rearing was done in most households. The “best” silk was still done by professionals, but most households had a steady supply after about 6th century. Kazakhstan The silk industry was thriving in Kazakhstan the middle 500 CE.[15] The silk industry was so important that when it was threatened by the Iranian silk, the king had all the Iranian silk burned[16] Loas The culture of Loas is known for a warp ikat,[17] 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.[18] Malaysian Most of what I can find on Malaysian textiles are on Songket and batik. They are cotton and silk fabrics woven with silver and gold threads and dyed beautifully. But I have no idea where those threads come from. Myanmar Pyu people of Myanmar were known to be peaceful to the extent of wearing cotton so as to not kill silkworms.[19] They still spin silk today. [20] Korea Silk made it to Korea in the 1200BC with Chinese settlers.[21] Korea was using silk to embroider things such as clothing and palace decorations that resembled spun silver in the Three Kingdoms era[22] Sri Lanka Silk is also found being processed in the homes of Sri Lankans.[23] Thailand The silk in Thailand has been dated to 1,000-300 BCE.[24] 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. Turkmenistan Turkmenistan was a bustling center of sericulture in the 4th through 7th centuries CE.[25] The agricultural people of Uzbekistan would also grow cotton and silkworms and spin on hand cranked wheels.[26] References [1] Molly Hutto, “A Single Thread, Part One: Textiles in the Near East,” Near East Relief Historical Society, April 6, 2018, https://neareastmuseum.com/2018/02/16/single-thread-part-one-textiles-near-east/. [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] Om Prakash , "Empire, Mughal Archived 18 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine ", History of World Trade Since 1450, edited by John J. McCusker , vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2006, pp. 237-240, World History in Context. Retrieved 3 August 2017 [5] “Thagzo: The Art of Weaving.” Ich Links. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?elementsUid=13916806808844150811. [6] Ibid. [7] 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. [8] 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. [9] 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. [10] Morimoto Kikuo, “Traces of War: The Revival of Silk Weaving in Cambodia,” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2002, 199–204. [11] Emily von Borsitel, Textile Arts Center, August 27, 2019, https://textileartscenter.com/feature/the-complex-art-of-cambodian-ikat/. [12] Tasdeeq Ul Islam, “The Historical Journey of Sericulture: Insights into Sustainability from Past to Present,” International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies 03, no. 09 (September 30, 2024): 719–26, https://doi.org/10.70333/ijeks-03-09-042. [13] Tasdeeq Ul Islam, “The Historical Journey of Sericulture: Insights into Sustainability from Past to Present,” International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies 03, no. 09 (September 30, 2024): 719–26, https://doi.org/10.70333/ijeks-03-09-042. [14] Patra, Rita. “History of Japanese Silk.” Patra, September 11, 2020. https://blog.patra.com/2020/09/11/history-of-japanese-silk/ . [15] Zh. B. Kundakbayeva, “The History of Kazakhstan from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Volume I. from the Earliest Period To,” dokumen.pub, 2016, https://dokumen.pub/the-history-of-kazakhstan-from-the-earliest-period-to-the-present-time-volume-i-from-the-earliest-period-to.html . [16] Ibid. [17] “Weaving of Laos,” Global InCH, accessed June 15, 2025, https://globalinch.org/craft/textiles-of-laos/. [18] Ibid. [19] Jeffrey Hays, “Pyu People and Civilization,” Facts and Details, 2008, https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Myanmar/sub5_5a/entry-2996.html. [20] Annie Owen, Woman Spinning Silk Thread on a Spinning Wheel with Bicycle Wheel, Ko Than Hlaing Weaving, Inpawkhan, Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma), Asia, January 2016, photograph, Robert Harding, January 2016, https://www.robertharding.com/preview/805-904/woman-spinning-silk-thread-spinning-wheel-bicycle-wheel/. [21] Tasdeeq Ul Islam, “The Historical Journey of Sericulture: Insights into Sustainability from Past to Present,” International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies 03, no. 09 (September 30, 2024): 719–26, https://doi.org/10.70333/ijeks-03-09-042. [22] “Korean Embroidery,” Wikipedia, March 5, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_embroidery. [23] 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. [24] 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/ . [25] “History of Turkmenistan,” Wikipedia, June 15, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Turkmenistan . [26] 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

Kyrgyzstan Spinning The nomads of Kyrgyzstan mostly spun with spindles. Even when the Kyrgyzstani people settled down so they were mostly living in cities, they continued to spin with spindles.[1] These spindles were top whorl. Which indicates that they may have been used for drop spinning, not supported spinning. Kyrgyzstan has raised cashmere goats for centuries, but only recently found an international market for the soft fiber[2] The article mentions rocks being formed to make spindles, then parts of power lines. This whorl looks like it could be from a power line…[3] References [1] Rahat Yusubalieva, “Grandmother’s Spindle (Kyrgyzstan),” cabinet, accessed June 23, 2025, https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/grandmothers-spindle-kyrgyzstan. [2] “Pamir Fiber- Manufacturing ,” Pamir Fine Fibers, accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.pamirfinefibers.ch/herstellung?lang=en. [3] Rahat Yusubalieva, “Grandmother’s Spindle (Kyrgyzstan),” cabinet, accessed June 23, 2025, https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/grandmothers-spindle-kyrgyzstan.

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 .

Indonesian Spinning Indonesian spinning wheels are called ndatar or ndtaru. The fancy ones would have one or sometimes two statues on them, usually representing Miala Ratu Nggela and Mamu Ratu Ngguku, the first human couple. It was said that they dropped from the sky in a basket of red cotton, and Miala Ratu Nggela made clothes for her husband with it, so red cotton was sacred.[1] The wheels are most like those found in Japan – they have the string tires and they are made to sit on the floor. Fancy ikat weaving dates to as early as 1000 BCE.[2] However, this weaving wasn’t industry sized, but more like hobby stuff done when they weren’t working in the fields.[3] A princess’s spinning wheel from Indonesia. Used more for ceremonial clothing than for industrial type use.[4] Super interesting figures, I’m hoping to find more! References [1] Georges Breguet, “A Sumba Spinning Wheel: An Instrument, a Work of Art and a Lesson in Philosophy,” Art of the Ancestors, February 15, 2015, https://www.artoftheancestors.com/blog/sumba-spinning-wheel-georges-breguet. [2] “Ikat,” Wikipedia, June 13, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikat. [3] Edu Lahar Pragowo, “How the Dutch Fought to Save Indonesia’s Textile Industry,” Java Private Tour, February 10, 2025, https://javaprivatetour.com/how-the-dutch-fought-to-save-indonesias-textile-industry#:~:text=By%20the%20early%2020th%20century,a%20golden%20opportunity%20for%20profit. [4] Georges Breguet, “A Sumba Spinning Wheel: An Instrument, a Work of Art and a Lesson in Philosophy,” Art of the Ancestors, February 15, 2015, https://www.artoftheancestors.com/blog/sumba-spinning-wheel-georges-breguet.

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.

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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.

Chinese Spinning 手纺 is the hanzi for spinning, and the search parameters usually have to say “-baoding.” China is known for spinning silk, but did you know that there was an “industrial style wheel” as early as 400 CE. However, that source isn’t exactly an original, so the treadle thing could be from as early as 400 CE to as late as 1000 CE. It was popularized in pre-13th century by Haung Tao-Pho, who brought the cotton industry and the treadle spinning wheel to many parts of China around the years 1295-1296. The treadle wheel allows a skilled spinner to spin 2,3, 4, or even 5 threads at one time! Okay, that’s… not entirely true. It is unclear if the primary purpose of the wheel was to spin or ply. It does both, but the intended and original purpose is unclear. These wheels are used with silk, cotton, and a bast fiber common in Asia called “ramie” (ramie is often mistranslated as linen, but was and is hugely popular in places like Japan and India, as well as China). This is done by having all the movement of the wheel be focused in the feet (unlike other Asian wheels, which are hand cranked). The foot motion is that of an oar or a bicycle, rather than the European treadle of pressing a pedal up and down. The dominant hand (for this wheel IS ambidextrous) would draft the prepared fibers, held in multiple bundles, which the non-dominant guided the threads to the wheel using a stick as a tensioning agent. While I am interested in this stick, I think it was just a simple dowel rod, no notches or anything carved, but I am still unsure. So much of this wheel comes down to how the fibers are prepped. If you have a big bar thing helping with fiber preparation (it’s in some of the drawings), it’s part of the silk processing process. This was NOT COMMON in the early years. Well, why not? The quality wasn’t as consistent and the preferred method was the single thread doubling done on the hand cranked wheel. The other fiber this wheel is really good at is the ramie, the bast fiber. Those fibers and long and needed twisting more than spinning, and would have come pre-spliced and often on little balls that sat in front of the wheel. Cotton had to first be made into roving, and is a much shorter draw, making continuous spinning more difficult (though not impossible). A replica of a Chinese wheel, as used by its creator. D iagram showing a period Chinese woman plying 2 threads at once (so 4 threads go down to 2), with notations to guide the reader in the article On the mathematics of spinning, which I did not understand. Also shown more modern Chinese woman spinning 2 threads at once using the same type of wheel. It shows how the wheel is perpendicular to the user. Chinese woman spining on small table wheel. This style of wheel was more the "domestic style" wheel that was used in non industrial settings. We have evidence of this wheel being found as early as 200 BCE in "certain regions" of China (I'm afraid that I do not know what regions those are). References Lung, Chien. “A Chinese Woman Spinning.” Guache on Paper, 1736. Meisterdrucke. Li, S.-W., Shi, K., Wang, M.-J., and Yao, Y.-A.: Structural analysis of ancient Chinese textile mechanisms, Mech. Sci., 13, 625–634, https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-13-625-2022 , 2022. “The Very First Spinning Wheels?” New Zealand Spinning Wheels and their makers, May 18, 2017. https://nzspinningwheels.wordpress.com/the-very-first-spinning-wheels.

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/ .