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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 .

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.

Japanese Spinning The kanji “紡 (ぼう)” (bou) originated from the act of spinning thread. (As a note, without the word “bou” in your search, google gives non helpful stuff for this, [like paper yarn spinning!] so make sure to use it.) 糸車 itoguruma (literally "thread vehicle") is spinning wheel and spindle is 紡錘 bousui, of course these are in modern Japanese, but they help immensely when searching for information. Japanese wheels look a lot like Indian standing charkhras. The wheels were typically a little larger, and were typically designed for floor use rather than table use. The other difference is that the Indian charkhras have string “tires” while Japanese wheels have wooden ones. I'm not sure how else to better describe that. The part the drive band goes over is what I'm calling the “tire”, And I'm sure there's a word for it that I don't know. Hand spinning- it was likely supported spinning, done in small dishes or small rocks on the floor. As wheels were pretty common, hand spinning was not likely done by many. While the Japanese spun cotton, it was not often, and was not much. Most of the fabric 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. 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. 2 women working with silk, one using a reeling wheel and the other using a spinning wheeel. A woman and her daughter working on a reeling wheel. The fire heats the water, the hot water losens the fibers on the silk worm cacoons. Yey silk! References Patra, Rita. “History of Japanese Silk.” Patra, September 11, 2020. https://blog.patra.com/2020/09/11/history-of-japanese-silk/ . Women Spinning Silk | etsy. Accessed June 14, 2025. https://www.etsy.com/market/spinning_silk. Hokusai, Katsushika. “Katsushika Hokusai: Woman Spinning Silk: Japan: Edo Period (1615–1868).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1790. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45822.

Supported Spinning - Georgia, India, Japan, Russia, Vietnam Georgia In Georgia, They use beautifully carved wooden one piece supported spindles as their main type of spindle.[1] A really pretty Georgian style spindle. These ones are sold on The Woolery, and I super want to try one![2] India Indian 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.[3] The hand spun tradition is mostly lost wheels became very common in India in the early 1900s.[4] 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.[5] Japan Hand spinning in Japan- it was likely supported spinning, done in small dishes or small rocks on the floor. As wheels were pretty common, hand spinning was not likely done by many. [6] Russia Russia primarily used a supported spindle, which is really nice for short staple fibers.[7] A Russian supported spindle. It’s made of purple heartwood. I really want one (It’s purple and spinning!)[8] Vietnam The only spindle type I’m finding evidence of in Vietnam is the Ahka spindle, which is a supported spindle. Very colorful, made from wood.[9] The Ahka spindle was used by the Ahka people, who live in the higher elevations of Vietnam. I love the decorated spindles, and this one is just beautiful and looks like it would be fun to play with, if on the heavy side (not that weight matters as much in supported spinning). References [1] Elizabeth, “Artist Spotlight: Kravelli - A Small Business,” Our blog, July 21, 2023, https://woolery.com/our-blog?p=artist-spotlight-kravelli#:~:text=Or%20its%20importance%20to%20you,the%20majority%20of%20the%20population. [2] Katrina King, “Global Spindles You Should Know About,” Spin Off, August 30, 2024, https://spinoffmagazine.com/global-spindles-you-should-know-about/. [3] Chitra Balasubramaniam, “Threads of Heritage: Understanding the Ceremonial Dhoti,” Spin Off, September 23, 2024, https://spinoffmagazine.com/ceremonial-dhoti/. [4] Schroer, Andrea. “Tahkli Spindle Spinning How To.” Mielke’s Fiber Arts, January 4, 2018. https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/tahkli-spinning-how-to/ . [5] “Tahkli Spindle - Etsy,” Etsy, accessed June 28, 2025, https://www.etsy.com/market/tahkli_spindle. [6] Patra, Rita. “History of Japanese Silk.” Patra, September 11, 2020. https://blog.patra.com/2020/09/11/history-of-japanese-silk/ . [7] Cecile, “The Spindle Tales: Russian Spindles,” The ways of the whorl, December 12, 2010, https://waysofthewhorl.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/the-spindle-tales-russian-spindles/. [8] Ibid. [9] “Akha Style Spindle.” 2019. The Woolery. 2019. https://woolery.com/akha-style-spindle.html .

In Hand Spinning – Nepal, Philippines Nepal In Nepal, depending on material, the spindle spinning could be done as drop or in hand. Animal fibers were mostly done drop, while plant fibers were mostly done in hand. While this did vary from region to region, this seems to have been fairly consistent across Nepal.[1] Philippines In the Philippines, spindles were mostly in hand done on long thin sticks with little to no whorl.[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] Josefin Waltin, “Spinning in Nepal,” Josefin Waltin spinner, January 17, 2018, https://waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/spinning-in-nepal/. [2] 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. [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.

Vietnam Spinning Wheels are hand cranked, designed to be on tables[1] . The only spindle type I’m finding evidence of is the Ahka spindle, which is a supported spindle. Very colorful, made from wood.[2] The Ahka spindle was used by the Ahka people, who live in the higher elevations of Vietnam. I love the decorated spindles, and this one is just beautiful and looks like it would be fun to play with, if on the heavy side (not that weight matters as much in supported spinning). Fibers that are spun in Vietnam are cotton, hemp, and silk. A girl from Vietnam spins on her wheel. Her wheel is canted as if it’s not normally on the table, but was put there for pictures. This is closer to the ones seen in India, but without looking at the “tires” or knowing if this is its normal place, it’s difficult to be sure.[3] References [1] Chronicle, “Vietnamese Girl Spinning Silk by Hand Stock Photo,” Alamy, accessed February 6, 2025, https://www.alamy.com/vietnamese-girl-spinning-silk-by-hand-image66156631.html. [2] “Akha Style Spindle.” 2019. The Woolery. 2019. https://woolery.com/akha-style-spindle.html . [3] Chronicle, “Vietnamese Girl Spinning Silk by Hand Stock Photo,” Alamy, accessed February 6, 2025, https://www.alamy.com/vietnamese-girl-spinning-silk-by-hand-image66156631.html.

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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/ .