Viking history co-op. Week 2: Clothing (Spinning)

Week 2: We spun wool into yarn.

The Vikings wore warm clothes made of wool sheared from sheep. The book Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tommie de Paola does an excellent job of explaining the process of making clothes from sheep to cloak.

Beginning with clean wool, the wool was combed with wool carders to remove even more dirt and straighten the fibers. Wool carders are like big hair brushes with metal bristles. A dog brush can serve as a cheap carding tool for kids who want to try it out. I have purchased several products on-line from Mielke's Fiber and recommend them for trying these activities.

 

After wool sheared from a sheep has been cleaned and carded, it can be spun into yarn. Spinning yarn is actually quite simple as the only thing done is twisting the fibers. Wool can be spun by hand (as the girls are doing above), with a hand-held spindle, with a spinning wheel or using a machine.

During the time of the Vikings, wool was spun using drop spindles made from wood, bone or metal. There are several different types, but all work basically the same way. They have a rod to wind the yarn around, a disk to aid in spinning, and a hook to hold the yarn while the spindle is spun. The spindle above was made from an old CD.

Youtube has some great tutorials such as How to Spin Yarn with a Drop Spindle shown above.

Sometimes it's easier to learn to spin with a partner. One person can spin the spindle while the other can use their hands to learn the fiber pulling techniques.

After the time of the Vikings, advancements were made in technology and the spinning wheel was created. Early wheels were large and spun with the hand usually by walking a few steps forward an backward near the wheel. Professional spinners could walk miles a day next to the spinning wheel.

Later wheels introduced foot power. As the wheel I was using above was spun by the feet, fiber was pulled into the device. My hands were busy pulling the fiber in exactly the same way it was done on a drop spindle to prepare it for being twisted. Therefore, the hands and feet work simultaneously with a spinning wheel.

To read more about our hands-on educational activities please visit our Arts and Crafts Page and History Page.

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