Spin like you're Scottish - plying on the whorl-less spindle

*****dealgan, farsadh, fairsaid*****

Gaelic names for Scottish hand spindles*

*To pronounce aloud, watch my video (below) where Dr. Wayne Harbert pronounces 3 in Gaelic: 

    Spin like you're Scottish youtube videos 

The history of the Scots before and after their defeat at the Battle of Culloden (1746 CE) fascinates me.  Since I am mainly interested in the spinning and weaving lives of women through the centuries, I've been re-creating and spin-testing the unusual whorl-less spindles found in the remote Highlands and Islands of Scotland, as well as those which went to Canada with early Scottish settlers of remote areas in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island, among others.  There is also one 'sighting' in the eastern Appalachians where the Scots-Irish settled.

What makes these more important than most historical spindles is that they are the vanishing-technology relics of a culture that was harshly suppressed by the British after the Battle of Culloden, along with their Gaelic language, dress (-think kilts-) and customs. In fact, as I started this study, much of the information about these spindles came from North America, not Scotland itself.  Like the Gaelic language, there were more surviving users in North America, where many Scots settled to escape poverty, starvation and even death in their homelands. One sad aspect of my research was that I was about 2 generations too late to find active users of these spindle types.

How does the Gaelic whorl-less spindle work?  What was it used for?

Plying on the Dealgan, Step by Step

For video instructions go to my YouTube video here.

1. Winding two singles yarn balls into one plying ball

2. Wind yarn from plying ball three times
 around dealgan

3. From top of wound section, follow yarn to bottom
 and go thru one side of cross.

4. Spin yarn in opposite direction to singles  spin to ply.
Wind plied yarn onto dealgan obliquely.
(same as for nostepinne wind on)

5. Slide cop up and off the
narrow top of the
dealgan
(When plied yarn cop
becomes too heavy to rotate
the spindle quickly,
stop and lay yarn end on top

6. Cop is a firm ball that
pulls from outside or
from yarn inside.

What was the Dealgan used for?

The last remembered use for the Dealgan/Farsadh/Fairsaid is for plying two or more yarns together.  The only detailed surviving description of plying is found in an article by Mrs. Mary Red Dan Smith in Cape Bretons Magazine found here:

Cape Bretons Magazine, 1979/6/1 pages 22-23

These plied yarns were used in knitting socks, mittens and hats.  Plied and unplied singles yarns were used in weaving.  Another source from the 1880's mentions making plied twine for fishing nets (perhaps the spindle for this is spelled 'Persaid').  When examining pictures from the late 1800's-early 1900's it is clear that some Outer Hebrides women are using carded wool rolags to spin singles woolen yarn on elongated whorl-less spindles of the dealgan type.  

How old is the Dealgan/Farsadh/Fairsaid?

The earliest museum-dated Dealgan is found in the Glasgow Museum in Edinburgh. It is recorded as being from the 1700's and was collected on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. (In my 'Spin like you're Scottish' video, you will see a re-creation of this hand-carved spindle in use.) There is a good possibility that this spindle type is much earlier than the 1700's.  I suspect the spindle shape could be a much older Gaelic type with few survivors in museums or in archaeological digs.  The search goes on for more. Many surviving dealgans were made from memory in the 1900s or are simply undateable vintage or antique examples.

The Whorl-less design and variations

The most common design features among Dealgan surviving spindles:

1. Cone shaped body
2. Small knob at the narrow top
3. A cross cut into the bottom, with a small v groove climbing up the sides
4. Weight of about 28 grams/1 ounce
5. No whorl
6. Yarn cop in the form of a obliquely wound ball.

This spindle shape must have the leader yarn wound on in a specific way (see above) so it doesn't slip off the spindle when snapped/rotated around.  Other variations of shape for Scottish Dealgans/Farsadh/Fairsaids do exist, but most need the typical 'Dealgan' wind-on to work as stable spindles.  The precise meaning of the Gaelic "spindle" words is not known.  These names may refer to both whorl-less spindles and spindles with removable whorls. Both whorled and whorl-less spindles are found in collections in Scotland and in North America's northern East Coast. 

Where to find modern examples of Dealgan/Farsadh/Fairsaid spindles

You will find copies of re-created Dealgan spindles for sale in my Etsy shop here:

missingspindle.etsy.com

If they are sold, please contact me THRU ETSY MESSAGES to get on the order list. I ship to assorted countries - just ask me.

If you are in the UK, Neil Whiteley is also making old-style Dealgans here:
NiddyNoddyUK.etsy.com

My research is ongoing and I am always glad to hear of further information or surviving examples of these fascinating and sturdy whorl-less spindles.
Sincere thanks to the Curators and staff of:
Glasgow Museums Resource Center, Scotland; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Canada; Gaelic College Museum, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada; Dr. Wayne Harbert, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Sincere thanks also to Ravelry forum group members of 'Spindle Lore' for their helpful discussions of whorl-less spindles, especially those who shared family memories of these spindles online and thru personal communications.

Lois Swales

Notes for Modern Spinners on using Dealgans / Farsadhs

Many modern spinners pride themselves on very finely spun singles.  However, our ancestral spinsters had to spin varying sizes of yarn, depending on use and type of fleece they had access to.  The dealgans/farsadhs last remembered usage includes knitting yarns, rug wefts and plied net twines.  Many of these are what we would consider medium weight singles yarns.  The Dealgan beah (little spindle) of Mary Red Dan Smith is a plying spindle and quite short.  The spinster will be able to fit 2-3 ounces of plied yarn on this short spindle, but the actual yarn ball will be grasped for the last half of the flicking to make twist as the yarn ball gains in weight and circumference.  This little spindle is fun for plying (it fits in my pocket…….) but not my favorite for singles spinning.  That is not the case for the two types of spindles that the Burnham's collected on Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island, Canada.  These spindles are far more elongated and are useful for both plying knitting yarns and for spinning singles yarns of wool.  There is one clear picture from the late 1890's taken in South Uist, Outer Hebrides where the spinster is clearly spinning on this elongated type from carded wool rolags.  When you choose to revive spinning on these sturdy spindles, you walk in the footsteps of determined Scots women who led lives of sturdy independence, often on very remote islands and coastlines, whether in the Outer Hebrides or the remote coastlines of fishing communities in Canada.

'Carding Wool like a Ghost' YouTube video

I've wanted to share the type of long draw wool spinning I learned from famed spinster Edna Blackburn long ago (1970) in Ontario, Canada at her Albion Hills Farm School. More about her here.  Few now do the type of English long draw I learned there.  While I have taught this technique many times in person, I wanted to try sharing this over the internet without being able to touch your hands as you tried it out. It often utilizes shorter wools, rather than the longer wools suitable for wool combing.

You'll find my video on Youtube "Carding Wool like a Ghost" as a companion video to "Spin like a Ghost"

Long Draw technique is either exactly like or similar to 'Double Drafting' and my terminology 'Half Yarn' and involves stretching wool fibers that have some twist inserted, but not enough to make finished, unstretchy yarn.  At the 'half yarn' stage, the wool can be stretched farther to make the fiber thin out very quickly to the size desired.  As the fibers thin out, the yarn becomes weaker, since the twist required to make a strong yarn is being 'used up' as the yarn becomes thinner.  The major rule of more twist for thin yarn and less twist for thicker yarns is prime spinster science here.  It takes practice to gain a feel for timing of twist entering the wool keeping the 'drafting' zone alive and unfinished for quite a long length - it could be 2-3 feet before it has 'finishing' twist entered into the extenuated draft zone to make a strong final yarn.

This technique is frequently seen in hand spindle spinning and wheel spinning videos around the world. One that exhibits wool wheel (muckle) spinning can be seen here.  This is from Irish videographer David Shaw-smith and is part of a craft series of great importance to historical spinning. This particular segment shows an ancient technique on a primitive wool wheel with a wooden spindle in Ireland often called a muckle wheel.  It surely must be a rare survival of the walking wheel techniques of the Middle Ages, such as is seen the Luttrell Psalter and Decretals manuscript illustrations.

The long draw technique is not exclusive to carded rolls or rolags, but it is often used with them.  It is very helpful if these rolls are light and fluffy, hence the companion videos of carding wool and long draw spinning. It is also very helpful if the wool fibers are shorter - 3.5 inches or shorter.

When long draw spinning is done on a treadle wheel the main difference between walking/great wheel and treadle wheel is the pace of twist delivery.  On a treadle wheel, the twist delivery is fairly constant if the spinner continues to treadle.  This means that controlling 'half yarn' typically needs two hands - one at the bottom near the orifice to open and shut the pinch 'gate' so that half yarn can be drawn out.  When the lower hand pinch 'gate' is opened fully, the half yarn is finished and wound onto the bobbin.  This takes well prepped fibers and consistent rhythm in treadling and hand coordination.  Ruth Mcgregor is a genius at this HERE.

I hope these videos will help you to achieve a deeper understanding of long draw/half yarn done in the ancient style.  Sincerely, missingspindle / Lois Swales

PS: One advantage of being me is that I make ALL the MISTAKES.  I learn from them and try to share everything unpleasant that might happen to a spinner trying a new technique.  I may not be the best spinster in the world, but I am so very very knowledgable about spinning tragedies………...

'Spin like a Ghost' posted to YouTube

My YouTube video:
'Spin like a Ghost' is Here (https://youtu.be/oOEMx5nFV1M)

In which I use an 1808 CE Great (or Walking) Wheel to spin wool into woolen style yarn.

Ghostly Work in the Granger Pioneer House.  The Granger family settled in Wayne County in 1812. Mr. Granger's first wife died at a young age around 1825, leaving small children behind.  At that time, many pioneers were settling in areas half water/swamp and half drumlin hilly farm land. Mosquitos brought fevers, especially yellow fever to many. Mr. Granger remarried the next year and lived in this field stone house until he moved to Michigan in the 1840's. We purchased his house in the early 1980's.  I don't particularly believe in ghosts.  However, one night when I was sleeping in the old part of the house, near the oldest fireplace, I woke up screaming from a vivid dream.  There was a woman in the shadowy part of the room dressed in a brown dress with a rather high waist.  She was advancing towards me.  She didn't want me there, hence the (real time) screaming.  Once I was fully awake, I saw no more ghost.  I never slept in that room again, however.

A few years later, I encountered the 1808 wheel for sale in the same small town.  It came from the Granger sisters, who were descendants of the same large pioneer family and never threw anything out.  This 1808 wheel has characteristics of finely made wheels coming from Pennsylvania, especially the developed areas near Philadelphia, PA.  The Grangers migrated from New England thru Phelps NY.  But it is hard to say if other pioneers married into the family and the wheel came with them, or it was purchased from someone with PA connections in the area.

I love the fine quality of this wheel.  It is very stable with undamaged wheel bearings, handmade screw nut to hold the wheel in place and an interesting tensioning feature with a heart-shaped handmade screw at the bottom of the drive head post.  It was missing the drive head, which the Granger sisters could not find.  Not an uncommon problem.  There is no Maker's Mark on the wheel table, only No. 157, and the date 1808. (NOTE: the loom behind the wheel was part of the inheritance of a different pioneer family from Phelps NY.  It is a late 1700's/early 1800's linen weaver's loom. It still had the last warp on it when found (a rag rug) and string heddles.  It also came up from Pennsylvania to NYS.)

Spin like you're Medieval posted to my YouTube channel

I am happy to announce a new Historical spinning video on my YouTube channel:

Spin like you're Medieval YouTube video

Spin like you're Medieval

In five minutes, I demo the small spindles of the 11th-14th centuries in England (especially the area around York, England).  This area seems to have retained the tradition of these short spindles for several centuries.  The influence is Anglo-Norse.  Exactly what these little spindles were used for is the real question.  Unlike today, very fine yarns were likely to have mainly been used in singles form for weaving.  But the Coppergate surviving spindles have a nok both top and bottom, which makes them a puzzle.  Two-ply yarns could easily have been plied on them.  Two-ply yarn in that time period would have been needed for sewing thread, tablet weaving warps, embroidery thread and braiding strands, but not for knitting, which has not appeared in England yet.  The illuminations from the 1300's (Luttrell Psalter and Decretals of Gregory IX) show short spindles with compact round cops on them.  As an Independent Researcher I must wonder what the advantages are of such a form.  Hence the experiments with the recreated spindles and test swoping out of many whorls.  I have 'more to say' but have to go back to the lathe right now!!!! More spindles, more spindles.  My Etsy shop is thirsty (missingspindle.etsy.com)

I edited this video from the raw footage that my daughter, Tammy Swales, was kind enough to shoot while we celebrated first my birthday, and then hers.  We had a great deal of fun working together, as you might see in the video.  We are somewhat dangerous together; sometimes things spin out of control……...I am slowly learning to do my own video editing, but it is a big learning curve.  I hope I am improving in doing these.

There is another video upcoming, "Spin like you're Scottish", probably ready in early Fall.  I have to combine my research and the timing of the videos.  I am still frantically researching and testing out spindle shapes.  To say nothing of coming up with some sort of historical costuming. I am known to be 'frumpy' in the modern world.  It turns out I am just as frumpy as a re-enactor in costume!

PS: The blue wool on the distaff is commercially, chemically dyed the most radiant blue.  I am quite certain it is not the least bit Medieval in hue.  But it stands out so well visually.

Lois

Spinning a Heavy Cop using Oseberg Distaff

Viking-style

 I've been asked by viewers for longer visuals on the use of the hand distaff in action while spinning wool and I also wanted to show a Viking Oseberg-style drop spindle in use when it is getting very heavy.

Clip of missingspindle using an Oseberg Hand Distaff
See Link below.

Here's the link to the video on my Flickr account.
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/29553597@N07/16384579277/in/photostream/) you might have to click twice - I'm an amateur at setting this up.

In this demo, the spindle wool cop weighs 3 ounces, and the spindle shaft weighs 1/2 ounce.  It is getting too heavy for me to easily spin.  I use method B to attach the yarn each time, going around the bottom of the cop before I half hitch the yarn to the nok.  The distaff has drum-carded Romney wool mounted on it, as seen in my YouTube videos.  The red leader and white Romney yarn are to help you see the path of the yarn as it is spun and attached to the cop.

The Flickr video is shot against a red Japanese maple tree and I am wearing a Medieval Liripipe hood but using a Viking Oseberg-style spindle.  I am also sitting backwards on the top of a ladder (not recommended, safety-wise) to match the level of the first-time videographer, who is standing in the back of a pickup truck trying to hold the video camera (high quality $70 point and shoot camera bought cheaply ;-)).  This is my first foray into providing simple how-I-do-it to my students and customers.

I've chosen not to provide this on YouTube with my professionally shot instructional videos.  Those are here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjUCUOUGq_WC-sv2N_qfIhpJDi8LbR-9U

Comments are welcome.  More short videos to come as I master the mysteries of making and uploading.

I will also point out that the Greek and Roman hand distaffs (distaves) would likely use the same movements, those most seem to be shorter than the Oseberg.

And, I forgot to mention, I am Left Hand Dominant.  If you are Right Hand Dominant and want to do this, think of yourself as looking in a mirror.  In other words, you might like to hold the Distaff in your left hand……….

Lois Swales, missingspindle Spinster

Handling the Hand Distaff

Dressing Wool Viking, Roman & Greek Style

Blog Instructions to go with the "Spin Like a Viking" YouTube video by missingspindle. I've uploaded a (non-professional) video of this distaff type in action on my Flickr account here:
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/29553597@N07/16384579277/in/photostream/) You might have to click twice-I'm am amateur.
You can find the Oseberg-style distaffs (distaves) for sale in my Etsy shop missingspindle.etsy.com.

The Distaff, sometimes called the Roc or Rock, is an ancient and ubiquitous tool throughout history used in spinning wool fibers into yarn on a spindle.  With the invention of the spinning wheel and the advent of the Industrial Revolution, its use gradually vanished in urbanized Western Europe and the USA.  With the craft revival(s) of the 20th and 21st centuries, many techniques have been devised to prepare and control wool fibers while hand spinning.  The trouble is, the wooden wool distaff has been ignored, even though it is a delightfully effective tool for controlling wool fiber while spinning.  It acts as a third hand.  The binding cord holds back the upper wool fiber and creates 'drag' on the lower fibers, making pulling out the right amount per draft much easier and more accurate for the spinster.

There are three basic 'sizes' of the distaff:  Hand, Waist and Free Standing. I am going to concentrate on the Hand Distaff below.

The Hand Distaff is manipulated as it is held in the hand.  It is shorter and lighter than the Waist Distaff (which is tucked in the belt in use) and far more portable than the tall free-standing distaff.  The Viking Oseberg ship grave find contained at least two hand distaffs (distaves), the larger of which I recreated to study.  The larger Oseberg original was 19" long (Quite possibly designed for bast/flax fibers at that length, but I wanted to work with wool here.). It was not found "dressed", so no proof of what fiber was used.).  I resized mine to use with drum-carded wool batts, which were pulled in half to fit comfortably on a hand distaff of 16-17", with the bottom wool draping over my holding hand. 

I found that the narrow hand distaff style of the Oseberg (and some of the Roman and Greek grave finds/images) suits long fibered wool (over 3"- 4-5" is pleasant to use) combed or drum carded so that the long length of the fibers is bound longways to the distaff staff.   The Oseberg hand distaff has features that make the mounting and spinning off of the fibers much easier than using a simple straight stick. The distaff carries several batts easily and keeps them in good order even in windy conditions.  The spindle tucks into the cross binding tape/string when the Distaff is not in use.  It is sized to fit in a large bag and quick to grab when traveling by car.  It is easy to use in a car and small enough not to assault other travels when in use in small spaces.  It suits my modern spinning life very well, as it must have done for millions of women working inside and outside their homes throughout history.

Dressing the Hand Distaff with Wool

1. Prepare or purchase drum-carded batts of wool.  Several can be dressed on a hand distaff; I generally use two or three.
2. Obtain a binding cord or tape.  Spinsters in the past have used cotton tape, wool tape (narrow), coarse wool braid (3 strand or more), and sturdy twine.  The cord should be three times the height of the hand distaff.  It can be trimmed shorter if necessary.
3. Lay the pile of batts, fanned out at the bottom and narrowed at the top, under the distaff.  Larks' head the end of the binding cord or tape to the narrow groove at the top of the distaff.
   
    
4. Gather the top of the batt so that it is compressed and slightly higher than the top of the distaff.  Wrap the binding cord firmly two or three times around the distaff tightly over the wool.  Spiral down the distaff (firmly again) until the binding cord is about 2-3 inches from the 'knuckle' at the top of the hand hold bottom area.
   
   
   
   
5. Spiral back up to the top grooves, where the cord will be half hitched two times to hold.
6. Spin the wool from the bottom of the distaff, using your distaff-holding hand for both holding the distaff and for pulling down wool as needed.  Both hands work together for this task.
   
7. When a length of yarn has been spun, wind the fresh yarn around your distaff-holding hand in preparation of winding it onto the storage area of your spindle.  
8. Begin again from no. 6, being certain that you rotate the distaff so that the wool is spun up evenly, level by level.  
9. Adjust and retie the binding cord so that the wool is tied lower toward the distaff hand area as the wool batt becomes smaller.  
   
   Eventually you will be holding the distaff higher on the shaft to 'reach' the last wool tied there.
10. Remove the last bit of unspun wool and binding cord.  Begin with fresh wool batts and redress the distaff.

The Shriveled Whorl Turns

  the sticky details

Temporary whorls of potatoes or dried fruit for lightweight spindles are mentioned from time to time. Usually they show up associated with really light spindle sticks.

When you begin to spin with a really lightweight spindle stick, it doesn't revolve very long with a flick; you work really really hard to make enough twist. A simple, fast, removable fix is to put something heavy at the bottom that will add temporary weight that you pull off as the yarn you make gets heavy enough to add more weight to the stick.

Potatoes

Raw potatoes are better than cooked potatoes, especially in mashed potato form, though deep-fried crispy spheres might work. A raw round potato works best; weight  30 grams (one ounce) or less.  Over-weight potatoes can be down-sized with a knife and offer opportunities to try out different whorl profiles as well.
Details on weights below:
Potato: Red, fresh: 30.2 grams, 1 3/4" diameter; 1 3/4" height
Andean Spindle stick shaft: 5.8 grams
Andean wooden whorl: 6.4 grams
Total weight, stick+wood whorl+red potato=  42.4 grams

Inserting whorl on the spindle stick was a bit, well, juicy.  I started with a thin skewer puncture and followed by jamming the potato whorl on the bottom of the spindle.  It spun pretty well; just a bit unbalanced, but not as bad as the 40.9 grams ovoid potato, which felt like it was limping as it revolved.  Also too heavy for my taste.

How long can you use a potato whorl?  

Growth and Shriveledge is a problem.

Potatoes shrivel at room temperature, when punctured.  The 30.2 gram potato weighed 23 grams after whorled for 3 weeks or so.













The main problem was that both potatoes began growing sprouts, which gave strange rotational quirks as they increased in size and interfered with whorl location on the stick.

Other dried root vegetables would probably work.

Dried Fruit Whorls

The type of dried fruit selected has to have a round profile either spherical or discoid.  The two I selected were Dried Figs and Dried Apricots. Dried fruits definitely leave a sticky residue on the bottom of the spindle stick.  Doesn't bode well for the future cleanliness of the spindle stick.

Dried Fig was squeezed into round shape; it weighed 26.8 grams - nice weight but a bit bumpy in rotation; the stem didn't help.

Dried Sulfured Apricots were discoid shaped.

 I squeezed them more ovoid and stacked two together.  I ate part of the third one, which made it half-moon shaped so I couldn't use it.  The two dried apricots weighed 8.4 grams and 10.0 grams for a total of 18.4 grams.  I shouldn't have eaten the third apricot.

Spun quite well, but was the stickiest of all the temporary whorls.

Should you eat a temporary whorl?

They get a fibery coating and pick up dirt and dust.  Not sanitary at all.  I heartily recommend not eating them after they convert to whorls. They can only be compost after time spent as whorls. For a totally compostable spindle and whorl, perhaps experiments with celery sticks and apricots.  I haven't gotten that far yet.

Is this a joke, or can you learn something from doing this?

The truth is, especially with something you can carve into different shapes and weights, a lot can be learned about what weight works best as you fill up a spindle to capacity with yarn.  When to remove the whorl; what shapes/weights revolve best for the fiber length and spin you are working with; when you have enough yarn weight to remove a whorl entirely and continue spinning with a 'yarn whorl'.  Messing about changing the whorls' weights also gave me insight into the Goodness of a very light spindle.  It means more yarn can be piled on before it becomes way too heavy.  For me that usually is 3 ounces suspended. If I 'cheat' at the end and start using it supported, then at least another ounce can be added if I have a spindle stick long enough to absorb it.