|
Top / High Whorl Spindle
A top-whorl spindle is also a suspended spindle and has the whorl at the top of the shaft and is usually  lightweight. There is a hook on top of the spindle just above the whorl for catching the yarn. Top-whorl spindles rotate at a higher speed (high-whorl spindle),which makes them ideal for spinning thin yarn and fine fibres. It is believed that the top whorl spindle originated in the Middle East
Bottom / Low Whorl Spindle
This type of spindle is commonly referred to as the drop spindle. The whorl is located at the bottom of the shaft and there is either a hook or a notch at the top of the shaft to catch the yarn. The spun yarn is wound onto the shaft directly above the whorl. The bottom-whorl spindle is a suspended spindle and is best suited for spinning thicker yarns and heavier fibres. With the weight at the bottom of the shaft, the spindle will spin slower (low-whorl spindle). Therefore, a bottom-whorl spindle is too heavy and too slow for spinning thin yarn and soft fibre. The spindle rotates freely suspended from the yarn leaving both hands free to hold and draft the fibre. The spun yarn is released from the notch of the spindle and wound onto the staff directly above the whorl.
|
Spindles