Handspinning is women’s history

Women have been spinning fiber into thread, yarn, and rope for thousands of years. The earliest spindles, a rock with a spun fiber tied to it, were probably invented in the Paleolithic period, around 20,000 years ago.

Ancient Greek women spun wool or linen for woven cloth used in textiles and sails for the naval ships. Viking women spun Icelandic wool for nautical ropes.

The spinning wheel, probably invented in the Islamic World in the 11th or 12th century and coming to India, China, and Europe in the 1300s, began to mechanize the process. This eventually gave women some economic independence. Women could sell their spun fiber directly to weavers, earning their own income.