Spindle (textiles)

A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a wooden spike (or shaft) that has at one end a weight, mostly a circular whorl.

Spindel with spike (b) and whorl (c)

Sometimes it has a hook at either end of the spike. It is used for spinning wool and other fibres into thread. Spindles or parts of them have been found in very, very old archaeological sites; they may represent one of the earliest pieces of technology available to humankind.