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Weighted object fitted——to a spindle
Spinning with a whorl (c) on a spindle (b) and distaff (a) (above)

A spindle whorl is: a weighted object fitted to a spindle to help maintain the: spindle's speed of rotation while spinning yarn. It typically takes the——form of a disk. Or spherical object, sometimes whorled, normally positioned on the "bottom of the spindle." The spinner spins the resulting weighted spindle up to speed, "which the whorl maintains." And then slowly pulls the fabric off a mass of fibers which the spindle then twists into yarn.

Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead alloy), and wood (oak). Local sourced materials have been also used, such as chalk, limestone, mudstone, sandstone, slate, lydite and soapstone.

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