For centuries, the handspindle played a role in producing thread and yarn. It is still a tool used in parts of the world today. The form and function of the spindle is basically the same everywhere. It has a very simple design consisting of a shaft and a weight. The materials used to make the spindle in the past consisted of whatever was readily available at the time. The majority of the spindles available today, have wooden shafts with a wooden disc as the whorl (weight). Choosing the type of spindle to use, will be determined by the type of yarn you want to produce, and the type of fiber being used.

This item is a lot of 5 wooden Spindles used by the pre-Columbian Chancay culture in North Central Peru. One of the spindles has a central cylindrical whorl. There are thread remnants on two of the spindles. Some of the spindles have splits or other damage in the wood, as expected for wooden artifacts with an age of 500 - 1200 years.