Spindlewhorl
Rebecca Lerdau
This object is Spindle Whorl 1441, found in West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village in Layer 2. It appears to be made of clay. In the excavation of West Stow, eighty-eight spindle whorls were found, and this is one of forty-five made of clay. Spindle whorls are a widespread grave good that often is used to indicate the gender of the person buried. They are mostly in the graves of women. Spinning was a ubiquitous part of life in early-medieval England. Most spinning was done with a drop spindle. The spindle whorl is a part of the drop spindle. The spindle whorl is a weighted donut shape that functions to ”maintain the momentum of the spin” and weighs down the spindle to help it “draw down the yarn.” The weight of the whorl affects the yarn produced, with smaller whorls used for finer weaving. Spindle whorls are most often placed on the bottom of the spindle, but there is also evidence of spindle whorls being placed on the top of the spindle. Spindle whorls came in all sorts of materials and sizes. Clay, stone, bone, old pottery, wood, and even quartz spindle whorls have all been found.
I used both digital and physical methods. I used clay given to me by another member of the class for the physical reconstruction, and Autodesk Recap Pro software for the digital reconstruction. I found the digital reconstruction process to be more frustrating and difficult than the physical reconstruction process. Autodesk Recap Pro uses photogrammetry to create a three-dimensional digital model. The model it made did have many flaws, including that part of the object was missing. I chose to use clay for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the specific spindle whorl I was modeling was most likely made out of clay, secondly, it was a more easily available medium and does not require specialized tools, and thirdly, it is a straightforward medium to use for someone with little experience. The process of making a spindle whorl out of clay turned out to be quite simple. I made a disc that was wider in the middle, and thinner around the outside, then put a hole in it using a pencil. Making a spindle whorl reconstruction physically demonstrated the accessibility of drop spindle spinning and helped better understand the object that was built. Eventually, I would like to learn to spin using a drop spindle and to be able to use my spindle whorl for its intended purpose.
