Distaff

By Crusader1307

A Distaff was the common means used during Spinning, by which the unspun, unprocessed fiber was wrapped and tied into place – on a spear-like Staff. Held in place by resting against the non-spinning arm, a section or thread of the fiber was pulled down into The Spindle, for weaving. As such, the thread could be constantly fed into The Spindle. Normally, a Distaff was around 3-feet long. When The Spinning Wheel was invented, a Distaff was still employed – but along a much smaller size.