History of Yarn
One of our favorite items here (yarn) has no origin date. Some ancient European yarn
artifacts have been carbon dated back roughly 20,000 years. All over the world during this time
period, every society was experimenting with early textiles. Could this plant be made into fiber? What
happens if I use this animal's fur? Going back to the stone age we can see artifacts made from
animal hides, grasses and reeds. These materials made baskets,
nets, mats and even belts. As time kept moving, Ancient
Egyptians were making the best linen. India was more excited
about cotton. China and its silk had, and still does, have the world
captivated! Central Asia was profiting off of wool and making
trades across the world. The textile industry only grew and
benefited off of trade routes and by sharing customs and methods
to artisans worldwide.
How did these innovative people make yarn? Early versions of
the spindle was simply a stick with a small notch and a rock. Early
version spindles predate the invention of the wheel by 1,000
years. Hand spindles would have been made from bone, antler,
sticks, or whatever material These Ancient Egyptian socks
was available. Fast forward date back to 1000-1300 BC.
to 500 -1000 CE in India,
the spinning wheel was invented. This new mechanical
version gave a steady spinning rate
and made it easier to manage the
fiber by freeing both hands. As the
spinning wheel made its way across
the world, it was slowly adapted to
meet the needs of the local fiber.
Above is a wool wheel or great wheel. Want to see one up close? Stop by
the store and check out the one we have.
To the right is a Flax Wheel was made by George Back in France in 1694.
Click on the photo to watch a video on spinning with a flax wheel and
see how they have changed over time.
1
Once yarn was made, there was several ways it could be made up into something. Weaving is
the craft that has stood the test of time since it dates back to the paleolithic era, or stone age.
Weaving in Egypt has been dated back to 5,000 BCE. The weaving loom itself has made subtle
changes over time to make the process easier. But, the basics are still in use today. Knitting has a
fuzzier history, but the oldest knitted item was a pair of socks from 11th century CE Egypt. In the
13th century, knitting expands to Europe along with the end to nalbinding. Wait a second, nalbinding,
or knitting with one needle was commonly used by the Vikings. One piece of a mitten was
discovered and dated back to 1,000 CE in Finland.
This needle is used for nalbinding.
These Egyptian Nalbinding Sock are dated
as early as 250!
Moving on from one vague history to the next, crochet
meaning "hook" in French dates as early as the 1500's in
France. Crochet was a special skill only used by nuns to
create decorations for churches. By the 1,700's tambour
crochet, or modern day embroidery, started to gain
popularity. By the 1800's crochet evolved to shepherd's
knitting (also known as slip-stitch crochet) and Irish crochet
which didn't need the fabric to crochet on. The demand for
Irish crochet products made crochet evolve and spread
world wide to what we know today.
Above are Tambour hooks that date around 1870.
This Shepherd's Knitting hook, to the right, is made
of Ivory.
2
Through the 11th - 18th centuries making yarn and yarn based products was a more common
job than it is today. Not just in certain areas either, but all across Europe, Asia and parts of Africa
people made their way with yarn. With advancements of the spinning wheel and weaving looms, it
was now easier to produce large scale items such as ship masts and ropes, giving a boost to the
exploration, trade and warfare industries. By the 1733, times started to change. The flying shuttle
was invented, making weaving easier on a mass scale. Several decades later in 1766, the invention
of the spinning jenny made the work of 8 people possible by one single person. Around 1775
Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule which, at the time, was a water powered spinning
machine with multiple spindles. Come 1780,
steam power and the rest of the industrial
revolution took over and turned yarn into what we
know today.
This is the first version of the spinning jenny.
We still use the same method to make yarn as
we did back in 1828. James Thorp invented the
ring frame which involves hundreds of upright
spindles passed through a system to be further
spun and wound. Ring Spinning creates one long
piece of spun yarn. Another method is open-end,
which is when fibers are added to a spinning
drum and drawn up creating a heavier and
fuzzier fabric great for denim and towels.
Currently, ring spinning is mainly used for industrial purposes.
Whether you knit, crochet, weave, spin, or however you utilize yarn, this brief history only shows
how long some methods and techniques have lasted. Just shows you that people's creativity dates
back to the beginning of time.
