the set of pictures with Lady Soibhan, were the best...
you hold the unspun wool, in you right hand and a bit of what is on the spindle, you drop the spindle and use you left hand to set it spinning.. as it spins, you play out the rat of unspun wool.. until the spindle is almost to the floor. You unhook the yarn, wrap it round the shaft below the bob, except for a bit that you hook on to the hook a the top, and take an other roll (rat) of wool, and start the spindle spinging again... repeat for an eternity, and you will have a skein of wool, after 4 or 5 eternities, you will have enough wool to knit a sweater.
we forget how much effort went into spinning and clothes production. (knitting, for many years was the mark of cheap clothing. it was faster than weaving, and required less fitting.)
the famous statue (armless) of venus de milo, it thought to be a woman spinning (her right arm is held high, to draw the thread, her left, low, spinning the spindle.)
greek woman, (of whom we know so little) created yards and yards of cloth, that was bartered for gold, silver, iron, tin, and copper..minerals that were in short supply naturally. keep to their houses as virtual prisoners, they spun and wove, and create the wealth of greece. (this is evident because there are no mentions what so ever as spinning being a craft that a man was occupied at-- and all the wool form all those sheep had to dealt with by someone!-- we also know of penelopie, who sat by her loom, and wove.)
being a spinster is not all that bad a thing!
