Distaff and Distaves

A distaff is like a third hand for holding fibre when spinning yarn.  A distaff can be anything like a stick, or a nail on a wall, to even a towel.  Often purpose-built distaves (the plural of distaff) are really pretty.

Here's a video about dressing a distaff with wool with some close-up footage on how drafting works one-handed.




And here I'm dressing a distaff with various kinds of flax preparation to spin linen yarn.





Any questions about distaffs?  Have you used one and if so, what's your favourite?  

Possibly the darker side of Distaff
We have some great images from around the world of people using distaves in medieval times.  One of my favourites is the image (I can't find it now, but I saw it in art history class) where this bloke in or near Bagdad was sitting on the side of a tall building with his distaff and the drop spindle was hanging several stories below him.  

Sometimes in England, we see the distaff being used as a weapon.  





These are often cited as women beating her henpecked husband, but there's another interpretation.  Maybe the woman is resisting unwanted interest from a suiter?  Over a thousand years later, it's easy to put our own bias on these pictures.  

Here's one YouTuber who shows how a distaff can be used to fend off unwanted attacks.





They've got more videos about self-defence and other medieval lifestyle issues.  Love this channel but they don't make videos very often.  

Today, January 7th, is Distaff Day.  

Traditionally, this is the first day back at work after the Christmas Holidays.  

As spinners in the modern world, we use this day to celebrate our craft.  Quite often there would be gatherings and games.  It's a hugely social event and it feels weird to be spending this day alone.  



I love that she uses a Luna Lovegood wand for a distaff.

And another great video about distaff day.



Love the luscious flax fibre

Distaff day is back again.  Today I'm dressing different kinds of distaves with flax fibre to spin into linen yarn!



If you like this sort of thing, head over to youtube and give it a like.  That really helps me out!

That's so much fun! I never heard of distaff day, thanks for enlightening me.

Have a great day! You are a huge inspiration, I'm sure for many.

By the way, here in Georgia (Asia) it's Christmas today. And in a week it will be 'Old New Year'. The first workday of the year is still a loooong time away... ^^

I recieved Raven Ranson's Homegrown Linen book a couple months back.
Flax Linen  fascinates me,  but not sure why since it surely looks like work.  It may  be due to an interest in all things colonial life - kind of like YouTube's The Townsends.  
Colonial living may seem quaint to those of us living now, I am learning we have largely forgotten the vast survival skills needed in surviving in the new world.
Somehow this notion of a simple life is turning out not so simple.  
I Commend Raven Ranson for  sharing her knowledge and wisdom on a subject nearly lost to the world.

I  really enjoyed that video!!!

I have been avoiding getting into fiber arts, since I'm doing too many things already and I'm picky and obsessive (I know that for a while it will take over my life).  But I have long treasured the thought of learning to use a drop spindle.  Well, this video was an illumination both of many kinds of distaffs, loading and use; and the cleverly hand made drop spindle.  Well done, and thank you!!!  Some of us don't want a lot of big stuff but a little hand spinning can be done, and very well, too, without a spinning wheel.  Love it, great job!!!