Place

Barra Glen, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Date

Circa 1880

Materials & techniques

Wood

Credit

Unknown

ID

Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village

Gaels, out of necessity, used wool from their sheep to make yarn for clothing and textiles. Before spinning wheels, drop spindles were used to spin yarn and ply strands. As it was portable, a drop spindle could be used while women walked to the fields or barns.

The yarn in the image, wound into a ball, was made by Margaret (Mungie) MacNeil using the drop spindle shown. A frequent volunteer at the Highland Village, she was well known for her hand work using many types of yarn and her ability with the drop spindle.

The drop spindle remained in use in Cape Breton from the time of immigration into the early 1900s.