Spinning: A History

Only antiquity knows when cotton was first used in the manufacture of cloth.

Traveling through history tells us how early developments were made

and how changes in technology continually pushed

cotton manufacturing ahead of its time.

With each advancement,

the textile industry has seen cotton use diversify

and expand in new and inventive ways.

Although the spinning of cotton yarn and the weaving of

cotton cloth are said to have originated in India,

Egypt claims to be the first to have explored these techniques.

Across the globe in Peru,

similar yarn manufacturing techniques were being developed.

The Bible talks about the cotton curtains that hung in Solomon's temple.

Early Greek historians wrote of preferences for cotton

fleece over wool in its quality alone.

Cotton was increasingly grown for textile purposes from

these early years throughout the succeeding centuries.

Knowledge of cotton goods spread by armies,

explorers,

and traders allowed for increased interest,

and by the end of the 15th century,

Britain had recorded the first trade of cotton.

Techniques in manufacturing were improved upon during these early centuries,

and advancements continued to this day.

Earliest techniques began as basic ideas of twisting and rolling fibers

between the thumb and forefinger to form a single thread.

Early designs used this theory as a basis for the first spinning wheel.

Leonardo da Vinci developed drawings that were later turned into the invention

of the Saxony wheel in 1555 by Johann Juergen of Germany.

This invention in the midst of the great industrial revolution

differed from the original spinning wheel with a

foot treadle by which the spindle could be revolved

and with a cranked axis on a larger wheel.

This new design enabled production to increase as well

as greatly improving the quality of the yarn.

A tremendous technological breakthrough,

this first spinning wheel was the foundation for

most future developments in yarn production technology.

Most notable of the early inventions were the

introduction of the self-acting mule in 1825,

ring spinning in 1828,

and revolving flats on the card in 1834.

A machine that could automatically comb cotton was introduced in 1846,

and 50 years later,

a more improved form emerged.

New yarn manufacturing technologies continue to impact the industry today

by increasing efficiency and improving quality.