New Toys

Pippa has finally returned fron the USA and she brought me a couple of new babies.
The red whorls and the hooked rod belong to a Babe's spindle: the two whorls can be adjusted to make the spindle in about each and every style that was ever created (top, bottom, middle, balkan...) and you can also use one or both whorls to modify the weight and soin speed of the spindle. I expected, though, that they would have to be worked on the shaft, instead they slide on and off very easily. I will have to add a bit of yarn to keep them in place, once I decide how I want to use it.

The smaller spindle, instead, is a takhli spindle for spinning cotton and other short-stapled (and smooth) fibers, like this. This specific takhli has a one dollar coin as a whorl, and this specific dollar depicts a Native American woman (likely from one of the eastern tribes). It looks like a sign to me!