Today's impulse buy at the thrift store was this wooden doodad that I'm assuming has something to with spinning wool, though I'm not entirely sure. Is it a weird looking spindle? Something else? Any ideas?
Edit: several people have suggested a phang spindle (yay, new word!), which seems very likely. And know I have a name to do more research.
How long/tall is it?
My first guess is a supported spindle (perhaps a goddess-style phang spindle?)-- you'd twirl it on the pointy tip (on a flat surface or a bowl) and draft with the other tip. The cop can be wound around the middle of the spindle, and you can create a temporary cop closer to where you're drafting.
I suspect the bit of string attached to it might've come from a leader that you can attach your fiber to to get started?
No problem-o!
I always enjoy hearing about fiber craft tools in the wild (:
Looking forward to seeing your spinning when you get a chance to try it out!
Maaike
dykexis