Telling tales: Twist as storyteller
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Issue Date
2021
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Authors
Hammond-Kaarremaa, Liz
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Abstract
As spinners, we think of twist as an essential technique to hold fibres together, providing a myriad of options for form and function. It does just that, but if you are looking at historical textiles, twist also provides a fascinating window into the past. One can think of textiles as ‘text’ (the word ‘text’ comes from ‘to weave’): story books and historical documents, the patterns and designs revealing much about our histories. Even the yarn has much to reveal, its twist providing detailed information or, at the very least, suggesting where a yarn was made, how it was made, what the purpose of a textile might have been, and even if historical events may have impacted a culture.
Description
This is the author's version of an article that was published in the Summer 2021 issue of Spin Off.