This section of wool has been skirted to remove short pieces and plant matter, but has not yet been washed, so the yarn made with it has been spun "in the grease".
Carding brushes are made up of thousands of thin, slightly-bent teeth attached to a rubber mat, which is then stapled to the wooden base. They are used to align the fibers in preparation for spinning.
After the fibers are fully brushed and aligned, the rolag is rolled off the brush.
The drop spindle is used to twist the rolags into a single-ply yarn.
As the yarn is spun, it can be twisted onto the shaft of the spindle to keep the working section from becoming too long to manage.
Once the thread is finished, the drop spindle can also be used to ply it for added strength and bulk.
This section of fabric was made using a weft-facing weave, where the yarn is passed over two and under two rather than the usual over-under. This helps to keep the white warp threads from showing through.
These string heddles keep certain warp threads raised and lowered, so that the shuttle can be easily passed through to weave an entire row at a time.
