Wool and Linen Spinning Spindle

This spindle can be trusted.

In the enchanted tale, Princess Aurora is cursed to die upon pricking her finger on a spindle, but a good fairy softens the spell into a deep sleep of 100 years, broken only by a kiss of true love. The curse comes to pass, but Aurora is eventually awakened by a prince.

Our prince goes by the name Enfia o Barrete - the collective project founded in 2021 by Irina Andrusko and Luz Ornelas, dedicated to researching and preserving Madeiran wool and the traditional ear hat. From tools to materials, everything is studied through ethnographic fieldwork. Prototypes are made, experiments carried out. And then the knowledge is shared through workshops, exhibitions and other initiatives.

In a spinning tradition that had fallen dormant, Irina Andrusko revived the concept through ethnographic research. She found an original wool-spinning spindle made from heather wood, lent by Isabel Ferreira from Ribeiro Frio, São Roque do Faial (Santana), and another original spindle made from venatic wood in Ponta do Pargo, in the municipality of Calheta.

Conceição Câmara, a spinner and weaver from Santana, also showed her an original wool-spinning spindle made from heather wood.

From this fieldwork, Luz Ornelas drew them up and the woodturner Luís Jesus brought the replicas to life. A 47 cm wool-spinning spindle, a 41 cm spindle for wool and linen, and a smaller 30 cm version were born. All made in ash wood with natural wax finish.

The artisans of Enfia o Barrete say that with use, these spindles develop a natural polish. There is no reason to hesitate. Only to spin - so that the tradition never falls asleep.