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Vintage sewing machine set up for machine embroidery. German Museum of Technology in Berlin

Viking fiddlestick with a soapstone whorl on it. A spinning tool used by the Viking females. The 9th century. Reconstruction

Viking traditional distaff for spinning

German vintage knitting machine from the Museum of Technology in Berlin.

Scottish drop spindle called “dealgan”.
So, what identifies it? They basically have 4 rather unique features. And the first thing is the cone shape or the tapered shape. The next thing is – at the top they have a very small knob, all of them do. On the bottom, a very identifying feature, they have a cross cut into the bottom. But the oldest surviving example we know of has a cross that basically is sculpted to look almost like the top of a bone or an animal's paw pads. And it really does facilitate the use of the cross when you are tensioning the yarn before spinning.

Vintage spinning and weaving tools. Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, the 19th-20th century. Here you can see spindles, a shuttle, combs for yarn, and other tools. Also, there’s linen fibers and homespun yarn.

Vintage spinning wheel and a skein of natural fibers (hard to tell if it’s linen or hemp fibers). Vinnytsia region of Ukraine. Vinnytsia Regional Museum of Local History

Wooden comb and two handmade spindles used for spinning the yarn. By the way, they lie on a coarse hand-woven cloth.

Cased thimble, 1896, Chester, United Kingdom. Elegant sewing tool.
In some countries (for example, Scandinavian countries), a sewing kit that included a thimble was worn attached to the belt of the traditional attire. It was a small accessory to the folk dress.

Strange spinning tools from the old times. Sometimes, these tools can look rather bizarre, but they are actually useful.
In the first two photos, there are vintage wooden combs for the yarn.
The second photo shows us a tool called “yarn winder”. It is from 1930s and looks very crude and simple.
And in the last photo, is something that resembles a stationary distaff. Usually, distaffs are small and portable. They are wooden sticks that hold the wool in the process of spinning. This thing is large, almost as high as the spinning wheel, and looks a bit like a stool.