In a spin in Morocco

My wife attempting to spin wool

On our visit to Midelt in rural Morocco we visited a farming community where we were shown how some of the local women spun the wool of their animals. When invited to attempt to have a go at it, my wife eagerly volunteered. She has had many years of experience spinning the wool of our own sheep but was a little out of practice because we don’t have sheep any more. She was used to using a spinning wheel which is relatively straight forward once you have mastered the basics.

The Moroccan style, however, was very basic and the local women used only a very simple device shown in the photos. It may look very simple, but it would take much practice to use such a device to spin the wool. This my wife found out very quickly. The local women were highly amused by her attempts and were probably quite impressed that she even had a go – and seemed to know what she was doing.

We didn’t stay long enough for her to spin enough to make into a garment.

My wife attempting to spin wool