Ring Spinning

Ring spinning is a spindle-based method of spinning fibers such as cotton, flax or wool into yarn, credited to John Thorp of Rhode Island in 1828 or 1829 and further developed by a Mr. Jencks of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Unlike the intermittent action of the earlier spinning mule, ring spinning runs as a continuous process: roving is drawn out by drawing rollers, then spun and wound onto a rotating spindle contained within an independently rotating ring flyer, a design that let semi-skilled workers operate an automated, continuous yarn-production machine.