Instruments for winding balls of wool

After spinning, the twisted thread, especially alpaca thread, is tautened and stretched, as raw material for textile production, by tightening it manually and wrapping it round a solid object or with an instrument for this purpose.

Wool tautener (tesador)

Instrument that tautens the threads during the warp process of those threads on the loom. It is especially used with alpaca fibre to avoid the formation of clumps or snags if it were spun without keeping it tense.

Wool tauteners can be made of bone (pictured above) or stone.

Thread winder (ovillador)

Instrument used in the process of winding thread or yarn which includes the hand winders of the past and the electrical winders that are already used in rural areas of the Andes. Among the hand winders are those made of stone (pictured above) and those made out of seeds.