The liaghra was a tool used in Scottish knitting, especially in the north west, and

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

. It had various regional names, and is sometimes known in English as a thread winder. It consisted of two sticks crossed together in the centre and set on a swivel pin in a block of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of ligni ...

called the ''stoc''. A pin of wood is fixed in each of the four extremities of the sticks, and round thus, a hank of thread is placed, which is unravelled and made into a ball, as the operator spins the instrument round.

Regional names

* ''Crann tachrais'' – Various * ''Na Sgiathan'' (the wings) –

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded b ...

* ''Bodach-sgiathan'' (Old man of the wings) –

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire ( ...

* ''Eachan'' (Horsie) –

* ''Crois-lionradh'' – Lewis

References

* Knitting tools and materials {{Scotland-stub