The introduction of the spinning wheel along with advancements in weaving looms created another boom as well – this time in sails for ships. Prior to these inventions fiber for sails had to be laboriously spun with a spindle. Just imagine trying to spin enough for even one of these sails! With new, quicker methods available, there was an explosion in the number and size of sailing vessels on the seas available for exploration, trade, and warfare.
This was hardly the end of the story for yarn, of course. In the 1760s rapid innovations in technology such as the water frame, spinning jenny, and spinning mule enabled the establishment of the first textile mills. By the 1780s steam power allowed these mills to be semi-automated. In the years that followed, refinements were made that allowed more and more to be spun until by 1830 self acting “mules” with 1300 spindles apiece were at work. It is at about this time that ring frames for spinning were also developed, a technique that continues to be used today.