Each distaff consists of three parts: the dontse, on which the spinner sat, and the vertlical leg and the board attached to it. Tow was attached to the latter, from which the yarn was spun and wound on the spindle. Then from this thread, a woman would weave on a loom. Especially beautifully decorated distaffs were used at gatherings, and these were cherished and passed down to descendents. A father would give his daughter a distaff upon her marriage as a parting gift for her new family life. No peasant home was without a distaff.
Almost every area had their own special form of distaff and methods of decorating them with carvings, paintwork, and colour.