In times past, January 7th, the first free day after the twelve of Christmas was known as St. Distaff's Day. It had no connection whatsoever with any saint but its place in the folk calendar gives an indicator of the importance of spinning at a time when this was the only means of turning the raw wool, cotton or flax into thread capable of being woven into cloth. The day, which was also know as Rock Day (referring to another name for either the distaff or the spindle) indicated that this was the end of the Christmas festivities and the return to the normality of spinning whenever there was a spare moment. As Anthony Fitzherbert, wrote in his 'Boke of Husbandrie' (1523) 'it stoppeth a gap…it saveth a woman from being idle, and the product was needful'.