Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-12-13
OLD SPINNING WHEELS.
OUR eRANpMoTHERS METHOD OF
PREPARING WOOL FOR LOOMS.

jest a. They Used to Be-"
Spinning-that is. home spinning-has
just as much gone out Of fashion in the
New England and eastern states as sui
phur matches, and for Just the same
reason-there is no need Of either now
that something better has taken their
place. There are. however, plenty of
good wives who once on time were
learned practitioners in the domestic
arts Of spinning and dyeing, and it is
from the lips of one of these that gath
cred the following information, which
should imagine would be of interest to
your western hearers:
''The first thing. you see." said this
good lady. "is to pick the wool No.
faint either" she said, interrupting her
self; ''the first thing is towash and shear
the sheep, but as that's done now just as
it always was, don't need tell you any
thing about it. When the wool was
sheared and washed we used to take it
and pull it all apart, getting out all the
tangles and burrs and dirt that was left.
When it was all picked it had to be
with lard on it in front of us and heap
of the picked wool to the left side. We
then rubbed bit of lard on both palms,
took up fleck of wool and worked it
between our hands until every bit was
creased. When there was enough wool
CREASED the old man or one of the farm
hands would take it right away to the
carding mills"
"When the wool came back from the
carders it was in bundles about two feet
long, and made up nulnSer of tight
pressed rolls the size Of my little finger,
each roll Jest the length of the bundle.
When we want to Use the wool we'd
take the bundle, give it u shake. pick out
roll and then begin spinning. don't
know as ever you've seen u wheel, but eff
YOU amt ther's mine in the setting room,
and p'raps | can best explain how we
worked it eff you'll come in there"
A stout wooden horse with sloping
body formed the base of the machine.
At either end was inserted an upright,
the one at the higher end stationary and
supporting the wheel: that at the lower
end movable and holding the head"
the vacant space between the two being
used to hold the rolls Just spoken Of The
wheel was fully four feet in diameter,
of oak, with rounded spokes springing
from solid hub, and joining Tyre
two inches wide, in which was sunk
groove to receive the driving band.
This stout cord - passed round a
sharply grooved barrel in the head
of two inches in diameter, and
gave to it, of course, an exceed
ingly rapid revolution, which was still
further added to by second grooved
wheel of four inches in diameter set on
the same axis as the barrel driven by the
main wheel. The band over the second
wheel encircled a still smaller one from
which the spindle sprang. The spindle
was of iron. three inches long and with
q half thread at the end; the bearings
were of plated corn husks, and the
whole was attached to q tapering wooden
peg fitting into socket drilled into the
second or movable upright. By wooden
screen at its base the uprightwas worked
back to give the driving band its proper
tension. 1t will be easily understood,
trust. that q single turn of the big wheel
would set the spindle revolving at such u
rate that it would actually hum, and it
was to the hunming of such wheels that
the old housewives OF lang syne spun the
thread from which stockings. carpets,
coverlcts and blankets were afterwards
made by their tireless hands.
''Lemne sce," said my delightful old
informant, IF can't find speck of wool
somewhere so asI can show you jest how
we worked" Then she went out on the
search and soon came back with what
she called ''fleck"
""laint good WOOL" she said, but
guess twill do"
Setting the wheel in motion with q
light touch of her right hand, she held
the end of the wool to the spindle with
the left. It caught at once, and walking
quickly backward and slightly from the
wheel, but always keeping within its
easy reach, twisted thread seemed to
grow out from between her practiced
finger and thumb, even throughout and
fine enough, if not to sew at least to darn
with. When the thread grew long the
spinner rapidly advanced toward the
spindle, carrying her hand near the
wheel. a motion that instantly wound up
the thread around it--the spindle. Sc
the operation was repeated, until in q
very few minutes the wool was ex.
hausted.
NY fingers ain't quite what they
used to be- said the Cd lady, but as.
sured her-as was tho fact-that had
never seen any one spin a better thread
The oldy lady smiled and went on:
When this spindle is full. you see, il
has to be wound off, and that is done CT
the reel over yondcr."
The reel thus pointed out was q simple
arrangement of two cross pieces of wooc
set SO as to make four revolving arms
and furnished at every end with . long
peg.
The reel ecid my informant. Il.
placed beside the spinning wheel ies
under the spandle here, the bGnd i
thrown of. allJ by turning the reel tht
thread is wound OF from the spendle
From the reel twas made up into skeinl
and laid away for use. We've still go
the old loom out in the carriage houst
chat my mother used TO weave on, and
got SO far ON with it as to be able to lay
out a blanket. Then the mills were bull
at the falls and. the loom was laid away
We still used the wheel, however, to-
spinning thread for knitting with, ant
flst rate thread it was. too. Cor. So.
Francisco Chronicle.