Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-06-01
OLD SPINNING WHEELS.
OUR GRANDMOTHERS METHOD OF PREPARING WOOL FOR LOOMS.

| "SSI ESn IOOmOs Minute Description of the Little old HIs. chine wnich Has Been an Inspiration
 to Poets and Composers-'Things Ain't Jest as They Used to Be-"
 Spinning-that is, home spinning-has just as much gone out of fashion in ths New England and eastern states as sul- 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 a 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,
 taint either" she said, interrupting her.
 self; "the first thing is to wash and shear
 the sheep, but as that's done now just az
 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 bad to be
 geased, and to do this we put plate
 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 fieck of wool and worked it
 between our hands until every bit was
 greased. When there was enough wool
 greased the old man or one of the farm
 hands would take it right away to the
 carding mills"
 "When the wool came back from tbs carders it was in bundles about two feet
 long, and made up number of tight
 pressed rolls the size of my little finger, each roll jest the length of the bundle.
 WheI we want to use the wool we'd
 .ake the bundle, give it shake, pick out
 2 roll and then begin spinning. donf
 know as ever you've seen a wheel, but et you ain't ther's mine in the setting room, and p'raps I can best explain how we worked it eff you'll come in there."
 A stout wooden horse with a 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, or 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-a stout cord - passed round 6 lharply grooved barrel in the "head" os two inches in diameter, and gave to it, of course, an exceed ingly rapid revolution, which was still further added to by a second grooved wheel of four inches in diameter set on the same axis as t,.e 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 a half thread at the end; the b~,xings were of plaited corn husks, and the whole was attached to tapering wooden peg fitting into socket drilled into the second or movable upright. By wooden screen at its base the upright was worked back to give the driving band its proper tension. It will be easily understood, l VI aot, tLdI i oliiBlC tuIu Ol tt6 NllCcl would set the spindle revolving at such d rae that it would actually hum, and ii was to the humming of such wheels that 1 the old housewives of lang syne spun the thread from which stockings, carpets, coverlets and blankets were afterwards l made by their tireless hands.
 'Lemme see," said my delightful cd | eff can't find speck of w1oi | so as I can show you jest Low | we worked" Then she went out on the | search and soon came back with what | she called "feck."
 "'Taint good wool" she said, "but ] guess twill do."
 Setting the wheel in motion with a | 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 it's | easy reach, twisted thread seemed to grow out from between her practiced | finger and thumb, even throughout and | inc 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 he thread around 1.-the spindle. So lie operation was repeated, until in Q very few minutes the wool was ex- 
 My fingers ain't quite what they lsed to be" said the old lady, but as- ured her-as was the fact-that had lever seen any one spin better thread. The oldy lady smiled and went on:
 When this spindle is full, you see, it las to be wound off, and that is done on he reel over yonder."
 The reel thus pointed out was simple of two cross pieces of wood ct so as to make four revolving arms, md furnished at every end with long 'eg. r
 1.-The reel" said my informant, "is 'laced beside the spinning wheel jest Inder the spendle here, the band is brown off, and by turning the reel the bread is wound off from the spendle. rom the reel it was made up into skeins nd laid away for use. We've still got he old loom out in the carriage house { hat my mother used to weave on, and I ( ot so far on with it as to be able to lay ut blanket. Then the mills were built l t the falls and the loom was laid away. { Ve still used the wheel, however, for pinning thread for knitting with, and lst rate thread it was, oo."-Cor. San francisco Chronicle. If