New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-16

PRIMITIVE METHODS WERE CSED-AIS!ORl
OF GRANpMorHERs "uoMEsPUN"
Among ire more important Of the early indus
,rts war the honorable and queeniy art OF spin
ninc." Tho industry was first INTRODUCED IN this
country by the Dutch and English. and afterward
by the Irish
SHINING matches were organized by young
women rnd the products OF their wheels bestowed
upon their pastor at whose house they spun The
Implements for spinning fax and reeling thread
were or the most primitive description; the earliest
used was the distaf and spindle, but an improve
;rent on THIS method was the hand wheel later the
ireadle was attached TO the wheel. enabling the spin
ner TO sit while at work, and from this spinning
wheel has been evolved the spinning jenny and the
host OF mechanical inventions that I'LL the factories
of to-day.
The drst OF the many processes by which the
flax was converted into the finest OF linens was the
culture OF the plant 1t was Of rapid growth. soWn
in April or Nav. and harvested in August II
was carefully sOwn, and when four or five inches
high thoroughly examined ard often weeded by
The women and children. who worked without shoes
for fear Of injuring the delicate plant They Ia
,bored facing the wind that THE breeze might IA
vor the downtrodden plant and help It to rise
again When ripe II pulled up by the roots
and 'ripped." to remove the capsules containing
the seeds. The 'ripper' large comb fas
tened plank.
When the flax was dry the rotting "dew-rot-
ting" process wa used to destroy the glue. 1t
placed on the grass or in the waters OF a clear
brook; afterward it was broken and "scutched"
remove the bark and stalks. The next and last
process hacking" or "heckling" This
Strengthened the flax. freed II from tangles. and
brought It 10y frequent "hacklings" TO the requisite
ineness. This done by 4 primitive machine
called 'hacke.' or "heckle" and was the work
OF the women of the household
The rippler. breaker and scutcher cumber-
some and heavy. and used by men in barns
and outhouses These latter iIftruments have al
most entirely disappeared but the hackle is still
1opnd in ancient garrets. accompanied by spinning
wheels and reels. The hackle rs immense comb
with long iron teeth placed perpondicularly on a
rough board.
The hneness OF the fax depends upon the number
OF hacklings II receives by combs of increasing
dehcacy OF make. The operation OF hacking
eused much skill and dextcrous handling, and
upon 1t depended q great extent the value Of the
result. In the hands % poor hacker the best %
n1x , y9g b 5f s SRaF wa ao so.
according 20 degrees OF fneness. This process
.nanipuisfions the dbrc was ready for the wheel
and wrapped n a soft ball about the spirce. and
The graceful spinner turned the fax fibre into long.
oven thread
RULES FOR SPINNING.
While spinning the threads were mosteaed with
wsfer from little bone cup that hung on The
wheel. and as tne fax MAS twisted into thread by
ihs movement OF the wheel AID the def handling
81 the spinner the yarn 1t formed vas wound
on the bcb0in. which 2 roughly formed wooden
Soorl 1ftervard the oob0ins were placed OF ne
.sels for the thread to be wound into skeins The
,hresds ior knitting were fastened with threads
running across inc skein TO hold the strands in
on the more primitive res the strands had TO
Slt Ia;er iaventio1 Mas Inc COCK reel a slmuie
,nechsnisr1 tina. clicked when the REQUISITE NUM-
bGsy housewife, instead Of counting each thread,
would stop turnin1 the wheel ana put on the Gloss
Inc skeins were then transferred from the wheel
a % * van aqa nse4ed w MIS- Back SF a k oTf
May umes "a take tho wiz feeling OUT OF the
r.sd VITA tire thread We're taken from the vince
O. q Placed on nc woodtn HAND loom.
os cur grandmothers we're woven the yarn was
re Tn 6c Wa 65s aPd Pot a5
ea0s or bot,etmiik and Laid upon the grass This
Vas white The yam to 20 dyed blue was dipped In
l1E o"e notSS % nd,so, %'"3 rs pa. Of the
dyes was cpe OF the household Industries The
rea ,snv shaGSs co;5 Se ~ I ned s ana as
silge dip o: the fax in the blue pot would trans
-abnersion gave deep 6iue, ard a weeks repose
~ the bottom OF he POI made the fax as blue as
were but wo stains that were eff cacous In cooring
ABOUT HAND LOOMS.
The hand looms in colonial houses for weaving
FAX and wool were OF the most simple and clumsy
construction. They are seldom found in their Cd
hsunts though the weayinG-roonl. usually attached
10 the kitchen. Is sometimes seen bearing the old
;sTne with new uses. The linen when taken from
the Dom brown I'm color requiring the long
tedious process Of bleaching to bring It 70 its final
exquisite wnitcncss. This process was called
'croftng." an English term from croft, field !;
sometimes called grassng.
Tho sk.lfIl housewife first boiled the linen IN
S.aked lime. and then in an alkaline iye for eight
hours at a time. and then laid it the grass .0r a
few days. Tho boiling and grassing repeated
often. and then the linen was soaked in butternllk
bo!led and ERASED again. 10 destroy the acids 81
me buttermilk. which whitened the linen but We're
injurious 10 tho iibrc.
There were no less than fifty operations for
lieached parcel Of light linens" From the time
The fax uniil the linen ready 70
fashion into garments fifteen sixteen months
had passed, and tie fax had undergone than
"a hundred different manipulations The linen was
made into fine embroidery and lace-irimmed caps.
cape., aprons, short gowns. underwear and gloves,
also sheets, pilowcases and board cloatheS," or
tableclOths.
The valuable outfit freely sprinked with
lavender and rosemary and laid eway IN the carved
o1kCn chest. often making wedding and household
"u'ats lasting from generation 20 generation. and
happy and proud to-day IS the preseason OF some Of
grnn3mothers "homespun"
81
HEADQUARTERS FOR NURSES.