The Spinning Wheel

One of my many hobbies is hand spinning. In case you don't know what that is (I am surprised at how many people don't know what it is), hand spinning is taking a raw fiber such as wool or cotton and spinning it into yarn or thread which can be used to weave, knit or crochet. Nearly all items of clothing are made from some kind of fiber which has been spun somewhere along the line.

Today we have huge machines that spin many fibers at the same time, but it was not always so. Prior to the invention of the spinning wheel (sometime during the middle ages 400-1000 A.D.), yarn and thread was made on a spindle. A drop spindle is made of a long stick with a weight of wood or stone on one end. This process was long and arduous and anyone who was inclined to do domestic work rather than work in the fields knew how to use one. When the spinning wheel came along, the process of spinning fiber into thread and yarn was improved dramatically, and it is evidenced in the fashion of the day. Since there was less time spent on spinning, more time could be spent on the design of the clothing. The design of the spinning wheel was improved over the years until the foot treadle was added somewhere around the 16th or 17th century. It is this "treadle wheel" that I use to spin. I also use a number of types of drop spindles whose designs date back to the earliest spindles.

In 1764 the Spinning Jenny was developed by James Hargreaves. It was at this point that the use of the spinning wheel for commercial yarn began a decline until finally it was only used in homes. As commercial fabric and yarn became more readily available, the family spinning wheels were relegated to the attic or barn.


During the Civil War era in the United States, some of the wheels were taken out again as commercial fabric became harder to find, but at the end of the war, the wheels went right back to the attics and barns. Today, the spinning wheel is used mostly by artists and fiber enthusiasts who enjoy the process of creating yarn and thread to use in their work.

Spinning first caught my interest when I saw a woman using a spinning wheel at a local art show. Longing to be part of the "spinning revival" I took classes and bought a wheel. A few years ago, I joined a spinning guild. We meet once a month as women have done for centuries to spin, knit, crochet and "spin a few yarns" too. Several times a year, I attend functions where I have the opportunity to demonstrate the use of the wheel and show off some of my work.

For more information on spinning wheels see: http://www.newyorkcarver.com/inventions3.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TEXjenny.htm