Over the past few weeks, I have met some interesting spinning wheels in my travels. It is of no coincidence that all of these wheels are made to spin flax. I am lately fixated with flax and flax wheels... This first one (above) was made by Enoch Slossen Williams, sometime between 1820 and 1830. It lives at the Old Mill Village Museum.
It was repaired by the late Bill Ralph, in 1996. It is an identical copy of a Farnham wheel...of Owego, NY. "From Bill Ralph's memory--The Farnham and Williams families joined when a Farnham maried E.S. Williams and he learned from Farnham how to make wheels".
I love how the water pot is tied to the mother of all.
This little flax wheel lives at the Mannings Handweaving School in East Berlin PA.
Notice the cut out shape in the bench....
This Double Flyer wheel lives above the other wheel. It is on a shelf that is up high, so I could not see it very well to examine the way it was set up. I imagine it is out of reach for a reason.
It is interesting to me because I have never seen a double flyer wheel in a saxony style. I wish I knew more about this wheel.
I tried to look under the bench for a signature but could not see anything. It appears that the top portion of the distaff is missing.
This little flax wheel is sweet and lovely..she lives at my mother's house. This wheel was also missing the top portion of the distaff, but Fred Hatton made a new one for it. You cannot see it pictured here because the flax is covering it. He made a beautiful line distaff that I managed (somehow) to dress properly.
The bobbin/flyer will eventually need to be replaced as well. Those nails have got to go! I did manage to spin some linen thread on her. I fed her some oil, tied up her treadle and cleaned off the shaft (which was really gunked up). As I was spinning, I wondered about the last time she saw flax on her bobbin...
I don't know much about the history of this wheel or the maker, if anyone has any ideas about it, please feel free to email me!
8 comments:
I know nothing of old wheels but I really enjoy looking at them and learning more.
Thanks for sharing these wheels. The one that "lives" at your Mom's house looks exactly like the one my Dad made for me.
Very kewl!
I know nothing about these lovely wheels but I can see that it takes a good craftsman to make such things. Someone must have had an interest in the heart of one. I can imagine the stories that were spun while these wheels were used.
thanks so much for the eye candy!! I love looking at old wheels. However, I learned to spin at Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum. Most of the wheels we learned on were.......uhm....well used? That sort of cured me of the desire to own antique wheels.
All three of my wheels are recent, though the saxony is a reproduction flax wheel.
The wheels are nice, but the water pot really grabbed my attention... how long has it been there, I wonder.
lovely wheels!
Is your mother a spinner too? Beautiful wheels, I especially love the water pot!
The old wheels are lovely. Thanks for sharing.
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