Spinning Wheels
For thousands of years, spinning was done using a simple suspended spindle. In the later Middle Ages, the spinning wheel was developed and remained in use until the Industrial Revolution put an end to spinning as a cottage industry.
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Also known as the spindle wheel, or Welsh wheel, it was used for spinning wool and did nothing more than turn the spindle and twist the thread. W22 |
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The next development: by twisting the driving band twice round the wheel, it turned both the spindle and a flyer which wound the thread onto the bobbin. E38 |
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By adding a treadle to turn the wheel, both hands were left free to control the thread. This sort of wheel was used mostly for linen thread and the ornate staff on the left is the distaff, to which the flax fibres would be tied. JC18 |
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This version worked in the same way as the Saxony wheel, but was set vertically, with the spindle above the wheel, so it occuped less floor space. Two shafts at the back support the distaff and a small water pot to keep the fibre wet while spinning: more refined than the usual use of spittle. JC19 |