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| Demonstrating spinning at Appalachian Arts, April 2005. It was about 45-50 degrees that day although it doesn't look it; I kept having to go inside and warm my hands up. | Here's a picture of my Kromski Symphony. It's a Saxony type wheel, double drive although it does have a Scotch tensioning system I can install instead. The drive band is hemp and the footmen are tied to the treadles with leather bands, so while this is a new wheel it does have a traditional look. |
It's only been about a century since the spinning wheel and spindle became decorations rather than everyday items for most people. In many cultures spinning is still a required daily activity, needed to produce the yarn and thread to make new garments. It takes a lot of yarn to make one outfit, and to get that yarn a lot of labor is required--shearing the sheep (or other animal), preparing the fiber, and spinning and then plying the yarn. When I spin I feel a connection to spinners today as well as to my own ancestors, mostly women, who spun constantly to keep their families clothed. --Katherine Shaw, 2005
Page updated 15 June 2008.