Great Wheel

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

In the 18th and early 19th centuries a spinning wheel was a common feature in most homes, as part of most women’s household chores included spinning yarn to be used for knitting.  This type of wheel (also known as a “wool wheel” or a “walking wheel”) requires the use of one hand to turn the wheel, leaving only one hand free to work the fibers as they are spun. Only wool can be spun with this type of wheel, as it is the easiest fiber to spin. The hand not turning the wheel would stretch out the fibers before they are twisted. The twist occurs because the yarn is held at a certain angle from the tip of the spindle so that it turns off and on the tip in fast succession, causing the twist to build up along the length of the wool. Once enough twist has been achieved, the yarn is wound onto the spindle where it will be removed onto a niddy-noddy when the spindle becomes full.

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Details

Item typeTools & Equipment
Textile Working
TopicClothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
EraEarly Indigenous and European contact, 1565–1619
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
The New Nation, 1784–1815
National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
MaterialWood; Metal
Dimension detailsLength: 70.00 in Height: 59.00 in Width: 22.00 in Diameter: 44.50 in
Catalog #DR.130
View this item in our curatorial database →
Great Wheel. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/dr-130/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

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