SPINNING
SPINNING
The simplest device for spinning just one strand of yarn.
The spinning wheel consists of a large wheel connected by a belt to a spindle. The spindle spins rapidly, twisting the fiber into yarn.
Spinning wheels came to us from ancient times. It was a primordially female labor - spinning yarn. "Spinning wheel" - that was the name of the spinning wheel. From autumn to Great Lent, the spinners sat at their work until midnight in the "low lights" under a torch with a quiet song. Spinning wheels were made from maple, aspen, birch and linden.
First there was manual twisting of yarn, and then the spindle and spinning wheel were invented. The spinning wheel was originally invented in ancient Rome. The yarn from the first old spinning wheels came out of different quality and thickness. This depended on the breed of sheep, at what time of the year the sheep was sheared, and on many other factors. How was the whole spinning process carried out? The large wheel was set in motion with the right hand, and the strand was pulled out with the left hand and brought to the spindle. Depending on the angle of inclination of the strand to the spindle, twisting or winding of the strand occurred.
Spinning was done by women, but improvement and invention were the occupation of men. In 1530, Jürgens of Braunschweig invented a foot-driven spinning wheel, in which both hands could spin yarn. The spinning wheel was called a self-spinning wheel. It made it possible to draw, twist and wind the thread. The last two operations were to some extent mechanized, but still it was necessary to do partial twisting by hand. It was only in 1735 that John White, a mechanic by profession, invented a drawing mechanism, consisting of two drawing rollers, which finally replaced the woman's hands. But not entirely, on such a spinning wheel it was possible to use fibers already prepared, that is, partially elongated. This was later helped by the invented carding machine. It was then that the same John White assembled a fully mechanized spinning machine. This happened in 1741. Yes, his car was too bulky and expensive.
The next spinning wheel was the Jenny spinning wheel, invented by Hargvis. He named her after his beloved daughter. Everything was fine in this machine, but there was one drawback - the drawing was insufficient, and the yarn turned out to be weak - it was necessary to add a flax thread to make the yarn strong.
And as it often happens in technology, it happened - all the disadvantages of the previous spinning wheels were taken into account, and the advantages were combined in one, - this is how Arkwright made his spinning machine. The spinning process was fully automated. But then, as time passed - they noticed the shortcomings again, and again altered and improved. Is it really possible to describe everything so simply on one page that the spinning wheel itself had to be experienced and those who, with love for work and technology, put a lot of effort and effort to make the spinning wheel what we see today.
Spinning wheel as a work of art
The spinning wheel was not only a working tool, no other tool was so decorated. They are still considered works of art. To decorate spinning wheels, painting, wood carving, inlaying and other methods of decoration were used.
Such an object stood as a decoration for a hut, was used in folk rituals, brightened up the monotonous work of the spinner. In addition to paintings, the spinning wheels often bore the signature of the master and donative inscriptions or wishes. Almost all wood carving methods originated from the decoration of spinning wheels.
The surfaces of the spinning wheel were quite complex. You can now see at exhibitions, in museums, as well as in photographs, carved sides, a riser with an apple, turrets on top, and so on. In this case, it is not worth judging folk art as primitive. Visiting various museums where old spinning wheels are exhibited, you can see how many-sided, complex and skillfully decorated they were.
Of course, speaking of painting, they mean spinning wheels, which were completely manual and consisted of two main parts: vertical, where the spinning thread is tied, and horizontal. The vertical part, in turn, consisted of a shovel and a neck. They painted and painted mostly to burst.
Ancient customs associated with the spinning wheel
The spinning wheel was included in folk rituals and traditions. She most often accompanied a woman from birth to marriage and further in married life. For example, among the Eastern Slavs, the umbilical cord was cut on a spinning wheel or spindle, the spindle was placed in the cradle, and the newborn godmother was passed through the spinning wheel.
It was considered a bad omen to let a stranger use a personal spinning wheel that had a signature. When a guy and a girl were going to get married, the groom gave his beloved a spinning wheel, made with his own hands and decorated. His signature was placed on such a spinning wheel and it was believed that after such a gift he was obliged to marry.
Spun mainly in winter and autumn. The spinning wheel often took part in the festive traditions of this period of the year. For example, the tradition of skating on Shrovetide is associated with it. On the last day before Lent, the women rode on the bottoms of a spinning wheel from an icy mountain.
It was believed that the farther they got, the longer the flax would grow. It was a bad sign to fall off the spinning wheel, which meant that the injured woman would not live to see the fall. The spinning wheel also took part in this holiday among the Czechs. She was taken around the village, decorated with ribbons, and then sold in a tavern.
At Christmas, to avoid spitting on perfume, all the spinning tools were hidden away in a closet. And among the Serbs, the hostess went to the cattle and brought with her, in addition to the spinning wheel, she also spinned a little. This was done so that the cattle were not hungry. The first visitor to a home for Christmas in Slovenia had to do some work with a spinning wheel for chickens and a flax harvest. There was also the following custom: the bride had to hide after the first wedding night, and her mother-in-law gave her the spinning wheel; it was believed that this promised the newlyweds a rich life.
There were also fortune-telling and magical rites associated with spinning wheels:
• Spun two threads on the contrary, one for the groom and the other for the bride, and put them on the water; if the threads converge, it means that there will be a wedding; if not, then it’s not destiny.
• They put a thread on Trinity in the water and watched whether it drowned or floated; if it floats - life is given by fate, if it drowns - death.
• The splinter was stuck between the floorboards and wrapped with linen yarn. Then they set fire to the yarn and looked: where they lean - from there it was considered and the groom will be.
• A belt of yarn was laid at the doorstep of the church; and what is the name of the person who first crosses the threshold, so will the bridegroom be called.
• At weddings, a thread was spun, which tied the young for a long and happy life.
• A yarn belt was worn on the bride in the bath. According to the number of knots on the belt, the number of sons she would have was “programmed”.
• The number of knots on the thread with which the umbilical cord was tied was used to determine how many more children would be born.
• In the cradle of the newborn they put: a spinning wheel for a girl, and for a boy a bow for beating wool. In some areas, it was customary to hang an object related to the spinning wheel, such as a spindle or scissors, near the baby's cradle to distract from the night spirits.
• A ball of thread was thrown over the threshold of the new house to firmly link it with the fate of the new owners. They entered the house by seniority, holding on to the thread.
Spinning is also closely related to mythology. The spinning wheel was considered to be associated with that light, and the spinning was a function of some mythological characters. Spun or unwound a ball of yarn of the maiden of fate. If the spinning wheel was left for the night without a blessing or with an unfinished tow, according to the beliefs of the Eastern Slavs, evil spirits were spinning. It was as a substitute or attribute of evil spirits that the spinning wheel was most often perceived.
The girls believed that the yarn must certainly be finished on Christmas Eve, otherwise the spinning wheel would come for them at the wedding. The child struck by the spinning wheel was bound to get sick, the girl was to marry unsuccessfully, and to see in a dream a spinning wheel in the hands of a kikimora on a bench was a sign to the deceased in the hut.
As you can see, the spinning wheel played a practically key role in the life of a woman of those times. That is why they are now so much appreciated as an antique work. Each spinning wheel had its own history that lasted for many years. She has witnessed births and weddings, love and hate, the most important moments in the life of every person.
