Once without a spinning wheel it was impossible to imagine a single house, not a single girl, girl or woman. Today's youth may not even know what a spinning wheel is at all. About how she looked and how she worked - you should not even ask. But given the place this device used to occupy in people's lives, one should not forget about this, once simply necessary tool.
What is a spinning wheel?
From the name of the item it is easy to understand what a spinning wheel is - this is a device for spinning. The appearance of the spinning wheel was constantly changing - if earlier it was just two perpendicular boards, today it is a complex mechanism that produces yarn of various thickness and quality. In addition to its direct functions, the spinning wheel was a participant in various signs and beliefs, it was impossible to imagine a single, even rich, house without this device.
Spinning wheels in antiquity
Already in ancient times, people knew what a spinning wheel was. This is evidenced by the legends according to which Parks can lengthen, or can break the thread of life. And they create this thread on it, on the spinning wheel. The patron of the spinning was considered Athena.
Slavic spinning wheel
In Russia, ancient spinning wheels have been used since ancient times. This work was purely female, a man could only make the tool itself. From the end of the harvest to Lent, spins spent their days and often nights at this machine. Surprisingly, the spinning wheels were not alike. Rather, the design was one, but each spinning wheel was decorated differently.
Of course, initially only a wooden spinning wheel was used - for its manufacture maple, linden, aspen and birch were used. The decorations were unique - mainly wood carvings.
Spinning wheels in the culture
Antique spinning wheels were of great importance in the life of our ancestors, because they were not just a means to create clothes and a way to earn money, but also played an important role in culture.
Each girl had her own spinning wheel. She received it at birth and changed it only when getting married. Moreover, the umbilical cord of the newborn was cut precisely on a spinning wheel or spindle. At baptism, the girl was transferred to the godmother through this device. Even the girl slept with a spinning wheel - she was put in a cradle to the child.
It was impossible to give anyone their own personalized instrument of labor even for temporary use: according to beliefs, in this case a fire would certainly have occurred or all the bees would have died. In the northern regions of our country, it was believed that if a young man wrote his name on a spinning wheel of a girl, his duty was to marry her. In any case, the groom made a spinning wheel for the wedding. The guy was obliged to make this gift with his own hands, decorating it as best as possible.
The entire winter period was devoted to spinning, excluding Christmas days. The last working day for the spinners was the end of Maslenitsa. On this day, it was decided to ride on the bottoms from the mountain. It was believed that the length of flax next year will depend on how far the horsewoman will go. If one of the skiers had the imprudence to fall off the spinning wheel, those around her expected her death before the onset of the new spinning season. At Christmas and Christmas time all the spinning tools were hidden in the attics and closets to exclude their encounters with spirits that could spit the tools.
In Serbia, it was accepted on Christmas Eve, when visiting buildings for animals, to spin a little wool so that the cattle did not remain without wool. The inhabitants of Slavonia believed that the first guest should hide a little so that the year was fruitful on flax and so that the chickens would not be transferred. In addition, the young wife on the first day in a new status had to spin on a new loom, as it was believed that this promises a better life.
In all cultures where it was known what a spinning wheel was, there were various, often unique, rituals and beliefs associated with this subject. But all peoples were united in the main thing: the spinning wheel is not just a means of earning money, but also a amulet for its owner. For example, in Bulgaria, even when going to field work, girls took this tool with them. Often they spun even along the way, if it was too crowded around. To treat babies from crying at night, the girls hid a spinning wheel under the crib. She saved everything from insomnia - it was necessary to stick a spinning wheel with a tow under the matrix, while saying special words. Even the hens were saved from weasels by the spinning wheel - it was necessary to throw it on the chicken coop.
Types of spinning wheels
Despite the fact that each was unique, there were not so many types of spinning wheels. The very first was the usual manual, which appeared in ancient Rome. After it appeared a much faster self-spinning wheel. Since she did not give the opportunity to act with both hands, she was equipped with a foot drive. So the foot spinning wheel appeared. Well, much later, with the development of science and the advent of electricity, an electric spinning wheel was created. However, it is better to consider each of the species separately.
Manual
So, this spinning wheel appeared in ancient Rome, replacing the usual spindle and a bunch of yarn on the knees. Then it was a breakthrough, simplifying the difficult and debilitating female labor.
It consisted of, roughly speaking, two boards attached at right angles to each other. Spin sat on one part, yarn was fastened on the upper part of the second. The part intended for sitting was called the bottom. The vertical part consisted of a neck and a shovel. Decorated with carvings, for the most part, it was to burst (as the most noticeable part of the instrument).
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel - a wooden spinning wheel with a wheel - appeared in India. Gradually from this country she spread all over the world, making life much easier.
Its design is simple, but ingenious: the cylinder, in which the spindle is mounted horizontally, is installed on the board. The wheel rotates by hand, which, thanks to the belt, spins the spindle. The left hand of the strand feeds the fibers to the sharp end of the spindle, while the right rotates the wheel. As soon as the thread "grows" to the length of the hand, it is wound on a spindle and the process continues. The spinning speed with the advent of such devices has increased significantly. In Russia, these machines were divided into Russians (with a wheel perpendicular to the floor) and chukhonki, in which the wheel was at an angle.
When the spinning wheel was equipped with a flyer in the 15th century, there was no need to take breaks to wind the thread on a spindle - this happened by itself.
Foot
In the 19th century, the need for yarn increased significantly. In as much yarn as possible. For this reason, the wooden spinning wheel with the wheel, which must be rotated with one hand, has ceased to satisfy the consumer. Fortunately, there were craftsmen who were able to attach a pedal to this design, which allowed them to rotate the wheel with their feet. Both hands could do yarn, which greatly accelerated the work. Otherwise, the principle of operation remained the same: the tow was still attached to the upper crossbar of the bottom, the spindle rotated due to the spin of the wheel, the finished thread was wound on a flyer attached to the free end of the spindle - this was the last mechanical spinning wheel.
Electric
Oddly enough, with the advent of electricity, in principle, the design has not undergone any changes. Yes, the electric spinning wheel does not look at all like any of its predecessors. However, this is still the same tool, with the same basic elements. Just today, in the age of minimalism, they look a little different.
The main unit of the new spinning wheel was stag. It consists of an axis that replaced the spindle, flyer, pulleys and coils. It’s easy to figure out how the machine works. The electric pulley drives the spindle axis, at the end of which there is a hook and a flyer. In addition, a coil is worn on the axis. It also rotates from a pulley, but from another. All this design is driven by an electric motor. Only here the diameter of the disks of the coil pulley is smaller, the same parts that drive the spindle. This allows the coil to spin faster than the flyer and spindle.
What happens to the thread that is tucked into the spinning wheel? Imagine that a fiber bundle of wool is already twisted. Now let’s pass this thread through the hook, then you need to throw flyers on the hooks and tie them to the spool. Starting to work, the spinning wheel continues to twist the bundle of fiber into the thread. As the spool spins faster, it pulls and wraps a thread around itself. The worker simply pulls the fiber evenly.
The choice
Buying a spinning wheel is not difficult these days. But many want, as before, to do it on their own. This is entirely possible because the design of the spinning wheel is very simple. There is not even a need to perform turning work. You can do with plywood of various thicknesses or textolite. This will require a metal tube, two beech or birch bars, nails and screws and epoxy glue. Yes, you need thick paper. In addition, you need to get an electric motor from a sewing machine or something similar. Preferably, the motor is a commutator. You should prepare two toggle switches and a rheostat that regulates the speed. Of course, you can do without the latter, but this will reduce the comfort of the machine.
It is not difficult to find out how a spinning wheel is made (assembly instructions and recommendations for individual units). Before proceeding to production, it is worthwhile to carefully study these same instructions, really evaluate your strength and decide whether to do this or is it easier to just buy a ready-made spinning wheel. Upon purchase, you can choose the appearance and technical specifications that are required specifically for your purposes. Therefore, if there is no confidence in the desire to assemble the tool yourself, it is better not to waste time in vain.
However, if there is a desire and strength, it is worth making it yourself, because even after becoming electric, the spinning wheel did not completely lose those extraordinary properties that it was awarded in antiquity. And now let few people take this mechanism with them to work, just as nobody puts it under the crib of a crying baby, yet things associated with not only hand-made threads, but also on a manually-made machine, bring their owner not only warmth and pleasure, but also a little magic.