Gossip Time!
Posted by fiberxspin on March 17, 2010
I, like most spinners, have become obsessed with antique wheels. I really don’t have space to put one (well my parents have one that really can’t be functional as decoration). Here’s a cool one I saw last weekend at a mini fiber festival.
Closeup of the flierS
The owner of this wheel had me read a little paragraph about this type of wheel. While they are typically called gossip or friendship wheels they weren’t actually meant for two people to spin on at once. They were meant for one person to use both hands drafting (long draw?) at once! This was to bump up production speeds and they were intended for “bad women” possibly because those women were good with their hands?
And for a little gossip of my own, look what I’m spinning this week
Abby Batts! I have five of these Magnolia batts, exact fiber content unknown but they’re likely merino with silk and silk noil. Two and a half are already spun. I think they’re going to become an Ishbel shawl.
S
