MEMORIES OF THE 



It was then ready for spinning. This was done on what was 

 known as the flax wheel, of which a few may be seen in the 

 parlors or halls of rich people to-day, who are proud to relate 

 that their ancestors knew how to use them. A smart spinner 

 could make three ten-knot skeins a da}^ which was enough for 

 more than two yards of cloth. 



The tow was saved and made a good coarse cloth which was 

 very much used for summer clothing. 



Putting in and starting a piece of fine linen cloth was quite 

 an intricate job. The warp had to be starched and dried, run 

 onto large spools, which were set in long rows in the scarns; 

 then, taking all the ends together, it was run off the spools onto 

 the warping bars, thence run or wound on the big yarn-beam of 

 the loom. From this it was taken one thread at a time and 

 drawn through the eye of the harness, back and forth, until it 

 was all drawn in; then it was put through the reed, two threads 

 in each space, and the reed adjusted in the lathe, the thread ends 

 all tied on the rod of the cloth-beam and the lower harness tied 

 to the treadles. All this done, the weaver, with the shuttle 

 which she holds in hand loaded with yarn wound on a quill, 

 seated on her basswood seat in front of the loom, is ready to 

 begin the work. The shuttle, thrown with the right hand, slides 

 through between the open threads of the warp and is caught and 

 thrown back with the left, the treadles which control the harness 

 being worked by the foot in exact time with the throw of the 

 shuttle and the swing of the batten, which drives home and adds 

 thread by thread to the woof. After weaving, the cloth was 

 usually bleached by putting it alternately in the sun and dew. 



The earliest history of the world makes reference to this 

 work. King Solomon in his writings highly commends the 

 housewife that '-seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly 



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