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OLD WEST SURREY 



would wind it off from the dainty hank that had gathered 

 round the pegs of the extended arms, on to the little spools, 

 till she had enough on them to form the threads of the 

 warp and a reserve for the tiny shuttle. And then she had 

 a little loom, home-made — I made one myself once — and 

 wove her golden ribbon. 



You may fancy how carefully she used the ribbon ; 

 working it in without wasting a quarter of an inch ! 



Straw-plaiting was done in the cottages in the early part 

 of the nineteenth century, no doubt set going by William 

 Cobbett, who was born near Farnham, and ; though his home 



was in Hampshire, was a frequent visitor 

 to the district during his many rides to 

 observe the state of agriculture of the 

 home counties. To prepare the straw for 

 the work it had to be flattened by being 

 pressed through a hand-roller. The roller, 

 which has a beech wood frame and a pair 

 of hardwood rollers, was fixed upright to 

 the edge of a table by means of a wooden 

 screw that passed through the table from 

 below upwards. The head part of the 

 screw is missing, but its end shows, passing through the lower 

 of the two under-braces of the frame and screwing into the 

 upper of the two. By an oversight it was photographed 

 on the wrong side, making it appear left-handed. 



Country methods of washing clothes have scarcely changed ; 

 the old coarse red-ware pan is always a convenient and 

 favourite wash-tub. 



The shape of the smoothing irons has altered somewhat ; 

 the oldest of some cottage irons that I have and that must 



Straw-Crusher 



