n* RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
• 779 
How to Help the Sheep 
Making Woolen Yarn at Home 
Ever since I can remember t.ho spin¬ 
ning wheel up in granny’s attic has in¬ 
terested me. It i« one of the kind with 
a long low standard, supporting at one 
end the great wheel and at the other the 
head with the spindle. Last Summer I 
brought it downstairs and made up my 
mind that I should fulfill a long-felt de¬ 
sire and learn to spin. I found out as 
much as I could from granny and some of 
our older neighbors, then went at it. 
First, I must get the wool ready. 
Accordingly, one morning I heated a 
boilerfnl of sudsy water and washed one 
lleece. It was dirty work, for the quan¬ 
tity of oil in the wool seemed limitless. 
After four or five sudsy waters I rinsed 
it through as many clear, and spread it 
out on the cement walk to dry. I found 
that with care I could use the clothes 
wringer, and it helped a great deal. 
The next process was the carding. 
This used to be done with two wool cards, 
which were as near like currycombs as 
anything we are familiar with now. They 
had rows of steel wires set in a wooden 
or leather back, and were held by means 
of handles at the .side. One wool card 
was held in the left hand, a piece of wool 
placed on it and the other wool card wns 
drawn down over it until the strands 
were straightened out. Then it was 
twisted slight.lv into rolls about as large 
around as two lingers, and was ready for 
the spinning wheel. Later the carding 
mills took that work out of the homes and 
lessened the labor of cloth-making con¬ 
siderably. T was not able to find any 
wool cards, but I did find a carding mill 
still in operation, and sent my wool to 
them to be made into rolls. These rolls 
were longer and smaller in diameter than 
home-carded rolls used to be. 
The actual spinning I found to be very 
interesting. After patient experimenting 
I was ut last able to pull on the roll just 
enough and, at the same time, turn the 
great wheel just enough to make a rather 
evenly twisted thread of wool. The 
spinner takes hold of the roll about five 
or six inches from the point of the spindle 
and steps backward, pulling out the roll 
and turning the wheel at the same time. 
Perhaps I might explain to the curious 
that as the great wheel turns it makes 
the spindle revolve very rapidly and the 
wool, being held out ut an angle from the 
end of the spindle, slips off and is twisted 
tightly. After a length has been twisted 
the spinner holds the roll at right angles 
to the center of the spindle, turns the 
wheel and the woolen thread is wound 
on. Then another length is spun, and so 
on until the spindle is full. 
I Next it is reeled off the spindle onto 
a clock-reel. This has a four-spoke wheel, 
not with a rim, but with four pegs on 
which to wind the wool. It is so con¬ 
structed that at every fortieth revolution 
it clicks. This measures one knot. After 
40 revolutions the thread is broken off, 
fastened and another knot is begun. 
There is an old song which has in the 
refrain the lines: 
“And he kissed sweet Mistress Polly 
When the clock-reel ticked.” 
The knots are slipped off the clock-reel 
and onto the swifts. The swifts have 
two rimless four-spoke wheels, one above 
the other, connected at. the ends of the 
corresponding spokes by rods. Their only 
reason for being, so far an I can see. is 
to hold more knots of wool than can he 
placed on the clock-reel. If one wishes 
to spin wool for blankets it is finished 
now and can be put in the loom. If yarn 
for knitting or crocheting is desired there 
is more to do. 
In the next process the ends of two or 
three or more knots of the twisted wool 
ure then taken and the threads wound 
together into a ball. The number of 
knots used depends upon the weight of 
the yarn desired. I made some four-ply 
for a rather heavy, warm sweater. After 
the lmll is made, the hand of the spinning 
wheel is crossed, thus reversing the direc¬ 
tion of the rotation of the spindle, and 
the wool is twisted as before. Then it is 
reeled off onto the (‘lock-reel, and is real 
yarn ready for washing and dyeing. 
I believe that spinning one’s own yarn 
would be an economy as well as a ple-m- 
urc. Unwashed wool sells for about ,'lfi 
cents per lb. and the carding cost 10 
Cents u pound. After very little practice 
I could make a knot of four-ply yarn, 
weighing about one-sixth of n pound, in 
three hours. A more experienced spinner 
could, of course, do it more qoicklv. At 
my slow rute of spinning it would tal e 
IS hours to spin one pound of heavy yi 
If u person received 25 cents an hou* , 1 
believe a moderate wage for a fa< I 
woman ) the cost of the labor would be 
$4.50 per lb. Add five cents for dyeing 
the pound of yarn and the total cost 
would be five dollars. The yarn would 
be of greater value t.hau one pound of 
yurn such us bought in the stores, for 
it is ull virgin wool and therefore pos¬ 
sesses better wearing qualities. 
My experience opened up on entirely 
UCW and very interesting field of work 
to me, and I hope to continue along the 
same line next; Bummer. Get out your 
spinning-wheels and go at it! 
tlltACE UANSLEY. 
Make Note 
Exposition 
Here.is something that no progress• 
ive farmer can possibly afford to 
miss. It marks the greatest forward 
stride in educational exhibits ever 
undertaken. 
M AKE no mistake. This Sixth 
Annual National Tractor Show is 
not just a tractor demonstration. It is a 
gathering of the leading men in agricul¬ 
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ical power as applied to farming. They 
will get together at Columbus, Ohio this 
February, for the exchange of new and 
profitable ideas. 
A wonderful program has been ar- 
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power farming equip¬ 
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lectures, meetings and 
entertainments that are 
free to all who come. 
Your best chance to 
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types of power farm¬ 
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Tractors of every size 
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tractor drawn and oper¬ 
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Successfully tried out 
ideas, startling in the 
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first time. Valuable 
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Could You Say 
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The most famous speakers, 
nation-wide celebrities—the men 
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Hundreds of different tractors, trac¬ 
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the most tremendous display ever 
witnessed. 
Of course you want to comet Of 
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now to obtain more complete informa¬ 
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facts that can at once be turned into real profit 
Note the Coupon 
The coupon below will bring you a special ticket 
T7i o* it d i for Free Admission along with a booklet explain- 
liie - n g the full instructive and entertaining program. 
Tj S° fill it out, and mail it 
Tractor Show 
And Educational Exposition 
sa m mmmm m mmm m mmm m mmm m 
tonal Tractor Show Committee 
Arrange your plans now to come and bring your wife and • National Tractor Show Committee 
family. Ample accomodations are assured for one hundred | Coiumbu.. Ohio 
tnousai i farmers who will attend. Columbus, the country’s 
most central city, t .ds you welcome. 
Feb.7-8-9 | Name 
10-lland12 
Gentlemen • ■ 
Please vi.l roe your booklet regarding Thu Sixth a 
» Annual National Tractor Show Also enclose Ires 
tickets lor nysclf and_others oX iny faintly. | 
Street or R. F. D. 
- I 
City _State__ I 
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