February 3, 2023. It’s really cold today — the high occurred when we were waking up — a whole 18 degrees F. It’s now 6 (or -14 for my metric friends). Still, we had a mission today, to go visit a lovely antique flax wheel and bring it home. This is the journey of that wheel.
Sylvia bought it in the late 70s or early 80s of the 20th century. Its previous owner was an elderly lady who had had it for a long time, and was most concerned that it go to a good home. Sylvia had the same thought when she decided it was time for the wheel to find a new home again. She contacted Kurt, an old family friend and woodworker, who agreed to help. Kurt works out of a studio in an old mill building nearby, along with other artists and craftspersons. He asked his friend Nancy to help. Nancy is a weaver, and has (so far) resisted the urge to spin knowing she’d become addicted. Nancy contacted Deb, who is a mutual friend with a long email list of knitters, spinners and weavers, and when I saw her note about Sylvia’s desire that her wheel go to a good home, I had to give it serious consideration. I read the note and then saw the photo. I had the sense that the wheel needed to come to my home. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, since I had been researching Egyptian linen in preparation for my trip in January.
Kurt and Nancy were there to meet me, and to make sure that I was the right person to be the new custodian for Sylvia’s wheel. Apparently I passed all the tests, and the wheel now sits in my living room, waiting for a little tuneup before I try to spin.
The wheel is a Saxony, double-drive wheel with a lovely bird cage distaff for spinning flax. Kurt had already replaced a bushing on the shaft, but the wheel doesn’t yet spin true, so will need further adjustment.
The other thing that makes this such a lovely wheel is that it was made of quarter-sawn oak.
This means that the wood was cut at a 90-degree angle from the growth rings on a log to produce a vertical pattern grain.
(Left) My kitty Lyla is checking out the wheel with an extensive sniff test.
The grain is nearly invisible now, because the wood was varnished, and that varnish has oxidized and darkened. There will be some serious cleaning going on, with denatured alcohol, to thin and clear the varnish so that the beautiful grain shows through again. The idea is not to strip the varnish, but slightly reduce it to remove the darkened top layers. It will get a nice waxing after to protect the surface and make it shine.
Sylvia’s wheel came with a Lazy Kate and 3 bobbins, each of which had a few yards of spun wool on them. I plan to leave enough on each bobbin to use as a leader (if it is strong enough), and the remainder I’ll save and keep with the wheel. I’m expecting that some day in the future, like Sylvia, I’ll be looking for a good home and will pass the wheel along.
Hand-me-downs often carry some of the personality of the previous owner. At some point, Sylvia replaced the top rod on the Kate with an old metal knitting needle, and held it in place with a rubber point protector. The rubber has shrunk and become dry and brittle, so it will be replaced. However, I will continue to use the knitting needle. It is important to me that I keep as much as possible of the wheel’s history intact.
It will be an exercise in patience to wait until all of these chores are done before I spin, but I feel well prepared as I sit in my cozy house with Bruce and the cats. Right now it’s just important to me to bask in the gratitude I have for Sylvia and her lovely wheel. So thank you Sylvia, Kurt, Nancy and Deb for making today a special one. One of the most rewarding parts of this story is how it came to be passed from one hand to the next until it arrived here to stay for a while.
February 4, 2023. It’s even colder today. When we woke up it was -8 degrees F. It is supposed to begin warming up through the day, and tomorrow may even be tolerable.
Since I won’t be stirring from the house today, it’s a good one to start working on Sylvia’s wheel. My aim today is to give her a good cleaning, and see what I need to do about minor repairs. I can’t work on the varnish until spring when I can be outside, but there is still plenty to do.
It is great to look at the wheel carefully from every angle. There have been repairs and replacements of parts over time. By removing the Mother of All, I could see what the wood originally looked like. The varnish didn’t seep into the wood there, and you can see that it’s quite pale.
The other thing this photo shows is the top end of the forward leg of the tripod. It was rather clumsily cut across to level it to the bench after being pounded in. A good thick bit of varnish might once have sort of hidden this, but it’s aged to be quite visible. It’s totally not a problem. This is called “character.”
I also found some square head nails, which might help date this (or not). Square head nails were made by blacksmiths from about the late 1700s to around 1830. There are all sorts of other nails on the wheel as well, with some I suspect are early wire nails (post 1890), several kinds of screws, and some repairs that look to be some kind of wood putty.
Post 1890 wire nails on the treadle.
Screws on the flyer.
Probably my favorite part of this wheel is the distaff. I’ve never seen a birdcage distaff tied with string, and I’m wondering what the purpose was. Unfortunately there are multiple breaks in the string, so if I want to keep this true to its history, I’ll have to try and reconstruct the knotting sequence. That will take more study.
I thought it would be fun to show what a little cleaning does. You can see the upright on the right of the wheel looks much brighter and lighter with just a damp rag and a little wood cleaning soap. Sylvia’s wheel seems to be very happy to give up a little of her patina to shine again.
With a few more adjustments, I think I’ll try to give her a spin next week, and will of course report back with the results of my efforts. I’m going to do a little practice with my linen using my Tibetan supported spindle to get a feel for the fiber, and then I’ll take the plunge, dress the distaff, and have a go.
There are always fiber things to excite me, and I want it always to be this way. I do my best to keep my heart in my craft. So until next time, stay calm and craft on.
Sounds like a wonderful wheel Sara. Can’t wait to see it cleaned and dressed to spin. Enjoy the journey of bringing her back to life.
What a wonderful find! I know it’s found the perfect new home.
Fascinating story! Thank you for sharing this.
I love that you are the newest keeper of the wheel. It will loved I am sure.