Well here is something I ran across the other day and decided that it would be a cool item to have……….if I knew how to use it.
Was told it was an old antique yarn winder. I have no ideal how to you it.
if any one else out there knows please let me know. Or it will just on my front porch as a bird perch.
Other than that here is a couple of old peddle cars I ran across to. They are also porch sitters. But anything is for sale. All you have to do is just ask and offer.
These would make great nest for my marans chicken. I wouldn’t do that. Just kidding.
8 Comments
"July 5, 2008, at 12:30 pm"
I came to your blog because of the BC Marans, but I saw your wool winder and as an ex-sheep breeder & wool spinner I can answer your questions on how to use it.
If you have yarn that you have spun, and need to make a skein out of it of a certain yardage, you turn the spokes until the wooden “needle” that should go around a dial like wheel with grooves that click off length until it is at the start or “biggest groove that makes a click when it goes past it” You start winding your yarn around the spools at the end of the spokes, they have to be turned so the yarn will stay on the ends, all sideways to the wheel, and wind until lthe needle goes all the way around and gets to the end where it clicks.
That is the yardage for that skein. Each winder has different yardage, so to know what your skein’s yardage is you will have to measure one out. But after that, you will kow what amount of yardage each of your skeins has upon completion of the winding around. When you take it off the ends, turn each end of the loop in opposite directions, this will twist the skein, and you can then pull one look just through the other end to secure it.
I hope this helps.
Suzanne
"July 5, 2008, at 1:02 pm"
Thank you so much for all the info. I think I will work on it a bit.
"October 26, 2009, at 8:21 pm"
I was hoping that you could help me. I have an interesting yarn winder and you seem to know a lot about them.
Mine is quite old and has wooden gears.
"October 27, 2009, at 10:15 am"
Yeah Geraldine, Wish I did know more about them. That’s why I posted on here so I could get other’s input about them I would love to see a picture of yours. I could post it on here as well. Then maybe we both can learn more about them together.
Thanks
Brenda
"July 19, 2009, at 8:54 am"
Suzanne was mostly right. The “popular” name for this yarn winder was “weasel”. When the proper number of thrns was reached, the wooden arm would “pop”… maybe you have heard the old song “Pop Goes the Weasel”! Seems as if you are missing one of the cross pieces at the end of the arms. One was easily removed so the shein could be removed.
Its a novelty. I have one!
Bill
"July 19, 2009, at 9:07 am"
How cool it that! I am glad you told me of that. And now I know where the song came from. Thanks
"October 24, 2009, at 5:04 pm"
My mother had one of these when I was growing up. We always called it a ‘clockenhen’ (Scots dialect). I never knew what the English word for it was. Looking at this one, I don’t see the clock mechanism, but it could be on the back of the upright and out of my sight. My mother’s didn’t have a clock. It clicked each time it went around and you had to count the clicks yourself. If you forgot, you had to start over. As a child I forgot several many times
Given that the Scotch-Irish side of my mother’s family has been in the US since 1628, that’s an awfully long survival for a non-English word. But really, what else would you call it?
"October 24, 2009, at 5:39 pm"
Wow I am learning more and more about this every day. How interesting Thanks