Walking Spinning Wheel

Credit LineCollection of Museum London, 1976

Object number1976.063.009

Label TextThis is an example of a great wheel, also called a walking wheel or wool wheel. Invented in medieval times, the great wheel was a spindle, mounted sideways, driven by a huge wheel. American Amos Miner invented the device around 1810. Great wheels like this were seen as producing a superior woolen thread over other styles of spinning wheel. "Spinning is the act of drawing out a few fibers and twisting them together to form a yarn. The process predates written history and was first done by hand and with sticks. Spinning wheels are believed to have originated in India between 500 and 1000 A.D. By the 13th century, they were seen in Europe, and were a standard piece of equipment for those making fiber into yarn. By the 17th century they were commonly found in homes in the colonies of North America, where the production of fabric was a cottage industry. Spinning was generally seen as a woman's job. Women spun yarn at home, as well as with friends at spinning bees, where food was served, and prizes might be given to the person who produced the most or best yarn. The industrial revolution brought mechanization to the textile industry, and eventually spinning was done on large machines in textile mills." (Smithsonian) The name walking wheel refers to the fact that the spinner must walk back and forth, that is, from the front of the wheel backwards, one hand controlling the fibers and the other turning the wheel. The wheel is the mechanism that puts the twist into the fiber.

NameWheel, Spinning