Thu 27 May 2010
Posted by Tropical Twister under Articles , My Spinning Wheels
[4] Comments
Ravelry friends suggested my new wheel might be Tyrolean … (on the very border of Bavaria) Check THIS out.
The photo is described as ” A spinning wheel and bedroom furniture inside the Tyrol House at Tirolergarten in Tiergarten, Schloss Schonbrunn”. The wheel sure looks familiar …
I loaded three photos of another Tyrolean wheel HERE. This wheel was photographed by a Ravelry member who has a friend who reports the wheel was handed down from ancestors living in Tyrol.
A branch of my ancestral tree was from Bavaria so I like to think some how the wheel found it’s way home, if to the flats of Florida from the alpine mountains. It’s a great working wool wheel; fast with a gentle twist!
Topical Twister
It’s a beautiful wheel. The wheel in the photo looks very similar, it’s good to have this clue to it’s history. How does the treadle work?
The “footman”, the bar that connects the treadle to the fly wheel and causes the wheel to turn, is in the front. If you look close, you can see where over time the spinner’s foot has worn away the frame and the treadle. With my heel on the fame, I rock it back and forth and the wheel turns. Interestingly, while one end of the bar at the base of the treadle fits into the frame, the other end (closest to the front of the wheel) just rests on the frame. Looking at the photos of similar wheels, it appears other wheels from the region are set up the same.
How does it spin? And how do you spin on it? I just got one back from repair and have yet to spin on it. Not sure how to place my foot.
thanks
If you go to HERE you’ll see a YouTube video I made showing how the wheel works. Hope this helps.
Tropical Twister