A Spinning in Cowgirl Boots from knitsbyjenn The earliest known spinning wheels were in China and Persia and they didn't look ANYTHING like the wheels we use today. Come follow me on 1000 years of the history of spinning wheels.
I'm absolutely sure you could have gotten the oldest of the wheels to spin. The painting you showed had a hand wheel driving a spindle, just like the "great wheels" and "walking wheels" of the past. Spinning hasn't really changed since spindles were invented. You have something going round to twist the fiber, then you wind it on a stick. The rest is just orientation! Thanks for a great video
Hi Jenn I think that woven fabrics are as old as spinning itself. Warp has always had to be very strong so, even the yarn with support spindles and hand spindles had to be strong enough for fabric making. Support spindles and hand spindles make very strong warp. I found this out on my own as I have 5 drop spindles. So I would not think that treadle wheels were the only means of making strong warp. Folks had strong cloth long before treadle wheels came along...at least that is my thinking.
+Barbara Rickman Yes that is my conclusion as well. Before treadle wheels most warp thread was made with a drop or supported spindle. The hand turned wheels were limited and made low twist thread that was used to in the weft.
