The history of an antique ball winder yarn dates back many years.
Interested in how the older models work? Read on.
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I reviewed and updated this post on August 5, 2022.
Table Of Contents
What Is An Antique Yarn Winder?
An antique yarn winder dating from as early as the 19th century.
AKA
- Ball winder
- Clockenhen
- Clock reel
- Knitty knotty
- Niddy noddy
- Nostepinne
- Spinners weasel
- Skein winder
Organize your fiber in a wool bowl while you work.
They’re wood, even the gears! There was one main wooden gear, and the gear shaft was covered.
Luxury models were whalebone, ivory or iron.
Wood Used
- Shaker Ash
- Birch
- Chestnut
- Cherry
- Maple
- Oak
- Pine
- Poplar
Want your winding done for you? Check out my yarn winder electric post.
Older Yarn Winders
The niddy-noddy is the most common older yarn winder.
- The base has a center pole
- Two criss-cross pieces attached to the top
The sticks have knobs (wooden dowels) to hold the yarn and adjust the size for different yarns.
One style has
- Four arms
- Wooden pegs on each end
- A tripod base
- Others resemble a ship’s wheel
- Some sit flat on a tabletop or surface
- Others look like an umbrella
How Does An Antique Yarn Winder Work?
An antique yarn winder works by creating loops with a 72″ circumference. It turns 40 times to create a hank (bundle.)
When complete, the person made a knot to keep it together.
This process was repeated seven times until a skein of 560 yards.
Some don’t wind it into a skein, but bobbins, spools, or a ball.
Yarn swifts were used with a yarn winder like the modern method.
The swifts were wood, spinning horizontally, and lay flat.
As yarn hanks or skeins didn’t vary in size, there was limited adjustability.
Spinning accompanied winding yarn, as different methods create a different texture, tension, or tautness.
They spun the yarn first, winding it to create a hank, skein, or ball.
Facts
- The origin of the nursery rhyme “Pop Goes The Weasel” comes from yarn winding. The spinner (weasel), pops after a while
- Often they were brightly colored
- The more expensive models had decorative edging
- Poor people made yarn winders and spinning wheels, as they were expensive
- Handmade antique yarn winders are rare
- In Romania, textile makers continue spinning, winding and weaving on old, handmade machines
How Much Is An Antique Spinning Wheel Worth?
It easily fetches thousands at an antique market or auction.
Want to know where to buy yarn? Look at my post.
It’s important to be connected to our past to learn for the future.
Do you know something about them?
Which combination would be most suitable for you? See my review of the swift and winder.
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