How 18th Century Flax Wheels Spin On (ft. My Country Craftsman Spinning Wheel)

[@JillianEve]

Thanks to PROVEN Skincare for sponsoring this video! You can get 50% discount off the retail price on your personalized 3-step skincare routine plus THREE free gifts using my code JILLIANEVE: bit.ly/jillianeve_proven - Valid for limited time only!

[@SusieQ3]

"Teeth marks" 😂 as a mother of a teething toddler, with teeth marks on my bobbins, I am so tickled to know my baby is historically accurate 😂😂😂

[@slhughes1267]

Either a baby or a dog.

[@taken-for-pomegranted]

As someone with pretty severe ADHD, spinning is an amazing outlet for instant gratification-not to mention a much healthier way to achieve it compared to scrolling through my phone for hours. Turning my fiber into singles, singles into plied yarn, weaving with that yarn, and then turning that fabric into something is an amazing feeling with each step of the process.

[@lexi3077]

I have a question to that. I find weaving interesting (like a lot of stuff...) but I can't sew at all. Can you make your own clothes with sewing? I suck at knitting and are still looking for ways to make useful stuff with my yarn :)

[@taken-for-pomegranted]

​@@lexi3077I'm nowhere near the level of experience with tailoring that I could comfortably make my own clothes, but it's definitely a goal.

[@elineeugenie5224]

​@@lexi3077i suck at all of them 😅 but i made two massive sweaters out of homespun wool, by knitting straight pieces and sewing them together with a bone needle! They're sooo cosy, totally recommend!

[@rachelhuitsing1876]

What a bewitching wheel! The number 13 is quite special to me, and I have a special interest in flax spinning for family history reasons. Even her chatter is wonderful. Could I suggest a name for her? Frigg is the Norse goddess of the skies, also known for spinning (flax) and hearth wifely things. Lesser known is that she has a court of 12 handmaids, making 13 a sacred number to her. Sometimes she is also known as the Mother of All....so it just seems to fit.

[@alisonhenry820]

Omg that seems perfect!

[@lisabecker9809]

It was enchanting how you kept the sound of the wheel spinning for a while at the end of this video!

[@4SlowFashion]

as a maker, i want to do difficult techniques like the 13 spokes because it is homemade and machines do even/boring things but people do intricate/time wasting/ beautiful things. And i want people who know, to know, this was expertly crafted by hand. Its a definitive luxury mark.

[@lindaholmes1920]

It’s so good that you adopted this old girl and brought her back to life and researched her backstory. I was entranced from start to finish. We stand on the shoulders of craftspeople of earlier generations and we owe them so much.

[@Bittersweetfarm]

I was spinning on my Country Craftsman as I was watching this! But mine is a little younger, so different maker and just 12 spokes.

[@sonjanordahl3158]

I agree with you. 13 colonies.

[@maggiereese1053]

My sole wheel is Aunt Clara a 13 spoke CC. I love these wheels!

[@JillianEve]

Wheel sisters!

[@reneecoppock4404]

This video must be fate!!! I've been watching your channel for about a year and, finally, was able to save up enough to buy wheel not two days ago, and that wheel just so happens to be a J. Rooney Country Craftsman!!! Thank you for all the work you put into your lovely videos; I wouldn't be anything close to the spinner I am now without the wonderful history you share, techniques you teach, or the enthusiasm that reverberates through each video you produce. Thank you for being a wonderful Fiber Friend; I've fallen in love with this community and you were my gateway

[@JillianEve]

Wheel twins! I'm so happy you are here! Happy spinning! 🧶💜🥰

[@ambermegill4461]

I love that this video has been watched by so many that were then blessed with a CC of their own. I happened to be looking around for a wheel and found a CC on marketplace 20 minutes from me. The seller bought it about 45 years ago as a decorative piece in her home. It's basically a brand new wheel. It still works perfect with original leathers, distaff and wooden pegs. She even had all the original papers with Jerome Rooneys signature, parts list and instructions for care and use. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I may have shed a tear or two as I drove away with her in my passanger seat. Thank you so much for making this video and showing us what to look for when buying one of our own.

[@DrowSkinned]

Now i jist want to grow flax

[@jenniferhanna1569]

What a nice history lesson. I think your theory holds water. I just happened to pop onto fb marketplace after seeing this and to my surprise there was a twin of your wheel! Same maker same look except for two differences. It still has it's distaff and it has 12 spokes. I think it is safe to assume that yours was probably made in 1976. I wish I had an extra $125 to buy the one that is in my town (Fort Myers, FL) but I already bought myself a birthday gift darn it. Love everything I am learning from you. Thank you!

[@dfu1685]

I am a woodworking hobbyist Man and have found your video, not only fascinating, but also respectfully appreciative of the history and Artfully researched. Thank you very much for putting so much time and effort into what we all take for granted in these present times. I mean, if civilization came to a tumultuous halt in the way we know it, You would be everyone’s best Friend AND the highest paid consultant! 😂 In a Nutshell, wonderful job!!!

[@MamamanaDoDo]

My parents had a decorative spinning wheel in the 70s that we played with as kids (maybe what put the spinning bug in my brain?). I know the “Early American” style was a big thing then. That 13 spokes around the Bicentennial makes perfect sense!

[@gigartina]

Yeah … the sound of a happily spinning wheel is one of the best. Yet another beautiful and thoughtful video - thanks!

[@alisonhenry820]

You look so pretty without makeup! You're pretty regardless, but I don't think I've seen you bare faced before, and you're absolutely lovely without makeup too ❤ I only make a point of mentioning it bc I haven't worn makeup in 20 years and we bare faced women are a minority. Amazing video as usual!! I'm a fibre artist and a trained furniture maker, so videos like this are right up my alley, thank you!!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

I've always been intensely curious about how things work, how to fix things when they break (leading to increasing frustration with modern cars and appliances), and how to make stuff at home I only know through industrial manufacturing, as well as stuff that really can't be done industrially. It's led to... a lot of hobbies. And a slowly growing collection of sewing machines, none more recent than 1980's. I want to try making a straw hat (though I'm going to try it with braided corn husk cause that's what I've got), and a parasol (no actual plans for that yet), and a bonnet, I've made cloth shoes but want to try again with leather (though they won't be as awesome as Nicole Rudolph's because there's no way I'll have shoe lasts made up for my feet unless I make them myself), wheel spinning and loom weaving are on my list too. On top of all the crap I already do. I just need a bigger house, yeah, that's it...

[@JillianEve]

I just watched Nicole Rudolph's 18th century dress video. So inspiring! I'm so with you on the list of projects and acquiring more hobbies. Your outfit will be amazing when it all comes together with shoes and a parasol you made!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

@@JillianEve Haha, amazing is one word for what I'll look like in full plate armour with a parasol or pretty floral bonnet to keeo the sun from frying my brain!! ...dangit, now I have to figure out how to hide a sword in a parasol... ... screw it, I'll just make a sparasol attachment that goes on the end of my scabbard so I can hold the whole thing by the sword handle.... why am I like this :D

[@ThisSmallGnome]

Rapier in the parasol handle, like a sword cane.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

@@ThisSmallGnome Haha, yes! ...only it'll be my one hand practical sword cause that's what I fight with :D

[@AnneClaudin-s5k]

Mon doigt à dérapé et mon commentaire n'était pas finit... Donc je disais que vous pouviez être fière de vous 👍 car vous êtes une Artiste formidable et exceptionnelle... j'adore j'adore et j'adore ce que vous faites ❤❤❤👍👍👍

[@makingmods]

Hey, it's my wheel! So awesome to learn about it!

[@jampotts5730]

lovely video, flax is such an interesting spinning adventure. Recently bought at auction a 1 kilo bag of flax that was produced in Geraldine NZ, the factory closed down in the late 70:'s, and I am spinning it on an Ashford ( late 70's model) that I got at the same auction., .Spinning the flax with Arapawa and alpaca, to create a fingering weight yarn and loving the long, slow process of getting to the 900m I need to knit a garment.

[@wendyg8536]

A breeder used to keep some Arapawa sheep out in the paddock behind my old house years ago..and one of the few stud rams around at the time, the flock was very small to memory on Arapawa, then a few decades ago.. and I hope it survives as I have just read it risks extinction, sad. I would love to have a paddock for sheep and wool. A friend has alpacas and I have been lucky to have been gifted a few fleeces from her darling pets.

[@RandyShanahan-tl1ho]

I have a country craftsman and it spins wonderfully.

[@JillianEve]

Wheel twins!

[@paulbombardier8722]

I used to have a Country Craftsman and loved that wheel. I really miss it.

[@GaryDyarman]

Love your channel! Love what you said about this spinning wheel. I'm a 72 y.o. man who is still trying to learn to spin.....with the hope of learning to spin flax.

[@denisepulginostout827]

3:57 I just found this video and watched it (love it!) Then I just so happened to come across a Country Craftsman on Marketplace near me! I snatched that up quick!

[@HegenerHomestead]

My first(and so far, only) spinning wheel is a Country Craftsman! I absolutely love it. It took a long time for me to get the hang of it because I was new to spinning and it's not the easiest wheel to start with, but I love her. Thank you for all the background information! I had a hard time finding much information regarding the history. My wheel was made in 1993 by Franzek but it's the same design. I have not tried spinning flax on it yet.

[@witchysshame]

i have a country craftsman! it is my first and only wheel and came with all her pieces in great condition, even the matching stool

[@witchysshame]

i just took a good look at it, mine was made by j franzek jr and has only 12 spokes! how interesting

[@joeannasmith6996]

I have a 16 spoke signed antique flax wheel with a distaff. I love it and use it to spin flax. Love your videos. The history of the craft is inspiring. Thanks so much.

[@resourcedragon]

What a marvellous find! And that wheel has gone to the perfect home where it will be appreciated. I look forward to seeing future projects made on that wheel and perhaps a tutorial on flax spinning. And thank you for all the history behind it. A lot of textile work has been overlooked over the years because it is seen as "women's work" and so long as meals keep on appearing on the table, and clean clothes in drawers and wardrobes and appointments are arranged, etc, the patriarchy undervalues it. I think a lot of us who are interested in spinning or vintage knitting or the like are engaging in at least a little discreet cosplay. But that then leads to questions like, "So, who would have knitted this sort of garment? Who was it for? How was the garment regarded in the society in which it was being worn at that time?" Videos like this one help to answer those questions.

[@TheCraftyAutistic]

I love the way the cage distaff makes it look like you're spinning a wig. 🙂

[@sandrabragg1703]

I also have a Country Craftsman spinning wheel. Mine has the distaff but only 12 spindles. Thank you for helping me appreciate the uniqueness of this wheel.

[@BernardDauphinais]

I like your theory for the 13 spokes. I have an old flax wheel and truly love it. I spin wool on it, but I'm lacking bobbins as well. Will have to look into contacting Bobbin Boy. Thanks for this wonderful video.

[@stitchwithbritt5922]

Very beautiful spinning wheel🥰 you only live once so go ahead and buy all the antique spinning wheels you want😆 it creates wonderful learning opportunities💕. I don’t think spinning is an obsolete art. There is value in learning how to spin because it teaches you how garments are made. Most people myself included probably wanted to learn how to spin because they crocheted, knitted, or weaved and wanted to learn how to make thier own yarn to use in thier craft🥰

[@princess-violet]

really beautiful video! thanks for taking us on that journey

[@craycray375]

I love my flax wheel. So great for thin spinning

[@kellydietz6720]

You are wonderful, thank you for your knowledge, and that is amazing. I've never seen anyone spin flax. That wheel is an angel spirit ❤..

[@matburnstopia]

How much did you love Mr. Alan Dewy?! I have an 18th century antique wheel and he built me a new flyer, bobbins and distaff for it. Those Dewys are a treasure in the fiber arts community. That wheel looks AMAZING, Evie! and 13 spokes?! That takes some mad mathematical skills. So cool!

[@JillianEve]

Yes! They were so awesome to work with! I recommend Bobbin Boy all the time when people need parts made or replaced on their old wheels.

[@Meredith36]

What a beautiful spinning wheel! Happy creating 💚🧶💚

[@EsteeDarla]

Amazing I got a knitting loom for my birthday and then knitting machine for Christmas like 20 years later and then I was off and running into everything textile so I am glad to see so many of us wanting to keep something alive that kind of wasn't really much thought any more but is very important.

[@chilope2319]

i need an asmr video of just this wheel spinning, its such a lovely sound

[@jackieperriment1153]

Loved this video What a wonderful spinning wheel.

[@okaminess]

Your channel is my FAVORITE. ❤❤❤ Yarn galore! Knitting! Spinning!

[@The-Vintage-Needlecrafter]

I think it represents the 13 colonies 😊 🐑 It's lovely

[@jacquelynsmith2351]

Love learning about this. I've been looking on FB Marketplace and eBay for wheels in my area... no luck, at least not in my budget. Cheapest ones are about $1,000 and require a lot of restoration, which I don't have the knowledge to do at this point. I think I'll start with an EEW.

[@jesspopps]

I’m going to do the same! Would love a traditional non-electric wheel one day (mainly because I too want to spin flax and don’t think the water required will mesh well with an electric motor…) but it’s out of my budget at the moment. Well, that and I live in a 1-bed flat and my hobbies already take up a lot of space…

[@jacquelynsmith2351]

@@jesspopps good luck! I'm glad there's a more affordable option for us to at least get started 🥰

[@wendyg8536]

Love wheels and the antique ones..!! and have quite a collection. My old go-to trusty handmade saxony wheel after 38 years use is almost worn out needing to be mended. I have two old elm georgian wheels unusable (unless I use an alternative flyer) so just display and one even has the original cage distaff still ! its just ancient I found in bits at a market yeas ago..and a little Victorian upright same but unusable. At present hoping to find some bobbins and parts for my '60s Finnish wheel needing restoration also but it is lovely with large wheel and will spin flax on it sometime when restored. Mostly people here in NZ learn to spin on the Ashfords..which are made in the South Island here..and readily avaliable reliable for parts etc .... but I love the difference that these historic and handmade artisan wheels have with their elegant turned features ! I learnt spinning as a teenager and will forever :)...and was lucky to go on and study textiles with some of the best tutors here in NZ, when our famous weaving school was still running. After all this time, I have managed to acquire a large countermarch.. so looking forward to working on it too. I still have my first ball of wool I ever spun... and first my weaving I just found again :)

[@okaminess]

Thanks for the history lesson, JillianEve! ❤

[@kimberlydrennon4982]

I love your videos! However old time woodworkers can divide anything into any interval by using a pair of dividers. Punch a hole to remember where you started and open your dividers to a distance you think is close to what you want. Then walk the dividers around till you get back to the origin, counting the number of steps as you go. The dividers probably won't evenly match the punch mark so adjust your dividers accordingly and try again. Repeat until the dividers take the desired number of steps perfectly and then punch a hole at every point the dividers step.

[@jojomoran4683]

I love just watching you spin. It's so mesmerizing. And educational.

[@jamiethrogmorton2540]

What a special episode! Thank you.

[@vane_lao]

Your work, either crafting and making videos is very significant. I'm so thankful for the knowledge and joy I get from what you do. Cheers from Brazil💖

[@Amanda-yf7vj]

That is such a beautiful wheel!!! What would we d without craftsmen and women around the world!? Including yourself!!

[@alisonhenry820]

I love the basket you're using to hold the wool close to your walking wheel. So cute and innovative!

[@alisonhenry820]

And used to hold your jar of water on the new flax wheel ❤

[@JillianEve]

Thank you! It's hand made. I got it at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. It's so useful!

[@emmanuelajayi6418]

I want to know how to make fabrics of different types please make video on it.

[@Bellbebell]

Video looks so good! Everything is so crisp and beautiful!

[@stellaluna6421]

I think you're spot on about the thirteen spokes. (Not that I'm qualified to confirm such a theory). But given the fact that thirteen is so often an inauspicious number in the US, I think there would need to be a reason to go through the extra effort of including thirteen spokes, and thirteen colonies as part of a bicentennial-inspired celebration makes a lot of sense, especially given the age of the spinning wheel he based it off of.

[@badakhshan7859]

Hi i hope you have been great

[@mariawood5784]

Fascinating. Great video ❤❤

[@JillianEve]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@irishcottagerenovation9900]

Great video, enjoyed all the history and the way you put all the content together. It’s brilliant that you have breathed new life into the flax wheel. Thank you for sharing.

[@drewadrawing]

Wow, the wheel looks lovely after the cleaning! This was such an interesting, peaceful video. I've wondered about the Country Craftsman wheels before, and now I know a bit more about their history!

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

What a great spinning wheel, I am amazed at your fine spinning.

[@ThisSmallGnome]

Can you do a video on all the parts of a flax wheel? My mother-in-law has one but she knows nothing about it. She offered it to me, so I'm looking to learn more.

[@JillianEve]

Yep! Check out my Double Drive video!

[@knitwitchcraftingpodcast]

your videos are always such a joy to watch

[@amelia_camellia]

Thank you for making this wonderful video! Your enthusiasm and love for fiber and the wheels that spin it are so inspiring to me as I fall (gently) down the fiber and textile rabbit hole myself. There's so much to learn and enjoy! (Also, that reveal on the wool wheel was chef's-kiss perfect.)

[@laurawilliams9656]

Loved the end with just the sounds of the wheel chatter…this should be a white noise option for sleeping.

[@JillianEve]

💯🥰

[@gerdine9258]

Can you please upload a video with just spinning asmr specifically with this weel? The last seconds of this video brought some peace to me. The whirring of this wheel sounds so calming...

[@nz-nz]

That was so interesting Evie! I love the chatter the wheel makes too ☺️

[@tattercandy]

i will be looking to more on the flax wheel i have

[@valeriegeorgevitch3876]

Fascinating!!!

[@matthewf1979]

I would put money on a WWII Veteran turned craftsman taking inspiration from the Bicentennial as the reason for the 13 spokes. The wheels he saw in that museum were likely from the Colonies too. It’s also a little show off flare, making his product distinct.

[@bjhaynes7502]

before your comments, my thoughts were 13 colonies. Framington is pronounced Frame ing ton. I live about an hour and a half away.

[@MargaretUIUC]

Whew! For a second there, I thought you were going to use Howard's as a cosmetic! 😂

[@JillianEve]

Keeping it interesting 😅😂

[@cybersecretary]

Fascinating!

[@graceturner6496]

I very rarely comment on YT, but this is the perfect video. Adventure, craft and history lesson. Thanks so much

[@JillianEve]

🥰🥰🥰

[@tracyhood4336]

Hi JillianEve, I just obtained a 45 in walking wheel and noticed on both edges of the support board are ridges. Would you happen to know what those ridges are used for? thanks.

[@Gertieanne]

What kind of cleaner did you use on the wheel? And what where you wiping on it after cleaning it?

[@JillianEve]

Warm water to clean and Howard's Feed and Wax 👍

[@Sarelro6355]

I’m so disappointed to hear that the museum closed. I was already daydreaming about a trip to see it. 😕

[@JillianEve]

Me too!

[@NouriaDiallo]

There is a record of English authorities trying to promote linen production in Ireland by gifting households line spinning wheels. It didn't work well at first because women used them to spin wool. So there is at least one instance of not using the tool as it was intended to (but since Ireland is now known for its linen tradition, it is more than likely that it eventually worked)

[@traceytowner176]

Cool presentation. Fun! Could I ask what product you are using to clean up your new treasure? Ty for this presentation!

[@JillianEve]

Howard Feed and Wax 🧶

[@maribethclark2798]

Given he was in Massachusetts, I bet 13 was representative of the 13 colonies!

[@AnneClaudin-s5k]

❤un petit coucou de France ❤ Nouvelles abonnée grasse à une KZbinuse Julie qui fait du tricot et créatrice... je pense avoir trouvé pour le rouet a 13 rayons, c'était tout simplement pour se démarquer des autres et ne pas se tromper entre une roue de charrette, de berceaux, de moulins, de vélos.....etc etc etc... voilivoilà... Vous pouvez être fière de vous 👍 car c'est

[@Bobbieliz]

OK, I'm out on a tree limb here, but maybe he carefully measured and made all the holes for the spokes evenly around the wheel and then realized that he had measured for 13 spokes. Oh, whoops! And then he thought, "Oh, well, why not 13? Who is going to count, except maybe someone in the future whose name is JillianEve?" 😁

[@JillianEve]

😂

[@resourcedragon]

Nice hypothesis, except there are 360 deg in a full circle, which is easily divisible by 12 (gives you 30 deg or 1/3 of a right angle) but 360 is not divisible by 13, or at least, not so you get a whole number or anything like it. (It's 27.69231 to 5 significant figures.) Measuring that is really tricky. It's a shame, as I do like your oopsie! hypothesis.

[@slhughes1267]

Rats, the museum closed. That's a shame.

[@elineeugenie5224]

🤤🤤🤤13 spokes❤❤❤

[@wendymurray8594]

If only we could inderstand that beautiful chatter from your wheel. Perhaps ot woild be telling the tale of its maker . Does the museum where Rooney sought information no longer have the wheels he may have seen? If i know you at all, your historical detecting skills will keep tryong to find the answers. Happy chattery spinning!! 🥰🙏🏼🧶

[@JillianEve]

Their collections were dispersed to other museums and libraries when they closed in 2016. 😭

[@wendymurray8594]

@@JillianEve how disappointing. 😥 Regardless, she is a stunner. 🥰

[@CheapEngineerCrafts]

Maybe 13 spokes to identify it as a replica

[@sonjanordahl3158]

When you are prepping your flax, it looks to me like a horses tail.

[@geo8841]

How much did you pay for this?

[@MonicaLea]

And with the shift to cotton a larger market for it was created and we all know how that went. Slavery literally touched every single aspect of the creation of America.

[@JillianEve]

Exactly.

[@alisonhenry820]

Maybe he made all of his wheels with 13 spokes, as a trademark?

[@JillianEve]

He also made a bunch with 12 spokes. I had the same question so I had to check! 💜

[@anc3133]

This is not hard work LOL. Try working as a framer or any number of manual labor jobs men have to do