Recent talk on Spinning

It's always rewarding when you listen to a speaker who is passionate about their subject. Val Bryant told us about her interest in spinning wheels. Born into a family with a long connection to the textile industry, Val has been spinning since a young child.  After retiring from the NT Styal Mill, she and her husband have been researching the history of spinning wheels and searching out wheels from all over the country. Val described the development of domestic spinning technology from Roman times to the early part of the 20th century. Her researches have taken from the Scottish  Islands through stately homes to Royal residences, from crofters' wheels to those owned by Queen Victoria. Her particular interest is in the different designs from different makers. Val demonstrated how to use  a wheel to turn carded wool into yarn. A craft which she made looked deceptively simple.

Val's husband David repairs and makes spinning wheels. See his website.

For those wanting to know more about this subject follow link.

Val also alerted us to events at her local Knutsford Heritage Centre. For example there is an display on the History of Booth's supermarket. Follow link for more details.