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Community Corner

Antique of the Week: Spinning Wheel at The Junque Shop

A piece of Beebe family history is now for sale at The Junque Shop.

"That man can really spin a yarn!"

You might have heard this phrase before, but its origins have nothing to do with storytelling.  The origins of the phrase come from the spinning wheel, an item you can now purchase at The Junque Shop, on Route 104 in Riverside.

Spinning wheels, which evidence suggests date back to the eleventh century, were used to turn fibers into thread or yarn.

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The Art of Spinning website gives a detailed account of how the spinning wheel works. One sections says:

Start treadling, with the wheel going in a clockwise direction. This clockwise motion will create what is commonly known as a "Z twist" in your spun single strand of yarn. Let the leader and the fiber twist together, holding them for a moment as they twist so they are secure. Then let the wheel take up the fiber as you begin to draft more fiber. Slide the drafting hand toward the bundle of fiber, and draft some more fiber to be spun. 

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The process of spinning was common knowledge by the 17th century. The National Museum of American History says spinning wheels were often found in homes:

Spinning was generally seen as a woman's job. Women spun yarn at home, as well as with friends at spinning bees, where food was served and prizes might be given to the person who produced the most or best yarn.

The spinning wheel being sold at The Junque Shop is originally from Nova Scotia and dates back to the 1930s. The wheel belonged to the family of North Fork builder William Beebe,  including Henry Orville Beebe, who worked with John D. Rockefeller to restore Colonial Williamsburg.

The solid wood spinning wheel featured at The Junque Shop is fully functional and is being sold for $350.

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