To me...nothing represents both the hardships and the accomplishments of early settlers more than the Spinning Wheel. Spinning wheels have been around much longer than our early American adventurers but it was a staple in their household...or at least in the household of a neighbor...someone nearby.

I watched an artisan take raw, unprocessed wool freshly sheared from a sheep and literally turn the wool into workable thread or yarn. The yarn in turn was knitted into clothing of some type. The process of making thread or yarn is an incredibly slow process. No wonder in those days it was so common to pass articles of clothing down from generation to generation.

Thread was not only made from animal furs but also from weeds such as Flax. Once discovered as far back as 34000BC it was cultivated for several purposes...one being spun into threads. It is amazing what human ingenuity can create once a need arises and the best motivation is survival.

Dan