While visiting in San Diego last week we had a chance to visit the state historic park called Old Town, San Diego. When going through La Casa de Estudillo, we got to see some very old spinning and fiber preparation tools. In the main bedroom there was a very small spinning wheel. In one of the other rooms we spotted a squirrel cage for taking skeins of yarn and wrapping them into balls. There was no adjustments to be made like the Squirrel cage I purchased from Shepard’s Woodworking . Of course all the skeins of yarn would have been made the same size, so there was no need to make it adjustable. What I am really saying is that if you wind large amounts of yarn at home you definitely need a squirrel cage at home. Some things never change. I have had mine for a few years now and wish that I had gotten it sooner. The hand carders looked very similar to the hand carders produced today. The difference was in the handles. The handles looked like they were carved or whittled by hand. The blacksmith would have added the pins on the carders with each one made by hand. The handles had no grip like the modern ones that I use.
Of course there were no acid dyes around to dye the yarn. It is my humble opinion that various plants, spices and flowers were used to make the colors.
Below are a few pictures.
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