This is a squirrel cage swift.
It's used to wind skeins of yarn into balls or cakes.
I didn't think I needed one of these, but this one fell into my hands this weekend. An older quilter friend had an estate sale this weekend, and this was one of the pieces in the sale. She had wanted to get into spinning in her craft life. He daughter said that a friend in Ohio made this for her out of oak. It is a very solid and substantial piece! Although she didn't get around to using it, she had it sitting in her living room as a piece of furniture.
I have a bale singles still in skeins [See the bag of blue and red yarn above.] that I purchased for upcoming coverlet projects. This squirrel cage swift will make it much easier and quicker to get them onto the bobbins for weaving. Yahoo! I wonder if I can go directly from the skeins to bobbins?
Thank you, Universe, and Marilyn C. You knew I needed this! And now I have something that belonged to you, a thing I will use and cherish!
Here's a video demonstrating how this type of swift works.
I think this one would need some slight amendments in order to wind a skein onto it, as from a spinning wheel bobbin. I'd have to add a crank, or turning handle to the upper squirrel cage. It's do-able.
