Spinning in the Outer Hebrides

Spinning in the Outer Hebrides

ID: QZP99_93154_06_01 DESCRIPTION: A woman sitting outside her house spinning. Windows in croft houses were small and did not let in much light, so it was common for women to do many of their domestic tasks outside Before wool could be used to make clothes it had to be spun into yarn. This was originally done using a 'drop spindle', a weighted stick which stretched the wool out and twisted it into yarn. This process was slow and done by hand but it was portable and could be done almost anywhere. Spinning wheels did not come into use in the Highlands until the early 19th century. The 'muckle wheel' was a large wheel turned by hand and requiring the spinner to walk back and forwards to tease the wool into yarn and wind the yarn onto a spindle. The smaller 'Saxony wheel' became common after 1850. It was operated by a treadle and could do the work much quicker than the drop spindle method. This image comes from a collection gifted to Edinburgh Central Library by Dr Isabel F. Grant. The collection includes photographs taken by a number of different photographers. PLACENAME: North Uist DISTRICT: North Uist OLD COUNTY/PARISH: INVERNESS: North Uist SOURCE: Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh Central Library COLLECTION: I F Grant Photographic Archive Asset ID: 38515 KEYWORDS: