I saw in the old antique mall two histories
Two old spinning wheels, the same in birth and form.
So differently polished by time that the light of each
illuminated the other.
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I haven’t been able to identify a specific model, but I’m fairly certain it’s an old Kromski – they looked like a cross between the Polonaise and the Symphony, and had that distinctive sliding mother of all that Kromski’s do. They also had direct drive setups – the flyer and bobbin all in one solid piece, which I’ve never seen before.
It was really fascinating to be able to see both of these wheels at once, and compare the different conditions they were in. One was very little used, but damaged in some pretty serious ‘no more spinning for you’ ways – most notable a broken off flyer arm. The kinds of damages that come of not being used and being carelessly stored.
The other was extremely worn, and had a number of obvious repairs, but was still in excellent working order – it just needed a new drive band. I turned the wheel by hand, and it spun as smoothly as if freshly oiled.
Knit-Write 