Threadwinders

Someone asked me the meaning of my pseudonym, threadwinder.

Being a collector of textile tools it seemed like a natural name to me. After all, before thread was put on spools it was spun into hanks (and sold in hanks). Seamstresses had to wind their thread onto threadwinders before they did their sewing, very much like winding hanks of yarn into balls for knitting or crocheting. Threadwinders are little knobbed disks, usually made of bone, ivory, or mother-of-pearl; but occasionally of horn, wood, or other materials (pictures to be posted later). With the advent of practical sewing machines in the 1850's thread had to be on spools, and the use of threadwinders diminished.

I also see myself as one who winds literal threads, whether it be for crocheting, knitting, sewing, lace-making, weaving, spinning, or bead working. I also love winding histories of textiles and textile tools.

Figural Crochet Hooks and Knit your Bit

I have not set up a website yet, so threadwinder.info does not work yet, but it is under construction.


Here is a selection of figural crochet hooks, mostly made of bone or ivory (one silver-plated metal) from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. My first Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) Chain Link Newsletter blurb will be in the May 2010 issue. It is about collecting figural crochet hooks. For additional information not included in the Chain Link article see the following article. It includes some more details on the shown hooks and provides information on identifying ivory and bone,as well as the legalities of buying ivory.
iAntiqueOnline Figural Crochet Hooks


During WWI and WWII it was considered patriotic to knit for the military, wounded, and refugees. Popular culture, including magazines, posters, postcards, and songs encouraged the activity. Pictured is a selection of WWII knitting songs. During July 2008, I displayed most of my WWI and WWII knitting/sewing collectibles at the Bull Run Regional Library in Manassas, VA. Here are some pictures of the display:
iAntiqueOnline WWI&II Workbasket Campaigns

Until next time......

Just Getting Started...

Hello anyone who may be interested. I just bit the bullet and got a domain name: threadwinder.info and started a blog. I plan to post articles about textile tools and textile history here.