Spinning on a Charkha Wheel

The earliest tools used for spinning fiber into a yarn or thread were probably sticks and stones, developing into the drop spindle or supported spindle. Eventually, perhaps before the 13th century, an early version of the spinning wheel was developed. This machine may have been derived from the equipment used for unwinding silk cocoons rather than directly from the need to make a spindle turn faster. The earliest spinning machines of this type simply turned a spindle on it's side and attached a drive mechanism to turn the spindle. The earliest 'wheel' really wasn't a solid wheel but an assembly of wood or bamboo spikes with string creating a support for the drive band that turned the spindle. These early wheel slowly spread throughout the East into Europe, and were the basis for the later development of the rimmed spinning wheel that drove a larger spindle. The charkha wheel, used in India, was made famous by Gandhi's promotion of the little wheel as a means of self-sufficiency from Indian dependence on England for cotton cloth. He also promoted the practice of spinning as a meditation. The small book charkha was the result of Gandhi's efforts; he modified a design submitted in a contest, creating a double wheel assembly. This wheel became a symbol of self sufficiency in India and Gandhi was photographed using it as well as the older versions.

The small, or book charkha, is an economical spinning wheel. It's a little fussy to set up but works well once you learn the little quirks. The working parts are inside a small box, about the size of an average Bible, that opens up and creates a platform for the apparatus. There are larger versions that are the size of a briefcase. This is a tidy little machine, with a space to tuck all the individual parts for storage. It comes with three spindles and a handy skeiner.

The charkha was originally used by the Indians sitting on the ground, with legs crossed, with one foot against the metal and wood holder that fits over the edge of the case. For those of us that are no longer fit enough to assume the Lotus position, a clamp on a tabletop works just as well. There are two wheels and the ratio of this wheel is 125:1; a nice fine yarn is possible with this little wheel with plenty of twist. I spin silk and Angora on my charkha; the original purpose was for spinning tight cotton rolls called poonis or punis. Teakwood is the traditional wood used for the case and working parts of the charkha wheel. These wheels are readily available in the United States, imported from India and also made here.

The fussy part of my wheel is getting the holder for the spindle, called by some the "mousetrap" in exactly the right position. This device should have enough tension on the drive band around the spindle whorl to hold the mousetrap upright. The position of the drive band is important; if it's around the whorl one way you will spin the yarn in what is called a "Z" twist and if it's the other direction you will spin an "S" twist. This little quirk is handy to know when you ply the yarn.

Spinning with a charkha is a little different from spinning with a spindle. You use one hand to turn the wheel and the other to feed the fiber onto the spindle. Of necessity, for speed, this requires a method similar to the long draw for spinning, in which the fiber hand pulls away from the tip of the spindle as the twist runs up the new made yarn. The yarn angles up from the spindle and clicks against the tip if all is positioned correctly. When the length of yarn is completed, the angle is changed to allow the yarn to wind onto the spindle for storage.

The fiber should be well prepared to allow for ease of spinning; I generally card my Angora when I use it with the charkha, although I often do not card when I use the flyer wheel. Silk bells can be stretched into a roving. Pencil roving, a very thin roving, is very easy to spin on a charkha and might be a good fiber for a beginner to use. I have also spun cotton roving on my charkha; I need to learn more about using cotton for this to be a success! Be careful of the sharp tip of the spindle, especially if small children are nearby. I usually take the spindle off unless I'm actually spinning, for safety, when I spin in public. You can also use a cork or sponge on the tip to protect yourself and others.

Spinning on a charkha wheel is slower than spinning on a flyer wheel. The spinner creates a length of singles yarn by drafting as she turns the wheel on the charkha, then there is a pause while she backs up a trifle and then winds the spun yarn onto the spindle. This is repeated until the spindle is full. I find that I can spin a very fine angora yarn on this wheel, finer than even on my Reeves.

After the spindle is full of yarn, there is a tidy little attachment for skeining the yarn that attaches to the smaller drive wheel and will turn as the yarn is unwound from the spindle. I hold the spindle behind the wooden guide, feed the yarn through the eyelet on top of the guide and then turn the skeiner by hand.

I enjoy spinning with a spindle wheel, and now have an antique great wheel as well as this little book charkha. The great wheel get much more attention when I demonstrate with it, but I have done presentations with both the flyer wheel and the spindle wheels. The flyer wheel, invented much later, is one that most people are familiar with. However, when you use a spinning wheel with a spindle, you can finally show children where Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger!

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