Fiber tools: squirrel cage swift

Fiber tools: squirrel cage swift

Spinning -- Appalachian Region, Southern

Textile machinery

A squirrel cage swift, or barrel swift, holds a skein of yarn while it is wound into a ball. The two cages adjust for variously sized skeins. In this very old example, dating to the 1800s, one base has broken off, and the upper cage is off track on the right side. This swift was owned by Clementine Douglas, who donated it to the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Mary Frances Davidson demonstrated with it at early guild fairs in the 1940s. A dense shadow on the wall is somewhat deceptive. The creator of this item is unknown.

Unknown

Permanent Collection

Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

1800/1900

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

jpg

artifacts (object genre)

StillImage

16175

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/16175

2009-06-24

All rights reserved. For permissions and use, contact Southern Highland Craft Guild Archives, Asheville, NC 28815;

56" x 15" x 10"(dimension)

Craft Revival