Johan Robertson

MY TREASURED POSSESSION

I have my great granny’s spinning wheel. She lived in Westray and the spinning wheel was made at ‘Moa’ in Westray. It would have been very important to her to clothe her large family.

Next, my granny had it, and it would have been very important to her. Her family was very young when her husband died. They were in a tied cottage at Brough when he took ill and died. My granny would have been very glad of her spinning wheel as she could earn a little money selling spun wool.

My own earliest memories of the spinning wheel is of my mother using it. She spun and knitted gansies and long drawers to my dad. She eventually stopped using it – there was more wool available to buy then after the war.

I went to a class on spinning and liked it. I got the same handed down spinning wheel then. I have spun and knitted a good few cardigans and jerseys and latterly lots of slippers.

The spinning wheel will be well over a hundred years old and still works perfectly.

You could say its been a cornerstone in the family for well over a hundred years.

- Johan Robertson