What is This?

  Tucker found this in the attic with an old quilt thrown over the top. He couldn't figure out its purpose so he asked Gramma. 

     "It's a skein counter that came down in the family." Gramma smiled as she remembered the  story. "When my grandmother spun wool at her spinning wheel to make thread, her young daughter, my mother, would wind the thread or yarn 40 turns around the arms of the skein counter making a bundle or knot in length. There, she'd tie a little knot in the yarn. She continued this process seven times, making one skein of yarn 560 yards long. When she finished winding it the  proper number of revolutions, the little "weasel" popped out. You can see the nail under the center part where the weasel is located." 

     Children often sang the little song, Pop Goes the Weasel as they wound the yarn. Written in 1853, Pop Goes the Weasel is now in the public domain. Some words use "cobbler's bench," with spinning and counting the skeins, children used these words. Sing along ....

A penny for a spool of thread; a penny for a needle;

A penny for a spool of thread; and, Pop goes the weasel.

     For additional fun, take some yarn and a large crochet hook and make a potholder or other simple item. Just to learn the stitch, use very large yarn and make a single chain-stitch necklace.

A YouTube tutorial will help.  "Easy Crochet Potholders Tutorial - Perfect Project For Beginners."

Have fun!