The Three Spinning Fairies

Drift off to sleep listening to this amusing story of a lazy daughter. Everyone tries to make her work at the spinning wheel but do they succeed? One of the lesser-known stories from the Brothers Grimm.

Reviews

This is a lovely reading of a delightful & much lesser known tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The process described is using an early style of European spinning wheel called a Great Wheel, or Walking Wheel. It is best used in the spinning of long length fibers such as linen, hemp, & longwools. The wheel itself is much larger than that pictured in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, sometimes 2+ meters (6 feet) in diameter. It is turned by hand, usually by a spinner who sets the wheel spinning, then walks away from the spindle end (a sharp stick driven by the turning of the wheel), drawing out the twisting thread, then setting the wheel turning in the other direction, to wrap the thread around the spindle. The flax is prepared to enter the twisting by being moistened, & while water can be used, saliva has enzymes which work better. As this process is going on, the spinner controls the twisting with their fingers & thumb. This can be done all by a single spinner, but the great quantities of thread needed to weave all of the cloth required for Europe over several centuries--ending with the Industrial Revolution-- was best served by the cooperation of three highly skilled spinners. In this way, thread was spun for everything from canvas sails for ships, to very fine linen cloth used for expensive clothing including fine lace work. This method is still practiced by a few contemporary hand spinners, using antique wheels. Videos of the process are available online if you search for Walking Wheel spinning. Thank you for sharing. I hope some listeners will be interested to learn more about the process. It is remarkable & beautiful to watch. The continuation of this practice requires a small percentage of those (who are enchanted by seeing the process) to actually learn how to do it, and go on to pass it down to others. I am indebted to hand spinning teachers for passing this on to me, & for nurturing my own spinning practice. I spin on a spindle (just the stick portion) & some on a Disney's Sleeping Beauty style treadle wheel. Either of those styles are good entry points for anyone interested. Hand spinning is highly meditative & satisfying as a source for knitting, weaving, or embroidery yarns.

🌸 Thank you Mandy for this fun story! I never heard this before and I grew up reading many fairy tales! 🌸

Grimms' tales are so often grim. This was a new one for me, and quite pleasant. Thank you for introducing it to me in your lovely voice. 💚

I loved Grimm's tales as a child but have not heard this one. Thank you!

Not just five stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️