Practice,
simply working the treadle until you can manage that part of the work mechanically and give your whole attention to your hands.
It seems a simple thing to work the treadle, but you will find that without previous practice you will forget to make your foot go in the absorbing interest of getting the flax ready to run on the spindle. Curb your impatience a little while therefore, and resolutely turn the distaff, with its pretty load, away from you. Place one foot on the treadle, give the large wheel a turn to the right, or away from the spindle, and try to keep a steady, even motion with your foot. The jerks caused by uneven pedalling will always break the thread, so you must learn to make the wheel turn smoothly and easily, without hurry and without stopping. Some spinners place only the toe of the foot on the treadle, others rest on it the heel also; it matters little which method you adopt so long as the wheel turns evenly. When you are quite satisfied that you can keep the wheel going without giving it a thought you may begin
To Spin.
From the lowest ends of the flax draw down several strands and twist them with your fingers into a thread long enough to reach easily the bobbin on the spindle. Pass the end of the thread through the hole in the end of the spindle nearest to you (Letter A, [Fig. 6]), carry it across and over the upper row of teeth and tie to the bobbin ([Fig. 6]). Start your wheel going, and, forgetting the action of your foot, give your undivided attention to drawing out the flax. Hold the strands lightly with your left hand and with your right keep constantly pulling them down and at the same time twisting them slightly. See illustration on first page. All this time you must keep the flax from matting and tangling and the twist from running up into the mass of flax on the distaff. Only practice will make perfect in this work, though the knack may come suddenly and you will wonder at your first clumsy attempts. The little fluster and excitement one feels in beginning and the hurry to get the flax into shape for the spindle is a drawback that practice will also overcome.
When the Thread Breaks,
as it will again and again at first, thread your spindle as before, tie the new thread to the broken end and begin once more. A better way to mend the thread when you are really doing good work is to unwind a little from the bobbin, thread it backward through the spindle, bring the end up to meet the end from the distaff, and let the two lap three or four inches; then moisten your fingers and twist the threads together, making one thread again.
Moistening the Fingers
occasionally is a good thing while twisting, as it makes a smoother thread. In the old days the spinner kept a cocoa-nut-shell, filled with water, tied to the lower part of the spindle-frame, into which she daintily dipped the tips of her fingers when necessary. A finger-bowl or cup of water near by will answer the same purpose.