The wooden thing is called a swift. It’s for winding skeins of yarn into what are called cakes, similar to balls of yarn, so it doesn’t get tangled when knitting with it.
Close, Janice! Former weaver and spinner here. It is, indeed, a swift, which is used to make skeins of the yarn formed by a spinning wheel. The skeins made were then removed from the swift and twisted into bundles. They would be untwisted and held around a pair of willing hands or the back of a chair, then wound into yarn balls! This is an early swift. Newer ones have a counting mechanism which makes a popping sound when it is full. These are also called "weasels," hence the old song "Pop Goes the Weasel!" sung by children who would help their mothers by turning the weasel!
It was me that thought I had seen the keyhole in the back of the cabinet that made my day to see y'all check it out it was an awesome feeling to know that someone Halfway Around the World is paying attention to the comments I left a big thank-you from Joshua Breeden from Virginia in the USA that put a smile on my face and warmed my heart I love your Channel and tell your brother I said keep smiling it would be nice to see more of him one here
The umbrella thing is a wool winder. You put a skein of wool on it and then you can easily make balls of yarn without the skein becoming a knotted mess.😊
Yes and I keep thinking the same thing every time I see that hallway and keep expecting the twins to pop out of some where. I don't think I would want to be there at night well not in that hallway for sure.
So - OK, your wool comes in a skein. The skein is twisted, but when you open it up, it is a circle of yarn like a coiled garden hose - the yarn just goes around and around in a circle about 18" in diameter. It is amazingly easy to get a skein all tangled, so you want to wind the wool into a ball. You put the skein over the swift and push the swift so that it opens up and the little arms come out to the width of the circle. The swift will hold the skein in place and whirl around as you wind your ball from it. All so that the wool doesn't get all tangled up and drive you crazy while you're knitting.
@@girlnorthof60 oh I remember that well lol burning arms having to keep it taut or you would get a swift nagging from the winder lol worse if they had multiple skeins!
@@suemount6042 😣 there was no nodding off, that's for certain. My arms felt like they had lead weights on them after what felt like hours of multi-skein holding.
@@girlnorthof60 oh I remember that oh so well used to feel like the skein got longer and heavier the more time went by didn’t it and heaven help you if you slacked off lol
@@girlnorthof60 my mum was exactly the same lol no mercy what so ever and a never ending skein haul to wind as an only child I prayed for a sibling to share the agony lol
Suggestion to Billy. Since you have that laser range finder, just measure the length of the hallway, then deduct the dimensions of each cell. This should reveil whether there are any unaccounted for voids. There should be an identical void on the opposite side of the hallway to keep the symitry of the wall placement and make the voids unnoticable.
When Gwen and Angelina are away the boys will play and possibly get themselves in trouble on the third creepy floor in the dark. It’s a wool winder. Billy you have good friends, and they’re lots of fun. I think you still have more mysteries to discover in the convent. Phil, this was a fun video and I’m glad you survived. xx
3rd floor, "COME PLAY WITH US FOREVER, AND EVER" Super creepy. You should measure the wall, then the cabinets in both rooms and see if there is a difference 😉 Great video btw 💞🇨🇦
Exactly. Cause on camera it looks like there is room for a space in between when you are out i the hallway. When you look through the cracks in the wall, do you actually only see the other room, or another one?
LOL Phil!!! Your antics with Billy had me laughing from the get go! What you found on the shelf in the room next to the hiding place is actually a yarn winder for wool. Unless you are an avid knitter like others in the comments, you wouldn't have known. Yes, it looks like an umbrella but how it is used: a skein of wool normally does not come in a ball. It comes twisted on itself. To be able to use the yarn to knit a garment or object, you need to put into a ball. The yarn winder does that. You can set it at different widths (big ball or small ball) to accommodate your knitting or crocheting style. Hope that helps you both.
The 3rd floor reminds me of the asylum where I was housed for 17 years. The short doors, the faded paint walls, and floor to ceiling shelves. It was from that wall my horrid little visitor came to me each night. A shelving track slid back and out came the old gent in a surgeons gown. He would talk with me for hours on end, disappearing only when my next round of meds was administered by staff. He told me that he had lived behind the wall for his entire life and that if I didn't get better I'd be joining him. Finally one night I managed to escape and have been free ever since.
@@JudithBisson You are not too far off. We had a similar hangar in the kitchen of our cottage (built in 1920’s) in Quebec and it was for hanging wet dish towels. It was hanging from a wall bracket.
That is used for winding wool/yarn into a ball so it would be easily used without getting into a knotted mess. My English grandmother used to have one and I loved to help her prepare the wool for knitting. Awesome find!
I wonder if there might be even more hidden rooms around that convent. It would bare to reason that the sisters wished to save their fellow man and would put them up for safety. I also wonder if there are tunnels under the courtyard or through the gardens.
Watching this a year later, and it's astounding just how much has changed at the convent. Almost none of the spaces shown in this video look the same just a year later, it's amazing just how much work that Billy has gotten done. I also was amused to find out Billy was born in 1988, the same year as my son. I actually thought he was a lot older, since his dad is so much older than I am. It was fun watching you both exploring the convent hung over! I'm so glad this randomly showed up in my feed today.
You two guys are so funny you should start your own comedy team for Pub nights and call it “ Stories from the Convent “ LOL .Sending laughter and good times from Canada 🇨🇦
The mysterious object is an umbrella swift. You put a skein of yarn on it, opening the swift arms until the yarn is secure, then you wind the yarn into balls -probably for the nuns’ knitting.
That is an umbrella swift yarn winder. The yarn would be wrapped around the framework in the “open” position from the spindle then when collapse the umbrella, you pull the yarn of and twist it into a hank.
When I was a kid, I used to have to hold the skein of wool on my outstretched arms so my grandmother could wind the wool into balls. Wish I had a skein holder! 😂
It is not an umbrella, it is a yarn swift. Instead of someone holding the yarn on outstretched arms while the other person winds or knits, it holds the skein for you.
I'm glad you and Billy are such good friends looks like ya'll had fun exploring the convents attic. There is no way I would wonder around the convent alone. Hugs, Kathy 🇺🇸
I love the fun you and Phil have Billy. Phil wasn’t keen on the secret/ hidden room and the top floor. The scratches on the door yikes! That was a bit creepy.
Hey Phil, so sorry about your hangover, but this was fun, I love it when we get to see all the hidden areas, be it the convent or any of the Chateau's. Go get a good night sleep, you will feel better tomorrow, I promise. Hi to Billy. Love from N.Y.
I vaguely recall watching this when it was posted but now watching it again & seeing the staircase as it was & knowing what it looks like now! WOW! you've made so much progress at the convent & it's been so enjoyable, now I'm watching your sister at her mucky mansion. By the way we all love your dad & think he is wonderful and reminds us of our own departed grandfather. Crack On Pethericks!
Love the Bell, Billy! Great addition to the convent! What do the locals think when it randomly is rung?? Phil seems to be living alone for quite a while now. it's good to hang out with a good friend!
So great that you find such things. It looks like a yarn winding item. You can buy them still but this one is an antik one. What a great little treasure.
I was waiting for that phone to ring and you two to run out squealing. That would have freaked me out again.😮 . Thanks guys, your fear made me smile. 😂😂x
I***** NB wonder about the apsce behind the shelf. During both wars or revolutions There would be many articles that needed t0 be hidden from their enemies. That space behind has wooden slats and wall paper, I wonder if there were and maybe still are hidden items.
When the wives are away the Big Boy Will play 😂😂😂😂 You both are so funny 😂😂😂A brilliant video see you both in your next ones 🤗👍🤗👍☕☕☕☕ for the hang over 🤗🤗 Love Sue❤❤❤🇬🇧❤❤❤
I see someone already explained that that weird, umbrella shaped object is a wool winder, also called an umbrella swift. People who spin their own yarn know about those things, amd they are still in use by hand crafters.
Billy has a good cure for a hangover. It's called the haunted halls of the convent. LOL. Thank goodness my drinking days are done. Made for a funny video though.😂
It also reminds me of a form to wind your yarn onto it after you spin it off the spinner wrap it on that fold a couple of times and put your label around it and there is a skein of yarn. Fold it down to stick size to go on the shelf in the cupboard when you're not using it. That with a count for the diagonal sticks.
Billy, one for you. All that space in the attic, like 100’s of square meters of space. I know eventual clean out coming but if you have spare time, a quick paint and buy in as many good second hand shelving systems and create an archive storage room and get the winch working to bring up all your bits & pieces cluttering up your ground floors rooms during reno. Or…maybe some other chateau owners might need to borrow some space lol. Seems like such a lost opportunity. Get it a bit nice and you can do a “Attic Sales” like Chatsworth. Get rid of antiques you dont really need, open to the public or if its not safe then another part of the convent. It could raise some money for a gorgeous new room on the ground floor dedicated as a bar or pub lol. Which seriously needs to be called ‘The Bank’. Lol Phil - get Billy onto it!
That was fun Billy and Phil. Enjoyed the tour and I can agree with Phil on being claustrophobic in that small place. Loved the priest hole. Thanks for sharing.
for winding up yarn.. still very much used today. it is used because yarn is kept in hanks, and wound into cakes. when wound tension is placed on the yarn; typically one does not want to put tension on the yarn until the knitting will be done. think of it as having your hair twisted and pulled at all times, it will eventually break.
that wooden thingy is a YARN SWIFT . it does not open bigger than that . its an antique dont force it open more . you take a hank of wool open it up like a big circle put it around the swift and then you take the wool and wind it up by hand or with a yarn winder . The swift is supposed to be anchored to a table so it can spin as you wind . ( I own BOTH thats how I know )
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
That object is for winding yarn, you can still buy them but that is definitely antique. I love when Billy take us on a hunt!
It’s a swift for wool yarn to roll into a ball to knit.
Yes it is
I knew if I came to the comments I would find out what it was. Thank you Lisa
That would be logical too....
@@jeanpurvis1620 came here to say the same. I have a modern version sitting in front of me:)
The wooden thing is called a swift. It’s for winding skeins of yarn into what are called cakes, similar to balls of yarn, so it doesn’t get tangled when knitting with it.
Yarn swift
😄 I thought it was an indoor clothes line.
Yea! I got it right and I have only ever seen one before. Proud of my old brain
Close, Janice! Former weaver and spinner here.
It is, indeed, a swift, which is used to make skeins of the yarn formed by a spinning wheel.
The skeins made were then removed from the swift and twisted into bundles. They would be untwisted and held around a pair of willing hands or the back of a chair, then wound into yarn balls!
This is an early swift. Newer ones have a counting mechanism which makes a popping sound when it is full. These are also called "weasels," hence the old song "Pop Goes the Weasel!" sung by children who would help their mothers by turning the weasel!
Knew what it was used for but didn't not know it was called a swift.
Bravo to the women below who immediately recognized a yarn swift. Maybe the next hidden find will be a spinning wheel. That’ll creep the boys out.
A spinning wheel with Sleeping Beauty lying on the floor next to it.
Two hungover lads being utterly confounded by a winding swift is just what I needed this morning - thanks!
😂😂😂😂😂
It was me that thought I had seen the keyhole in the back of the cabinet that made my day to see y'all check it out it was an awesome feeling to know that someone Halfway Around the World is paying attention to the comments I left a big thank-you from Joshua Breeden from Virginia in the USA that put a smile on my face and warmed my heart I love your Channel and tell your brother I said keep smiling it would be nice to see more of him one here
I miss Michael so much. He's a natural born star.
The umbrella thing is a wool winder. You put a skein of wool on it and then you can easily make balls of yarn without the skein becoming a knotted mess.😊
The bell, LOL
Just two hungover men, hiding in a hidden closet together. Another normal day. 😂
How appropriate 😊😮
That hallway reminds me of the movie The Shining! If I saw twins at the end of the hall I’d run!
Yes and I keep thinking the same thing every time I see that hallway and keep expecting the twins to pop out of some where. I don't think I would want to be there at night well not in that hallway for sure.
So - OK, your wool comes in a skein. The skein is twisted, but when you open it up, it is a circle of yarn like a coiled garden hose - the yarn just goes around and around in a circle about 18" in diameter. It is amazingly easy to get a skein all tangled, so you want to wind the wool into a ball. You put the skein over the swift and push the swift so that it opens up and the little arms come out to the width of the circle. The swift will hold the skein in place and whirl around as you wind your ball from it. All so that the wool doesn't get all tangled up and drive you crazy while you're knitting.
@@girlnorthof60 oh I remember that well lol burning arms having to keep it taut or you would get a swift nagging from the winder lol worse if they had multiple skeins!
@@girlnorthof60 Mom used to pay us in lemon drops to sit and hold the skeins. 😊
@@suemount6042 😣 there was no nodding off, that's for certain. My arms felt like they had lead weights on them after what felt like hours of multi-skein holding.
@@girlnorthof60 oh I remember that oh so well used to feel like the skein got longer and heavier the more time went by didn’t it and heaven help you if you slacked off lol
@@girlnorthof60 my mum was exactly the same lol no mercy what so ever and a never ending skein haul to wind as an only child I prayed for a sibling to share the agony lol
Wow rewatching this a year later. The convent has evolved so beautifully and Billy looks so much healthier nowadays. Thanks phil.
Suggestion to Billy. Since you have that laser range finder, just measure the length of the hallway, then deduct the dimensions of each cell. This should reveil whether there are any unaccounted for voids. There should be an identical void on the opposite side of the hallway to keep the symitry of the wall placement and make the voids unnoticable.
I think that umbrella like thing may be a wool winder. For winding skiens of spun wool
When Gwen and Angelina are away the boys will play and possibly get themselves in trouble on the third creepy floor in the dark. It’s a wool winder. Billy you have good friends, and they’re lots of fun. I think you still have more mysteries to discover in the convent. Phil, this was a fun video and I’m glad you survived. xx
Sadly, Angelina is not “away”. She’s gone for good. Check her Instagram.
What a fun tour. ❤
I think Billy should put one of the wardrobes in the attic so it opens into a Narnia room. 😊
I think Michael showed us that one in the attic of the chateau
3rd floor, "COME PLAY WITH US FOREVER, AND EVER"
Super creepy.
You should measure the wall, then the cabinets in both rooms and see if there is a difference 😉
Great video btw 💞🇨🇦
Exactly. Cause on camera it looks like there is room for a space in between when you are out i the hallway. When you look through the cracks in the wall, do you actually only see the other room, or another one?
If you want to ring the bell for "The Angelus" . Traditionally rung at 6am, 12 noon & 6pm. It is done in a set of 3X3 and then a peal of 9.
@@julieannmatthews3639 😊😊
Yay, another adventure!
Phil laughing a maniacal laugh off camera 😅😂
Keep it up boys!
LOL Phil!!! Your antics with Billy had me laughing from the get go! What you found on the shelf in the room next to the hiding place is actually a yarn winder for wool. Unless you are an avid knitter like others in the comments, you wouldn't have known. Yes, it looks like an umbrella but how it is used: a skein of wool normally does not come in a ball. It comes twisted on itself. To be able to use the yarn to knit a garment or object, you need to put into a ball. The yarn winder does that. You can set it at different widths (big ball or small ball) to accommodate your knitting or crocheting style. Hope that helps you both.
Women away, Phil and Billy up to no good.😂😂
why always to excess. cant quit ahead
The 3rd floor reminds me of the asylum where I was housed for 17 years. The short doors, the faded paint walls, and floor to ceiling shelves. It was from that wall my horrid little visitor came to me each night. A shelving track slid back and out came the old gent in a surgeons gown. He would talk with me for hours on end, disappearing only when my next round of meds was administered by staff. He told me that he had lived behind the wall for his entire life and that if I didn't get better I'd be joining him. Finally one night I managed to escape and have been free ever since.
And yet the "old gent" remained behind hoping someday you would return.
The yarn swift looks like a discombobulated bumbershoot.
I thought it was a clothes hanger. Lol
@@JudithBisson You are not too far off. We had a similar hangar in the kitchen of our cottage (built in 1920’s) in Quebec and it was for hanging wet dish towels. It was hanging from a wall bracket.
I love seeing them together! and this kind of free video just two friends exploring this convent... Phil, what a move the camera was 🤣
Omg! My claustrophobia is through the roof watching Phil in that tiny space!
That is used for winding wool/yarn into a ball so it would be easily used without getting into a knotted mess. My English grandmother used to have one and I loved to help her prepare the wool for knitting. Awesome find!
I wonder if there might be even more hidden rooms around that convent. It would bare to reason that the sisters wished to save their fellow man and would put them up for safety. I also wonder if there are tunnels under the courtyard or through the gardens.
Billy, you and your friends are so entertaining!
Watching this a year later, and it's astounding just how much has changed at the convent.
Almost none of the spaces shown in this video look the same just a year later, it's amazing just how much work that Billy has gotten done.
I also was amused to find out Billy was born in 1988, the same year as my son. I actually thought he was a lot older, since his dad is so much older than I am.
It was fun watching you both exploring the convent hung over!
I'm so glad this randomly showed up in my feed today.
You two guys are so funny you should start your own comedy team for Pub nights and call it “ Stories from the Convent “ LOL .Sending laughter and good times from Canada 🇨🇦
Billy is great. Nice of him to give a tour on a Sunday.
I hope he opens the place for public tours.
The mysterious object is an umbrella swift. You put a skein of yarn on it, opening the swift arms until the yarn is secure, then you wind the yarn into balls -probably for the nuns’ knitting.
Two hungover men in a “closet” we need to see more of this type of humour😂
It is a normal yarn winding objekt. Easy to use and they have been in use in Sweden for hundreds of years.
You two do make me laugh even with a hangover 😂❤
It's a yarn swift! I use one all the time. That's a cool find!
I just love when these two get together! Keep helping each other and going on adventures together ❤
That is an umbrella swift yarn winder. The yarn would be wrapped around the framework in the “open” position from the spindle then when collapse the umbrella, you pull the yarn of and twist it into a hank.
You found an umbrella swift, for yarn!
When I was a kid, I used to have to hold the skein of wool on my outstretched arms so my grandmother could wind the wool into balls. Wish I had a skein holder! 😂
it's an umbrella swift use for measuring yarn for weaving!
Fantastic hearing you giggle at Billy's take over!!! LoL so great to see you guys having fun together.
It is not an umbrella, it is a yarn swift. Instead of someone holding the yarn on outstretched arms while the other person winds or knits, it holds the skein for you.
Great video 🎉 love seeing you and Billy together., i bet the laughs are non stop when you two are drinking 😂
I'm glad you and Billy are such good friends looks like ya'll had fun exploring the convents attic. There is no way I would wonder around the convent alone. Hugs, Kathy 🇺🇸
Nice of Phil to be the cameraman today. A fun Sunday exploring👏🏻
I love the fun you and Phil have Billy. Phil wasn’t keen on the secret/ hidden room and the top floor. The scratches on the door yikes! That was a bit creepy.
All I cans say is that you both are a hoot together! It is fun to watch two friends exploring the grounds of the convent.
"I told myself I should stop drinking. But then I said don't listen to that guy, he's drunk."
What you are thinking is an umbrella is actually a yarn swift. Used to wind a hank of yarn into a ball.
It’s a yarn swift. You put the hank ( or skein) of yarn on it and either use a ball winder or a nostepine, you wind the yarn into a cake or ball.
⭐️⭐️There’s still something in behind the cupboard in the hidden room‼️‼️‼️‼️
The wooden umbrella like object is a swift, used for winding yarn.. they are still made and used today.
love that bell x
Hey Phil, so sorry about your hangover, but this was fun, I love it when we get to see all the hidden areas, be it the convent or any of the Chateau's. Go get a good night sleep, you will feel better tomorrow, I promise. Hi to Billy. Love from N.Y.
Yep, umbrella swift from turning yarn hanks.
It's always fun following you two around! Love the humour between you. Thanks for the creepy tour, I was bored and fixed that!
Billy, what do the local residents think when you ring that bell? Have they not complained?
He could always play innocent & blame it on ghosts
Ghosts lol😂
11:45 It's a prayer antenna. Hold it open above your head when you're praying, and it gives you better reception to make sure your prayer is heard...
That's funny.😂😂
If there is one concealed room there may others somewhere in the building.
You two made me laugh out loud😂
After weaving thead or yarn, you use the umbrella thing to role your yarn!!!!
yup...a swift...very handy for unwinding skeins of wool!
keep a look out for more spinning stuff.
I vaguely recall watching this when it was posted but now watching it again & seeing the staircase as it was & knowing what it looks like now! WOW! you've made so much progress at the convent & it's been so enjoyable, now I'm watching your sister at her mucky mansion. By the way we all love your dad & think he is wonderful and reminds us of our own departed grandfather. Crack On Pethericks!
wrong channel sorry.
You two are so comical together! Love it! Great tour!
Love that you have such a good time, great friends.
You two are having so much fun when the woman are away . It’s a wool winder😊
Love the Bell, Billy! Great addition to the convent! What do the locals think when it randomly is rung?? Phil seems to be living alone for quite a while now. it's good to hang out with a good friend!
Always a good time when Philly and Billy are together😊
I am so envious.. I wish I could be exploring the convent's hidden places with you guys.
I hope they find more... like caches under floors
It is a skein winder, the middle section is broken. It does work some what like an umbrella.
So great that you find such things. It looks like a yarn winding item. You can buy them still but this one is an antik one. What a great little treasure.
I was waiting for that phone to ring and you two to run out squealing. That would have freaked me out again.😮 . Thanks guys, your fear made me smile. 😂😂x
I***** NB wonder about the apsce behind the shelf. During both wars or revolutions There would be many articles that needed t0 be hidden from their enemies. That space behind has wooden slats and wall paper, I wonder if there were and maybe still are hidden items.
When the wives are away the Big Boy Will play 😂😂😂😂
You both are so funny 😂😂😂A brilliant video see you both in your next ones 🤗👍🤗👍☕☕☕☕ for the hang over 🤗🤗
Love Sue❤❤❤🇬🇧❤❤❤
Yarn winder Billy. A really nice one…..
That nifty umbrella is called a yarn swift. Hanks of yarn get put around it to hold the hank for winding
Looks just like our old convent in the French Quarter New Orleans, now condos. Thanks 👍
I agree that corridor that’s painted peach is creepy. Your both very brave going up there.
that's a skeiner. wrap a hank of yarn around the skeiner which spins so you can ball the yarn.
Great fun with you two! Thanks Billy for sharing more of the convent!
I see someone already explained that that weird, umbrella shaped object is a wool winder, also called an umbrella swift. People who spin their own yarn know about those things, amd they are still in use by hand crafters.
I knew When Billy got Your into The Attic I knew he was going for The Bell.
🇨🇦 ✌ 🙏 👍 🇨🇦
Billy has a good cure for a hangover. It's called the haunted halls of the convent. LOL. Thank goodness my drinking days are done. Made for a funny video though.😂
i looks to. me like it may have been used for flax/linen, or yar as some say
It also reminds me of a form to wind your yarn onto it after you spin it off the spinner wrap it on that fold a couple of times and put your label around it and there is a skein of yarn. Fold it down to stick size to go on the shelf in the cupboard when you're not using it. That with a count for the diagonal sticks.
Great fun! Thx.
You found a yarn swift. It is used to put skeins of yarn on so that it can be put into balls
Strangely enjoyable. Thanks
Well, that was a fun tour! Creepy there on the third floor! But interesting. Wow, there is still lots to do. Very interesting!!
Billy, one for you. All that space in the attic, like 100’s of square meters of space. I know eventual clean out coming but if you have spare time, a quick paint and buy in as many good second hand shelving systems and create an archive storage room and get the winch working to bring up all your bits & pieces cluttering up your ground floors rooms during reno. Or…maybe some other chateau owners might need to borrow some space lol. Seems like such a lost opportunity. Get it a bit nice and you can do a “Attic Sales” like Chatsworth. Get rid of antiques you dont really need, open to the public or if its not safe then another part of the convent.
It could raise some money for a gorgeous new room on the ground floor dedicated as a bar or pub lol. Which seriously needs to be called ‘The Bank’. Lol Phil - get Billy onto it!
That was fun Billy and Phil. Enjoyed the tour and I can agree with Phil on being claustrophobic in that small place. Loved the priest hole. Thanks for sharing.
This one foot of space behind the cabinet might contain something of interest!
It is a Yarn Winder for making skeins of yarn cheers from Canada
It is a yarn swift. It opens up like a umbrella, th o the size of a hank of yarn .
for winding up yarn.. still very much used today. it is used because yarn is kept in hanks, and wound into cakes. when wound tension is placed on the yarn; typically one does not want to put tension on the yarn until the knitting will be done. think of it as having your hair twisted and pulled at all times, it will eventually break.
The thing your holding is used to wind skains of yarn.
That have been spun
It's a yarn winder. That hallway looks like a filming location for "The Shining".
that wooden thingy is a YARN SWIFT . it does not open bigger than that . its an antique dont force it open more . you take a hank of wool open it up like a big circle put it around the swift and then you take the wool and wind it up by hand or with a yarn winder . The swift is supposed to be anchored to a table so it can spin as you wind . ( I own BOTH thats how I know )
That contraption is I think, a loom for winding wool from skeins into a ball prior to knitting...
It's for winding hanks of wool. Ask any knitter or weaver. Called a swift.
Nightmare on the Convent Express
Y'all party as good as you update old beautiful buildings. Lol glad to see you guys on a Sunday!!