oft yarn with the ring.
In the United States, where the labor cost is a vital item, the
ring-spindle has an assured place.

[Illustration: _Mules at work_]

The yarn is now a finished product. It may be sold by the spinner to the
weaver or it may be woven in the mill in which it is spun. Before it is
ready for the loom, however, there are a number of operations which must
be completed.

The yarn from the ring frame, or mule, is wound in a large cop, or on a
bobbin. It must be put upon spools before it can be warped. The spooler
is a simple machine, but one that requires constant attendance. In the
spooler, bobbins are placed upon holders or spindles, and the thread is
passed over a series of guides to the spool, up above. The spool revolves
at a high rate of speed, and the thread is wound evenly upon it. The
operator must watch for broken threads, retie them, replace the empty
bobbins by full ones and see that the empty ones are gathered up
uninjured. She--the operator is usually a girl or woman--must be alert
and active, and especially nimble fingered.

[Illustration: _"Close-up" of Ring Spindle in American mill_]

One of the most important inventions, one that was received with acclaim
by the American manufacturer, and one which actually reduced his labor
cost on spooling no less than ten per cent. at one clip, is a tiny little
thing that is held in the palm of the hand. This is the Barber knotter.
When a thread breaks, the attendant places the two ends together in the
machine and by the mere pressure of her thumb ties the knot much better
than she could do it without the knotter. The economies which it effects
extend beyond the mere spooling, for better knots mean fewer breaks in
the warping process, and a better cloth at the end of weaving.

The spools from the spooler are placed on a large frame, called a creel.
The creels have an average capacity of about 600 spools, and there are
usually 16 to 20 in one tier. The threads from the spools are drawn
between the dents of an adjustable reed, then under and over a series of
rollers. From here they are led down to the beam, upon which they are
wound. The revolving of the beam unwinds the yarn from the spools and
winds it regularly and evenly upon the beam itself. There is a device for
measuring the length of the warp wound, and stop motions for arresting
the operation should a thread break or other accident occur.

[Illustration: _Each operator at these spoolers