What is a clock reel?

Answer 1

A clock reel is a device for measuring yarn and turning it into a skein. It consists of a hub that rotates on an axle, and 4 to 8 spokes that radiate outwards, forming a reel. Each spoke has a crossbar at the end. The axle is mounted in a wooden box. Inside the box is a set of gears connected to a shaft with a pointer on the end. The circumference around the crossbars was usually an even number of feet; often two yards, as this is a convenient size for a skein of yarn.

The yarn is wound onto the crossbars by turning the reel. Turning the reel causes the gears to turn inside the box, which cause the pointer on the outside of the box to turn. A dial allows the pointer to indicate how much yarn has been wound onto the reel.

Clock reels often had a mechanism that would click or pop for each turn of the reel. The device was commonly known as a weasel because of its long, thin shape. This is the origin of the children's song "Pop Goes the Weasel".