Transformer: the Charkha

Spinnity's Book Charkha

Spinnity showed me a marvelous thing called a Charkha.

The charkha embodies the utility of industrial engineering design as a linchpin to global and local economics and social change.

During the turn of the century, India, which was under British colonial rule, produced cotton and exported it to Britian, who produced fabric and clothing and sold it back to India at a cost higher than India could afford. Gandhi saw that India could become more self-sufficient if they produced fabric from their own cotton.

Charkha: setting the spindle

In order to do so, spinning cotton fiber was essential. The charkha is a compact spinning device that rose in prominance when Gandhi promoted its use amongst the populace: anyone and everyone could spin fiber.

The charkha is a design marvel. It is compact, lightweight and very portable. Components are made of readily available, easily malleable and replaceable material. The drive-to-output ratio is extremely high, about 1:100; there is an efficient use of energy input to output.

Charkha: spinning

Charka: winding on



Charkha: poonis and setting the reel

Charkha: reel in motion



Spinnity's Book Charkha





The charkha contains a world in itself.

Confiture: Pumpkin (warm circles)

Modelled and inspired by Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber.  The kitchen scale is indispensible.  1-2/3 recipes yields 7 cups.

Peeled and finely diced pumpkin macerates overnight with sugar, lemon, and honey. Have you ever tried to peel a raw pumpkin without slitting your thumbs open?

Simmer - the sugar permeates the pumpkin. Then macerate overnight AGAIN.

Lemons are prepped and candied in caramelized sugar.

Tres cher.

Sugar, pumpkin, honey, sugar, lemon, sugar and time.

Green Tomatoes

When a cool summer leaves you with green tomatoes in October, make pickles! 12 pints!

Throw the green ones into jars with vinegar, salt, garlic, bay, and some seeds.

And throw the ripe ones into a pot with some protein and cook them down.  Don't even cut them; smash them with a slotted spoon as they pop open from the heat.