Profession - Spinner: An ancient craft for the hardworking

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

IT-specialty now does not surprise anyone. She is one of the most demanded. But the words "I am a spinner" can send a new acquaintance to a stupor for a few moments. This craft is now extremely rare. But is it dying out? We talked with the Vladimir craftswoman Olga Zhuravleva and realized that in the 21st century the old profession is in trend.

- I was 20 years old, I was engaged in historical reconstruction, it was necessary to create costumes. Including spinning threads, weaving belts, fabrics from them. In memory of those experiments, I have the first spindle and one of the first threads. I keep them carefully, they are valuable to me. Then I acquired skills, but I didn't really get into it. I think, nevertheless, it is more interesting for young people to do other things than to sit for hours with a spindle. Then there were a lot of things in my life: I opened companies, worked, and fussed. But at some point it became clear that I needed manual labor and I wanted to do it again.

In some ways, my dog encouraged me to spin. I took a Rough Collie from the shelter. And I really wanted to keep something in memory of her. I combed out the wool, collected it, and when enough “raw materials” had accumulated, I processed it and hid the thread. Well, literally two minutes before the onset of the new, 2019, I finished knitting "dog" socks. Here is such an atypical holiday and a gift for myself. Since then I have been actively involved in spinning, this process fascinates me.

I wish everyone to find a business that will make your eyes burn. When you wake up in the morning with joy and cheerfulness - after all, there is work ahead, it is waiting, and there are a lot of plans. And this is not some kind of bondage, but an integral and very pleasant part of life.

- It's nice, joyful. Yes, one thing can turn out great, another just good or even with some flaws. But in any case, this is my work. And sometimes parting with him is oh, how difficult it is. It would seem that you are placing an order, here it is ready, it’s time to meet with the person and give him the promised. But no, you think: "Should I redeem it, should I keep it for myself?"

“I’m saying that anyone can sit down and learn to spin if they want to. Yes, you will have to make an effort. But when the movements come to automatism, it will be easy. The brain is practically not involved in the process. I have time to watch a film while working. Or listen to an audiobook. I have a whole list of literature on my phone - it is very motley from the fantasy of Ursula le Guin to Kant and Machiavelli.

- Yes, I am interested in finding out what the different types are in work, touching them, assessing what kind of thread is obtained. Perhaps the most extraordinary experience is spinning horse wool. I did it on a bet and out of curiosity, of course. My friends have horses. We guessed the time when the moult was going on, combed out one of the mares, and then I tried to make a thread. Honestly, it turned out quite unprepossessing, nevertheless, the raw materials were not the same initially. But the dispute ended with the fact that I gave the owners of the horse a small, the size of a smartphone case, a sample of material. They were just happy. For many pet owners, such a souvenir is a very touching and valuable gift.

I also experiment with different breeds of dogs. I just recently spun threads from the wool of a Pomeranian. I also worked with a golden retriever, a Tibetan mastiff, a husky - I think there are already a dozen breeds on my list.

- Rumors are greatly exaggerated. I think the placebo effect is working. And imagine: your back hurts, we wrap it up with a warm woolen belt, take a comfortable position, do not load the spine - it will just make it easier. It's the same with socks. Feet warm is great.

- Yes, I haven’t spun an alpaca yet. It will be very curious to "try" the camel - they promise me to give such wool. I also asked my friends to collect me at least a tiny handful of eider fluff. I read an amazing story about him. How boys ran every day to the coast, to the nests, collected fluff, and then their mothers spun threads and made all kinds of things for sale. This material is lightweight, heats up perfectly, does not roll or stray. That is why they insulate the jackets of polar explorers and pilots. But in the world only about 4 tons of fluff are mined per year, so it is fabulously expensive. For example, a blanket with such insulation will cost a million rubles, or even more. But I just want to evaluate what the fluff is to the touch, how convenient it is to work with it, what kind of thread it will turn out.

- Oh, actually there are many more tools. After all, the wool must be either cut or combed out first. And then process it for quite a long time: sort by the length and quality of the fibers, comb, get rid of burdocks and other debris, wash, dry, and only then sit down at the spinning wheel. So you need at least several types of brushes and combs.

Personally, I am gradually gathering a rather large collection of spindles - of different types, both old and new. There are now about 30 of them. And, yes, you can try to find an old spinning wheel in working order. They have served for centuries, but finding one is a great success.

Even abroad - in Europe, America and India - there are workshops that produce the necessary devices. Moreover, among them there are family enterprises with a long history. There, skills are passed from parents to children for many, many years. Yes, and in Russia there are several craftsmen who make spinning wheels. And I chose the domestic one. Because there, abroad, everything is fine, firms do not live in poverty. And your own business needs to be supported. And it's nice to be personally acquainted with the master, to be able to ask him for advice, or just say "thank you" for the wonderful spinning wheel. Yet personal contact is worth a lot.

- I want to do more than just utilitarian things. We also need beauty, originality, style. Therefore, for example, I do not really like to knit socks - they, and even belts for rheumatism, are most often thought of when it comes to knitting. Yes, both socks and belts are needed. But there are hundreds more ways to use natural materials. You can make so many incredible things out of wool!

Ethical fur coats made of natural sheepskin have recently appeared. Looking for long-haired animals. They are being cut. A special fabric is woven from the fibers obtained so that a "fur" on a woven basis is obtained. In appearance it is indistinguishable from the usual. But animals for sewing fur coats are not killed. At the same time, people receive a warm, practical and beautiful thing. The eternal debate on the topic of "down jacket or fur" in the past.

I believe that we need to promote just such clothes: ethical, durable, environmentally friendly, made from natural materials. Think about it: brands and fashion motivate us to buy new things at least once a year. Old ones either wear out and lose their presentable appearance, or look out of date. We are also surprised: “How is it possible to wear something for 10 years, and even not get bored ?!”. But this consumerist attitude will not lead to anything good. My dream is to create a completely homemade image for myself - from underwear to coats. And this is real: I know a girl who creates natural fabrics herself, then sews just wonderful linen from them. There are those who make shoes themselves. I sew and knit for myself. So I came to the meeting in a sweater that I created myself.

Another goal of mine is to be useful, to help those in need. I have been following a girl on Instagram for a long time who makes the coolest knitwear. And I had a thought: what if we offer her a joint project? For example, to make clothes from the wool of pets of the "House of the Northern Dog". These huskies need help. And the proceeds from the sale of things will definitely come in handy for them. Honestly, I didn’t believe that the designer and representatives of “House” would agree. And they easily made contact. And now we are at the very beginning of our journey - we are collecting wool. Perhaps by the New Year we will make the first, for now, a small batch of things. This work is long, not for one month. But if there is an opportunity to do something good, you cannot miss it.