| « Previous | Home | Next » | The Final Product Monday, June 05, 2006 |
 On my visit to the Frontier Museum no one was actively weaving but there was a loom set up in one of the rooms. Here the flax thread, spun with care after being harvested from the crop, is woven into its final commercial product, linen. An interesting element I learned of in the Irish farm house was that spinning was considered like farm work and was assigned to the women. Weaving, on the other hand, was a 'profession' and was the sole territory of the men of the family. A few people commented on yesterday's shot that they were surprised spinning is still practiced. Actually, there are a number of groups around that are dedicated to maintaining the craft. I was at a festival a few years ago where a local group of spinners was putting on a demonstration. There were perhaps 12 or 15 women with all manner of spinning wheels and even some drop spindles. They meet regularly to keep the 'art' alive. But in light of the above historical detail, it was interesting that they were all women. Tomorrow I will leave the flax to linen path behind and move on to something different. | |
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Posted by forgingahead Archived under: History, Places |
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