Irish folklore about spinning and weaving and some old photos online.

Those interested in Irish folklore and old photographs can visit this website www.duchas.ie, where the National Folklore Collection has been digitised and is free to view to all users.
I am particularly interested in the Schools' Collection; let me just copy the explanation directly here:

The Schools’ Collection

Approximately 740,000 pages (288,000 pages in the pupils’ original exercise books; 451,000 pages in bound volumes) of folklore and local tradition were compiled by pupils from 5,000 primary schools in the Irish Free State between 1937 and 1939.

This collecting scheme was initiated by the Irish Folklore Commission, under the direction of Séamus Ó Duilearga and Séan Ó Súilleabháin, Honorary Director and Registrar of the Commission respectively, and was heavily dependent on the cooperation of the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers’ Organization. It was originally to run from 1937 to 1938 but was extended to 1939 in specific cases. For the duration of the project, more than 50,000 schoolchildren from 5,000 schools in the 26 counties of the Irish Free State were enlisted to collect folklore in their home districts. This included oral history, topographical information, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, games and pastimes, trades and crafts. The children recorded this material from their parents, grandparents, and neighbours.

The scheme resulted in the creation of over half a million manuscript pages, generally referred to as ‘Bailiúchán na Scol’ or ‘The Schools’ Collection’.

There are 1,128 volumes, numbered and bound, in the Collection. A title page prefaces each school, giving the name of the school, the parish, the barony, the county and the teacher. A further collection of approximately 40,000 of the children’s original copybooks are stored at the NFC.

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I love that I can search for 'spinning wheel' and read what children in the late 1930's wrote about spinning and spinning wheels from the accounts given by their parents or neighbours or grandparents. Obviously, the accounts are written by children but there is often a good description given of the steps involved.

There are 602 hits! That will take a while to read them all.


Along with this there are old photographs on the website. There seems to be only 3 hits when one searches for spinning wheel photos. But luckily those 3 photos show the 3 different types of spinning wheel used in Ireland, namely:

1 a great wheel with tall legs, typically used in Connacht and at which the spinner would stand to spin; this is a spindle wheel,  no treadle, no flyer, no bobbins.

2. a pencil diagram of another type of spindle wheel, but this time with shorter legs, from Kerry; typically the spinner sat beside this wheel and this wheel was common in Kerry, according to Helen Lillias Mitchell in her book about spinning wheels in Ireland.

3. a tall flyer wheel, used originally in the North of Ireland for spinning flax but subsequently used equally often for spinning wool, and often referred to as Donegal wheels these days; This wheel was photographed in Co Sligo.

The photos can be found at this link: https://www.duchas.ie/en/src?q=spinning+wheel&t=CbegPhoto

Interestingly, if one searches for just 'spinning' there are 13 photos and so one can get a better idea of the spinning wheels used in Ireland in the past.

As for weaving and looms: yes, plenty hits there and some photos too.
So if you want some interesting accounts of spinning and weaving in the past, plus old photos, pop over and have a look at www.duchas.ie.

Flax Workshop with Amanda Hannaford Malahide Castle, Sunday, February 24th 2019.

Flax Workshop with Amanda Hannaford Malahide Castle, Sunday February 24th 2019.

On a bright sunny Sunday morning, my comrades-in-spinning and I convened in the meeting room of Malahide Castle at half past 9. We were each carrying a selection of rolls of brown paper, old newspapers, rods, lamp stands and ribbons. Amanda and Ginge had clearly been busy as the room was already set up with the equipment required to process flax, i.e, a flax-break, a scutching sword and sets of hackles and combs. On the shelf, we could see a large bundle of ‘straw’ – the flax ! – along with more flax in various steps of readiness.

Flax fibres

After our morning cuppa, Amanda showed us how to make a distaff using brown paper, newspaper and sellotape. Working in pairs, we each made a distaff to place on our repurposed rods/lamp stands. Amanda also showed us how to dress the distaff with flax strick. Her distaff looked smashing with red ribbon criss-crossing on the shiny fibre. It seemed like a very big ask to think that we would all have a similarly dressed distaff, but never fear, Amanda knew exactly what she was doing. Soon indeed we did all have lovely conical distaves ready.

Next Amanda took some flax stems from the bundle of ‘straw’. She showed us how to use the flax-break to break the boon/chives/showes (woody matter) on the flax stems. Soon the floor under the break was covered with short white bits of boon that had fallen from the broken stems. This was a very satisfying job, as the rhythmic ‘chopping’ action turned the stems from stiff straw into wavy fibre in front of our eyes.

The flax break, with attached scutching board to the left

The next step was Scutching to remove the rest of the boon. There was a large notch at the top of the vertical board at one end of the flax-break. Amanda took the bundle of broken flax and held one end of it in the notch, while scraping/brushing down the fibres, removing more of the boon.

Once scutching was done, the bundle of fibres was taken to the hackle. Amanda showed us the gentle sweeping action required to hackle the flax bit by bit, removing short or weak fibres and the boon, of course. The shorter fibres that remained in the hackle are called flax tow and can be carded and spun like wool.

One of the hackles

The flax was then hackled on a finer grade hackle and finally combed through a comb. The transformation from a handful of straw to gorgeous shiny flax fibres was complete. Lunch time!

A fistful of lovely silky line flax, having been processed and hackled

Having seen all the steps involved, we divided into 3 groups, to practice processing some flax ourselves, dressing our distaff and then spinning. One group started with the flax break. Another took some already broken and scutched flax and started hackling. The third group dressed their distaves. We rotated around the different stations and everybody experienced all the steps.

Above: tow flax (the shorter fibres), Below: line flax (the long fibres)

Eventually we all had a dressed distaff in place beside our spinning wheel. We had also each brought with us a small tub or bowl and a sponge. In order to spin a fine linen thread, one has to spin the flax wet. So we added water to the sponges in the tubs and carefully listened to Amanda’s instructions.

My distaff, dressed and ready to go.

We placed the distaves on their stands, we wet our fingertips in the little bowls, and we drew out a few of the long silky fibres.

My Camelot spinning wheel, before I started spinning. 

Gradually, we started spinning , one-handed, gently drawing flax fibres from the distaff , with the other hand dampening the just drafted fibres as we went along. There was a lot of satisfaction when the linen thread started to build up on the bobbins around the room.

Drawing down a few fibres from the distaff as I spin

There may have been some gnashing of teeth at times, but I do think that we all thoroughly enjoyed the day and learned lots.

12 Days of Christmas 2018, Day 14!!

Well, now, where does the time go, I ask myself...
Today is Thursday the 3rd of January 2019 and as such it is the 14th day of me trying to write in this blog during my Christmas Holidays.
There has not been much writing, has there?
No sirree, there has not.
Here is my Christmas in a nutshell :
Swedish Julbord dinner on Christmas Eve.
Traditional Irish Turkey and ham dinner Christmas Day.
Visitors came,  mostly my siblings, for a few days  before New Year.
Yummy Indian Takeaway at home on New Year's Eve, followed by my own tradition, ie, Spin In the New Year. I hosted a New Year's Eve Virtual Spin -In thread in both the UK Spinners and Irish Spinners groups on Ravelry. It is a great feeling to spin at home and share photos and chat with other spinners across Ireland and UK.
Now I am taking part in a new thread on Ravelry: Spin 10 minutes a day. Little odd bits of unfinished spinning projects are duly being completed chez moi.
And DD#2 has managed to find a house to rent in Galway for her work placement starting next week and get a car loan approved, with some help from me. Tomorrow we go to view a car, fingers crossed.
Next Monday, it is back to work for me, back to school for my younger kids. Husband went back to work yesterday. All back to normal.
For now, I am going to spin some more and then get a good night's sleep.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.
I hope you all enjoy these last few days before work and school start again properly next week.

PS: Last July I published a post with photos of old Irish spinning wheel types in it. Sadly, I have since deleted the post, without realising that I had a comment pending on the post. Apologies about that, especially to the commenter, I will try to address the topic again at a later date, and contact the commenter directly to answer the comment.
In the meantime, here is a link to an interesting website where one can read Folklore as taken down by children in the 1930's in Ireland from their families and neighbours. Dúchas Irish Folkore Collection
If your interest is in spinning or weaving you can search for excerpts about spinning and weaving etc, and you can also search the Photographs section for photos of spinning wheels and weaving.
Very interesting.

An old unmarked Louet S10 wheel from Holland.
Purchased from a seller on marktplaats.nl.
Gotta stop doing this....

12 Days of Christmas, Day 6, St. Stephen's Day

Oh the simple joy of waking up on St Stephen's Day and knowing all the fuss is over. The kiddos and husband got their presents yesterday,  the two big dinners ( Swedish Julbord on Christmas Eve and The Turkey and Ham on Christmas Day) are over and done. There is a small amount of leftovers, enough for the family to eat today.
So this morning I can get up and start doing other stuff, like laundry and crafting and go for a cycle!
I got DS off his PlayStation and we went for a cycle, about 5 miles. Irish country roads have their own hazards, including, but not limited to, narrow stretches, bends, mad dogs running out of gateways while their owners are in town/ sitting indoors, farmers' sons driving huge tractors on small roads and car drivers with no patience .
Stephens Day was a good day to go for a cycle, as it turned out. No mad dogs, thankfully. Not much traffic. The gods smiled on us and we got home safe after a lovely cycle on a mild bright day.
Tomorrow, the swimming pool will reopen and we will swim instead of cycle.
Tonight I want to finish my scrap lap blanket and get some spinning done, maybe even warp my Rigid Heddle loom.
Apologies for lack of photos today. I may be able to add them in tomorrow.

From Holland with love: Ariadne Spinning wheel, from the 1970's probably.
Look at that flyer! The bobbins are large and I got 8 of them!
Purchased from a seller on markplaats.nl November 2018.

12 Days of Christmas 2018: Christmas Day and signs of spring

Christmas Day 2018 was a lovely mild day in Limerick. The sun came out and the sky was a pale watery blue.
Dinner was had, and a walk, and signs of spring were spotted.
These catkins are growing on a Hazel bush in my garden.

These old stones caught my eye, the texture and the colours. 

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas, 2018. Day 4: Christmas Eve.
Day 1 was last Friday.
Day 2 was Saturday. I had a lovely morning at home and got my walk, followed by a brief visit to my mum and sister, then another  brisk walk and swim at the pool. I did a bit of knitting that evening. I worked a bit on a scrap lap blanket to use in the car for myself when driving. Nothing exciting. DD#1 came home for the holidays.
 Day 3 Sunday 23rd. I went to church for 4th Sunday of Advent. Then there was a trip to town for some presents and food shopping.
Later I went to my parents' house and met 4 of my siblings and their families. There was plenty driving too, as I had to collect DD#2 in the afternoon and then drive her to another friend later in the evening. Not much time for crafting, but so glad to have time off work.
Day 4: Monday 24th, Christmas Eve. Today is the day Swedes eat their Christmas dinner, or Julbord, and so today we had our usual Swedish spread: ham, meatballs, Janssons frestelse ( a potato dish with anchovies and onions), and the trimmings: red cabbage, beetroot, cheeses, knäckebröd, ( crispbread) and some precious bottles of the Swedish festive drink , Julmust ( looks like Coca Cola, tastes a little different).

Now that we are all home and all the shopping is done, it feels so wonderful to have time to do something of my own choosing, maybe read, or craft, or just reflect. 
Happy Christmas everyone.

And so it begins again. 12 days of Christmas, 2018.

Day 1: Yes indeed, the hands of time turn, and here I am, one year older and with a few more spinning wheels purchased.
It would appear that I don't get the time to blog during the rest of the year, apologies for the lack of presence in here.
I think too that it has to do with the fact that I first started reading blogs at Christmas and I think I associate blogs with Christmas.
It may also be because I have deactivated my Facebook pages and I seem to still have the need to communicate my thoughts, so I come back to the blog. So, I am back, for a while.

I got my school holidays today, phew. My voice and brain get two weeks rest from talking and comforting and making sense of endless playground disputes.
Over the next weeks, my aims are to rest, be present in the moment, get a walk every day, feel the ancient land around me, swim, lie on the floor and achieve some spinning and weaving every day.
I hope to show you some of my spinning wheels and looms. And I need to work through the stash and read some books. 
Today, to start with, here is a photo of my Bliss single treadle wheel  from Woolmakers.com, with some divine teal coloured singles on the bobbins. The fiber was from John Arbon  in UK.