School: Clochar na Trócaire, Leac an Anfa, Cathair na Mart

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1. Old Crafts - Basket-Making (continued)

   

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   The baskets are used for carrying turf from the rick, for picking potatoes, for straining cooked potatoes, turnips and mangolds for pigs etc. To strain, the basket is placed across a tub or keeler, the boiled potatoes water and all thrown in. Sometimes two small wicker work handles are put on the basket either at the sides or on crossbar and opposite semi circle.

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2. Old Crafts - Spinning

   

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   The usual preparations for the making of woollen thread are as follows. The first thing to do after shearing the sheep is to wash the wool. When it is dried the woman of the house starts her work. She teases the wool, by drawing it out between the hands and removes any bits of articles or dirt which would cause difficulty in the carding. Then the wool is greased, generally with parafin oil, so that it will not break in the spinning.

   Next, the wool is carded. The cards are two even pieces of wood with handles and steel teeth. When the wool is put in between, and the cards pulled in different directions the wool becomes fine. The wool is then taken off and made into a roll on the back of the card. When a number of rolls are made they are left on the stock of the spinning wheel.

   When the wheel is ready for the woman to spin, she puts in a spindle and round that she fastens a piece of wool. Then she turns the wheel with the

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