School: Cortown (roll number 3113)

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1. Old Crafts - Continued

   

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   In spinning wool it was first oiled and then carded. The carding consited of teasing the wool between cards which were squares of wood about nine inches side and having wire or steel teeth. The wool was rolled into balls on the smooth back of the cards when the carding was complete. Next it was spun into thread with a spinning wheel. The thickness of the threads depended on the use to which the wool was being put. For example the thread was spun singly for weaving fine cloth or for knitting yarn. If a cloth of thicker texture was required the yarn was spun thicker. Knitting yarn had two threads which were given a slight twist. The thread was woven into drogget on a hand loom and used for dresses for women.
   There were two kinds of drogget, a plain and a fancy. The plain material was woven from the undyed wool of what were called black sheep but was really brown in colour. The fancy drogget was dyed a purple or red colour with a dye got from the plant Fairy Fingers. The dyed dresses were worn on Sundays and the plain brown ones on week days. Petticoats were also made in a similar way. Those for week days were brown and those for Sundays were stripped red and white. The colour in this case was not usually got from the Fairy Fingers being a reddish pink. When the cloth was

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs James Smyth

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Kells, Co. Meath