Fun
Time Travel to Ireland
Dear Kay,
I’ve wanted to visit Ireland. Forever. Hasn’t happened.
Another wish, ever since I was a girl: time travel. To be able to travel back and forth in time. It is why the Outlander books were so addicting. (I’m saving the Outlander TV series that you wrote about for a summertime binge.)
Again, pretty unsatisfying, the amount of time travel I’ve managed.
Fortunately, a little movie comes along that allows me to indulge in my British Isles/time-travel fantasies by taking me to Ireland in 1978.
Please note that the sheep featured in this film do not get an easy go of it.
This is a sheep-to-yarn story, told in lilting accents and the slowest possible pace. Real life was probably eight percent faster than this film. Fleece dyed with lichen! Fixed with the juice of elder twigs! Oak twigs. Onion skins. “The early Irish loved color. Our legends and tales of long ago are full of accounts of beautifully colored clothes. Maidens with tunics of purple and green and gold.”
This short documentary makes it appear that the last two women on earth who still know how to spin wool have been located. Heartening to know, forty years later, that the spinners still spin—though I’m wondering if the sheep are still being transported in the trunks of cars.
Enjoy!
Love,
Ann
Yes, a blogger (windmom) transported her Shetlands in her Subaru. She got some looks about that one. That was a lovely documentary. Made me feel like a brat with my modern, handcrafted, balanced, beautiful wheels.
I have seen photos of Kristin Nicholas’ sheep (Getting Stitched on the Farm) being transported in her SUV.
Well, that was just utterly charming!
How charming — thank you! But how hard on the lungs (all those cigarettes), and how hard on the women’s hands. Nevertheless a wonderful time-travel. And though I have no desire to spin (too hard on the hands), I felt as though I was with kindred spirits. Sweet.
Aww, someone needs to track down Brid Mahon (the writer) and let her know her prophecy didn’t come to pass – we haven’t died out after all!
Well that was a lovely morning trip to Ireland. Reminds me so much of my grandparents who could make everything they needed from almost nothing and were happy and grateful for what they had.
When they pulled the sheep from the boot of the car I laughed out loud.
Thank you for a delightful look back.
Watching this felt like a meditation.
And Mrs. Carr holds her needles like I do! Pencil style!
I was surprised to see that she was not a picker but is a thrower.
This was a charming movie; it was interesting to learn that home spinning is seen as a return to hard times.
I saw the lead in to the shopping links at the bottom of the page where it says “Looking for wool already spun into yarn?”. Actually I am looking for a good site for wool for spinning. Any ideas?
Loved this. And how “warm” is a two syllable word.
Folks are still spinning in Ireland! My hubbo is from Belfast, and during our annual visit I find gorgeous handspuns in local craft shops as well as at weekly markets. But there is no way that anything going on today is as charming as those lovely ladies in their best bib and tucker. Loved it!
They are lovely, but I wondered if they dressed up for the camera!
Thank you for sharing this GEM of video about spinning fleece in Ireland.
So enjoyable to virtually immerse myself in this lovely film! Thank you!!
Reminds me of that most wonderful book full of sheep, “Independent People”…..I might go off and read it again right now.
A member of my knitting group is from Ireland. I am sure this will make her homesick. I already forwarded it to the entire group.
To suggest that the pace of this doc is 8 per cent slower than that of normal life is SO apt. I watched this years ago and I was blown away but the pace. It is slow TV at its finest. Also, the scene with the sheep in the boot of the car?!?!?!
What a treat to watch while enjoying morning coffee. This makes me appreciate even more the handspun and handdyed yarn I purchase now. So much work goes in to each skein of yarn. Thanks for putting this on the website.
Thank you so much for that video. I just returned from Southwestern Ireland and saw the Kerry black face sheep everywhere. Most of the wool from that region goes into carpet-making. We hiked over rocks covered with that lichen. How lovely to have another perspective on the history of the area!
I wanted to say how much I enjoy your Twitter posts (both of you). They are a nice mix of knitting stuff and policical stuff. Thank you for doign both.