Spinsters and spinning a yarn
Know any spinsters? Ever told a story or ‘spun a yarn’?
The 7th January is St. Distaff’s day, traditionally the day after Christmas when women resumed spinning wool. A spinster was originally someone who spun wool or thread, often a low paid job for an unmarried woman. A distaff wasn’t a saint, but a primitive tool used before the invention spinning wheels. Women would often gather to spin wool and gossip or tell stories: we still sometimes say ‘spin a yarn’.
A carved wooden stick – a distaff or spindle – was used for spinning wool, usually with a small round weight or stone fixed to the bottom. This was called a “whorl” and made the yarn tension more constant. If you ‘gave something a whorl’, you had a go at making it better.
At this time of year your hands may be a little dry. Hand cream usually contains lanolin (from the French for wool – laine), which is essentially the oil from wool. Next time you’re out walking and see sheep’s wool caught on a fence or tree, rub it on your hands – it’s just as good as expensive cream!
The 'black sheep of the family' is traditionally some-one who is a bit of a 'ne'er-do-well', usually at odds with others. The origin of the expression is interesting, especially in a farming area like the Yorkshire Dales where there are 30 times more sheep than people!
White wool can be dyed many colours. It was once a precious and lucrative commodity. Wool from black sheep can only be spun into black wool, so you don’t want too many black sheep in your flock, hence the expression 'black sheep of the family'. In Masham, Paul Theakston chose the name, Black Sheep Brewery, when he founded his independent brewery, acting as a pioneer and being ready to 'behave differently and not afraid to follow what we believe in'. I like the name of one of their beers - Riggwelter. A sheep that's 'riggwelted' has rolled onto its back and can't get up without help.
Speaking of dyeing wool, we sometimes describe people as 'dyed in the wool' , meaning someone whose views won't change. This saying originally came from when raw wool was dyed before it was processed or combed, and it was said to hold its colour longer.
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