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| Photo: C Dear (Pattern Book) |
Catherine MacPhee, the archivist at Skye and Lochalsh archive centre, welcomed me into the archive in Portree. We chatted over the many aspects of string and threads and how these come into our lives in so many different ways. The economics and politics behind the introduction of linen into Skye, the fundamentals of making thread with spindle whorls and rope by hand from locally sourced materials and how these deep seated repetitive methods of working by hand are a calming meditative grounding process.
The photographs show three objects- the pattern books for tweed woven here, a fishing float and a spindle whorl.
I was engrossed with the three pattern books from the factory at Kilmuir which are held in the archive. These are wonderful sculptural objects, each a hand made book containing many pages of small samples of woven tweed. Each pattern had a specific number and weaving specification. Once an order was taken this would go to the weaver working at home.
The fishing float made of canvas and wood had been made waterproof with tar and had a small bit of rope still attached. This rope was part of the fishing net, a 2 strand string of about 4mm in diameter which was made from a natural material which I couldn’t identify.
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| Photo: C Dear (Fishing Float) |
This clay spindle whorl represents, for me, such an important archetypal object. We have spun thread for many thousands of years both from plant materials, flax, nettle and hemp as well as wool from animals. The spindle whorl has entered our myths and stories, seeing the future through the hole in the centre and in turn has become a mysterious object.
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| Photo: C Dear (Spindle Whorl) |