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Image 0 - The production of wool
Image 1 - The production of wool
Image 2 - The production of wool
Image 3 - The production of wool

The production of wool



The production of wool, like that of hemp cloth, answered a need to have yarn and cloth available to make clothing and linens. Sheep shearing was carried out twice a year, in autumn and in spring. The wool was then washed, sometimes dyed with vegetable pigments, carded and spun with spindles and distaffs and later by means of the spinning wheel. The spun yarn could then be knitted or made into cloth.

Today, some handcrafted wool production still survives. The ?Pro Verzasca?, an association founded in 1933 to support handicrafts, runs a centre in Sonogno for natural dyeing, carding and spinning of wool, which is done by women in their homes. The handmade products are sold at the ?Casa della lana?, in the village craft shop and in other artisan shops. There are numerous items on display at the Verzasca Valley Museum in Sonogno concerning this activity, as well as at other ethnographic museums in the district.