THE FELT-MAKERS

    It is probably one the last of major ancient crafts; all the rest did not have independent economic value and were acquired either out of interest or by chance. Nevertheless, as already mentioned, a man with a spark was often able to do all or almost all, even though, as the artist, he was only in one specific trade.

        A felt-maker in the North is a figure essential. No wonder that with the felt boots (kataniki) begin or end many limericks:

"Oh, my kataniki are gray; one is torn.

Because of the gray kataniki, I got drunk, drunk."

 Or:

 "Very weakly felt boots tapping, I will get the high boots,

 To walk with a good girl, Hey comrade, lend me a pair!"


      You can collect dozens of rhymes that mention the felt boots...

The work of felt-makers was challenging and inconvenient because the work must be done in a steam room damp. But this does not mean that the felt-makers were not required skills, expertise and knowledge of various subtleties.

A brigade of felt-makers made usually of relatives was no more than three or four people. They carried multiple instruments. After settling down in a spacious house, they rolled felt boots, first for the landlord's family, then for other customers. The work began with threshing the wool, preferably winter wool.

     First, they pulled off wool's knots, cleaning it of dirt and ticks. Then, wool was beaten up with a leather string stretched very tight on a special portable device hanging on the wall. A wooden hook was used to snap this string. The string, vibrating, tore apart matted wool. Hence is the expression "to tear apart to pieces." To do this job was put a less experienced felt maker, often a teenager.

    The master cautiously spread fluffed wool in a 'T' on the table. On the spread wool, also in a 'T' form, was laid a linen lining, on the size to the size of felt boots. Then he gently folded the letter T along the axis without touching the pads and sewed the wool edges with a thin thread. It turned out to be a resemblance to a felt boot. Next, the upper was sprayed with rye flour, carefully placed in a large iron and boiled, then the pad was taken out and put felt on the last. Finally, the actual wallow began (not "of a fool," but the felt boots!).

    Master gently used an ability of wool to become matted to join sides, matted edges; only after that, you can safely use force.

  To work on felt boots after that could be done by a different person, more robust and less experienced. Boots rolled with the roller, slapped, beaten, pounded, patted, and moved over with tetrahedral iron bars. The more boots were hammered and rolled, the more they shrank on the last, and it was becoming less and less in size.

   Into the upper part were inserted spacers. Ready felt boots were dyed, dried and trimmed with pumice. The main advantages of felt boots are durability, softness and economical usage of wool. The master-roller made uppers very elastic, and the higher, the thinner. (Woolen hats were made the same way.)

To correctly guess the size, amount of wool, and to make felt boots precisely to measure could do only a good master. For men, boots with long tops were spent five or six pounds of wool; for the most minor children, felt boots just half a pound. For teenagers or women, boots are from half to three pounds. It is hard to imagine what a joy rose in the soul of the child and even adults when new boots were brought in and they were offered to try on.