PROCESSING OF YARN

   The entire female half of the Russian people, young and old alike, knew how to spin a yarn.
 But learning how to weave was not an easy task; some woman tries but still cannot comprehend at first glance a pretty simple craft. Any skill seems easy when you master it. Experienced women are genuinely surprised, looking at those who cannot make the canvas wall: "How so? It is that simple: do this first, then what comes out the wall…."
   Alas, it turned the majority could grasp it, but not all! Yarn from the spindles was wound to the reel while counting and bandaging the raps. For counting of threads, was used number 3, the number of fingers involved in the count. This number is called the chismenka. One rap of yarn is equal to sixty strands (twenty chimeneas). Nine raps were wound in a yarn ball for the basis of one side of the canvas. For the duck, it is also required the same number. The quantity and quality of yarn balls prepared by early springtime indicated a woman's and family's reputation.
   The limit of the finesse of the thread, which was accomplished rarely, was considered when through the silver ring, one must push through the ball of 540 threads folded in two strands, i.e. 1080.
   The yarn is wound from the spindle, not only for counting but also for further processing. The balls of yarn must be washed and sometimes soaked in the oat straw and chaff, brewed in hot water. As they said, that takes out of the yarn "hardness." Wet balls were frozen out during vigorous March's morning, the yarn was hung on the fence, from which blackness, stiffness and dampness, typical of just processed flax yarn, disappear. During the processing of dark-gray yarn becomes lighter. The finished canvases are almost snow white.