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An Expedition to the Historical Down-Knitting Districts
The expedition studied the features of down knitting in the Buzuluk, Buguruslan, Novosergievka and Orenburg districts of the western Orenburg region.
The main goal of the expedition was to study the features of the folk craft of down knitting in the Buzuluk, Buguruslan, Novosergievka and Orenburg districts of the Orenburg region. In addition, the participants studied the traditional way of life of peasant families in the western Orenburg region.
How the research was conducted
The research was carried out through questionnaires, interviews and observation. The main target group was bearers of the tradition aged 70–80.
Besides information, the expedition members also collected objects of the down-knitting craft: spindles, needles, carding combs, distaff forks and spinning wheels from the 1920s–1950s. Curious facts also came to light: in the village of Kulagino in the Novosergievka District lives a craftsman who still makes spinning wheels without a single nail.
Features of the western Orenburg region
The western Orenburg region differs from the eastern one in the simplicity of its ornament, and the down here is often spun not on a spindle but on a spinning wheel.
