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Our Active Subscriber Created Her Own Down Masterpiece
Shalnoy Orenburg subscriber Svetlana Tsibkovskaya, after the “School of Down Knitters” lessons, drew up her own chart and knitted a gossamer shawl with a “snowflake”.
We got to know craftswoman Svetlana Tsibkovskaya — and we have every right to call her an Orenburg craftswoman — during the broadcasts of our last year's project “School of Down Knitters”. Svetlana was already our active subscriber and was very happy about the project, which made it possible to refresh old knowledge and gain new. Svetlana is a native of the Orenburg Region and now lives in Saint Petersburg.
Svetlana's story
“My grandmother instilled in me a love of knitting and spinning,” Svetlana told us. “From the age of 6 I was already spinning wool on a spinning wheel, and later down on a spindle. I knitted everything that could be knitted quickly and worn: jacquard socks, mittens, sweaters, cardigans.
My grandmother knitted shawls, but as a child I only watched the process. My grandmother was from the Chelyabinsk Region, so she did not knit the Orenburg down shawl.
And I, as a true Orenburg woman, simply had to learn Orenburg down knitting in order to knit this masterpiece for my mother, as in Lyudmila Zykina's song. So in my early forties I really wanted to master this process.
By then I was already living in Saint Petersburg and came home in the summer. My mother, seeing how much I wanted to learn, invited her friend Nina Likhacheva, a hereditary Orenburg down knitter. She devoted a lot of time to me and taught me. In short, I knitted my first gossamer shawl for my mother about ten years ago. I gave it to her — my mother was very happy and proud of me.
Then my mentor moved to her children in Gai; she had grown old. I had no one to learn from how to knit complex patterns and draw up charts on my own. And, oh joy! I found Shalnoy Orenburg's lessons on the internet, where for several months our craftswomen explained it all so clearly in a dialogue format!
After that I drew my own chart, putting in it everything I wanted and had planned. I spun Orenburg down and knitted a gossamer shawl for my daughter from this chart. It all worked out! I am very pleased — now I can draw up any chart.
Many thanks to the craftswomen for passing on their experience and knowledge!”
A gossamer shawl with a “snowflake”
Let us add to this story that from the very first lessons Svetlana became one of the most active viewers of the “School” and took part in our contest of “Snowflakes” — original Orenburg shawl patterns. The task was to draw a “snowflake” chart and knit it, and Svetlana again sent in one of the best works.
And a few months later Svetlana created her own masterpiece, whose fabric is adorned with that very “snowflake”. With pleasure, pride and, of course, with the approval of our heroine, we present it to you, dear friends!
Huge thanks to Svetlana for what we consider a serious contribution to the preservation of the craft. We are very glad that we can bring together, and join with, such wonderful people with whom we share common goals.
