About the craft · Glossary
Glossary
A dictionary of terms about Orenburg down shawls, patterns, down, hand knitting and the craft.
We have collected the main words and concepts that help you better understand the Orenburg down shawl: how a gossamer shawl differs from a shawl, what the scalloped edging (zubtsy) is, how an openwork pattern is built and why the down of the Orenburg goat is valued in its own right.
Technique and craft
32 terms
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Technique and craft
Acetate silk
Acetate silk is one of the kinds of artificial silk, made from natural cellulose. It is a resilient material with a characteristic sheen, soft and pleasant to the touch. It…
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Technique and craft
Spindle
A spindle is the simplest device for making yarn by hand. It is a turned wooden rod tapered towards the upper end. An item of peasant life, the spindle is…
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Technique and craft
Viscose
Viscose is the only artificial material made from raw material of natural origin (natural cellulose). Depending on the processing method, it can resemble linen, wool or silk. Because of its…
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Technique and craft
Volgograd down
Volgograd down is the natural down of goats bred in the Volgograd Region. Items knitted from such down are valued for their high quality, durability and softness. They fluff up…
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Technique and craft
Solid knitting
Solid knitting is a knitting method used to make very dense and warm items — winter hats, scarves and mittens. The name comes from the “solid slip stitch”, which is…
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Technique and craft
Border
A border is a strip along the edge of a shawl or warm shawl that differs from the central part of the item in colour and/or pattern. The border of…
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Technique and craft
Cardigan
A cardigan is an elongated straight-cut jacket whose main distinguishing feature is the absence of a collar. The most common are jersey and knitted cardigans. Modern cardigans fasten with buttons…
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Technique and craft
Kerchief
A kerchief is one of the kinds of women's shawl, shaped like an isosceles triangle. A down kerchief is traditionally worn on the shoulders or the head.
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Technique and craft
Lavsan
Lavsan is a material of synthetic origin, one of the kinds of polyester. The key component of its composition is polyester fibres. The main properties of lavsan are strength, moisture…
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Technique and craft
Machine knitting
Machine knitting is a method of making knitted products, an alternative to handwork. Fabric knitted on a machine has a sharp (clearly legible) pattern, even rows and identical stitches. It…
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Technique and craft
Mohair
Mohair is yarn made from the wool of Angora goats. Among the main properties of mohair, manufacturers highlight lightness, resilience, strength and a characteristic sheen. It is an ideal raw…
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Technique and craft
Home-based worker
A home-based worker (nadomnitsa) is a worker who carries out orders assigned to her by an enterprise at home. Most handmade down products are made in this way.
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Technique and craft
Nachyos (combed fibre)
Nachyos is combed-out fibre, or the result of combing. Combing goats is very laborious work, and the maximum amount of down can be obtained only with timely and correct combing.…
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Technique and craft
Non-co-spun yarn
Non-co-spun yarn is high-quality yarnobtained by plying down yarn with a base. That is, first a dense thread is spun from down, and then a silk thread is wound over…
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Technique and craft
Orenburg down shawl
The Orenburg down shawl is a down product made from the down of a special selectively bred breed of Orenburg goats. Recently the term has been used as a collective…
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Technique and craft
Guard hair
Guard hair is the hairs in an animal's coat that are stiffer and longer. They often differ in colour as well. Guard-hair fibres have a three-layer structure, and their thickness…
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Technique and craft
Noils
Noils are short wool, cotton or linen fibres obtained in the process of combing fibrous material. They contain impurities. Practically all kinds of noils subsequently go into making yarn, most…
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Technique and craft
Stole
A stoleis a rectangular women's accessory, one of the kinds of scarf. The fabric of such an item can be woven or knitted. The most common are silk, wool, fur,…
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Technique and craft
Gossamer shawl
A gossamer shawl (pautinka) is a women's shawl made of down yarn, distinguished by a skilful openwork pattern resembling the finest spider's web. The fabric of such a shawl is…
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Technique and craft
Pelerine
A pelerine is an elegant semicircular cape covering a woman's shoulders. Pelerines are worn over a dress or blouse. Today the most common are fur and down pelerines, which combine…
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Technique and craft
Shawl
A shawl – is a square, woven or knitted item that traditionally adorns a woman's shoulders. Of the existing Russian brands, the best known is the “Orenburg down shawl”, which…
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Technique and craft
Platoshnitsa
A platoshnitsa is a craftswoman who specialises in hand-knitting warm shawls from down yarn. Stoles and gossamer shawls are knitted by openwork down knitters.
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Technique and craft
Podmotka (ball core)
A podmotka is the core of a ball of yarn, onto which the yarn is wound directly when knitting an Orenburg down shawl. In the old days the device was…
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Technique and craft
Polyester
Polyester is a strong fabric of synthetic origin made from polyester fibres. Thanks to similar characteristics, it is a full-fledged competitor of cotton in clothing manufacture. In appearance polyester resembles…
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Technique and craft
Poncho
A poncho – is an extravagant item of a woman's wardrobe with an opening for the head in the centre of the fabric and a loose cut. As an item…
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Technique and craft
Spinning
Spinning is the process of laying together and twisting individual fibres of wool or down, resulting in a strong, long thread (yarn). Various spinning methods are known. The most primitive…
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Technique and craft
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a wooden device on which thread is spun by hand. It is driven by a foot pedal. A hand spinning wheel consists of two parts —…
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Technique and craft
Down artel
A down artel is a voluntary association of people to organise the full production cycle of down products.
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Technique and craft
Embroidery hoop
An embroidery hoop is a convenient round device that holds fabric securely, which greatly simplifies hand embroidery. Using wooden or plastic hoops, you can easily work on embroidery of any…
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Technique and craft
Plying
Plying is twisting two spun threads into one. Using plied yarn helps avoid skewing of the knitted fabric, gives the item a smoother surface and increases its strength and wear…
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Technique and craft
Tonina (fineness)
Tonina is a specific term in the down-knitting craft that in practice means the thickness of the knitting of an Orenburg down shawl.
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Technique and craft
Warm shawl
A warm shawl (shal) is a dense knitted or woven shawl framed with tassels or an openwork border. Traditionally, a warm shawl is square and large (more than a metre…
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Terms that help you choose an item
If you are choosing a shawl for the first time, start with these concepts: they will help you understand the difference between a light gossamer shawl, a warm shawl and a wrap, as well as size, density and openwork.
Also in the journal
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About the craft
The Social Mission of Shalnoy Orenburg
Most craftswomen have been knitting Orenburg down shawls since early childhood. For many of them, down knitting has always been their main…
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About the craft
What Determines the Price of an Orenburg Down Shawl
The price of an Orenburg down shawl is one of the main questions for any potential buyer.
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About the craft
How to Choose the Size of an Orenburg Down Shawl
One of the most frequently asked questions about the Orenburg down shawl that we come across is: how do you wear it?…
About the glossary
The Shalnoy Orenburg glossary helps you make sense of the terms found in descriptions of Orenburg down shawls, gossamer shawls, wraps and stoles. It brings together concepts about down, hand knitting, patterns, shawl elements, care and the folk art craft.
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