Ruth MottramHave spent a peaceful #Autumn half term day working in the garden, preparing for winter - and spring. Unusually warm again during daytime but cold and clear tonight. Still no frost but I could hear the red squirrels scolding each other over the neighbours hazelnuts all afternoon. Tonight, over a backyard bonfire, it is so still that I clearly hear the skeins of geese overflying Denmark on their way south, honking at each other encouragingly.
Emma Bee@Ruth_Mottram everyday is a school day, I'd never heard of a skein of geese but they definitely look skein like, nicely explained by https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2020/09/why-do-we-call-them-skeins-of-geese/
Maybe they know #babet is on the way and are hunkering down.
Maybe they know #babet is on the way and are hunkering down.
@EmmaBirkett your post made me look up the etymology of skein, apparently it is from old French escargne, now, écargne - which surprised me because sk words are often Norse or Gaelic in origin, I like the word because it always reminds me of my grandmother who would have us wind wool from long skeins into balls for her knitting!
@Ruth_Mottram a nice rabbit hole for a rainy day! Seems skein is interchangeable in different places for a loose oval ball of wool and a twisted hank. The hank is definitely more goose like. Hazel Stainer, designer and writer, has an interesting summary focused on the #wool ball itself. Gives rise to further questions for me that might illuminate the etymology further...
https://hazelstainer.wordpress.com/2021/04/23/a-ball-of-wool/
Such as when did the word skein come into use? Possibly when there was a need for wool, thread or silk to be wound in longer lengths. A skein/hank seems to be the right size for hand winding between your hands. I've sat and helped with untangling one on a train 🙌🏻! There's some pointers towards the word scamnum, Latin, bench or stool, which is the other optional tool for winding when you haven't got a friend with hands (interestingly from excambiare meaning exchange)...
@Ruth_Mottram
Skein/hanks appear to be more useful for hand looms, and from what I see on many small business pages, ideal for small scale/home dyeing and drying. Were skeins more popular with looms and did the word appear with later processing/silk trade/flemish influence? In terms of early spinning I imagine that when your spindle was full yarn was used direct from the spindle or wound into a ball or on your elbow/hand for a hank. Is skend a clue?
Skein/hanks appear to be more useful for hand looms, and from what I see on many small business pages, ideal for small scale/home dyeing and drying. Were skeins more popular with looms and did the word appear with later processing/silk trade/flemish influence? In terms of early spinning I imagine that when your spindle was full yarn was used direct from the spindle or wound into a ball or on your elbow/hand for a hank. Is skend a clue?
@Ruth_Mottram
I love how the threads of wool usage, tools, storage and trade (exchange?) are wrapped up in this word. However, I've reached a dead end. #etymology #yarn #tales #wool #crochet #skein
I love how the threads of wool usage, tools, storage and trade (exchange?) are wrapped up in this word. However, I've reached a dead end. #etymology #yarn #tales #wool #crochet #skein
@EmmaBirkett fascinating dive into wool!
Steve Paradis