Saint Distaff’s Day on the Green

Photos supplied

Above, in front, from left: Desley Leigh, Sybilla Scott-Smith and Barbara Regent get together on the Village Green with other spinners from further afield to enjoy a day of spinning and picnicking. Below: From Ulverstone, Dean Rivett is one of the rare, but not unknown, gentleman spinners, who attended on the day.

By Lois Rasmussen

EACH YEAR the Deloraine Spinners celebrate St Distaff’s day on January 7, by gathering to spin and picnic on Westbury Village Green. This day ends the twelve days of Christmas. Spinners from the North, Burnie and South as far as Hobart join the Deloraine Spinners for this gathering under the beautiful trees of the Green. Everyone has a wonderful time of it, catching up with each other and admiring ongoing projects including dye lots, spinning, weaving, crochet and knitting.

There never was a Saint Distaff on the original calendar of Saints. Traditionally, the day indicates the return to the everyday woman’s work of spinning and fabricating garments following the Christmas holy days in winter, when families could visit and rest from the year’s work. A distaff is a stick which holds the carded linen or wool before it is spun. The distaff could handily be stuck in a lady’s girdle if she used a drop spindle while walking around, or could be hooked onto her spinning wheel to keep the unspun fibre from tangling with the spinning.

Deloraine Spinners meet at Deloraine Community House on alternate Tuesdays from 10am to 2pm. There are resources for anyone interested in spinning, weaving and dyeing, including wheels that can be loaned to newcomers to try. Many of the spinners are happy to mentor anyone who may like to give spinning a go. A welcoming group, the Deloraine Spinners’ next meeting is on Tuesday 18 February. Deloraine Spinners will also be demonstrating at the St Patrick’s Day Festival in Westbury on 21 March and welcome folk to come and see them on the Village Green.