smiùradh | process of ‘shedding’ – parting the wool of the sheep and inserting a paste of Archangel tar and ‘eòlan’ [q.v.] (about mid-winter). [Mrs MacLeod] |
eòlan | oil made of the livers of fish by boiling them in a large pot; used for ‘smiùradh’ [q.v.]. [Mrs MacDonald] |
bearradh | cutting the tips of the wool off year-old lambs at shearing-time. |
sealbhag | a ‘binder’ used in dyeing wool and made of the roots of the ‘cuiseag’. |
cìreadh | combing the wool. |
colmadh | mixing wools of different colours. |
ath-cholmadh | re-mixing the wools when many different colours were required. |
càrdadh | carding the wool. ‘Eòlan’ [q.v.] – oil added to the wool at this stage. |
rolagan | rolled wool. |
cuigeall | distaff. |
biurna | reel. |
[cuibheal-shnìomh] | The reel of a ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’: |
fiaclan | [See the illustration under ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’.] |
roileir | [See the illustration under ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’.] |
deil | spindle. [See the illustration under ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’.] |
sèicle | [See the illustration under ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’.] |
biurna | [See the illustration under ‘cuibheal-shnìomh’.] |
rèim | the big ‘wheel’ of a spinning-wheel. |
siol-coise | peddle [sic]. |
bann-beag | band tied round ‘roileir’ of the reel and part of the frame of spinning wheel to regulate speed of reel. |
acfhuinn-mheadhain | spindle of big wheel. |
gairdeanan | two supports of big wheel. |
slibheag | connecting rod between big wheel and pedal. |
àireamh | 5 ‘snàdhlain’. |
crois-iarna | |
slat Ghaidhealach | the length of wool that fills the ‘crois-iarna’ [q.v.] once (about 9 feet). |
croiseadh | the practice of using the ‘crois-iarna’ [q.v.]. |
slat shingilte | slat Ghaidhealach [q.v.]. |
slat dhùbailte | 2 fills of the ‘iarna’ (18 feet). |
iarna | a hand of wool. |
beart-dhealbh | |
dealbh | the process of using the above [i.e. ‘beart-dhealbh’]. |
croisan | [?] the way in which the ends of the wool were arranged on the ‘beart-dhealbh’ for convenience. |
fuainean | the pins on the ‘beart-dhealbh’. |
innodh | scarcity of some type or colour of wool. |
fidheachan | [?] a way of binding the ‘rope’ of threads coming off the ‘beart-dhealbh’ so as to avoid untidiness. |
[note] | [NOTES: the three words, ‘croisan’, ‘fuainean’ and ‘fidheachan’, have been made unclear by corrections apparently made by the informant himself. The person who edited the list put question marks next to them.] |
cuibeanachadh | binding the wood [sic] [wool?] to the loom, or more particularly to the ‘slat-fhuidheag’. It is bound by inserting this slat into the first loop of the ‘croisean’ and a string later bound to both ends of the slat is passed through the second loop. The first loop is known in Ardhasaig as ‘croisean ceàrr’ and the second as ‘croisean deiseil’. |
beartachadh | inserting the wool into the loom before weaving. |
cur | weft. |
dlùth | warp. |
casachan | the parts of a loom worked by the feet. Casachain mhora – the actual pedal. Casachain mheadhain – the connecting rods by which the further end of these is bound to the loom itself. Casachain bheaga – the parts of the loom at the top which are directly connected to the bottom ‘casachain’. |
crann-snadh | roller round which wool is first wound. |
iomallan | heddles. |
clàr | one heddle. |
rèla | a long rod with teeth (fiaclan) which keeps the wool going to the heddles well spread. |
slìn | a similar contraption after the heddles through whose ‘sùilean’ the wool passes, either with one or two threads to each ‘sùil’ as the pattern requires. |
sùil | the opening in the ‘iomallan’ [q.v.] and in the ‘slìn’ [q.v.]. |
slat-chuibean | the rod on which the ends of the wool are tied after passing through the ‘slìn’ [q.v.]. |
dlò | after 40 threads taken together and which are divided into two, which are then passed over different sides of the ‘slat-chuibean’ [q.v.] and tied. |
slinechlar | the long block of wood of which the ‘slìn’ [q.v.] is part. |
caraman-uchd | the spar in front of the weaver’s breast and just level with it, probably there for him to lean on. |
spàl | shuttle. |
urchair | a shot of the ‘spàl’ [q.v.]. |
iteachan | wooden bobbin, or spool. |
òrd | the part that ‘projects’ the ‘spàl’ [q.v.]. |
mìl-àroidh | [?] the instrument which is used to stretch the tweed and keep its edges straight as it comes off the loom. [NOTES: A question mark in red ink added by the person who edited the list.] |
an crann-aodaich | (often known merely as ‘an crann’) – the spool on which the finished cloth goes. |
lunn | used for waulking and consisting of washing-soda, melted soap and warm water. |
soluis | melted soap. |
armadh | the oil and grease put into wool when carding and sometimes also known as ‘eòlan’ [q.v.]. |
coinneal | bole of tweed (after waulking). |
cinn | loose ends appearing on the surface of a tweed. |
ball is coran | herring-bone pattern. |
sùil-eòin | birdseye weave. |
ball | a single check or the part of the tweed contained within one check. |