Orenburg scarf
Orenburg shawls ( Russian Оренбургский пуховый платок / Orenburgskij puchowyj platok; literally: Orenburg down scarf) and headscarves are items of clothing knitted from goat's wool by the Russian regional handicrafts. The special thing about them is that they are made from hand-spun goat winter hair that is combed out of the animals; mostly they are hand-knitted. Orenburg scarves are warm, light, soft and fluffy. Because of their fine quality, they are a very well-known symbol of Russian folk art in Russia - such as matryoshkas , khokhloma , samovars from Tula , ceramics from Gzhel or lacquer miniatures from Palech .
These large “Orenburg style” knitted shawls are traditionally made in the Russian city of Orenburg and, depending on the design and size , are worn as a scarf , headscarf , poncho or stole thrown over the shoulder .
history
In 1743 the fortress and the city of Orenburg were founded. The Orenburg Cossacks settled in this region in the Urals since 1574 . The Cossacks took over the art of knitting with goat wool from the long-established population in order to protect themselves against the harsh climate. The production of Orenburg scarves and headscarves became a popular craft among the Cossack women.
The origins of Orenburg knitting can be traced back 250 years in Orenburg, to the 18th century. First has Pyotr Ivanovich Rytschkow (russ. Пётр Иванович Рычков * 1712, † 1777), a Russian geographer and local historian of the Orenburg region, in 1766 in his work experience with goat wool (Russ. "Опыт о козьей шерсти" advocated) to set up a knitting industry in the Orenburg region. Later, academician Pyotr Petrovich Pekarskij (Russian Пётр Петрович Пекарский ; * 1828; † 1872) wrote about the life of Rytschkow and described him as the founder of this craft in Orenburg, which nourishes many people there.
After the meeting of the Free Economic Society (Russian Вольное экономическое общество ) (1765 to 1918) on January 20, 1770, the Orenburg scarves became known far beyond the borders of Orenburg. At this meeting, Pyotr Rytschkow was awarded a gold medal “as a token of thanks for his efforts in making cloth from goat hair”.
Because the most elaborate scarves with this knitting technique came from Orenburg and since the best master embroiderers lived in the city of Orenburg, gradually all scarves made with this knitting technique were called Orenburg scarf. In ancient Russia, wealthy people bought Orenburg shawls for their wives, as they were very good protection against the great cold in Russia. Due to their fluffy consistency, they were comfortable to wear and kept very warm.
Orenburg scarves were exhibited internationally for the first time at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855 . At the London World's Fair in 1862 , the knitter M. Uskowa, a Cossack woman, was awarded a medal for her goat down scarves.
Orenburg scarves reached their peak of popularity towards the end of the Russian Empire (1917). At this time in Great Britain , too, began to produce similar scarves "in the Orenburg style".
Orenburg goat
The wool for the Orenburg shawls is obtained from the Orenburg goat , a breed of goat specially bred for this purpose (wool goat). The downy hair of the Orenburg goat is the thinnest in the world. They have a thickness of 16 to 18 micrometers , while the angora goat - also a woolly goat - has downy hair with a thickness of 22 to 24 micrometers. That is why knitted products made from Orenburg goat wool are particularly delicate and soft. The strongly warming coat growth of the goat breed was shaped by the dry, frosty winters of the region, which are accompanied by snowstorms (Orenburg Buran ), and also by the plant food of the mountain steppe of the Urals . Goat wool is more durable than sheep wool. The region around Orenburg has long been known for its extensive goat husbandry.
The Orenburg goat only thrives in the Orenburg region. Attempts by the French in the 19th century to keep them in France, i.e. outside the Povolschye region from which they come, were unsuccessful. In France, they very quickly lost their coveted downy hair and got a very common thick coat. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russia exported tens of thousands of kilograms of goat fluff to Western Europe. Significant quantities of goat down from Orenburg are currently being exported to Western Europe.
Styles
There are different types of Orenburg scarves:
- simple scarves - mostly gray, rarely white, thick warm shawls. The history of the Orenburg knitwear trade began with the manufacture of scarves. These scarves are the warmest type of Orenbuger knitwear, they are worn as everyday clothing.
- Shawls - Ajour knitting from very finely spun goat wool with silk (less often from viscose or cotton fiber ; the yarn usually contains 2/3 goat down and 1/3 silk). Such pieces are not worn as everyday clothing, but as accessories for festive occasions. They have much more complicated patterns than the simple scarves. Usually a purer and softer goat wool is used, which is why such pieces are even more expensive.
- Stole - a thin scarf or throw, made in a similar manner to the shawls.
The hole patterns of the cloths consist of relatively few basic elements, which are arranged into larger geometric patterns, often with diamond-shaped medallions in the middle part and a knitted lace edge all the way around .
In the Orenburg region, shawls are also machine-knitted. These cloths are not that expensive, they are also coarser. Such machine-made cloths resemble a very soft fur in their consistency. In some cases, the middle part is also specifically knitted on the machine, as it then turns out more evenly than if it was hand-knitted.
Two simple tests can be used to check whether an Orenburg cloth was made particularly thin:
- 1. Can it be pulled through a finger ring?
- 2. Is it bigger than a goose egg when crumpled up?
The knitters spin their own wool. Good Orenburg scarves are made from twisted yarn . To do this, the knitter first makes a solid thread from goat down and then twists it onto a silk thread or cotton thread. Such a finished shawl - shawl or stole - does not initially look fluffy. Only over time, when the cloth is worn, does it get its fluffy consistency. Such a cloth lasts a very long time.
A skilled knitter can knit two medium-sized shawls or three stoles a month. It takes a month or more for large shawls or stoles with intricate patterns.
The largest collection of Orenburg scarves can be seen in the Museum of the History of Orenburg Shawls, a branch of the Orenburg Museum of Fine Arts .
literature
- Galina Khmeleva, Carol R. Noble: Gossamer Webs: The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls. Interweave Press, November 1, 1998, ISBN 9781883010416 .