11 June 2021, 10:00 - 17:00

ASTRA Open air museum, sheep raising sector

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The sheep shearing workshop follows the entire process from the actual shearing to how wool is washed, dried and then used by the community from Rășinari, a mountainous village where sheep raising used to be one of the main occupations.

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Participants will interact with craftspeople who will show them how to work with wool, a highly appreciated resource at the beginning of the 20th century, which has a potential of regaining importance in the present, being a polyvalent material.

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According to the traditional calendar, sheep shearing was done after the 15th of May, the wool being washed in the river during the warmest weather, in order to be able to get it dry and ready for the next phases: combing and spinning using traditional manual utensils, and using different machines from the middle of the 20th century.

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Multiple fibers of wool were then spun into a thread, it was dyed and made ready for the loom by reeling. Diligent and skillful hands transformed the obtained wool in different clothing or house articles, not only focusing on the practical benefits of the material, but also on making the articles look as beautiful as possible.