True or false?

[Maiden Stone]

And fullers earth is still available today as cat litter.  It's a sort of clay that clumps together when it absorbs liquid.

It was recommended as beginner litter for very young kittens as they wouldn't choke if they ate any. My kittens gave themselves grey faces by washing them with paws covered in fuller's earth.
I didn't know the origin of the name fuller's earth.

[Maiden Stone]

I imagine then that wool would be treated as was cotton in the domestic textile industry.
A wooden block with handle had lots and lots of little slightly hooked wires,
two were used one for each hand.
A clump of cotton was placed between them  and they were pulled apart
away from each other, one upwards and the other downwards
This formed a sausage shaped roll of cotton,known as a rollag or roving.
This was what was used in hand spinning,the rollag when spun out could be joined to the next one by simply twisting the ends together

My GGM was a cotton rover. At least one of her daughters worked in the carding room.

[Rena]

Harris tweed had  a very distinctive odour,well it would would’nt it!
Not much made nowadays.
Viktoria.

This reminded me of a shock one islander had when he received an order out of the blue from Nike Sports people in America wanting 9,500 metres of Harris tweed to be delivered yesterday.  His usual weekly output was 100 metres of tweed a week.

I thought this was only a couple or so years ago but I've just checked and it was 2004.

[Viktoria]

Yes, the tweed was for shoes,believe it or not,well a sort of posh trainer was one style.
I remember the programme which launched the idea.
I have to admit there was a certain “something” about them.
Mind you the perfume Tweed by Lentheric did not smell like true Harris Tweed,or no one would have worn it!
Why do all our artisan products go ,and when re discovered are beyond viable regeneration.?
Greed ,I expect.Not on the part of the artisans themselves though I don’t think.
It makes me laugh when you get packed food which has been “hand packed”
“hand sliced or picked” it makes not a jot of difference to the taste so why are we daft enough to pay more?
Often no alternative.
I’m getting into rant mode so will sign off.Cheerio.
     Viktoria.