Strange Comments and Questions at The Market

I spend about four and a half hours each week spinning at the market. I spin in part because it is a way of attracting notice when perhaps normally people would not notice me; I also spin because I would be incredibly bored if I had to stand/sit there for four and a half hours and do nothing. If I am not going to make a lot of money being there - I might as well get some work done.

For the most part, I enjoy interacting with the public. Spinning allows me to do so in a non-commercial, hopefully non threatening way. Some people are kind and interested in what I do, many are very flattering in their comments - they seldom buy anything but it is nice that they say nice things about my work. Praise does not buy my food, but it does make me feel good and that is just as important. But I do hear some strange comments or I am asked the same questions over and over again.

Frequently a parent walks by, notices what I do and forces their young child to look at me - usually saying something like "your grandmother use to do that" or "isn't that cool" or " that is how you make wool". The child, of course could not care less and has a vacant stare on his/her face desperately trying to find something more interesting to look at (there is an opposite of this scenario when the young child really wants to stay and watch but his/her parent drags them away). I am never too sure if the parent wants my input to their mini lecture - I frequently have an overwhelming urge to yell out " I am making yarn...... the sheep make the wool" but I don't. It seldom seems worthwhile to correct a parent in front of the child.

On a few occasions I have been told that it would be faster to use a machine or that spinning is a dying/dead art and that no one does it anymore. My favourite, at least in terms of leaving me speechless was "spinning is for women".

People do have lots of questions such as "are you a farmer?", "do you spin dog hair?", "why don't you use natural dyes?", "what animal do you get your sheep fur from?" and "does you foot ever get sore?'. I answer each of these question with as much detail as I think the person can bear and always as if it is the first time I have heard the question. However, the question that I get asked on the most consistent basis and that irritates me the most is a variant of " do you ever get your beard caught up in your spinning?". I have been asked this question at least two times at every west coast market I have attended (I do not remember being asked this question nearly as often at the Peterborough Market in Ontario). The question would be almost understandable when I am spinning grey wool - but it happens regardless of the colour I am spinning (including yellow and red); it is almost always asked with a smile or a laugh. I think the people are making a joke. I think they think they are the first person to ever ask that question.

It would be tempting to just assume that the people who ask this question are just ignorant yokels from somewhere in the back country or even more likely that they are American, but alas this is not true. I have had the question asked by well dressed polite people from various parts of the world including England, Australia, Germany, the USA, Columbia and just a week ago I was asked this question by a young lady from Japan wearing a kimono. In spite of speaking very little English - she managed to get out the question -"do you spin your beard?" And she did it with a small smile.

I have decided that it is an international phenomena. I might as well get use to it - it clearly is not going to stop being asked. Maybe I should ask the UN or the World Trade organization for some assistance in doing so research on this. Do Peruvian women get asked if there long hair gets caught up in their work, do rug weavers from the Middle East get asked if their beards get tangled up in their looms or is it just a western phenomena?

Food for thought......