Yesterday I went to visit the Robison-Anton thread factories in Pennsylvania. In Clark's Summit I saw them twisting and winding thread and yarn onto cones and pirns and spools. In Bloomsburg I saw them dyeing the thread and yarn into many fabulous rainbow colors and then winding them onto tiny consumer spools. The kind that I have.
Little me. The delicate flower.
Their oh-so-interesting website says this:
Bruce N. Anton, President of the company, outlines the developments in the last 20 years. “In 1979, we opened up a dye house in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, called Bloomsburg Dye Co.,” he says. “In 1985 and 1988, we made acquisitions of twisting and winding plants also in Pennsylvania. In 1989, we decided to open up a new manufacturing plant and completely refit the dye house. In 1990 we built R.A. Manufacturing, Inc., a modern twisting and winding facility in Clarks Summit, Pa.” Bruce N. Anton, President of the company, outlines the developments in the last 20 years. “In 1979, we opened up a dye house in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, called Bloomsburg Dye Co.,” he says. “In 1985 and 1988, we made acquisitions of twisting and winding plants also in Pennsylvania. In 1989, we decided to open up a new manufacturing plant and completely refit the dye house. In 1990 we built R.A. Manufacturing, Inc., a modern twisting and winding facility in Clarks Summit, Pa.”
There are some great terms that are used in manufacturing. Thread manufacturing is no different. They have giant spool-ish things that they call pirns. Pirn. Yep. Webster says it's another word for bobbin and also that it's Scottish for a device resembling a reel. "That thar reel's a pirn." That's what you can say the next time you see something resembling a reel.
Then there's the term "lively". When thread, or any yarn or string or rope, twists back on itself when it becomes slack, it's called lively. We don't want our thread or yarn or string or rope to be lively. We want it to be dead. Yes. That's the word they use. Dead. Dead means that it just lies there and it's therefore easier to use and it knots less.
How do you kill lively thread? You steam heat it when it's on a pirn or bobbin or spool! Lively!
I loved the word so much that I used it a hundred times until our tour guide, who was the vice president of manufacturing, started laughing a little. Then he pointed at me and said, "Listen to this one!"
I knew it was all going to be just as much fun as I'd hoped.
When we got to the dye factory I was intrigued by how clean their hands were. Nobody had dye stains on their hands. Not the guys in the lab; not the guys using the dying vats.
I asked about that and the fellow who was in charge of dye chemistry and stuff said that they were just very clean people. I looked at him with an arched eyebrow. He said that some people, the people who create the specific dye colors, have stained hands, but the rest of the people don't have any need to touch dye so their hands are clean.
I wanted there to be colors everywhere. I wanted to be dazzled by the glittering colors. Dye just isn't that glamorous, though. It's interesting and it's pretty, but it isn't glamorous. I'm beginning to suspect that there isn't much in the world that is glamorous because real life has to pop in and make it real enough to have consequences.
Real life is a ridiculous thing.
Except for tonight. Florette came over tonight and we watched Sex in the City and drank wine and talked about girly things and had a wonderful time. And that was real life. And that was a good thing. Ridiculous in a delightful, carefree kind of way.
And Florette makes good cookies.
Posted by dotty at November 18, 2004 11:59 PM