Angelika Vaneková
In Slovakia, hand processing of wool, called plstenie, is not an old technique. It is partially due to keeping, in our lands, sheep with thick wool that is not ideally suited to plstenie. If someone wants to engage seriously in the craft of processing wool by this technique, or wishes to learn about it thoroughly, they must be lucky enough to come across a renowned craftsman with rich experience in the field, willing to pass his or her knowledge onto further generations as there is no possibility to enrol in a course about this particular craft. However, the situation is today more favourable in Hungary. More than forty years ago, István Vidák and his wife Mari Nagy decided to devote their life to plstenie, engaging in varied roles of researchers, textile designers and artists. It is also thanks to their activities that this technique has become widely known in Hungary, a renowned craft in its own right. With possibilities of studying it on a two-year accredited programme at various institutions, it is an important part of culture in today’s Hungary, and graduates of this programme receive a certificate of a felt producer.