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The thermometer has lowered degrees but now came back them again – it’s October outside. But weather promises correct itself - weather forecasters predict the real Russian winter, with blizzards and frosts. And clever people who don’t want to frostbite their feet are already reserved by valenki. And going to buy them right to Yelets - not somewhere on the nearest market. At the local factory valenki are rolling in antiquated way, manually. Therefore they are first-rate quality - thin, soft and very warm. Our correspondent has visited Yelets to find out secrets of felting manufacture.
Exotic hits in a pocket
Usually winter footwear is felting with using of the sheep wool, but there are also more exotic variants. Valenki are felting from goat or the dog wool. However the last one’s couldn’t be met really often. It more likely exotic, typical for podiums, where the models are walk. In real life only socks, or high fur boots could be mede of the dog wool. But any interested person can buy valenki made of the camel’s wool.
But it costs really not cheap. The pair of valenki from the sheep wool you can buy at the nearest market not more than 400-500 roubles. Under pretext that the wool of the "ships of desert" is more durable, light and warm, the price is some times more. In this case for 500 roubles it is possible to buy unless a souvenir pair. The real camel valenki will cost about 100-200 dollars.
Guinness was "provided with shoes"
The biggest valenok in Russia - 80-th size that corresponds 120-th to the size of usual footwear, have been felted in Kubenskom village near Vologda. Weight of the miracle-shoe - 7,5 kg, length of a foot - 87 sm, length of a top - 157 sm. Inspires! But inhabitants of Vologda hasn’t got to the Guinness book of records. Thay were surpassed by the inhabitants of the Kazakh Semipalatinsk. THay have felted absolutely monstrous valenok of 106-th size - 178 sm in height and 16,5 kg in weight.
Make a choice intelligently
It is possible to choose good valenki by touch, it must be crumpled in hands. The main thing is that it must be elastic. If the valenki are too soft, it means they are felt not good enough and the form will not be held. If they are too rigid and don’t bend, wearing of it would be inconveniently. Pay attention to a smell. The unpleasant small means that at manufacturing valenki was used not washed out wool. It is practically impossible to get rid of a smell. If the adult are taken valenki with a sole they should take one size more, and if they are going to wear tham under galoshes - on two sizes. If you buy valenki to the kid in absentia, necessarily measure valenki from the inside. For example, if the length of the child’s stops is 19 sm, length of the valenki should be 20-21 sm. inside.
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