People "waulked" the cloththey had woven. This meant that they stood at a ridged frameand pulled or stretched the tartan into shape, across this frame. During the waulking process, they sang Gaelic songs and recited poetryto keep themselves amused. Here is a typical waulkingsong which has been translated from the Gaelic language. Itcan be found in the book "Carmina Gadelica". The wool is carded, washed and dyedThe ember heat and reeking peatPervade and cense the house insideWall shadows in the gloom. The threads of yellow, blue and green,The black, the red, the white,By fingers deft in warp and weft,A criss-cross sett is laid betweenTo form the cloth aright. The fulling at the waulking frame,The maidens all a-row,On either side sit well supplied,With love-songs ready to exclaim,In movement to and fro.