The Edinburgh Spiders
The Edinburgh Spiders are a volunteer group in Edinburgh, Scotland established by a group of displaced Ukrainian women.
They joined together in August 2022 to begin creating camouflage nets for the Ukrainian Army.
The army uses these nets to disguise vehicles, soldiers and field hospitals against aerial surveillance and drone attacks by Russian forces.
To construct the nets the group asks for donations of used textiles, such as bedsheets.
The volunteers dye these fabrics the appropriate colours for the environment the net will be used in.
Once dyed, the fabric is torn into strips.
Cuts are then made along the edge of the strips, in order to mimic the behaviour of foliage in the breeze.
The fabric strips are then woven into a piece of netting, held taught on a wooden frame.
The wooden frames have been built for the group by Scottish families, who hosted the Ukrainians when they first arrived in Edinburgh.
The weaving technique is simple: no straight lines.
To be maximally effective, the nets must avoid any features which would distinguish them from the surrounding environment.
This means no bright colours, no clear patterns, and no long, straight lines.
The group asks for financial donations in order to fund their work — such as purchasing netting and fabric dyes.
Recently the group received a substantial donation of fabric dyes.
They have received enough dye to support them for the next three months, and allow them to produce 60 camouflage nets for the Ukranian Army.
Depending on the number of volunteers that attend, it is possible to start and finish a net in a single evening.
The netting evenings are also social occasions.
Volunteers share tea and biscuits, as well as stories of how they have come to be in Scotland.
As well as Ukrainians and Scots, there are volunteers from Poland, Georgia, Lithuania, England, New Zealand, Japan and Italy.
Once completed, the nets are bundled up, ready for transport.
They are transported to Ukraine by other volunteer groups in Scotland, who drive across Europe to transport vehicles and humanitarian aid to the frontlines.
To learn more about the work of the Edinburgh Spiders, follow them on Facebook or Instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085673448913
https://www.instagram.com/edinburgh_spiders/
If you are in the Edinburgh area and want to help with net weaving, times and locations are shared on Facebook and Instagram. All are welcome.
If you would like to make a donation to support the group’s work, please visit their JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/edinburgh-spiders-nets-for-ukraine
