phenological events July 2012

phenological events

July 2012

1st blueberry picking
2nd red raspberry picking
3rd weeding corn patch
4th temps in the 90's
12th day lily blooms
15th harvesting mints & oregano
18th harvesting basil & sage
24th harvesing parsley & dill
28th berries finish
30th harvesting first tomatoes &squash

flax on the CPW

In reply to a question from a member of the CPW group on Ravelry, I decided to make a video:

I'm spinning flax strick from my sitting distaff - to linen on the Canadian Production Wheel. (the distaff is rigged up to keep the swivel post stationary)

My husband shot the video, and when I looked at it, the line seems to be invisible, so I added a close up shot of the draft at the end...using the tripod. It was difficult to get a good "over my shoulder" shot.

The question was "Anyone here have experience successfully spinning flax on their CPW?"

and...so now my question is: "How often were CPW's actually used for spinning flax?"

I imagine they were mostly used for spinning wool...but apparently...some of them have a hole on the table for a distaff..and a distaff certainly could have held wool, but maybe some flax from time to time.

summer scenes

Summer is in full swing.

...and the fox kit is growing bigger ...and bolder. It visits each morning and evening. Occasionally, we let the chickens out in the middle of the day, and so far, there are no fatalities.

The Daylilies are in their prime now. I like to watch them open and close. There is a small patch just outside my window...

and the ones that Catena sent to me are blooming too. These are 3 years old already.

This summer seems to be especially good for the blueberries. I netted the bushes a few weeks ago. These bushes are probably over 20 years old. They came from my parents farm...my husband and I transplanted when my mother moved. They are so full of berries that the branches are bending down.

The red raspberries are starting to come too...from a patch we started about 4 years ago. The patch is really starting to produce. Fresh berries for dessert are a real treat...doubtful there will be any leftover to jam with.

I've been spinning for the Tour de Fleece...you can view my results on Ravelry, in my stash pages.

I finally decided to clear this spindle.

It is nearly two years ago that this was spun...I still don't know what I will make with it..but I wound off onto a storage bobbin.

..so many memories....