perfect imperfections

A few months ago, when there was snow on the ground, I was reading about the Knitted Lace of Estonia, by Nancy Bush. What a terrific book, the photos, the descriptions, the history...all of it is so interesting! Thanks to Grace, a knit-a-long was arranged, and I started my journey into learning some of the Estonian patterns and techniques.

Grace selected a smaller/ scarf version of the Queen Silvia Shawl for the KAL, and I followed the center panel (leaving out the gathered stitches and the lace edge). I worked the pattern in one direction. I was having so much fun knitting merrily along that I passed the mid-point and forgot the other side and the graft in the middle. There are imperfections, but I still like the way it turned out.

Most of my satisfaction was due to the lovely yarn that I was working with. 315 yards of "Zephyr" from Ball and Skein. Gorgeous Hand-Dyed Merino and Silk Lace Weight threads that slip through the fingers, and pour down from the size 3 needles. I had first intended to gift this yarn, as a yarn package...but I am very glad to have decided to knit with it and gift the finished object. It was a pleasure!

Captivated by lace, I begin to plan another project. This next lace work will be constructed from my handspun angora.

I have plied a single strand of angora with a single strand of silk. ..both singles have been spun on the Russian Style support spindle. There was not much information available to me on how to ply the singles onto the support spindle. From what I could gather, a plying card or disk is used to hold the singles that are first wound together. A found tea box is used in place of a disk. I had to reverse my hands for plying, funny and odd to me that I just could not get my flick on for a z twist with my right hand- so I switched over to using my left hand.

I'm sure I could have created a yarn with a better ply if I had used a suspended spindle to do the job, but I wanted to stretch my skills. Sometimes the best way to do that is to embrace the imperfections!

time flows by

And spring is arriving along the riverrim. The above video captures the Thames River in Canada, but it could well be the river that flows behind my cabin. When I first saw this time lapse version of the seasons changing on the river, I found it to be very beautiful. I still do!

The transformations that take place are subtle. As water flows by, it sculpts and changes the edges of the bank. So much water flowing by... The ebb and flow of life...

...the forest and the creatures are waking up, and the seasons turn again. One ends, another begins.

march 2010 phenological events

March 2010

1st river levels rise
due to 20+" snowfall
16th skunk cabbage opens
22nd first thunder storm
24th phoebe returns
26th start lettuce and tomato seeds
28th wood thrush returns

compare with;

March 2009

1st- start pepper seeds
3rd- titmice and chickadees sing
5th - start broccoli seeds
12th - insects & snowdrops up
14th - woodthrush arrives
18th - phoebe arrives

and March of 2008

1st - snow storm
6th - wood thrush
20th- fox sparrow
26th- eastern phoebe
27th- pepper seed germinates
28th- planted tomato seed
31st- garden bonfire

yep. March is for phoebes, and tomato seeds! So I can say it is a good idea to start my tomato seeds when I see the first phoebe return.

clara

I want to spend the day with Clara. There is always so much to learn.

feb 2010 phenological events

Here are the notes for February of 2010

2nd six more weeks
3rd snow cover returns
12th porcupine returns
15th egg avalanche begins
23rd-26th big snowfall 20+ inches
28th-flock of bluebirds near bank

I've been collecting phenological notes for a few years now. It is interesting to go back over them and compare the results.

Here are the notes from February of 2009

6th- flocks of bluebirds
8th- 4 hens laying
9th- turkeys strut in the morning
20th- woodpeckers drilling
24th- porcupine still in hemlock
25th- snow cover off the garden
28th- frogs wake up

And the notes for February of 2008

1st - ice storm
11th - observed 26 eagles
in one area, 10-20 feet above
the river 13th - ice storm
23rd - 8" snow
25th - cutting blackberry canes
26th - observed 29 eagles
along river towpath

digging out

Opening the door in the morning to size up my situation.

Looking up, it appears the snow has stopped for now.

There is a lot of snow to be moved.

It was a good old fashioned type of storm.

Limbs from the old white pines could not withstand the weight of the snow. They broke free and were deposited in a neat pile in the middle of the road, and elsewhere.

Thankfully we didn't loose electricity.

On average it is said that a cubic foot of snow may weigh 15 pounds.

I have my work cut out for me.

And there are others who decide to find a cozy spot and wait for spring.

5 reasons

1. The snow is melting and mud season is starting.

2. The skunk cabbage is showing its hood.

3. The buds are looking less than deliberate, and it is time to set the spiles.

4. My rooster crowed for the very first time today. He is the same rooster chick that I took a picture of last October. You can see how much he has grown. And how much he looks like his father!

And this is one of the new hens.

Notice her muddy feet. I keep telling them to wipe their feet because it's mud season, but for some reason they don't listen to me.

5. The sun sank behind the mountain at 5:05 pm today and that is precisely one minute later than yesterday.

No matter the forecast for the next 5 days shows snow...my 5 cancels them out.

for reel

My CPW had a full bobbin of Jacob singles on it, and I wanted to clear it off, and ready my wheel for some flax.

I decided that I would set the singles aside for trying a "dyed THEN plied" technique.

So I reached for my reel, and started winding off. I have disconnected my "hammer" mechanism because the gears are a bit, um sticky, so I had to keep count of my turns.

This reel may be European, perhaps German in origin, and it does not measure in conventional yards. If I measure the entire distance of one pass, I wind up with about 90 inches.

Grace suggested to me that my reel could be measuring in ells. One ell is equal to 45 inches (or 1.25 yards), so one complete pass would give me the 90 inches and equal 2 ells (or 2.50 yards) I counted my turns and did the math...and wound up (or off) with approximately 392 yards...(give or take an inch or two....)and I haven't yet measured wpi.

The word ell is from the Latin ulna which originally meant the elbow and is now the name of the bone on the outside of the forearm.

My yarn has been on the bobbin for a time and my singles seem to have a permanent wave.

half past february

yes, kitten....it's still snowing....

cheer up, at least we are half past february....

the narrows

Valerie left me a comment -inquiring about how my support spindling has been coming along. I'm so glad that she did! I have been enjoying it. The Kingwood Russian style support spindle is exactly what I have been needing to spin the short and lofty fibers from my bunny, Lakota.

So, after finishing up the sample, which worked up to be something like 37 yards of a 2 ply with 20 wpi, I opened a bag of Lakota's angora clippings that I harvested last spring. The wool is very soft, and silky. Lakota's locks do not have a long staple length. On average, they measure 2 to 3 inches (some areas are an inch at best). These short silky fibers are perfect for spinning on the support spindle. To prepare the fiber, I simply take a pinch or two of fiber in one hand and draw the comb through the ends. I'm getting more confidence as the days go by. My fingers are feeling relaxed with the flick and have settled into a nice rhythm of drafting and twisting. Support spindles seem to be a good way to slow down and study the way that twist runs into the draft. I usually spend a few moments with my spindle in the morning after I pour my coffee and open the stove draw to kick up the heat - there have been some very cold mornings of late.

The drive into town for chicken feed took me past beautiful ice forms. The waterfall is running beneath the frozen exterior shell. Underneath the ice, the rush of water over rocks makes a soft shushing sound. There are some areas where the ice is thin, you are able to see the water flowing.

It is a curious thing to watch the frozen water at the Narrows, large slabs of ice are jutting up out of the river, jamming up and sometimes breaking off and joining the fast open waters. I stand and watch for as long as I can, but the winds are high and the cold bites at my skin.

it comes as no surprise

That is what I thought you said.

Six more weeks.

Then again, maybe I don't understand Groundhogease. Things can get lost in translation, you know.

There is more daylight happening. I have proof.

Most of my hens are laying again. These eggs are so shiny because they are still wet. I washed the bloom off. The bloom is a thin membrane (also called the cuticle). It is the natural covering of the egg and helps to keep bacteria out because it seals off the pores in the shell. When I wash the bloom off, I always make sure the running water is warmer than the egg temperature. Colder water would force any surface bacteria into the egg. The eggs you buy in the grocery store usually have the bloom removed..and they replace it with a coat of mineral oil.

A few finished Great Wheel spun cops hang around waiting to be plied together. What kind of yardage am I getting, I wonder....

Leftover corn husk quills can (sometimes) be reused. These are getting worse for the wear...

Wound off onto the nod...I know I counted the yardage and wrote it on a note card....it is floating around here somewhere ?

phenological events Jan 2010

phenological events

January 2010

3rd mergansers on river
5th ice forms on ledges/rim
12th red squirrels in cavity
22nd flock of bluejays
25th melt snow cover
27th blue egg in henhouse
28th owls at night
30th white egg in henhouse

currents

Da Vinci wrote: "mountains are made by the currents of rivers...

...mountains are destroyed by the currents of rivers."

The river is high and fast today.

Making or destroying the mountains that surround me....

Work has begun on a new project. I'm still entertaining ideas. They form gently, fade away, and then return. Decisions and notes need to be made. In the meantime, there is yarn being created.

More Alpaca locks from Allspice ...

...await their turn at the spindle of the Great Wheel.

singularity

The January Thaw is right on schedule. It is a singularity.

Inside of a few days....we went from this:

to this:

A nice respite from the winter. There has been fog. And high muddy water on the river.

By Friday, ole man winter and freezing temperatures will return.

I won a small amount of $ with a lottery ticket that was given to me as a gift. I put it towards a support spindle that I have been wanting to try out. This spindle is handcrafted by Lisa Chan of gripping yarn.com

This beautiful spindle is made from Kingwood and weighs 1 ounce. Lisa tucked a small amount of fiber in the package (Thank you, Lisa!)...making it very easy to sit right down and try my hand at the new spindle. Oh my. Who cares if winter returns to the world outside my door...I'm going to be busy....there is much to learn!

walk with me wed. ice dreams

The ice that formed these valleys and carved these hills is long gone. I imagine how powerful it must have been. Primal ice.

Today, the temperature went up above freezing for the first time this year. But it is January, and there is ice everywhere I look.

The Mergansers don't mind the icy waters at all. The drakes find a sunny place in calm waters to preen their plumage. I love to watch them dive, they stay underwater for what seems like a long time. I try to hold my breath- along with them, but it is difficult!

~stone-cold~

Castor canadensis has been here. The beaver reminds me to build on my dreams, and to work diligently to make them real. I needed this reminder today. Life can sometimes change course and dreams can seem to be out of reach.

I take a handful of chips to study...and to remind myself.

power down

Not very long ago, we had a power outage. It happened early in the evening. Too early to go to bed. It was a good thing I had purchased the new candles, and lamp oil.

With the coal/wood stove keeping us warm and providing hot water for coffee, and the oil lamps providing light...I was pretty cozy. I also fired up my Mp3 player and listened to tunes while knitting. Aside from the light, it was a night like any other.

This photo is for Leigh, I thought of her fireside sock photo.....and took one of my "candleside" sock.

I finished the pair up and got them packed and shipped. Can't find the ticket for the yarn and have forgotten the name..(it is around here somewhere!)...it is a superwash. Can you put superwash in the dryer?

The pattern is an old standby, only I modified the ribbing and instead of a k2 p2, I used a K2 p1.

As I took these photos, it occurred to me that I forgot to take photos of several projects that were completed and shipped out. More is the pity. They are gone and soon to be forgotten!

january sun

Do you see it? I hear it. Where is it? Ah, there it is.

Dryocopus Pileatus....dryo from the latin for tree kopis meaning dagger...and pileatus- capped. Status: threatened due to destruction of old growth forest....

Older and decayed trees are important to them, they do not have to expend as much energy to excavate and locate carpenter ants and beetle larvae, both of which make up the bulk of their diet.

They are large and impressive birds to observe. They are now considered an indicator species, for areas classified as old growth forest.

So, it is two thousand and ten now...(yes I still say two thousand...I know, I am sooo not with it). Old habits are hard to break, new habits are hard to make.

It has been very cold. Single digit temps, the "how low did it go" thermometer is telling the story. I relish the days when the sun shines in the morning. Find a sunny corner with wheel or spindle and soak up the sunshine.

Hard to say which I enjoy more, the warmth or the light. They are one and the same.