phenological events, nov 08

1st - juncos arrive
4th - harvest turnips
11th - oaks let go of
their leaves
12th - whitetail rut

late fall harvest

Trying to guess when the frost will set into the earth in my garden is tricky business. I keep records...and they tell me that "the moment" usually arrives around Thanksgiving. I watch the weather, and try to wait as long as I can before the last harvest. This year I got my root crops out just in time!

When I pulled the carrots, there was already about 2 inches of frost in the ground. I pulled a carrot and a hunk of dirt the size of a dinner plate came out. I had to break off the frozen soil to free the carrots.

I pulled almost all of them. I left a few...you never know when someone might have a Scarlett O'Hara moment.

This one looked like it was from Transylvania.

The turnips were easier. There were turnip tops to grab onto. These turnips will last me into January or maybe February.

I like good root vegetables to eat over the winter, so I always plant a few in mid-July...and if I time it right, I will not loose them to the frost. As I said, it's tricky business...you take your chances. This year worked out fine.

These will be stored in the basement, much like the potatoes...in the cool and in the dark.

On a fiber note, I have been combing and dizzing...making a big pile of Alpaca bird nests. Makes me want to jump in and roll around. Kitty has the same idea, so I have to put it up and out of the way. NO SMOOSHING!!!

meleagris gallopavo

a few facts...

...they can grow up to 4ft from tail to beak and weigh in at 30lbs...

....all the men are named "tom" and they all have beards...

....they can fly at speeds up to and sometimes surpassing 55mph...

...their average life span in the wild is 1-2 years....

....they are often trapped and translocated by the DNR Wildlife Division and the use of rocket nets...

....their feathers are used in prayer sticks...

.....collectively they are known as A rafter. ....

But a single one on a plate is known as delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving!

gems

I woke up before first light today. I could see the ice blue snow on the ground, but it wasn't until the sun started coming up that the beauty revealed itself.

It is a wet snow and will most likely melt inside of a few hours.

The camera finds a moment to freeze time. The snow sparkles like gems, but the camera cannot capture what my eyes see.

I am reminded of something else I've been wanting to show you.

My sister has been encouraging (enabling) me to get busy with opening my button store on etsy. She has been creating some of her own to sell in the store too. They are beautiful.

There is so much going on here...all of this on top of a button!

and who knew button making could be so much fun? I'm doing my best to get the store up and running ...details...details...

an FO over the phone

Have you ever tried to help someone knit over the phone? My mother has been trying to knit a pair of mitts for her Doc. She ordered the pattern and yarn from the fall 2008 KnitPicks mag. I told her I would help her out if she hit a spot that she couldn't do. I figured I should knit along, so I copied the pattern when I was visiting with her.

These are "Negative Space Mitts" from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves by Robin Mclanson. I used some hand-dyed handspun thick and thin superwash that I had in my stash. The book write up states that it is "ideal for beginning knitters"...hummm...this pattern features a provisional cast on and an I-cord BO with Applied BO over 5 needles. I would say those stitches are not exactly for beginners. Needless to say, my mother has hit some tough spots, but we have been working them out over the phone. This has proven to be an exercise in my communication skills.

My mother is frustrated. She is at the point of the I-cord BO...so close ... The negative space mitts are quickly becoming the negative vibe project. I told her to set them aside. Knitting should be enjoyable, not frustrating. She will pick them up again when she is ready, and I will cheer her on--and they will be finished someday.

Meanwhile, I have finished mine. They are a bit, unusual in their appearance. I have been using them as work mitts and walking mitts. I'm not thrilled with them, they are just OK.

I wore them into the garden when I picked the broccoli. The broccoli is still coming in nicely. I am leaving some to seed up for sprouting over the winter, the sprouts are a nice addition to salads. There are lots of flowers that I add to the salads now.

I took the mitts off when I pulled the carrots. The carrots are some of the best I've ever grown. They are so sweet and tender. We have been enjoying carrots almost every other day.

One reminder to self--fall broccoli needs to be checked for cabbage moth worms...see photo..

..during the summer, I set up homes for the wasps. They move in and patrol my broccoli patch...flying off with the worms. The wasps have long since disappeared to where ever wasps go in the winter....leaving the cabbage moth worms to multiply and munch my broccoli. A good salt water rinse removes them prior to steaming.

rutting moon

There have been several whitetail bucks (with nice sized antlers) passing by the riverrim. The photographs in this post only show a young male, there have been others. Yesterday, during the setting of the sun, I witnessed two of them butting their heads together. Their antlers made a loud clicking and clacking sound that disrupted the silence of the twilight. It was not a violent encounter, they were not really engaging full force, nonetheless, it was a stirring sight to see. The sounds of antler on antler echoed off the ledges.

I watched their confrontation continue as the moon started to rise over the mountain. It reminded me that I had once read about something called the "rutting moon". It was an article by Charles Alsheimer. He refers to the second full moon after the autumnal equinox as the rutting moon. I wonder if there is truth to this theory about the moon... I tried to take a photograph of the fight for dominance, but I didn't have enough available light. Too bad. The battle ended when a third buck came running out of the woods into the clearing. The three of them looked at each other, and then went their separate ways. Interesting.

This morning, just after sunrise, I was sipping my coffee and noticed out my window, a large 8 point buck in pursuit of a doe. Both of them were running very fast and had their mouths open, panting. The doe jumped over a fallen tree, the buck followed, but got his antlers tangled in a wire that was strung as an anchor to a telephone pole. It whipped him around and his body twisted to try and correct itself before he landed on his haunches. The entire telephone pole shook and swayed from the inpact. The doe stopped running. She turned to look and see what was happening to the buck. He stood up on all fours, shook his head, and went after the doe again. She then jumped across the fallen tree again and went back in the direction that they had come from...he was right behind her.

I made a mental note to myself....be careful driving...the whitetail are in rut...they have only one thing on their mind for the next couple of days.

Except for this year's fawns...they, on the other hand, seem quite content to go about life as usual.

becoming a spindler

I'm not a spindler, but I have reason to become one. You know, the kind of spindler that makes it look effortless. So when the opportunity presented itself, I requested the help of someone whose spindling talents I admire...someone who could enlighten me as to finding the path to happy spindling. Fortunately for me, she was able to shed a little light on the subject.

Until that day, I had never met a spindle I could like. Now, I practice with a fascination, appreciation and yes- love and respect for the process. What a surprise.

Until that day, spindling had always seemed tiresome and awkward, a necessary skill that was learned before being able move on to the wheel. I could do it when called upon for demonstration purposes...but beyond that I had no interest. I was impatient with it. Now I practice everyday.

Along with the spindle, came a few techniques - pointers- and a parlor trick. Fun! Things to build upon. Thank you!

Yesterday, I had an ah-ha moment with my long draw on the spindle. And I am reminded why I love learning new fiber skills.

No matter how many years I work with fiber, or how many different types of fiber, or how many different tools I learn to work with, there is still so much to explore about how it behaves in my hands.

And btw, the corkbark is putting on a brilliant display in the garden.

banking miracles

As I look around my kitchen, I see various collections of seeds...seeds to be banked. They are not organized and they are in all stages of curing.

Some sit on wax paper, others in bowls still contained within the fruit that bore them. Some linger on the windowsill, and others are on the fence in the garden, drying in the sun.

If you are not a gardener, you may think this is an odd arrangement- dried bits hanging around on the counter tops and windows etc, but to me the seeds are as much a part of my future, as they have been of my past. I like looking at them, and thinking about them.

November has arrived and another season of growth is complete...I harvest another generation of plants whose fruit has been chosen for flavor, or bearing or size.

...Some of these have been with me for a decade...carefully selected and set aside for the years to come. Seeds that contain hidden promises, waiting for their season...encapsulated... little miracles of life.

Today I put some of them in my seed bank. Since I have been doing this for many years, I have produced certain seeds that are very well suited to my garden and soil and climate. No company could ever produce seeds like these. To me, they are priceless. Miracles to put in the bank.

phenological events october 2008

phenological events

Oct 2008

1st - witch hazel
3rd - acorns fall
5th - dig potatoes
7th - plant winter rye
15th - make corn shook
22nd - harvest winter squash
29th - first snow

walk with me wed, first snow

Yesterday, we had our first snow. It caught me off guard. Lots of leaves are still on the trees. And lots of leaves are on the lawn under the snow. There was not even time to put the rake away! Or get my mittens out!

It isn't that unusual for us to have a few squalls in October. Accumulation is another story. Snow in October feels colder than January snow. It really is not, but it just feels that way because there has not been time to become acclimatized...physically or emotionally. When I don't have time to acclimate to things, I find it difficult to accept them. It is one of my faults.

So, I try to accept the snow...it won't be around for long...the moisture is good for the ground. I reassure myself. Thankfully, we didn't loose any trees or power.

By this morning, every trace of snow was gone. I still need my mittens...and my hat. Woodland critters pick the barberry bushes clean...

and this years fawn gets a little reassurance too, from someone who has seen snow before.

button up alpaca neckwarmer

I have finished making a neck warmer. I designed it to fit a mans neck. It is the second piece I have completed from the yarn spun from Violette's blanket.

I carried two strands of a double ply (wpi of 16) over the needles, and knit a simple basket weave stitch.

The button holes were worked separately from the main body with a sort of seed stitched i-cord, and then attached with a 3 needle bind off.

The buttons are hand made and completely washable.

Project notes:

Fiber: 100% handspun Alpaca
278 yards of a 2 ply with a wpi of 16

Needles: 6mm Bernat

Finished size:
width = 9 3/4 inches
length = 22 inches

Buttons: 1 1/2 inches square.

This piece was commissioned by Paco Fino and will be available for purchase.

preparing alpaca for spinning

Comments are always welcome here, and I do try to personally email a reply and answer as many as I can...forgive me if I owe you one ...I'm not as quick on the draw as I once was! I am working my way through my inbox and hope to get to yours soon- if I have not already.

One comment that I have been meaning to address is one from Knitchick, who was wondering how I am preparing the alpaca for spinning....

You may have said this before, but how do you prepare it? Do you wash it? Card it? I've been spinning it raw, but I really can't imagine doing that on the GW.

...so I will answer this question in a post... I continue to work with Violette's blanket. Oh, by the way...in case you have not met Violette yet, here is a nice photo of her. She lives a happy life at Finca Alta Vista farm.

I have been processing this fleece entirely by hand. I have not washed it before working with it. This is a lovely cria blanket, very clean in comparison to other alpaca I have worked with.

First I select a small bundle of locks...about as much as you can fit in a coffee mug (for lack of a better reference). I then flick the ends, and set this bunch aside to spin as prime. I spin it directly from the locks as described here.

But what to do with all the leftovers that remain behind in the flicker? Some of it has small bits of VM and chaff. But not enough to make it objectionable. Slowly, I have accumulated a bag full of these combings. I decide to pick it, and send it through the drum carder.

Next, I spin it on the Great Wheel. I can draw out a good length... 5 to 6 feet of very thin yarn, and as I do this, I can inspect it before winding on the spindle. Because the wool is drawn out so thin, most of the hay like bits fall out on the way to the twist.

Some of the slubs that have trapped chaff or short cuts are then picked out..one at a time, before winding on. Tedious. If this blanket had been sent out to be commercially processed, I doubt if the yield would be the same. I hate to waste perfectly good fiber just because of a little VM....but I do admit this method is very time consuming...The results are pretty much what I am looking for, so time is a trade off for quality.

The Great Wheel spun cops move to the Ashford for plying. Mostly because I have better control on that wheel, and don't have to deal with dropping and crossing the drive band on the Great Wheel.

The above photo illustrates an example of both styles of prep and spinning. The one on the left is the drum card prep...and the one on the right is spun from the locks. Both skeins have been spun on the Great Wheel.

keeping the pace

Everyday life is moving at a hectic pace. I find myself wishing for a nice- quiet- boring routine. A routine with things that I can count on. Lately, I have to check a calendar to see what day of the week it is..the days tend to blend together, speeding by in a blurr of things to be done as I juggle the responsibilities. Note to self...get back to walking. Making time for something that is a constant helps me to feel grounded.

Setting out, the grass is now covered with autumn leaves... they make a loud noise as I shuffle through them. I notice that I deliberately walk slower when everyday life is hectic. An attempt to return to a slower pace? Maybe.

So many sassafras mittens under my feet...I try a few on, but fail to find a perfect fit.

The river is low and still, it moves at a steady pace

the reflection broken only by the shoals.

When life is hectic, things tend to pile up...and go unnoticed for days. It is time to start moving the wood to the shed.

The pumpkins and winter squash slowly make their way out of the garden and onto the dinner plate.

I've been working with different ways to prepare and spin lace weight Alpaca. So far, I think the Great Wheel is giving me the results that I am looking for.