a little cup of

 

There was an old enamel cup that had been chipped and was no longer fit for use.  I had designated it to be used in the mudroom for measuring out laundry detergent, but then it seemed to be the perfect size for a little suet feeder.

The smaller birds can balance on the stick, but there is only enough room for one bird at a time.

Soon, the woodpeckers found it. And the bluejays found it too, but they could not hang on for very long.  

By the time the RedBellied woodpecker found it, the other birds could only watch and wait until he had finished before they got another turn at it.

I mixed suet with peanut butter, cornmeal, flax seed, millet seed, chopped nuts, raisins, safflower seed, mealworms and black sunflower seed. I mixed the suet with the peanut butter and heated it together on top of the woodstove until melted. Then I stirred the rest of the ingredients into the cup.  Lastly I added a small stick, and let the mixture cool off before I added some evergreen and berries to the top of the cup.  The weather is very cold, so the birds are getting a good treat.

slow start

So the first pysanky of the season always finds me a bit rusty.  I played with the kistka and cleaned it out and taught myself how to draw 40 triangles on the surface of the egg.  This one is not to give away because it has too many mistakes.  I searched around under the glass cupboard and found the dye jars.  Then the rest of time was spent on emptying the contents of several eggs.  There is something nice about giving eggs with the yolks still intact, but I have lost many eggs to "sudden explosions" and have changed my mind (contrary to tradition).

With the snow and ice finally melting off, the first snowdrops of the season show themselves on the hillside.  I saw my first wasp today and thought it was rather cold and windy for it to be flying about.   There are signs that it is time to start getting the seeds together.  Peppers and lettuce and tomatoes are at the ready.  The lettuce can go directly in the greenhouse, but the rest will have to go under the grow lights on the windowsill for at least 5 or 6 weeks.  Gives me time to rake off the winter in the garden!                                                                

Dryocopus pileatus

 

This woodpecker arrives each morning to survey the area and find something good to eat.  I have been serving "bark butter" spread, which contains mealworms and other goodies that I spoon into a log feeder.  Most all of the woodpeckers seem to enjoy it.  When the Pilaeated woodpecker arrives, he announces his presence with a loud "hahahahaha!" and then swoops down from the big old oak tree and grabs onto the log feeder.

We now have at least two of these woodpeckers that frequent the feeder.  Sometimes they chase each other in circles around the oak tree.  I hope they are a pair, but it is difficult to identify a male from the female.  From what I have read, "Pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest, from the Latin pileatus meaning "capped".

Pick up Motifs

 

I picked up some motif charts from the "Lithuanian Sashes Book" that Grace had gifted to me.

At first I was a bit perplexed at how to go about weaving them on the 4 Shaft Dorothy LeClerc loom.

There was not instruction in the book, but there was a lot of interesting history and charts.

I wove a strip of motifs as practice or samples of how the designs would translate.  I think some of

the charts were from Kati Meek's book on "Reflections From a Flaxen Past".  Weaving was slow

going at first, and after a time, it moved along faster.

Once I understood what to do, I could simply browse the internet for charts of different motifs, and adapt them to the size that I wanted.  A pencil and some graph paper and a little math and I was having a good time.  There are many possibilities for this type of weaving.  Traditionally, the designs were woven for linens or incorporated into clothing.

When I cut it from the loom, I had a long strip that I'm not sure what to do with, so for the meantime, it is hanging in the doorway off the kitchen.  

a bit of krokbragd

 I had some wool that Greta had given me a few years ago.  It was from Sweden. I decided to warp the Dorothy Loom for a Krokbragd pattern. 

The samples were small, they were supposed to be mug rugs.

I decided to turn them into a small bag.

I stitched together the side seams with whip stitching.

I found the whip stitch to be unsightly, and decided to cover it with some fingerloop braids.

Using a 3 loop braid, I covered the seam.

The bag measures about 6 inches x 5 inches. I still have to finish the trim and add a strap.

The krokbragd is usually woven on 3 shafts, but a 4 shaft loom can accomodate the structure by

lifting shafts 2, 3 and 4 and then shaft 1&3 and then shafts 1, 2, and 4.  Lather rinse repeat!

After getting the hang of it, I decided to use up some handspun bits and that will be used for a larger bag.  There are so many different possibilities with this type of structure.

It is interesting to try different combinations of colors and number or repeats.

Three out of Four

 Thanks to Paivi Suomi over at All Fiber Arts

And Lena Shevtsova's Slavic Patterns for Beginners

I managed to try something a little different, and was successful at weaving a pick up pattern on the 4-shaft loom, using only 3 shafts.

It opens up some possibilities for other ideas and future projects and eggsperiments.

Making Mitts

V's Food Bank Mitts

Noro Silk Garden over size 5's

6th pair in a series

weaver has to weave

Sphecodina abbottii

That is a hard one to pronounce! Sphec=Sfeck ??? CODE?? Dina...um... Anyway, it is easier to call it the Abbott's Spinx Moth. Caterpillar. I noticed it on my Grape Vines. They are said to consume 8-10 grape leaves a day. The false eyeball is not on the head, but the tail. Could have fooled me!(not really)




It is also interesting to note, that this caterpiller eats Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy! They may grow up to 4 inches in length, and they can morph their colors, sometimes becoming green and brown striped.

Over on the other side of the property, my husband was working on a lumber pile and found this shed:



It was in very good condition, however, the head and tail were not intact.



There is a way to identify the type of snake (poisoness and non poisoness) by examining the snake skin sheds. This page had a good explanation of how to do that.



The peaches were finally picked, and the yield was a little over dozen. Not too bad for the first time picking this tree.



The variety is a white peach, clingstone. They were very tasty and didn't last long. There are 2 more trees in the garden that look very promising this year, but they won't be ready to harvest until perhaps, the end of the month.



There has been spinning happening at the Great Wheel...putting aside some cops. ..the finished yardage will determine what I will use it for.

time to

So many things have to do with good timing. When to pick the peaches, is one of them. They look ripe- but they are still a bit too firm. On the other hand, they may ripen on the counter after picking. The birds and squirrels and chipmunks are watching them for readiness, also. They test for ripeness, just as I do. And so, it becomes a matter of timing. Who will get to them first?



The Black Hollyhocks are showing off. These were a gift from a fiber friend, years ago! Their petals make a lovely dye bath, and with an alum/cream of tarter mordant, will yield soft greys on skeins of white wool. This year, I have elected to enjoy the show, and save the seeds, as well as the dye bath, for another time.



Meanwhile, the timing is right for harvesting garlic scapes and dill weed. Mixed with some Philadelphia Brand, they make a tasty dip for spreading on a cracker. This batch was served up and enjoyed by the spinners/knitters/weavers over at the Hatton's last week.

Setophaga petechia

The yellow warbler is nesting in the Rose of Sharon bush. I believe there are nestlings. I hear soft whispers and peeping, and see lots of comings and goings to supply those hungry mouths with moths and other insects.

I am delighted to have the yellow warbler take up residency. I have not seen this for several years, and welcome its return. Years ago, it would always nest in the Hemlock, and every year, the cowbird would visit it. But the yellow warbler was wise. The yellow warbler is one of the few passerine proven to be able to recognize the presence of cowbird eggs in its nest.[18] Upon recognizing a cowbird egg in its nest, the warbler will often smother it with a new layer of nesting material. It will usually not try to save any of its own eggs that have already been laid, but produce a replacement clutch.

old ways

from Zem spieva - Karel Plicka (1933)

Cardinalis cardinalis

It was eight degrees outside my window this morning.



Eight degrees, but the sun was shining. This vibrant red bird found a sunny spot in the quince bush.




The northern cardinal was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae. It was initially included in the genus Loxia, which now contains only crossbills. In 1838, it was placed in the genus Cardinalis and given the scientific name Cardinalis virginianus, which means "Virginia cardinal". In 1918, the scientific name was changed to Richmondena cardinalis to honor Charles Wallace Richmond, an American ornithologist. In 1983, the scientific name was changed again to Cardinalis cardinalis and the common name was changed to "northern cardinal", to avoid confusion with the seven other species also termed cardinals.



What a glorious red color!

overtime over time

There are some lovely plum blossoms that are blooming on my windowsill.



They are from the prunings that my husband took of our trees, a few weeks ago. These flowers, sadly, will not see any bees, and will never become fruit. They will only be admired. Pruning in winter is advised as fruit trees that are not tended will become less productive. Even with heavy winter pruning, there is always the chance that the trees will still experience June drop, so hand thinning may be necessary as well.
Time will tell.



I've been working on finishing linen that I spun over the summer.



I measure off the skeins and record the yardage.



Then the skeins go into the pot and onto the woodstove to simmer. I rinse lather and repeat, until the water runs clear.



Then the skeins are taken out to the clothes line, where they hang in the frost...



and the snow...and the moonlight.

It seems fitting to spin in the summer when the humidity is high, and finish the skeins in the winter. The frost really works well to soften the linen.



I made some raspberry jam on the woodstove. I had frozen some of the berry harvest last July, and dug deep into the freezer to find enough to make a batch in February. I also made a jam spreader out of a piece of curly maple. This will be a gift for my Aunt E. Lately, I've been feeling like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the projects I would like to!

a past in the flax

Vlasparlee - een verleden in het vlas from Centrum Agrarische Geschiedenis on Vimeo.

comfortable

Note her posture, her position while treadling, the position of her drafting, and the way she has tilted the fiber cone on her sitting distaff to facilitate the draft ...surely these are all the signs of a woman who has been spinning for many, many years. Made me smile.

walk with me wednesday

It was a golden walk today, so much yellow all around me.



In a few short weeks, the leaves will let go, and only the branches will hide the view of the river.



The wild carrot has finished out, and is wearing winter brown already...the flower heads, with their texture and line, inspire me to pick up a crowquill pen. Maybe later.



There is bittersweet growing where once, there was not. Friend or foe? I imagine the birds planted it. The female flowers, once fertilized, yield these yellow shelled (husks) fruit (arils), that will open soon, and the bright scarlet red berry seeds will be enjoyed by the Cardinals over the winter months. Quail and grouse (and my chickens) enjoy them too...and I've even seen the white-tail browse them. so. friend.



As I cross over the bridge, the wind picks up. I am glad I reached for my sweatshirt before I left the cabin. Looking up river, the sun shines in my eyes.



Looking down river, I notice the two little islands that first appeared a few years ago. They are growing bigger. With each storm and high water, they grow a bit more, soon they will be one.



I like to pause on the bridge, and watch the water pass beneath my feet. I stay until the wind becomes tiresome.



On the way home I find a favorite spot to sit and soak up a little sun. I listened to the fall warblers and played with the acorns in my pocket. Officially, the end of summer happened on the 22nd of September. I saved by goodbyes until today. Goodbye Summer! I will miss your warm days...