technique

Another example of in-hand spindle spinning without having to use a half-hitch at the top of the spindle. This is how I've been spinning these days.
When spinning off the point, it isn't necessary to make a half-hitch at the beginning and end of each make.
I take joy in noticing the amount of fiber on the distaves. Oh those optimistic Romanians!

The video has another example of in-hand spinning, near the end. I've not attempted to try my hands at this method, something more to learn.

weftember weaving

The garden harvest has been getting ahead of me. Every third day I pick and for the next two days, I pack or process. There isn't much time for fun things like spinning or weaving. Moments are snatched.



Usually, those moments come in the morning. This happens, mostly, because I have been waking before the sun is up. We have been having chilly mornings, filled with fog. I make a small pot of coffee, and reach for the distaff and spindle. There is a purpose, a plan, to spin enough linen to weave some cloth.

While at the Endless Mountains Fiber Festival, I picked up some Hemp Sliver in a sort of roving type package. I was told it was imported from Romania. It spins up very well, and I've been amazed at how very much it resembles some of the better flax that I've spun.



Can you tell which spindle holds the spun hemp?



This image shows linen and hemp singles, side by side on the nod. It is difficult to tell the difference.



After finishing these singles will take a trip to the warping board (gulp).



And weaving on the Double Hole Tape Loom has filled some moments in the afternoon. Grace has added some wonderful handmade 4 and 6 inch maple shuttles to the Etsy shop!

the basics

chambers

The icicles that surround our cabin are slow to melt. I see the world outside my window through frozen bars of ice. Ice Jail. I am ready to be freed from my indoor chambers.




Even though the morning thermometer readings are close to zero, my calendar helps keep track of the days, and gives me encouragement. Spring will come, and it will be time to plant. I need to be ready. I reach for the jar of Hungarian Flax seed that I rippled from the plants I raised last fall. It is time to free the seeds from the boll.

The USDA sent me only 200 seeds to start with. Flax seed is generally self pollinating, but cross and even outcrossing can occur. I'm not sure these seeds will all be true to type. There was another variety of flax (Elektra) that was going nearby, and though most of it matured earlier, there is a chance they cross pollinated.



I open each boll by crushing it with a spoon. The base of the boll shows the different segments (they look like little chambers), the wall that separates the segments is called the septum. On average, I'm finding about 7 seeds per boll, and have found as many as 9. Occasionally, there will be only 1 seed in the entire boll.



The color of the seed is lighter than I expected. See the shiny coating? That is the mucilage. If you soak the seeds in water, the mucilage is released and makes a sort of jell that is silky and slippery. Flax mucilage is used when spinning flax to smooth down the wispy ends and hairy surface of the spun linen thread. The mucilage maybe also be used to dress or treat the warp on the loom when weaving with linen. The dressing (when dry) helps to prevent the warp threads from sticking together.

After about an hour of this task of crushing the bolls, I have counted 370 seeds. I have only removed about half of the bolls from the jar so far....so I am very happy with the number. I at least doubled the count that I originally started with. Now remains the test of germination.



So, yes. Spring is coming and although the landscape outside does not show much of a change, the extended daylight hours are upon us! The sun gives me great pleasure on those days that it chooses to shine. I find a spot to soak up the warmth and light and bathe in its goodness.

winter rules

Today is February 26th. Winter still rules my word.

My phenological notebook informs me that in past years, the snowdrops and the skunk cabbage should be blooming. Not so, this year. I think of them under all this snow and ice that covers the riverrim. I look for the Symplocarpus on my walks to the post office. Symplocarpus is the only plant I know of that generates it own heat, enough to melt snow around it...but I don't see that happening yet. I do see more snow falling today.



I've finished spinning the bump I've been working on. I spun all of this using the in-hand technique, from distaff to spindle. It was a delightful experience.



Trouble is, I didn't take good notes of the fiber before I started. I'm afraid I don't know exactly what the fiber is. It might be "Korny" , a Shetland Sheep roving that arrived in a box from Cathy. Then again, it might not be.



The eventual use of these singles has yet to be determined. I am undecided as to if I should ply them.



Or not.

contrasts

we are little more than halfway past winter. we have had some extremely cold weather. yesterday, a good measure of snow fell and covered the riverrim.



the world outside is full of ice and snow, and inside, we keep the fires burning to warm our spirits and our bodies. it gets me to thinking about the contrast.



contrast n. state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association.



opposites.. antithesis....



inverse...obverse,



converse and reverse.



as I take the small glowing bead whorls to reduce the temperature in the cold snow, I'm moving back and forth between fire and ice. Stoking fires, shoveing snow...these are daily chores and I am constantly aware of the contrast.



Burning coals fall into snow, and disappear as they melt their way down to the ground.



Somewhere in the middle is balance.



...and I'm beginning to gather a good collection of whorls!

old spindles with a new twist

Chancay Spindle Whorls — Peru

800 AD - 1200 AD

A collection of five Chancay spindle whorls. The wooden spindles are painted with bands of varying colors. The terracotta whorls are carved and painted and vary in form. Condition is very good. A few spindles have minor losses and faded paint. Several whorls are chipped, but overall a nice group.

Sizes range from approx 9.5" long to 13" long.

From the first moment I saw an ancient Chancay Spindle Whorl, I was captivated.

There was something about that small photograph and description of them.

How wonderful it would be to actually see one, hold one, spin one, I thought.

And thought some more.

I often found myself daydreaming about them.

It was only a matter of time before I decided I needed to try and make one.

Last summer I played around with some clay and made some bead whorls. (link)



Finally, I've gotten around to finishing some of them. I've experimented with a sort of pit and saggar meets raku firings of my own making. Low temperature, no glaze but enough to give me a bisqueware bead. I've played with different ways to get some color and used different reduction materials.



The beads are glowing red when I take them out of the fire and put them in my little can full of saggar materials.



I've used things like coffee grounds, and grapefruit rinds, and handfuls of tow flax....an old hummingbirds nest, and broken pieces of a hornet's nest.....there have been hemlock pinecones, dried corn cob, wood shavings...chicken manure, dried herbs, etc.



After the smoke has cleared, I dump them in the snow.



It is a primitive technique, and the materials are simple.



I'm happy with the results.

And very happy with the way they spin!



I painted the shafts, and don't fix the whorls in place, but wrap the whorl with fiber. This way, I can remove the whorl when it becomes too heavy for the cop. The original Chancay spindles were most likely used as support style spindles, but I am spinning with them in hand, from a distaff.

So, I keep dreaming about those Chancay spindles, as I keep trying to make my dreams come true by making a few spindles of my own.

loose the whorl

A few months ago I posted about the clay whorls I've been making, and how to spin and wind on directly overtop of the cop. A topic thread in the Spindle Lore Group on Ravelry led to the discussion about the times when the spinner does not want the weight of the whorl any longer.

So, since I'm right at the part if spinning where I want to loose the whorl, I decided to post a photo description on the blog, of how I deal with that issue.

When I picked up this whorl, I didn't have a shaft that was the right size for it, so I selected a dowel that was slightly smaller than the hole in the whorl. I wound some linen (handspun of course!) around the shaft at the point where I wanted the whorl to be. I was careful to leave a little tail and not knot it. Now, I slide the whorl over the top of the linen and begin to spin, building my cop as I go. In this photo, you can see the little linen tail sticking out beneath the whorl.



I've been spinning Icelandic wool, from the distaff, using the spindle in hand and spinning off the point. At the beginning of the process, the whorl gives me the added weight to provide good rotation, or "spin time". This avoids extra flicking...and frustration. After a time, the cop is built up and adds extra weight. The added weight of the spun yarn, plus the whorl, becomes tiresome on my hand, so I decide to loose the whorl.



To remove the whorl, I slide the cop up slightly, and pull on the little linen tail to unwind it ...and then I remove the whorl, and begin to spin again. At this point, I am simply spinning on the shaft. The newly spun yarn is wound onto the shaft in the same direction I would wind yarn onto a nostepinne. The spindle/stick is much lighter now, and easier to spin. Va La!



The whorl that is pictured was hand made by Grace Hatton, made from red clay, and was wheel-thrown with a happy little design added to the top. After the whorl has been removed from the spindle, I tuck it away (with the little piece of linen thread) in its own pouch for safe keeping. Grace also made the pouch.



It was handwoven on an inkle loom, and then four lengths of the band were sewn together and a zipper added to create a pouch.

granulobacterium pectinovorum or retting success

There is a bit of mystery that surrounds the process of wet retting flax. The procedure sounds simple enough. One need only submerge the dry flax stems in water and weigh them down so they are entirely covered for a period of time long enough for the bark to soften and allow the easy extraction of the fiber. The bark is macerated by active bacterium...specifically, granulobacterium pectinovorum...which dissolves the pectose present in the stems without injuring the bast fibers that will be spun to linen. There is science involved.



The mystery is "how long?" a period of time is required for the operation. How long will it take the microbes?? If it is under-retted the process is incomplete, the bacterium has not done the job and the retting has failed. If you over-rett, you have allowed the bacterium to go to far and it has ruined the flax. So, there is a decision to make about the timing...when is it "just right" to pull the flax from the pool?



It is an operation which for success calls for much judgment, vigilance, and precision. The determination of the exact point at which to stop the process demands much experience. So says Alfred Stewart Moore, author of .."LINEN" published by The Macmillan Company in 1922.

So, it isn't any wonder that I approach the retting pool with trepidation and proceed with caution. After raising the plants from seed and having a successful harvest, no one would want to risk it all and loose the fiber in the retting pool. I've lost linen in the pool in the past, and expect it will happen in the future. There is a learning curve. So, I rett small amounts at time, and take good notes.



I wait for the weather. When I see a good heat wave approaching on the weather map, I prepare. I had some dried flax in storage. This is flax that has been harvested, dried and rippled before storage. (Rippled meaning that the seed has been removed, so as not to attract hungry little critters).

My husbands cement tub is used for the pool. I position it in the streambed, where I channel a trickle of water to flow into the tub. Since there is a slope to the land, the pool has a deep end and a shallow end, and the water overflows on the deep side. The root ends should be positioned at the deep end of the pool. The flax wants to float, so rocks may be used to weigh the stems down. My flax was too long for the tub, so I had to bend the blossom end and tuck it under the rock.



In the slow flowing, soft, warm water, the microbes of putrefaction work on breaking down the pectins that trap the fiber. They convert the insoluble to soluble, and free the cellulose substance.

"The change is stated to be achieved by a special enzyme, pectokinase, which converts pectose successively into pectin and sugar, the bacteria afterwards fermenting the sugar with the production of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and a little butyric acid. It may seem strange that this pectose is the same substance with gives apple jam its peculiar glutinous stiffness." ASM

I've been making raspberry jam, and have to add pectin in some form (fresh or powdered) in order for it to "gel". But out in my retting pool, I'm trying to remove pectin in order to retrieve my fiber. I find it ironic that adding and subtracting pectin can either create success or failure, depending upon ones objectives! You see, I've been thinking about pectin a lot.

There is no way of knowing exactly how many days it will take the microbes in my retting pool to do the job. There are estimates, anywhere from 3 days to 7 days. Water content, water temperatures, and the quality of the flax are all factors to consider. I test the stems daily after about 3 days...and pull the flax when I think it is ready. Then I hang it to dry for a few days. Then comes the moment of truth.



The shive or boon the broken fragments...some would consider waste, I will save this and use it this fall, for starting wood fires in my kitchen stove. The Longs, the Shorts and the Tow...I separate and set aside. I am relieved to see that the retting pool has yielded good results this time.



First we "completely remove all the pectin that binds the fibers together, and then the aim is to join them together again, by contact and twist inserted by the spinner".



I select a handspindle and fasten some of the new flax to the distaff...I cannot resist and must sample, just to see how it will look when it is spun. It really is a marvelous process..taking a little seed and raising it up..removing the tough outer shell to release the golden fibers so they may be spun...for me ...it is worth the work. Yes, Alfred Stewart Moore said it best...



"when you look at a dainty feather weight cambric handkerchief, you virtually see the soul of the flax plant"

now come the greens and blues.

The garden continues to produce a good crop of both! Every other day, I must make time to pick, prepare & pack. We also enjoyed a meal with our first potatoes of the season. They were small and gourmet style, yummy.



Gathering the equipment, setting up and actually canning the produce is not my favorite chore. Once it starts, I know the kitchen will be set up for preserving for another month or so...soon the tomatoes will come, and then the cucumbers. Pick, prepare & pack. Some will be frozen, but most will be jarred.



During the heatwave we had, the retting pool was set up for action. Flax that had been dried and then stored was added to the pool and weighted down with rocks.



It didn't take long, just over a week. It is drying now, and still has a way to go before it will turn into linen. Meanwhile, the flax growing in the garden is starting to flower. With a little luck, I will get a small harvest of Elecktra and the Hungarian Variety. Enough to sample. Doubtful that I would have enough time to ret this season, so it will have to be stored until next summer.

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, not only working, but taking a moment or two ...looking. observing. enjoying. Morning and late afternoon hours are the best. I like to to take the distaff and spindle with me, dressed with Hemp these days. Standing and spindling while I watch the bees and hummingbirds provides time to pause. admire the beauty. the abundance. the peace.



With cooler weather on the way, and the subtle change of light, I am reminded that we are moving into late summer. The Queen Annes Lace is in full bloom, Joe Pye Weed and Golden Rods point the way to the next season. There are times I feel ready to move on to autumnal pleasures, past all the work of picking and packing...to cooler nights and cozy sweaters.... but I catch myself, and make the effort to linger in the summertime a little longer. Grab an empty basket, the beans need picking again!