chick a dee dee dee

This little chickadee was first spotted by me as I was doing chores in the afternoon hours.  When I saw him, I immediately noticed that he was not in the least bit scared of me.  He was in my path, a few feet away from me, looking for something to eat on the areas of ground where the snow had recently melted away to reveal a brown patch of grass.  As I approached, I talked to him quietly, and bent down to get a closer look at him.  He seemed to be healthy in every respect of the word, and glanced back at me a few times while continuing to go about his search for a morsel or two.  He was very puffed up, like he was cold.

 

I have gotten to know the chickadees that hang around here.  After a snow storm, they will come very close to you at the feeders.  If you are patient, and stand with a handful of seed, they will visit your hand briefly while selecting a choice sunflower seed.  But, they usually keep their distance.  No so with this little bird.  He was letting me get very close.

 

I slowly reached down to see if he would get on my hand, and when he did, I stood up, talking to him the entire time.  I walked to the window, caught my husbands eye and motioned to him to come to the door.
When he saw the chickadee, he told me to wait while he got the camera.  The chickadee seemed content to sit in my hand, looking around and occasionally looking up at me.  My husband returned with the camera, snapped the shot.  After a minute or two, the chickadee flew out of my hand and continued to look around in the grass, and then he left.  I thought it was really nice to have had a moment with him.  I think someone, somewhere spent some time hand training him.  He was very polite.

 

I have started working on a Tartan plaid shawl.  My inspiration comes from the Graham Tartan tie seen hanging on the loom.  I am not duplicating it, and need to sit down with some graph paper and chart out the color changes, and number of nails need per color if I intend to get it exact.  This is a test run, and I am using up some old stash that is not even 100% wool.

 

The history of the Tartan is very interesting.
Here is a link to a great page that I found by google-ing TARTAN.

darn it!

I am back after a winter respite at my mothers house, where I relaxed and enjoyed countless hours of conversation and fiber arts.  One of the projects that I worked on was learning how to darn socks.  My mother taught this to me years ago (when I was to young to pay close attention to what she was doing), and it is a technique which I do not use often enough to remember what I did the time before.  I figured it was a good time for a refresher course.

 

My mother just happened to have a pair of socks ready for mending.  My brother had given them to her a few weeks ago.  They were a nice pair of woolen socks, in very good condition, except for the hole that he had worn in the back of the heel.

 

To darn the socks, it is helpful to have a darning tool.  The most common ones look like an egg stuck on the end of a stick, but there are some very beautiful vintage ones that can be found in antique stores, or even on e-bay!  The sock darners pictured above are my own.  I keep an eye out for them when I am shopping at yard sales, but there are not as many around as there used to be.

 

The darning tool is slipped inside the sock to provide a surface to work on.  You can easily position the tool where you are most comfortable working with it.  To begin darning, my mother first selected the thread/yarn that she wanted to use.  It was Fortissoma wooly nylon yarn made for socks.  With the help of a needle threader (another handy dandy tool), she thread a single strand of the Fortissoma.  Being careful not to knot the thread, she left the tail about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and started to baste a stitch in the shape of a circle around the perimeter and approx. 1/4 inch from the hole in the sock.  Once the circle was complete, she stitched up and down along the inside of the circle, forming a sort of warp and working from one side to the other.  When this was accomplished, she began weaving over and under the warp she had just created.  By the time she was finished, the hole was no longer visible. 

My brother was delighted with the repair job.  He really did a double take, looking closely at the socks to see if he could find where the hole used to be.  I know he was impressed, and may be thinking of learning how to darn!  I imagine it would be fairly easy to learn for anyone who feels comfortable with a needle and thread.  In this "throw away society" that we now live in, it is fun to take a little bit of time to give an article of clothing a little more mileage.  I would never spend the time darning a sock that I brought at say, Walmart...but for the socks and gloves and mittens that we take the time to knit, it is a task that is definitely worth knowing how to do.

 

 On the weather front, we are expected to get 12+ inches of snow tonight and tomorrow.  Snow in February is quite different from snow in December, and it will not be around for long before the fog eats it up.  The subtle signs of spring are here, even in the midst of the snow.  The days are getting steadily longer, the buds on the maple are swelling just slightly and the mourning doves are starting to pair up.  You can feel the change in the air, and that change means certainty.  Sure it will snow,  but it won't last...the sun will see to that.

 

I read an interesting article about snow the other day...

Researchers keep ear to the snow

New-fallen or slushed, it offers a study in acoustics, an accumulation of sound data.

By Dawn Fallik

Inquirer Staff Writer

Freshly fallen snow is really nature's white-noise machine.

That's right. It really is quiet after a snowfall, and not just because everyone is hiding indoors.

Scientists have discovered that in the first hours after a snowfall, the flakes possess a rare acoustic quality, the ability to absorb sound waves.

To continue reading this article...click here.

 

seeds

I have got to get my seed order in!

 

This time year, while the flurries are flying outside, and the fire is warm inside, I love to curl up with my seed catalogues and dream of a summer garden.  It is this time of year when my garden looks the best.  I have high hopes of new varieties of tomatoes, spectacular flowers, huge harvests of squash and enough sweet corn to last me through the winter.  It is nice to dream of  the perfect garden, and not think about the failures of the past year.  Failures are good for learning (note to self: do not order any San Marzano), but they have no place in the dream garden.  Here I am free to plant picture perfect crops.  NO battles with insects or fusarium wilts, no anthracnose, septoria or pythium rot.  There is not even a single weed in the dream garden!  My dream garden is perfect, and it is the only time it will be perfect.  So, choices will be made, checks will be written...let the games begin!

 

I have started working on the 3 foot triloom this past week.  I have been reading about the cut length technique, and decided to give it a test run.

I am using some Romney Lamb called Plumb Raspberry that I purchased from "The Drafting Zone".  I spun some of it by itself, and then I plied some of it with some Fireflash that I had leftover.

 

The cut length technique of weaving on the triloom allows you a bit more freedom with design. The only draw back is that you must measure and cut the yarn before you weave it.  This results in a bigger investment of time when compared with the continuous weave method.  So, it is the time involved that is the trade off for the design elements.  Now that I know just how much time it is going to take to weave the shawls  it will help me to plan my projects and prices in advance.

 

seed beads

I have finally started to spin the silk that I purchased this past fall from the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.  I purchased this tussah silk from "The Copper Moth" booth.  The color I chose was called "Moth Wing".  I also purchased some beautiful Wensleydale Top roving, called Juniper, to go with it.  A few weeks ago while shopping in the craft department, I spotted some seed beads that reminded me of the tussah silk.  They were a mixed bag of copper and silver and bronze colors.  I suddenly had the impulse to spin with beads!  I had read about spinning with beads in Diane Varney's  "Spinning Designer Yarns", but never wanted to try it.  I figured I had better re-read the chapter before I attempted to spin with the seed beads.

The first order of business was to string the beads.  I looked around in my old sewing baskets for some silk thread that would match the "Moth Wing".  Jackpot!  I found several spools of old "Coats and Clark" silk thread that still had the price tag on them.  Imagine, only 15 cents for 250 yards of silk thread.  I almost did not use them!  The next challenge was finding a needle small enough to thread the seed beads through.  I must admit, it was a bit frustrating trying different needles, only to have the seed bead get stuck when it was almost to the eye of the needle.  Finally, I was successful, and set about stringing beads that evening while watching "24" on TV.

I decided to do some more reading (as I did not feel confident enough to simply start spinning all these beads with the silk).
I pulled two back issues of Spin-Off, (Winter of 03 and Spring of 04), off my magazine shelf.  The '03 issue offers a very nice article by Judith Mackenzie McCuin, including Thread and Bead Sources.  The article covers 3 different methods of spinning with beads in a very clear description of each.  So, after reading several different accounts of several different methods, I figured I would try spinning with a core method.

I got the hang of it rather quickly, but that was the only thing that happened with any speed.  I found I really had to take my time and treadle slowly so my hands had time to maneuver the seed beads into place.  All in all, I find spinning with beads to be a very time consuming project...what with stringing them in the first place...then stringing them into place while spinning...but it will be worth it for a unique design.  I still have another bag of seed beads to string up and spin.  This time I will load about a foot of beads at a time.  

This is what I have finished so far.

 

it was a roof raker

This last storm dumped enough snow on us to require a roof raking.  There is even a special shovel to use to rake the roof.  We figured that we must have gotten a little over a foot, and with the below zero temps we have been living with, it was the perfect conditions for the ice dams to form on the roof.  I never knew what an ice dam was until I moved to the North East.

Ice dams happen when there are large amounts of snow on the roof, freezing temps and sunny days.  The snow melts on the roof, hits the overhang and causes ice to form a dam that in turn causes the water to flow into your house like someone turned the garden hose on your ceiling.  It is not a pretty sight.  The first time I saw water flowing down the walls in my house, I thought we had burst a pipe somewhere.  I never want to see that again.  Now we rake the snow off the roof.  Some people get the heat cables, but I have heard of too many fires being started by them.

So, you wonder, do I have time for any fiber work with all this snowy weather?  Well...today I opened this bag of beautiful silk that I brought at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival this past October.  I have started to spin it with beads....I will post more on this next time.

Oh, about the new template...I think I broke my old blog....that is what I get for thinking I know html!  Don't know what I did, but I guess it was time for a change anyway.

a brave chicken

I'm trying out the new link from photobucket, so I thought I would show you a brave chicken.

She was the only one who would come out to play.  The temperature is fixed in the single digits these days, so the chickens are very unhappy.  Another storm is due tomorrow, so I have been busy getting all the animals and the greenhouse ready.  Winter is in full swing.  At least the ski areas are happy.

got food?

The weather here is so cold and there is an icy crust on the ground. It makes it difficult for the wildlife to find food. The deer keep hanging around my doorway. This is because we shoveled the snow off, and it is the only area that has any green grass (well brown) showing. I saw the deer eating barberry today. They didn't seem to mind the thorns.

take a hike

Actually, it is a bit difficult to hike around here. The riverrim has seen several snow/ice storms in the past week. We have a combination of layers on the ground. They remind me of the rings that you see when you cut a tree open. Tell tale signs of the passing of time. We have a base of about 1/2 inch of ice. On top of that, about 3 inches of snow. Then, we have approx. 2 inches of ice. This most recent storm added 6 inches of snow, and then rain that turned to snow before it finished. Thank goodness for my Yaktracks.... they keep me from slipping on the ice.

The type of hike I am talking about is the IHS pattern that can be found by clicking on the button in my sidebar. The Irish Hiking Scarf knit along blog is..I believe the knit along will continue until the end of the month. I found this site while looking for a pattern for a scarf. You can click on the button in my sidebar to see my entry titled "just found it" on the IHS blog. I would recommend this pattern to anyone, it is easy to do and the cables are fun and fast!

To make this scarf, I used some nice Icelandic Wool that I had purchased at the Endless Mountain Fiber Festival in PA. The bag of wool (approx 1/2 pound) was marked "For Felting". I had never spun Icelandic Wool before, and did not know very much about it. I brought the wool with every intention of felting with it, but the temptation to spin it was overwhelming. The coat of the Icelandic Sheep is made up of 2 layers. The tog is the longer outer layer, and the thel is soft inner layer (which really reminds me of angora). The bag of wool that I purchased contained both the tog and thel mixed together. The tog is black and the thel is gray. I was told that I could separate them, or spin them together to make a lopi yarn. I decided to do the latter. I spun a single with very little twist...and let the slubs happen. Then I performed a Navajo ply, and wound up a nice ball of yarn with about 7 or 8 wraps per inch. I knit the scarf on size ten needles. The cables are chunky looking, and the finished piece has a halo in black. The scarf is more like a muffler in size. I am giving it to the previous owner of my spinning wheel.

We are in for some cold weather this coming week...temps. are not expected to climb above freezing at all. This will bring the eagles up the river for open water to hunt/fish in. I counted 8 this past week when I drove along the river to town. I am sure I will be seeing more of them each day.

Don't forget to check out the pictures coming in from the Titan probe. You can get there by clicking on my sidebar Astronomy Picture of the Day or going to NASA Cassini-Huygen web page. The pictures are breath taking. "Keep looking up!"

dreaded locks

The holidays are a great time to visit old friends and family. They also present an opportunity to visit old creations. It is always nice to see that someone is still wearing or using an old scarf, mittens, socks or some other article that was knit up years ago. It is pleasing to know that the gift of years past is still "giving". Sometimes, I find myself looking at the item with fond recollection of moments spent working on it....you know...the type that summons up a season of the year, or the particular music one was listening to at the time the item was being created. Other times (I hate to admit) it is as though I had forgotten I had ever made it, just vaguely recalling it, not quite sure if the memory is even correct...somewhat like meeting someone who knows your name, and you know you have met them before because they look familiar, but you cannot remember where or when, or what their name is.

But either way, fond memory or no memory, it is always interesting to see how the object is holding up. Is the wool pilling? Any holes developing? Is the object holding its shape, or is it rolling or sagging in spots. What about the colors, are they fading? Did the garment shrink?....etc. etc. etc.

This Christmas while visiting with my mother I came across one of these types of issues that I had never seen before. A phenomenon that I like to refer to as the "dreaded locks". This apparently occurs when handspun singles are used to fringe a shawl. This shawl was my first creation on the triloom. I had purchased some beautiful red merino roving and then blended some of it with a dark lavender merino roving. I spun thick and thin singles and wove them on a 5 foot triangle loom. As a beginner, at the time all I was thinking about was color and texture. Structure and function never entered my mind, and I did not consider the fact that the singles would not hold up well as warp threads. They stretched and frayed somewhat, but I was able to compensate for this in the fulling process, so that when the shawl was finished, this did not show up. However, one thing I did not anticipate was how the fringe would behave with the passage of time, ergo, the "dread lock" effect. I believe their formation is caused when the singles slowly disentwine upon themselves and other singles, while twisting onto others. They become a braid like felted matted mass, clumping together in a random fashion and looking somewhat like dread locks. An novel design element, but not what I was going for.

In order to correct this oddity, I had no choice but to clip them off and brush the ends. Interestingly enough, this is also the only remedy for those who decide they no longer wish to wear dread locks in their hair. So, the scissors did the work, and my mother was pleased with the outcome.

So here we are at the end of another year. I am a sucker for those rhyming slogans you always hear tossed around on NY Eve. So far, I have heard "Come Alive in 2005", "We will strive in 2005", and my personal favorite, "Enjoy the ride in 2005". Naturally, I have my own versions of Fiber related slogans. "Double-drive in 2005" or "Navaho Plied in 2005" and finally, "Space Dyed in 2005". Happy New Year!

up on the house top, click click click down thru the chimney with old Glaucomys sabrinus ??

I know it is hard to see him from this picture, but there is a flying squirrel hiding behind the lantern. Not at all what I expected to come down my chimney! We had suspected that there was some critter scurrying around on the roof, or in the eves of the house...but this little guy really caused some commotion when he decided to drop in for a visit! We finally caught him and took him across the bridge to the other side of the river, just in case he decides he liked it here..hopefully he will not find his way home.

I have encountered flying squirrels many times around here. I was surprised to learn that they are endangered. I once had car trouble that turned out to be a flying squirrel living in my air filter! Since they are nocturnal, it would be asleep in my air filter while I drove around to work and grocery shopping etc. When I had trouble starting the car, I took it into the shop. They took the lid off the air filter and out ran Glaucomys sabrinus to everyone's surprise.

So, I can hang my stockings by the chimney with care, in hopes that Glaucomys sabrinus will NOT be there! Merry Christmas!

called to duty

World Affairs have found their way to the riverrim. Sometimes, when I walk down to the river and bask in the sights and sounds of the water flowing by, it is hard to imagine that there is a War going on. I am aware of the headlines. I listen to the news. But when I am standing on the edge of the river, and watching the water, the real world seems very far away. News came last week that brought the real world right into my backyard. The sons and daughters of some of my friends are going to be deployed for duty. Suddenly, the words of Service, Duty, Honor and Country take on a huge meaning.

My best friend's daughter will be leaving on Jan. 7th. She serves in the 228th Forward Support battalion. Her mother shared a story with me last week, and I found it to be very touching. It seems that her daughter went out shopping with 2 of her friends that will also be deployed. They were looking to purchase a lap top computer to take with them. They went to a Circut City and naturally, they were approached by a salesman who asked if they needed any assistance. They told the salesman what they were looking for, and joked about being shipped out to Iraq, asking if they could get a discount on the computers. The salesman asked his manager, who said the best he could do for them would be a rebate. After awhile, they made their selection, and a customer who had been standing nearby, told the salesman that he would be buying the laptops. He purchased all three of them. A random act of kindness. A blessing. It was something he could do, and wanted to do. An individual way to show support.

So, one persons act of support has inspired me to see what I can do. If anyone out there in blogosphere has any suggestions for links etc. feel free to email me with information that I can pass along.

There has not been to much time for fiber works lately. Most all of my projects are ready to be wrapped and I am looking forward to some nice cozy down time after the holidays to devote to new project ideas. There is a basket of Icelandic Wool sitting hearthside. It is carded up and ready to spin. I can hardly wait to get to it.

Big cold front moving into our area tonight...burrhhhrrrr! Extra flakes of hay for rabbits and chickens, and an extra blanket for every bed! Stay warm.

chicks in the house, oh my

or never say never again!

The spring of 2003 was the last time I had chicks in the house. I promised myself that I would not do this again, mainly because of the mess they make. Not so much the manure part, because that can be managed easily enough...no, what I object to is the dropping of the down feathers. This happens when the chicks are about 5 or 6 weeks old, and they begin to get their pin feathers. At this time the down feathers drop out and fly around the house like little milk weed seed on the breeze. There is a very fine white dust that accompanies this process, and it is something that I have noticed, but I don't know what it comes from. I think I probably don't want to know. That is why I said I would never raise chicks inside again. They belong outside.

However- Ed, the rabbit guy, had been over to the house around Halloween. He said he had a little banty hen that was sitting, but because he did not have a rooster, her efforts would be futile. I offered a few of my eggs, ones that I knew would most likely be fertile from my rooster. I had forgotten all about them, when one afternoon in November, my phone rang....and it was Ed, with a favor to ask. Turns out, he was getting ready to go on vacation and had no one to baby sit some chicks...the banty had hatched them out. She was only big enough to cover three of them, but she did the job.

So, now they are getting big and bad and rowdy. I am anxious for Ed to return and pick up his chicks. I saw one of his neighbors and asked him if Ed was home yet. He hung his head and said, "no...I have to water the rabbits." Ed owns over 100 rabbits. He raises them and butchers them to sell to the fancy French restaurants in NYC. I was glad that I only agreed to watch the chicks. Ed will return soon, no doubt he will be well rested and nicely tanned. I will be glad to send the chicks home.

Yesterday was the local Holiday Sale in town, and I shared a booth again. I sold about the same amount as last year, but this year, I sold more yarn than anything else. The trade was sparse, and I made a few good connections, and appointments for demonstrations of spinning and weaving. That is all that is new around the riverrim...we are expecting 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow, so I'm off to get the chickens and rabbits all ready for a snow day, and dust off the snow shovel.

first snow

Today it started snowing around mid-morning or so. It has been snowing slowly, all day. It is starting to accumulate, but they are not calling for much. It was a good day to stay inside and weave. The small shawl pictured above was one of the pieces that I worked on today. I wove it from some of the yarn that I purchased from Autumn House Farm, at the Rhinebeck Festival. I like it well enough to go ahead and weave a bigger shawl from the same yarn. On days like today, I am glad to sit by the stove and let the warm glow of the coal soak into my bones! I spent a portion of the afternoon spinning by the stove. It was a cozy day.

I also had a nice surprise visit from my "farmer friends" who live down the river from me. They came bearing gifts in the form of pork. Not just any pork, these were their own "milk-fed" pigs. Seriously, I was there when they would mix up the milk and feed them! I have not tasted any of it yet, but I am sure it will be very good. I am grateful that they would share their efforts with us. They got two piglets and raised them this past summer. It is nice to have good meat, to know where it came from, and what it was fed. They also raised and butchered a pair of turkeys...and they are on their way to the Thanksgiving Table. I tip my hat to them for doing all the hard work themselves. If I had to raise and butcher my food, I am afraid I would become a vegan! I really think it is wonderful to raise your own food, it is just very difficult for me to get past that whole "you are eating what you nurtured" thing. Then again, I have a nasty rooster, who may be destined for the stew pot someday....

terrapene carolina carolina

I recently received this photo of a baby box turtle (via email) from a kindred spirit, and marveled at the size of it.

First off, I want to make it perfectly clear that no baby box turtles were harmed during the photo documentation, and the baby box turtle was released back into the wilderness (to the tune of "Born Free") from which he (or she) came....by the way, you can usually tell if it is a male box turtle by the color (red) of the eyes.

So anyway, I got to looking at this picture, and found myself thinking about this baby box turtle for days after I had received the photo. I started wondering about it...what it was doing?..(just being a turtle)...how many other little turtles hatched out with it at birth? (typically 3-8 elliptical, thin-shelled eggs)...where will they all go?...(some of them live a very long time and may spend their whole life in an area scarcely larger than a football field)...what would he eat?...(omnivorous..also known to eat poisonous mushrooms, which can kill whomever eats the flesh of a box turtle who has eaten a poisonous mushroom)...what would he do for the winter?...(dig a hole about 4 to 6" deep, at the base of a rock or log, and hibernate until the spring rains come)...how big would he get? (about 6 1/2 inches)...how long would it be before he made little turtles of his own?...(5-7 years to maturity)...as you can see, I have been reading up on box turtles.

For some reason, thinking about this little creature, whose ancestors existed about 200 million years ago, gives me a feeling of reassurance. When life seems complicated and hectic, I like to think of this little turtle...slowly, methodically going about life in its own little world..with his own little purpose...and it makes me happy to have had the chance to see something I have never seen before (even if it was just a photo in an email). I guess by now he is searching for a good place to spend the winter (if something has not eaten him yet...like skunks, foxes, raccoons, crows, snakes, owls, and hawks, coyotes, or a wild hog).

a poncho "fo"

I finished this gift set for a friend of mine, whose daughter just recently had a baby girl. The poncho was constructed on the 3foot triloom. I wove two tri's together, that I had spun out of merino/mohair (50-50). I had purchased the roving last Feb. from Countrywool, and had just enough left to complete this small project. I plied the mohair blend together with some light pink lambswool stash that I had left over from ...well...I can't remember when. I knit the hat and booties from the lambswool, and trimmed them out with the plied mohair. This project did not take all that long to accomplish. The "time factor" is one of the biggest things I like about weaving on the triangle loom. It took less than 2 hours to weave that little poncho, and if I had been knitting it, I imagine it would have taken me at least 2 days.

Don't for get to check out the moon tonight, should be a nice show.....

and the winner is...

Nameless, and I do apologize for the fact that I cannot give credit to the creator of this beautiful needle felting project. To see a picture of it is nothing at all like seeing it in person. The use of color with wool was simply perfect. I have seen many needle felted projects, but this one was truly unique. It was hanging in the exhibit barn at the festival.

I am very glad that I was able to attend the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY last weekend. We had a wonderful time. We combined our "business" trip with a family visit, so that made for twice the fun. This was my first visit to the festival, and I now know why this event is touted as one of the best assemblies of "wool minded' people on the east coast. There was so much to see, and it was a banquet for the eyes. There were so many different colors and textures of fibers, that everywhere I looked I was inspired. I didn't know what to look at more, the vendors offerings, or the people and the fiberworks they displayed on themselves. So much variety! Some of the things people make! Just spectacular...from the very simplistic to the most intricate of patterns, it was all there.

I saw many vendors that I had only seen on-line. There is a big difference in looking at fiber on a monitor, and seeing the real thing. The colors translate pretty good, but the real texture of the yarns is something that I think one can only truly absorb from seeing the actual 3 Dimensional object.

I purchased some yarn from Autumn House, some beautiful Wensleydale from Barneswallow Farm, and some Tussah Silk from The Copper Moth. I plan to combine the Wensleydale with the silk, and knit a scarf on the bias with some really big needles. I also purchased a shed stick and two needles from the exotic wood guy from New Mexico...(sorry, I did not get his name). The needles are wonderful to use. I have already used up half the yarn from Autumn house on the 3ft triloom. One of the biggest highlights of the day was seeing Carol Leigh of Hillcreek Fiber Studios in action. She was weaving on a large square loom. There was a crowd around her, and her booth was so full I could not even wade in! What a great weekend!

a festivus we will go

Well, I am packed and about to embark on the journey to Rhinebeck. We will be staying with Mr. D's cousins, who have graciously invited us into their home for a visit while we are in the area. I am looking forward to a wonderful weekend. The color is just about peak around here, so I think it will be a beautiful drive. I have my shopping list and my weekend project (mittens) tucked inside my felted bag...and I am ready! The excitement builds!

hope for the hopi red dye

I have been trying to have some success with the Hopi Red Amaranth Dye from the Amaranth Plants that I grew this past summer. After 3 tries, I am producing 2 shades of yellow, and one of salmon. The plant is beautiful. At full height, it measures in at a good 5-6 feet. The plant seed heads are heavy, and I would advise anyone who grows this to provide support in the way of steaks or cages. The seed for the Hopi Red Amaranth is very small. Actually, they are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. It is amazing to me to hold this seed in the palm of my hand, and know that there is a beautiful 6 foot plant that waits to be, "unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see".

The Hopi Indians use this seed to make a ceremonial corn bread that takes on the red color of the plant. I used the entire plant, seed head-leaves-stems, to make a dye bath for my wool. The above picture show the 3 different colors I was able to achieve. As you can see, none of them are really RED. I am still trying to get a red yarn from the dye. I think I am getting close. It is difficult to find information on how to prepare a dye bath for this plant. I tried making a tea by simmering the plant pieces in water for about an hour. I strained off the vegetation, and added the wool and continued to simmer on low heat for about an hour. Then, I took it off the heat and set it aside for several days. The dye bath and the wool looked to be a beautiful red color, but after rinsing and washing, it turned a nice shade of yellow...sort of a mustard yellow. A nice color, but not what I was after. So I tried again.


The second dye bath, I prepared the same way, only this time I added a pre-mordant wool (from alum). This gave me a nice light yellow. Again, pretty, but still not red. I tried one more time, using a post mordant of vinegar. This time, I got a soft salmon color...so I am getting close.

I have been searching books and the internet for information on how to get this plant to make a red dye. I have found one piece of what I hope to be useful information...this being the suggestion to make a sun tea from the amaranth, and to use lots and lots of vinegar. Well, the weather has turned a bit cool up here in the mountains, so I have resorted to making Amaranth Sun tea next to the wood stove. I will strain this tea off and try one more time to make a red yarn.

ursus americanus

I almost walked right into this bear the other morning, as I was heading to the hen house to let the girls out for the day. I turned the corner of the house, and came face to, well, butt of this black bear! He/she turned and looked at me over his shoulder, and I turned around and ran inside my house. I fumbled for the camera, and snapped this shot from the window. I must remember to whistle or make lots of noise when I go outside now. The bears are trying to beef up for winter now...they need to feed almost constantly...up to 20 hours a day. I have to post a picture of a bear on the front door to remind everyone to check before going outside. I am learning to respect the fact that they are here. I may even be forced to call the game commission to ask for help getting rid of them.

One of the women who comes to our spinning group, has spun Bear Hair before. She says the undercoat is similar to that of a dog. It is short, between one and two inches long, and she sometimes blends it with wool. My neighbor hunts bear, and if he gets one this year, I am going to ask for some of the "undercoat".

Agouti??

or "a goody".

This is Jack's first offspring. We have decided to name her (pretty sure it is a her) "Chance". The pattern of the coloring on Chance is called Agouti. This is the same pattern that is found in wild rabbits, and most likely what they have all descended from. Domestic rabbits have several variations of this pattern, that are caused by combinations of genes and modifiers. The Agouti pattern that Chance exhibits (I think) is referred to as a Chestnut Agouti. The fur has 3 bands of color, with the fur closest to the skin being grey, followed by a tan or caramel color, and being tipped with black. She also shows white around her eyes and nostrils and inner ears. The outer ear is outlined in black. Her eyes are still a blue grey.

I am trying to determine if the Agouti pattern gene was inherited from Jack. Judging from his papers, there was a Chocolate Agouti named "Betty Boop" in his lineage, but I do not know for sure if this rabbit has anything to do with the appearance of Chance. Genetics are difficult for me because I do not have a very clear understanding of the whole "allele/locus" thing...but I am learning.

In the big picture, it really doesn't matter. I was trying to breed for nice little fiber bunnies, and I think that is exactly what I have been gifted with. She is a sweetheart...like her daddy. It is fun spending time with her, getting her used to being handled, and watching her grow. I am already planning projects for the beautiful Angora fiber that I know she will produce.

Look how she grows...