tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429077091547721382024-03-14T08:10:03.127-04:0044 CloversThe going ons of one fiber artist and painter living on Peaks Island, Maine who loves cream and sheep. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-46565141113552246972019-12-04T11:00:00.000-05:002019-12-04T11:00:24.673-05:00New BlogsiteI’ve taken a break from writing here for a bit as I navigate the balance of motherhood and creating. It was a good break. I’ve begun writing again but this time you can find me over <a href="https://44clovers.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a> . I decided to switch sites due to easier writing on the go. And forever I’ve been struggling uploading photos from where I want to. So, come on over to my new site and catch up on my latest adventures in Mexico. <div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-9229175759645642932017-01-30T10:59:00.000-05:002017-01-30T10:59:24.555-05:00The Power of the Perfect Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've been knitting for 20 years </div>
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and</div>
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for 20 years</div>
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I never stopped.</div>
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I have constantly had a project (or 5) on the needles. </div>
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But this past year I slowly </div>
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ran</div>
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of</div>
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steam.</div>
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There have always been good reasons happening in my life where it would make since to slow down. </div>
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But knitting has always been a safe haven, a respite, an outlet. </div>
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So I never have.</div>
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Until now.</div>
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This summer I decided I needed to make myself a sweater, with a fair isle yolk, with my handspun yarn. </div>
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I had been creating yarn for my shop for a number of years but I never saved enough of it to make something really special for myself. </div>
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I carefully hand selected various colors and packed them away and spun a whole shetland white fleece to compliment my plant dyed yarns. </div>
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I searched and searched for just the right pattern. </div>
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I searched and searched for just the right designing tools. </div>
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Because really I couldn't make up my mind if I should design it myself or do something simpler.</div>
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Then last week as I finally choose a pattern and cast on, frustration set in as I struggled to work the 200 stitches. </div>
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I let it sit for a few days and then I started day dreaming about socks, hats, and mittens knit in two colors. White and yellow. White and green. White and pink. </div>
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I knew what I needed to do. </div>
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As I sat on the floor of my studio with my toddler by my side rummaging through a box of ribbon, I frogged the few rows of my sweater. Added the yarn back to the basket and set it aside for later in the week. </div>
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It felt so good to change course. </div>
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Next, I went through my yarn chest and quickly but ruthlessly set aside half of my yarn </div>
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to give to a friend who </div>
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knows how to knit, </div>
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really wants to knit more, </div>
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but only owns 1 pair of needles and 3 skeins of yarn. </div>
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Friends don't let friends be yarnless.</div>
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She needed my help </div>
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and it felt so good to pass on what felt like almost </div>
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10 pounds of yarn and a handful of needles to her. </div>
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Some of this yarn I had had for 20 years. </div>
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I could still tell you where every single bit came from. </div>
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She was overjoyed to receive such booty </div>
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and I was overjoyed to give it to her. </div>
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While putting all my yarn back into the chest, </div>
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I was reminded by these three little balls of silk kid mohair </div>
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I had dyed with lichens, mushrooms, and then indigo. </div>
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Back in August I had attempted this pattern but I messed it up right away so I frogged it.</div>
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Seeing the yarn again, </div>
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I was reminded of what I had wanted to make and decided to give it a try once more. </div>
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That evening I had everything set up so that after I put my son to bed, </div>
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a new episode of my current series was set up along with pie, tea, the lighting, my pj's and slippers.</div>
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I cast on as Queen Victoria brooded and pined for her M</div>
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and I was in heaven.</div>
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Finally a project I knew would work and I knew I would enjoy. </div>
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And one word would float through my mind as I worked on this: </div>
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gossamer. </div>
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Late last night when my husband returned home from a weekend away, I showed him my new project. </div>
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As he picked it up, he said,</div>
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"Wow, it's so.... gossamer like. </div>
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You can find this pattern, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-rain-outside" target="_blank">here</a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-17304231046114928562017-01-23T11:29:00.000-05:002017-01-23T11:31:23.541-05:00Beloved<div class="p1">
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Last week I caught my little guy's cold, of course. </div>
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It hit both of us hard and fast and it's not one of those quick colds that moves on and out with me as usual.</div>
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Though I managed to finish one fleece and start a second, which really is a big accomplishment in our household these days, I didn't manage to do much else. </div>
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Saturday I was all prepared to join my family in my home town for a vigil in support of the </div>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000004886060/women-march-around-the-us.html" target="_blank">Women's March in DC</a></div>
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However I knew Friday I was too sick to leave the house. </div>
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Instead I spent much needed time sleeping which helped me get over the worst of it. </div>
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And in between naps, I stayed caught up with my friends' live videos,</div>
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which <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">gave me </span></div>
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chills. </div>
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Then I saw the crowds.</div>
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ALL OVER THE WORLD</div>
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On every single continent no less. </div>
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I was proud and inspired and uplifted </div>
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and it was the first time since that horrible day in November where I walked to the ferry in shock and witnessed people CRYING</div>
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Now these feelings I had after the march weren't, </div>
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"oh. everything is ok now."</div>
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It was more of a stirring and realization of the power of what </div>
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TOGETHERNESS </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">can do. </span></div>
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People didn't get together only because they despise Trump's rhetoric.</div>
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But to stand up and say, "Yes, we see you won this particular seat. This particular role, that has been the most powerful one in the world, </div>
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However, we'll be DAMNED if we sit back and watch you destroy systems we have in place that </div>
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WORK</div>
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and that give us a </div>
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SAFE HAVEN</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Planned Parenthood and the ACA for one. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Now, there is A LOT wrong with our country and always have been. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But the amount of very difficult changes President Barak Obama managed to succeed on bringing, </span></div>
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This election showed us and the world that we, as a nation are as divided as ever. </div>
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It brought to light some serious dark and ugly nastiness that has been laying dormant since </div>
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the time Jim Crow was dismantled. </div>
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The week following the election, I was lit with so much fierce anger that people, in my country, were so heartless to ignore and even prefer possibly the most fake man ever to seek the Oval office. </div>
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All because they HATED the Clintons THAT much. </div>
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Because they HATED a black man being president. </div>
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Because they HATED the idea of a WOMEN being in charge. </div>
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Because they turned a blind fucking eye to the hatred for others this man has. </div>
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Because the fact that he has verbally sexually assaulted AND physically sexually assaulted numerous women- means nothing. </div>
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Because this man spread hateful lie after hatful lie about a man because he didn't have a white bread sounding name. </div>
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What I saw was a complete lack of integrity and respect by choosing to look the other way while a man bragged about his power to grab a women's vagina, whenever he wanted to, because he was famous. </div>
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Lack of support for their neighbors who are Mexican and Muslim, while this man tore this ethnic and religious groups apart over and over. </div>
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No, no, it doesn't matter because we can't have a women in the Oval office.</div>
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And we hated having a black man in the Oval office. </div>
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And the INSANE thing is, </div>
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he didn't even win the popular vote. </div>
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The majority of America spoke and we were betrayed by own </div>
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"Democratic" System</div>
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I WAS PISSED</div>
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However, me being pissed could only last so long. </div>
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I've never been that angry in my life. </div>
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Turns out it's not too good for mu body...</div>
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Unless, I'm working out. </div>
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Then I'm working with a new fuel. </div>
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I still knew within a few weeks that I needed to recycle my angry energy into something</div>
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useful. </div>
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Maybe even Powerful.</div>
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Then one morning while driving south to visit a dear college friend for the morning,</div>
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I was listening to one of <a href="http://www.onbeing.org/program/vincent-harding-is-america-possible/79" target="_blank">Krista Tippett's Podcasts</a> with </div>
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Vincent Harding.</div>
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From there, I knew what I wanted to say</div>
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and I posted it on the 1st Advent </div>
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<span class="s1">~You Are Beloved ~</span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Black sisters and Brothers whose ancestors were torn from their homes to be packed into ships and sold like objects, all to serve the white man, all over the world. To you now as you suffer the loss of your own through police brutality, mass incarceration, and systematic racism; You Are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Native American sisters and brothers whose homes which I stand on now which where taken from you in the most vile way. As you continue to stand up, as I write this, and fight for our country’s drinking water with fierce resolve and the utmost bravery; You Are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Muslim sisters and brothers who have come to America in the search of the VERY SAME PROMISE my ancestors came to America for, and to those of you still in your homeland fighting for your lives, to you and those you’ve lost; You Are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer sisters and brothers, who’ve fought so hard to live your truth in the open with out fear, to serve in the military, to marry who you love, to simply be as you are; You are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Jewish sisters and brothers whose ancestors were born persecuted. Who’ve migrated all over the world to escape persecution. Whose survived Nazi Germany and beyond. You and those you’ve lost, You Are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my Refugee sisters and brothers who have left your home in order to save the lives of your own and your family’s, whether by your own volition or through the help of others, to those of you who have suffered even more unfathomable loss while on your journey, to you and those you’ve lost; You Are Beloved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To my sisters and brothers who have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of either strangers to you or the most trusted people in your lives, and who have felt so alone because not even those closest to you have believed you; You Are Beloved.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You Are Seen.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">You Are Heard.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">You Are Loved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">You Are Cherished.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqXT7UWWXrCekVNNoI2P6_qiP3PDDYTB_Y8WhPO0Xci7-BG4n7l3bUxYI-P7kVBBUKiTgbOAjAAL448iI5bhZseNAS6iwIUVEdRehQt4dVkNbnON8VA6RXacumZuaIchIXsK3leeo794/s1600/IMG_0850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqXT7UWWXrCekVNNoI2P6_qiP3PDDYTB_Y8WhPO0Xci7-BG4n7l3bUxYI-P7kVBBUKiTgbOAjAAL448iI5bhZseNAS6iwIUVEdRehQt4dVkNbnON8VA6RXacumZuaIchIXsK3leeo794/s640/IMG_0850.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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now, onward.</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-6931297624819407862017-01-18T09:40:00.000-05:002017-01-18T09:40:25.848-05:00Centering with Making<div style="text-align: center;">
I've got to admit, I've had trouble lately with my making.<br />
For about 20 years I've had an insatiable thirst to keep going.<br />
I never tired of it. I never hit a road block. I never got bored.<br />
Not in 20 years.<br />
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However, </div>
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As my life continues to take on new shapes with raising a child, my energies of course have needed to shift. </div>
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I've felt it most heavily. And I've been troubled by it.<br />
I'm trying to go easy on myself as I realize my brain needs to hold space for an actual growing human, not just my creative ideas.<br />
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So as I've shifted towards allowing myself to evolve so I can do both,<br />
I find myself here.<br />
<br />
Mending and stitching tiny pieces of preciously plant dyed bits of fabric to larger bits of fabric.<br />
Just so I can see the true and natural highlights of each and every test.<br />
Both successes and failures.<br />
The stunning magentas of my carefully attended fermented lichen solutions<br />
and the oh so boring beiges of<br />
pine needles, ferns, petals, avocado pits, twigs, leaves..... this list could go on forever.<br />
<br />
You see, it's not that THAT is all you get with pine cones, pine needles and various petals and leaves- just beige.<br />
It just means that that is one way to get beige.<br />
Weak baths, too high heat, not enough heat. Not enough time soaking. Not enough plant material. Fiber not mordanted properly. And again, this list could go on forever.<br />
<br />
My one regret in life (ok, I have a few) is that I know I can't live long enough to test every single plant IN MY AREA ALONE with all the fiber and mordant and techniques that I ALONE know of.<br />
And there is SO MUCH I don't know.<br />
<br />
But it is and will be my life's work anyway.<br />
<br />
Ok, onto what I worked on last week.<br />
Which I admit is a little odd. Maybe will be seen as a snooze fest, but I friggin' loved it and it brought me so much needed<br />
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P E A C E</div>
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Last week while cleaning out my fiber studio, really because it was the New Year and it was the only thing that felt comforting, because I was experiencing this creative desert,</div>
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a new idea sparked.<br />
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I have a huge closet that I can stand in and it's actually one of my favorite places in our whole house. It's where I keep all sorts of things including my fleece stash.<br />
I pulled out this pitiful bag of fabric scraps that I thought I would part with and just end the misery of being annoyed by their existence and then feeling like I certainly couldn't part with the lichen magenta or orange mushroom dyed silks.<br />
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Then I visualized this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIyQKZzqxkSkN6K_n8Lkww01jI92DmpQzZCzL3GG3BfYdM_WBuV7pu_Q1oS7YyfsZreR_dZz7TmEd_z7AODk_vItZdPQw5VPsafNPv1PDxyVtfUX_3GzO_57GUX9vmQu-XVLWVqkp4vo/s640/blogger-image-568370085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIyQKZzqxkSkN6K_n8Lkww01jI92DmpQzZCzL3GG3BfYdM_WBuV7pu_Q1oS7YyfsZreR_dZz7TmEd_z7AODk_vItZdPQw5VPsafNPv1PDxyVtfUX_3GzO_57GUX9vmQu-XVLWVqkp4vo/s640/blogger-image-568370085.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">various "failure" plant dyes on silk</td></tr>
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Then this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cfxh-N12YWOhsngdeWxK1hES-Jy9AnNPW6gmfCWNiFNvI3ONiOd6LrFkptyEzB1-i9rsKSS8vfDqZxHoZtZhg3jIRBU_MyYqdN_I96HglBXmpfheKVobHjwKyW2O_d044jHA7fheZL8/s640/blogger-image--112549808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cfxh-N12YWOhsngdeWxK1hES-Jy9AnNPW6gmfCWNiFNvI3ONiOd6LrFkptyEzB1-i9rsKSS8vfDqZxHoZtZhg3jIRBU_MyYqdN_I96HglBXmpfheKVobHjwKyW2O_d044jHA7fheZL8/s640/blogger-image--112549808.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">various lichen dyes on silk</td></tr>
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Then I started to visualize A LOT of them.</div>
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Either hanging close together to form a quilt image. </div>
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Or actually sewing them together to form a quilt to hang. </div>
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These bottom two, I started first. With the top one being random pieces I pulled from my basket. </div>
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The bottom piece being all mushroom dyes. </div>
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Working on this through the week, was SO rewarding.</div>
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It's the kind of project I can get lost in. </div>
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That, "I can get through anything because I am working on this project" kind of project. </div>
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I can take it with me on the boat, do during nap time, and really anytime if I have a few minutes, which... I'm laughing, I don't really ever have a "few minutes" to so anything like this. </div>
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I have a TON more to do and it will take quite a while. </div>
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And that's just the silks alone.<br />I also have a pile of cotton and a pile of linen.</div>
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Now aside from the satisfaction it gives me to work with color I helped to facilitate to transfer to the cloth, I also get this other kind of sparkly satisfaction that I'm doing something with not just the pieces I have used in my own testings in my home studio, but also those in one of my last classes where it was very clear how annoyed my students were at just dealing with these pieces. I took their unwanted pieces and added them to my pile. </div>
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A question I am often asked, which also turns into a statement:</div>
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"You can't get a very interesting range of color from plant dyes. Can you?" You sure can. </div>
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"Well, they always fade." They can fade if alum is not used correctly. Otherwise, no they do not fade. </div>
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"All you get are yellows and browns." Referring to our Maine pallet. Not me personally. And, let me show you this magenta...</div>
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"Oh it's so much work." So true. </div>
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"Using plant dyes are so toxic." Well... if you use tin and chrome (for example) as a mordant and DO NOT TAKE EXTREME CARE, yes those are very toxic. But when using alum, or working with lichens which need no mordants, and you take regular common sense measures of ventilation, </div>
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no, using plant dyes are not toxic. </div>
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I'm so excited to continue this long project and it reminds me more of the whole work I do. </div>
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I hope to at some point have this shown in a space that can further educate Mainers on the color that can be unlocked from our endearing landscape. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-78609578281815982422017-01-09T14:15:00.002-05:002017-01-11T14:43:38.822-05:00Happy New Year with Maine Shetland Yarns<br />
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I can't believe I haven't shown up here since September! </div>
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I've missed writing and sharing a bunch so I've made it a New Year's resolution to commit Monday's to writing. </div>
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I've set a few writing goals for myself for the New Year that are energizing me. </div>
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Along with a few exciting endeavors I've been thinking about but those are still secret. For now. I'll give you a hint though, they involve the words "color" "school" and "Peaks Island".</div>
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Stay tuned!</div>
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Today, I'd like to get you caught up on my latest making. </div>
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Our little guy is now almost 19 months old! It's like two steps forward and one step back with how easy/ difficult day to day life can be. </div>
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Add living on an island plus sub zero tempts, fevers, and ear infections, and we don't get out too much. There's been a whole lot of snuggling AND climbing the walls. </div>
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However, I am getting better at carving out time for just me and the things that give me life and feed me. </div>
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Like working with wool. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeF5JTi17d1SRYawN38hveQkEn2Du8o8oBv7lOeD0zfzq0vND7hqWd75bsu8BmHl9Og7jDfGkniRQPdpOPe9zc28FRXwOT9PEhQLCqdCTvINupOg24Fi86fCzick5ihnq4ssJho5gzZfQ/s640/blogger-image-2059560217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeF5JTi17d1SRYawN38hveQkEn2Du8o8oBv7lOeD0zfzq0vND7hqWd75bsu8BmHl9Og7jDfGkniRQPdpOPe9zc28FRXwOT9PEhQLCqdCTvINupOg24Fi86fCzick5ihnq4ssJho5gzZfQ/s640/blogger-image-2059560217.jpg" width="513" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">handspun maine shetland fingering/dk weight. </td></tr>
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These beauties will be available in the shop soon. </div>
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Something I don't normally do for the shop is such fine spinning. </div>
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But this wool told me exactly what it wanted to become. </div>
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I had to listen because the wool is always right.</div>
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When I buy a fleece, I never know what it will end up looking like once spun. </div>
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As I spend all this time with it from </div>
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selecting it</div>
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skirting it</div>
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washing it</div>
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drying it</div>
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carding it</div>
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by the time I start spinning it, I've had ample time to become familiar. </div>
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By that point I've formed a bond with that wool. </div>
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I know I may sound a little nutzo but I'm really serious. </div>
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I have no idea why I love wool so or why it feels me with such a primitive mothering instinct, but it does. </div>
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Anyway, </div>
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I wait for the moment I bring the huge fluffy batt to the wheel, spin a few yarns, play, and through all that, it whispers to me what it needs to become. I swear it;)</div>
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And this last fleece, a very dark soft shiny charcoal Shetland just NEEDED to be spun into the finest singles and then plyed into a sport weight. </div>
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I then knit up a swatch of it, something I'll be doing from now on with every single fleece I spin so I can better understand and communicate to you what you're getting. </div>
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But OH! </div>
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IS THIS YARN </div>
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*D E L I C I O U S *</div>
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It will be available in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers" target="_blank">my etsy shop</a> soon. I promise.</div>
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Next up at the wheel is a Maine Icelandic, same color and has been enjoying long slow soft twirls onto the bobbin. I'd say light worsted weight with a bit of fluff. </div>
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Icelandic is one of the trickiest for me to work with at times. </div>
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There is so much downy fluff but also long shiny, not too scratchy hairs. </div>
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It kind of wobbles in between wanting to be finely spun, which can feel like wire, in my opinion.</div>
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Or thick rope. </div>
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It really is a slippery slope with this wool. </div>
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I'll let you know how we get on. </div>
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In the mean time, R and I try and get out every day to explore a part of the island. </div>
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Sometimes, I get out a few extra minutes to myself before getting on the boat and I find these:</div>
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foot prints left by our 4 island resident geese. Who I might add, aren't that friendly and like to chase me off the beach. </div>
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December skies out here on Peaks are always beautiful too. </div>
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What wool are you spinning this winter? </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-67159538394323178032016-09-05T16:22:00.003-04:002016-09-05T16:22:46.444-04:00Purple Pansy Dye; a solar method<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It feels SO GOOD to get back into my solar dyeing experiments. </div>
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I was rummaging through my excess of pre-mordanted samples the other day just to see what I needed more of in order to plan for next spring. </div>
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Now with a toddler, planning is everything.</div>
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I don't have everything available that I'd like mordanted but I realized I shouldn't let it stop me. </div>
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I had been dead heading my purple pansies in my studio window boxes all spring and summer- though lately I've been letting them go. </div>
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I also set up two other jars of fern and one of that dark red weed I've talked about before. I'll get to those later. </div>
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In the past I have simply placed my petals in the freezer until I had the amount I wanted. But this time I thought it would be simpler and work just the same to let them dry, because really they just get darker. </div>
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I weighed out my fiber group in grams and the same with my dried petals. I had half the amount of petals as I did fiber.</div>
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I wetted out my fibers for an hour or so, placed them in the jar with tap water, placed the petals onto the top of the fiber and filled the rest with just near boiled water. </div>
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This pic is just after it was set up, next to the fern jar. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOi2wXb0W7pew8gEkWAfLlCf3xCfJaPEVd_YxBXUnDuoKoeGA1WjPd2e4YDAQDMFW_hMiGMn26zD7w4vzaqiua6e5gHmEN_jLjL64NaxWNnCRYTqxAJMp4drw95WTNrNysczc8U_vtd18/s1600/IMG_9880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOi2wXb0W7pew8gEkWAfLlCf3xCfJaPEVd_YxBXUnDuoKoeGA1WjPd2e4YDAQDMFW_hMiGMn26zD7w4vzaqiua6e5gHmEN_jLjL64NaxWNnCRYTqxAJMp4drw95WTNrNysczc8U_vtd18/s640/IMG_9880.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Under an hour color started to appear through the jar and the fibers started to change. </div>
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I LOVE working with pansies. </div>
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I do believe it's time for the black pansies to be out in nurseries....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaWSzINa6_mEI7OFsLVA1wdAqABxETg5iuj13mucl67BosOl4MMrPoD6mOmwxo0fXRf2vPzGK53IIhkwsE29TlQU-JhOmoDGwA_gfS58hylPxV6OlIBidR5qtl1O3K2H5k069rqrO4AM/s1600/IMG_9893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaWSzINa6_mEI7OFsLVA1wdAqABxETg5iuj13mucl67BosOl4MMrPoD6mOmwxo0fXRf2vPzGK53IIhkwsE29TlQU-JhOmoDGwA_gfS58hylPxV6OlIBidR5qtl1O3K2H5k069rqrO4AM/s640/IMG_9893.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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I let it go a few days and then pulled it all out to give things a good squeeze and inspection. And then I put everything back. </div>
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Behind are my tansy and lobster mushroom dyed on maine shetland skeins.</div>
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They are available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers?ref=hdr_shop_menu" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkn6WurP2cNXUJnSk4SvRWGUgBrionocIeKcaPYNXteRZQEPcpDpewJNcoybJ2L2qbkxQGSky6Zxlg42hmu-alVRW8Tlw0KTFGPBBhJPVJ1jvklv-twvTmL0AsPSWielqi_6K1Hz9rSY/s1600/IMG_9891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkn6WurP2cNXUJnSk4SvRWGUgBrionocIeKcaPYNXteRZQEPcpDpewJNcoybJ2L2qbkxQGSky6Zxlg42hmu-alVRW8Tlw0KTFGPBBhJPVJ1jvklv-twvTmL0AsPSWielqi_6K1Hz9rSY/s640/IMG_9891.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here everything is looking more on the dark purple grey side. </div>
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But I waited even longer.</div>
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I went away for the weekend and came back to find the yarns were a darker green...</div>
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So I decided to try a little experimenting with ammonia and vinegar. </div>
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Or rather, ph adjustments. I was shocked at what I found. </div>
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I poured a little of the pansy dye into two jars, just an 1" tall. </div>
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In one I dripped in some ammonia which brings up the ph (and I'm really sorry! I never actually checked with my papers! I was very in the moment and wasn't thinking critically). </div>
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The dye bath was a very dark purple. But with the ammonia is shifted to forest green. It was SO cool! Must get better pictures next time. </div>
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In the other jar I dripped in some vinegar and it shifted to magenta. </div>
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In each I dipped in the fibers at one end and then the other. </div>
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The ammonia had more of a striking effect, especially on the wool and cotton- at first. The vinegar seemed to have done nothing at all to change the colors on the fibers. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHswJxh5ETp5m3Ky_KA7Zb9oQOSZxSdmY6akyEaDkjux_t-OPAyrYOjffR4k_hxvWJoWMrjQ8vdz3oyEAJRGEPMgaVSVOuEAP_PsouqOgdYIw4c7nt41_up32hIIReZThqYy__EkQPxvU/s1600/IMG_9988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHswJxh5ETp5m3Ky_KA7Zb9oQOSZxSdmY6akyEaDkjux_t-OPAyrYOjffR4k_hxvWJoWMrjQ8vdz3oyEAJRGEPMgaVSVOuEAP_PsouqOgdYIw4c7nt41_up32hIIReZThqYy__EkQPxvU/s640/IMG_9988.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here they are dried. </div>
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The group to the left with the dark skein first is kid mohair/ silk mordanted in an iron liquor, then partly dipped in ammonia after. It has strikes of green through the dark grey blue. </div>
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Skien of alpaca mordanted with alum came out light grey blue with a bright strike of chartreuse. </div>
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Last skein in group is also alpaca mordanted in a copper liquor. Less effect for both dye and ammonia dips. The clothes on top are silk mordanted with alum. And cotton mordanted with alum. </div>
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Btw- I prepared these samples over a year ago now and I've decided since that doing just a copper liquor isn't very effective. Now when I prepare my samples, I only do alum and iron for wool and silk. And only acetate and tannin for cotton and linen. </div>
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The middle group is wool mordanted with alum and dipped in ammonia. </div>
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Cotton mordanted with copper liquor, ammonia dip. </div>
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Silk I think alum mordanted dipped one half in ammonia and the other half in vinegar. </div>
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The last group to the right with the dark strip of cloth is alpaca mordanted with iron (kind of hiding under the wool). Wool mordanted with iron, ammonia dip. The cotton mordanted with copper and silk mordanted with iron. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpUqNoncqepw7EvPf0Hyb6eRbLhyhlpIZcSMQA8nyLCb7twUxLwkS4jkau7r3S_e9hOiBYoOQZKURknjFPKzYHHCkcbGaQtVe1686tmGpBjZlCLetPoiMu_17yxITOjwxfSoUg_tAN80/s1600/IMG_9990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpUqNoncqepw7EvPf0Hyb6eRbLhyhlpIZcSMQA8nyLCb7twUxLwkS4jkau7r3S_e9hOiBYoOQZKURknjFPKzYHHCkcbGaQtVe1686tmGpBjZlCLetPoiMu_17yxITOjwxfSoUg_tAN80/s640/IMG_9990.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My purpose for these exercises in dyeing is to find what I like best. In this case I like the iron mordanted on silk best. And if I do this again, I'll remember to use at least 50% of petals to weight of fiber or more. I also loved the mohair and silk blend also mordanted with iron. </div>
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Solar dyeing is one of my favorite things to do! </div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-74152162090778376632016-08-31T10:04:00.002-04:002016-08-31T10:17:06.472-04:00Dyeing with Lobster Mushrooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'll never forget the first time I spotted these odd bright orange shapes peaking up through the pine needles 3 years ago. </div>
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In 2013 was enjoying my 4th year teaching at the <a href="https://newenglandfiberartsretreat.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">New England Fiber Arts Retreat </a>in Washington, Maine and I had only just heard about dyeing with mushrooms. </div>
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While on a walk I spotted these brightly colored clumps and brought them back to camp for my foraging class. </div>
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As a group we looked them up and found immediately some good info on how to dye with them.</div>
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It was a fun impromptu surprise for us all. </div>
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Along with just alum mordanted wool you get a pale orange. With a splash of ammonia the dye bath goes alkaline (ph goes up) and more corals come out. </div>
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This was a fun picture to take this year as I was just arriving. I took last year off as I had a 6 week old babe. So returning this year was EXTRA special and sweet. That moment when I was walking up the road and seeing everyone for the first time made my heart almost explode with joy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WVCeOApZVFSCM7lunfKRf5Tbg6lCY0lxFQ0nJLWiB8sLXxTp5Zo9oWOiBIc5SHQs4lHgV_qO43lejz4miF6WsxxDdL9-OFRZHTNGZEyY23vk5yFvaSHkNBkpJrsWTsZH0vnreH3TNiQ/s1600/IMG_9697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WVCeOApZVFSCM7lunfKRf5Tbg6lCY0lxFQ0nJLWiB8sLXxTp5Zo9oWOiBIc5SHQs4lHgV_qO43lejz4miF6WsxxDdL9-OFRZHTNGZEyY23vk5yFvaSHkNBkpJrsWTsZH0vnreH3TNiQ/s640/IMG_9697.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Anyway,</div>
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after locating more this year, (I love how dry they all ready are) I planned a project for my shop yarns. </div>
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Though best used at a 1:1 or higher mushroom to fiber ratio, I think I did use more fiber to mushroom. I really wanted to dye 2 skeins at once as that's what I like to do for my shop, to have at least 2 skeins in the same color way. I had about 4oz of whole mushrooms, also from the help of my dear friend <a href="http://mycopigments.com/" target="_blank">Alissa Allen</a> who found me a few and who reminded me of the tips around ammonia. We were blessed to have Alissa join us for a 2nd year at the retreat to teach her mushroom dyes!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySNcguj_T_I9gitB8RjOrC_4Z5w9Vb9LFYzG2OXxkw5DhD2a1Jil_JiyV-Z8B056_rblp6e8y8YMgXDBvWY8ayK_UciOk3HK1HK4pr-1TfR8a_6Z_0bDVucaTivD4SfOYcLbeyZj0IDw/s1600/IMG_9722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySNcguj_T_I9gitB8RjOrC_4Z5w9Vb9LFYzG2OXxkw5DhD2a1Jil_JiyV-Z8B056_rblp6e8y8YMgXDBvWY8ayK_UciOk3HK1HK4pr-1TfR8a_6Z_0bDVucaTivD4SfOYcLbeyZj0IDw/s640/IMG_9722.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaHQ-xuQVuXmirCUqMK_U4qS2uJDNBGr9csoiJCzcIPEmy06A3otqhYoDvSaW20Ub1mj2Z4lnmShI7NiWtGG0HRBATWyZC-JPXQ4vjtCsOMQF-73HF7Qx9Oyc0jMDyLqzuJw_tJIpSIM/s1600/IMG_9874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaHQ-xuQVuXmirCUqMK_U4qS2uJDNBGr9csoiJCzcIPEmy06A3otqhYoDvSaW20Ub1mj2Z4lnmShI7NiWtGG0HRBATWyZC-JPXQ4vjtCsOMQF-73HF7Qx9Oyc0jMDyLqzuJw_tJIpSIM/s640/IMG_9874.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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I did try to shave the orange bits away from the mushroom as underneath they are white. But it was just too hard and time consuming. And as I was doing this during nap time, it had to be quick. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUOpfu-kc9EgkRfyY1xdFN2mPtGgDMv1b9iL199yhMHCFVZUtCarRq2b4YY7jTm4OrEerB7AkWW94Pyhnuk5PtoUx_YmiqSiV2Z9TBYTeq-7fXdKq7yHzsJI67lbUSc8_VGTsxW6rdZA/s1600/IMG_9884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUOpfu-kc9EgkRfyY1xdFN2mPtGgDMv1b9iL199yhMHCFVZUtCarRq2b4YY7jTm4OrEerB7AkWW94Pyhnuk5PtoUx_YmiqSiV2Z9TBYTeq-7fXdKq7yHzsJI67lbUSc8_VGTsxW6rdZA/s640/IMG_9884.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I let my yarns simmer for an hour or so keeping an eye on the temp and then took it off the heat until morning. The color was ok, a paler orange but I wanted to shift it into a pinker tone. I pulled out the yarns and splashed in some ammonia and put the yarns back in for a dip. Maybe 15 minutes or so. I learned the hard way in the past not to heat wool in an ammonia bath as it quickly hardens the wool. And as I was dyeing my handspun shetland, I needed to get this just right. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrW_2DisrkHTo_7KRRkxuekrccbySZ_3-FO6Mwn7ZjcDMrfcOE7CLJghFiWmqw-GxpOypvRGjB-01AiVW7Lg9lPIeLNSSVkt2hyRy__8k__TyFIpZNLCglcIyN-8E28Tly5UWv6e11ZE/s1600/IMG_9890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrW_2DisrkHTo_7KRRkxuekrccbySZ_3-FO6Mwn7ZjcDMrfcOE7CLJghFiWmqw-GxpOypvRGjB-01AiVW7Lg9lPIeLNSSVkt2hyRy__8k__TyFIpZNLCglcIyN-8E28Tly5UWv6e11ZE/s640/IMG_9890.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The color did shift to a slightly more red orange. The above picture is when it's wet. Bottom picture is dried and is now listed in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/475643867/yarn-hand-spun-mushroom-dyed-maine?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">etsy shop</a>. </div>
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Also above pic shows my tansy dyed yarns which you will also see <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/462153222/yarn-hand-spun-plant-dyed-maine-shetland?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">here</a> and which I will be writing about next and my purple pansy solar dye which I will also be writing about. </div>
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Have you used lobster mushrooms before? It's of my of favorite mushrooms to use. Maybe next time I'll find a better solution to peeling the orange off and get a really good stock pile built up for deeper oranges and magentas. Oh the possibilities!! </div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-58758650018560742882016-08-25T14:44:00.000-04:002016-08-25T14:44:55.170-04:00A Weekend with Flax and Linen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending <a href="http://newenglandflaxandlinen.org/symposium2016/" target="_blank">The New England Flax and Linen Symposium</a> in Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts organized by the <a href="http://newenglandflaxandlinen.org/" target="_blank">Flax and Linen Study Group</a> of Historic Deerfield Mass. </div>
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This event took two years to put together. </div>
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It's been almost a week since and I'm still processing all that I learned. </div>
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Basically, my mind was blown away more than once. </div>
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As a long time wool person who thrives in this slow process in which I insist in working, I could appreciate greatly all the love, passion, struggles, failures, discoveries, creations, sharing of stories and techniques that everyone who came to speak so willingly and excitedly shared with us all. </div>
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It was all such a treasure!!!</div>
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There were historians, weavers, farmers, dyers, mill owners, biologists, environmental activists, authors, textile researches, anthropologists, spinners, and so much more. </div>
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All there to learn and share alike.</div>
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As a mother of a 14 month old, it was delicious to get away for a bit on my own. As</div>
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I arrived early Friday evening and enjoyed driving through Greenfield and Deerfield admiring the golden light setting in, a peace washed over me that helped set my mind into a much needed gear of cleansing and opening up to receive information. I drove by beautiful fields and many odd abandoned looking buildings. Beautiful dark rich wooden barns and endless rivers and ponds. So many dye plants too but I knew it wasn't time to think about that. It was freeing not to do a thing except attend every talk and demo, rest, and eat. </div>
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Driving down the road of Historic Deerfield was a treat in itself. </div>
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I found a beautiful peacefulness that my mind desperately needed. </div>
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A few of the most inspiring speakers for me where; </div>
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<a href="https://classes.folkschool.org/Instructors.aspx?id=4649" target="_blank">Cassie Dickson</a> from North Carolina. I could listen to her speak all day. She spoke about retting methods which is the key process of helping the flax to turn into linen. </div>
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I was completely inspired by what Cassie shared and I I came away feeling like it was something I could do on my own. </div>
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Cassie spoke about her processes and her experiments about dew retting and getting various colors from just this process. That was my favorite part of the entire weekend. </div>
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Here's one of her slides of various flax bundles dew retted in North Carolina at various times of year. </div>
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Don't you just love these colors?!</div>
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Cassie also teaches every year at the John C. Campbell Folk School, usually during their Shaker week a <a href="https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=18762" target="_blank">Linen and Silk class</a>. I cannot wait to do this some day. She told me students will be working with silk cocoons from the silk worms she rises. How amazing is that?!?!?</div>
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Another favorite speaker of mine was <a href="http://www.fitnyc.edu/sustainability/curricular-initiatives/faculty/jeffrey-silberman.php" target="_blank">Jeff Silberman from the Fashion Institute of Technology</a>. He spoke about his personal farming experience and gave a wonderful overview of the textile market today.</div>
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These next two pictures are of his slides regarding his research of the world textile production. </div>
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Very eye opening to me. </div>
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I was surprised to see silk at 0% and flax at 1%</div>
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On the first day we all had a chance to see the whole seed to fabric process take place in most of it's forms. Though I did not get a photo of each step, these are in order. I have to admit, after a very full morning of talks with such rich info, and then it being in the mid 80's around noon, my brain had already melted and then I started to physically melt. It was very hard for me to stand in the beating sun with so many people watching these processes and kind of competing to ask questions. I knew that I would learn better some other time and I was already making mental notes on continuing my learning. </div>
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I'm excited about planting a very full bed of flax next year, then hanging it to dry. </div>
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They were very fast talks and explanations about some of these processes but I feel confident about trying each of them out when the time comes. </div>
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I learned you have to keep all the fibers lined up through the whole processing period. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF9mT8RKigxwjlBtS4OKbzmm6YO7m403YPPp253IxgDDpPY8rmaf-eHAJAYmvGemA_96iulz4uTEe9GMenQlpd1msEvKrVQuINHncvF8WW22XFG-K2nfD5A2El2h-ogTfveHnSyeOFxY/s1600/IMG_9956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF9mT8RKigxwjlBtS4OKbzmm6YO7m403YPPp253IxgDDpPY8rmaf-eHAJAYmvGemA_96iulz4uTEe9GMenQlpd1msEvKrVQuINHncvF8WW22XFG-K2nfD5A2El2h-ogTfveHnSyeOFxY/s640/IMG_9956.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">dried flax</td></tr>
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After the dried flax has spent some time rotting (retting) it is dried again to then just be beaten until the outer core comes away and the softer middle is revealed. I'm not using correct term I'm sure, remember I just learned some of this stuff. </div>
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The dried out layers has be removed by being kind of scraped away. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSbBUFksYbdObErc1MVVdj6MpCjXhx-EfLOhC5vhAup1jeCTz6ycJpj_9GfAlqzHc7m7v0U_wQOIYSVJpXRAqN9ZfarSskqXsqTq4pnWcQBuvR3HrSOrecnIv8FAXOQaCtWzFPeVsBV4/s1600/IMG_9957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSbBUFksYbdObErc1MVVdj6MpCjXhx-EfLOhC5vhAup1jeCTz6ycJpj_9GfAlqzHc7m7v0U_wQOIYSVJpXRAqN9ZfarSskqXsqTq4pnWcQBuvR3HrSOrecnIv8FAXOQaCtWzFPeVsBV4/s640/IMG_9957.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">scutching the dried flax</td></tr>
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Then the scutching can begin. Which is to comb the fibers. The fluffy bits left behind is known as tow flax- which can also be spun, but separately I believe. This scutching process gets the flax down to a finer material which will be easier to work with on the wheel. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8O_jSNvcR2m7mD25ZMgwvSk2WHcYKjjXBS6dYA2wpTrcsj-BO6XiqwKv-rTjvSy7PGuRyq2k1g8zbbgfV1CId5AxHRo9HhLdpuFUvDn-OM7ECwUvIrpylAuPQA_SSiO5JcYfN5JP4BY/s1600/IMG_9967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8O_jSNvcR2m7mD25ZMgwvSk2WHcYKjjXBS6dYA2wpTrcsj-BO6XiqwKv-rTjvSy7PGuRyq2k1g8zbbgfV1CId5AxHRo9HhLdpuFUvDn-OM7ECwUvIrpylAuPQA_SSiO5JcYfN5JP4BY/s640/IMG_9967.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">combing the flax or heckling</td></tr>
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Below is the flax spun up which some one used a spinning wheel for. </div>
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This presenter (I'm so sorry but I've lost track of whose sample this is!) did various test samples of her washing/ bleaching methods to show us the process. </div>
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I just love seeing them all together like this. Just fabulous, a design in itself. </div>
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I can see myself going through the bleaching process in order to then dye a very pure color, but I LOVE these natural colors so much. I think I would also do some over dying of the natural colors. Can you see indigo and madder over dyed onto these greys? </div>
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I also had a chance to explore a little bit and catch my breath from all the learning. </div>
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I discovered a <a href="https://butterflyplace-ma.com/" target="_blank">butterfly garden </a> which was delightful when I suddenly found myself surrounded by monarchs and these bright blue butterflies. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MWp8V3deskiso0ipcfY9Hswdq2EeQK4J-19z5m-vpNtiBCUCzdYeaQUVKqFEuY5Ga09wdheNyHm8gFN0Q9xclqRKPCwVfYH0BIvwkbSpMXPIdzL7_tpUh6mOwhdWiZHIycZEUBC9zHU/s1600/IMG_9953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MWp8V3deskiso0ipcfY9Hswdq2EeQK4J-19z5m-vpNtiBCUCzdYeaQUVKqFEuY5Ga09wdheNyHm8gFN0Q9xclqRKPCwVfYH0BIvwkbSpMXPIdzL7_tpUh6mOwhdWiZHIycZEUBC9zHU/s640/IMG_9953.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And early Saturday morning I attended the Greenfield Farmer's market where I got some great tomato growing tips, found the softest sheep skin for R's book nook and yarns for myself. I love collecting locally grown and spun yarns for my test dyeing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPN3hgIzOi9WDg6PLP_cQolLsguFoXGptiypCZn9tXyPZ0xw_Luk3WDnDwBZBp9uBM7nerRokz7IK6LlvK9ycOR40Z-eVL14rI8B6OzoAiFdLVRHfXQOfdGuNrXnGgCC2R4SqRZJAx_o/s1600/IMG_9942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPN3hgIzOi9WDg6PLP_cQolLsguFoXGptiypCZn9tXyPZ0xw_Luk3WDnDwBZBp9uBM7nerRokz7IK6LlvK9ycOR40Z-eVL14rI8B6OzoAiFdLVRHfXQOfdGuNrXnGgCC2R4SqRZJAx_o/s640/IMG_9942.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, my brain has not quite stopped buzzing with everything I learned and all these new ideas. I've got a BIG ONE cooking which I need to mull over and hash out with my beloved, but I'm SO EXCITED. Also come November I'll be taking <a href="http://portfiber.com/calendar/2016/8/21/rumpelstilt-skein-with-amy-king" target="_blank">this class with Amy King of Spunky Eclectic at Portfiber</a>, my favorite local fiber shop. </div>
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A HUGE THANK YOU to ALL who came to speak and helped to plan at this amazing Symposium. </div>
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If you work with flax or linen, at any stage and want to share info here in the comments for others to find you, please do! </div>
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~*~</div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-64728173783491451072016-02-27T12:05:00.001-05:002016-02-27T12:05:58.402-05:00Mothering Creative : Creative Mothering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It took me a while to figure this title. </div>
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The words "mothering" and "creative" are becoming interchangeable and one of the same now. </div>
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Inspired by Rumi's quote"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." </div>
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I've seen it shortened to "Do what you love what you do." </div>
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Which has become my motto over the years. </div>
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I've been wanting to get back into posting more like I used to but my head space has been limited. </div>
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So this extra long post feels oh so good to just share with you various things I've been tinkering with here and there. </div>
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When motherhood was approaching I knew everything would change completely. I feared never getting back to these spaces I so love and feel so much like myself. </div>
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I also feared that if I spent time in my creative spaces, it meant I was being neglectful and not a loving mom. I've been stewing over these thoughts for a long time. </div>
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My boy is now 8.5 months old and just started crawling this week. </div>
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And I believe he's trying to cut his 7th tooth. </div>
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It's a lot. </div>
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With the help and encouragement of my husband, family members and friends simply modeling to me how they managed their self care in general, I soon realized part of my self care is continuing to grow and nurture my creative self. </div>
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To mother it. </div>
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I recognize now I only have tiny moments in between my tiny human's needs. </div>
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I've let go of expecting long uninterrupted hours of time to myself. I knew it was coming and I tried to prepare myself. </div>
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It's always been hard for me to put aside expectations. Or to even adjust/change them. But I'm working on it. And I think something is giving way, on my end, and it feels good. Like a relief even.</div>
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When I step outside the house, cross our muddy lawn, spotted with chicken poop and tufts of grass from our almost winter and into my studio, my endorphins light up and the tension in my upper back eases. I breath in the smell of this old space, once a garden shed, now insulated and painted white but with the original floor. </div>
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Someday we'll add more new windows and add trim and sills. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0T37ljX5PB4BfV9Jn2xOfXVkHEga7G6g2WNaeT-QmgxbG-2w75kQhkM0xn-_FIFEwQL6jbbSYsu9Tj_Xgr6s85z3aA-dOk6gQ9B2k7sWpyepnOW29yV0VrxPhl25fkPLXyrNMZs0ZtcU/s1600/IMG_8046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0T37ljX5PB4BfV9Jn2xOfXVkHEga7G6g2WNaeT-QmgxbG-2w75kQhkM0xn-_FIFEwQL6jbbSYsu9Tj_Xgr6s85z3aA-dOk6gQ9B2k7sWpyepnOW29yV0VrxPhl25fkPLXyrNMZs0ZtcU/s640/IMG_8046.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wood, my burst iron liquor glass jar (whoops!), my oil paints. </div>
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I look at my newly organized chaos of painting and dye equipment. </div>
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My new but old Kessenich floor loom. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRtYmzrHHvovh_K2_u4_vAskIhxMt7nQFm7RgtSmrm21PO72r0vLhyCS5F8ynWBI8hSXkcLbA8G61ZWS8r5l1bWuLdLzXAe-SlaEUgYkhRLALm0Uh181k8pLdo7VPrCMkIArOMqX3oGQ/s1600/IMG_8047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRtYmzrHHvovh_K2_u4_vAskIhxMt7nQFm7RgtSmrm21PO72r0vLhyCS5F8ynWBI8hSXkcLbA8G61ZWS8r5l1bWuLdLzXAe-SlaEUgYkhRLALm0Uh181k8pLdo7VPrCMkIArOMqX3oGQ/s640/IMG_8047.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Just a few corners of my studio. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFFER3IsKcFnbDDDL_yJkwkW-jWdLtWGd4FhEEmP_7ZXkQf0oy24h27U7QkXG48ulyCBk1ai17r2Yzc0YLzV6mUPZs7jCJ7ASNL4I4q9x_JDEEqG08p8slEmyJELoyyKBxKb4DcTQSJM/s1600/IMG_8044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFFER3IsKcFnbDDDL_yJkwkW-jWdLtWGd4FhEEmP_7ZXkQf0oy24h27U7QkXG48ulyCBk1ai17r2Yzc0YLzV6mUPZs7jCJ7ASNL4I4q9x_JDEEqG08p8slEmyJELoyyKBxKb4DcTQSJM/s640/IMG_8044.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJuo_yFemOwna6aSCj3jlaToglwogPdP2sVWLzelHYlZTj-7KSunNovtyK3oaXRkEN0HAi2qM-v4pGfLXo41MwYcmjEHv3mH9YC7O6mxU67N3I11T_iqKHP20eqqUbn9rqIpOH0c6xA0/s1600/IMG_8054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJuo_yFemOwna6aSCj3jlaToglwogPdP2sVWLzelHYlZTj-7KSunNovtyK3oaXRkEN0HAi2qM-v4pGfLXo41MwYcmjEHv3mH9YC7O6mxU67N3I11T_iqKHP20eqqUbn9rqIpOH0c6xA0/s640/IMG_8054.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS_oAAtpaEROXUAW6Xdp45IKG864Vd0cKhK86qUmTUpffRMmKg4X_8g-TTOoDBzhh-1qwPYQiHjx3C0iiF85q_fDzww-bGa9XmeucufVgDH9Bua0SIjKVNZ4yQppgPMtuGejKMZsgriQ/s1600/IMG_8055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS_oAAtpaEROXUAW6Xdp45IKG864Vd0cKhK86qUmTUpffRMmKg4X_8g-TTOoDBzhh-1qwPYQiHjx3C0iiF85q_fDzww-bGa9XmeucufVgDH9Bua0SIjKVNZ4yQppgPMtuGejKMZsgriQ/s640/IMG_8055.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuKMzUADazTcErojaDzINAh0w8xTjZt_e6143KOtpYSSLK5L8TGHU-A3uYULw0vRPNrtlK9ZDSioMs1M5iZ5Ex3VOjHncHx-gChfNYTFK19BYyRKcKyyV93DhXeLfMued4dZ60w3LVok/s1600/IMG_8051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuKMzUADazTcErojaDzINAh0w8xTjZt_e6143KOtpYSSLK5L8TGHU-A3uYULw0vRPNrtlK9ZDSioMs1M5iZ5Ex3VOjHncHx-gChfNYTFK19BYyRKcKyyV93DhXeLfMued4dZ60w3LVok/s640/IMG_8051.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My lichen jars. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CHLa41Tnljs_wZCrLR9KwoDTvwwvsq_iwOCGLr6wcZbnkvUI2lchGAOsYBNCi9hkXl_HJZlqRCc5q4PSnufDq6t6KD_AOZyscRNQC0oEw_9ZND9Q1IjOGARQG7iBVbPuN7JpWulo5zI/s1600/IMG_8053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CHLa41Tnljs_wZCrLR9KwoDTvwwvsq_iwOCGLr6wcZbnkvUI2lchGAOsYBNCi9hkXl_HJZlqRCc5q4PSnufDq6t6KD_AOZyscRNQC0oEw_9ZND9Q1IjOGARQG7iBVbPuN7JpWulo5zI/s640/IMG_8053.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is pinker in person. a latge jar of xanthoria fermenting.</td></tr>
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With baby monitor and coffee in hand, I feel both spacey and giddy but I get down to business. There's no time for staring off into space wondering how I should get started. </div>
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I soak my yarn. Clean a pot for the cota. Fill the pot with water. Set it onto the heat. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC-_pleB79tvDsUBhd83MuVC0rwbgllotKgn6hfmGM2D_QTb5_U32DGwKPf_PoUMX0jzhI81i74TeOzpWJgRmO4GwN0ta2BTGL3ZhqE4os3uG83x_UrHT9qXqcxfvOr3XEbu3aEFN8Tw/s1600/IMG_8057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC-_pleB79tvDsUBhd83MuVC0rwbgllotKgn6hfmGM2D_QTb5_U32DGwKPf_PoUMX0jzhI81i74TeOzpWJgRmO4GwN0ta2BTGL3ZhqE4os3uG83x_UrHT9qXqcxfvOr3XEbu3aEFN8Tw/s640/IMG_8057.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaz0B1J-AfN0-bkqAsHziDZtKZ44_h6v9C-PuKt6xIw9nR_aoKOK1cIBrIdBnorEYSDvZNtAZtCjXj3I4UNvexFnsh2IkooiHVXggefLadaTR03NAJnm4Emhf6xZVUoudWb1tn-E8P-8/s1600/IMG_8060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaz0B1J-AfN0-bkqAsHziDZtKZ44_h6v9C-PuKt6xIw9nR_aoKOK1cIBrIdBnorEYSDvZNtAZtCjXj3I4UNvexFnsh2IkooiHVXggefLadaTR03NAJnm4Emhf6xZVUoudWb1tn-E8P-8/s640/IMG_8060.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I start my fermented indigo vat. </div>
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Grind the madder root. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKU9Gp_wQHC70fJU-iFvFoYunbliF236Y6FmhhahuIZSiUzIzdz8CDu1kK6zIHIxjpQitWZAbCeKLMLqpgeIsoR4vgws8XRXSsW9Jc6jAzpG2FvjzE0fAIUiW8jS8Cf2Oy3sREyxg9fw/s1600/IMG_8066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKU9Gp_wQHC70fJU-iFvFoYunbliF236Y6FmhhahuIZSiUzIzdz8CDu1kK6zIHIxjpQitWZAbCeKLMLqpgeIsoR4vgws8XRXSsW9Jc6jAzpG2FvjzE0fAIUiW8jS8Cf2Oy3sREyxg9fw/s640/IMG_8066.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Weigh out my ingredients with the help of an <a href="http://www.aurorasilk.com/tutorials/how_to_natural_indigo_dye_vat.html" target="_blank">Aurora Silks tutorial</a> on a natural indigo fermentation vat. Which I've been dreaming about doing since 2011 ever since my neighbor who passed said loom onto me told me about this recipe. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_R5eal2eFaur7z07MvXKqnduEHGUsZpAM99BPBvR3tFv9oQ3XvZR7Aidvwn111KoxdAj23MTXuWi5oJclOH18uPRqxqdcxZ-R-4148MNtaKEcND57qrUXvtY4mceEUilCGWIgVKUHY4/s1600/IMG_8068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_R5eal2eFaur7z07MvXKqnduEHGUsZpAM99BPBvR3tFv9oQ3XvZR7Aidvwn111KoxdAj23MTXuWi5oJclOH18uPRqxqdcxZ-R-4148MNtaKEcND57qrUXvtY4mceEUilCGWIgVKUHY4/s640/IMG_8068.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mZsYaTF13GHiOBkpmGzAFAEzUSw07FDfsSIB8bWKz-NqfjIOF1Z9P9lps7WRk5ThA6Lu_W3VKmnZR0vO0M3piyu7xRA-VgjntAZKR2r48OZVCDlY4hAtxaLJ-MzOZx-RHuxGUEoCcVc/s1600/IMG_8069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mZsYaTF13GHiOBkpmGzAFAEzUSw07FDfsSIB8bWKz-NqfjIOF1Z9P9lps7WRk5ThA6Lu_W3VKmnZR0vO0M3piyu7xRA-VgjntAZKR2r48OZVCDlY4hAtxaLJ-MzOZx-RHuxGUEoCcVc/s640/IMG_8069.jpg" width="574" /></a></div>
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I'm really excited about this and I have it set up in my house with a box lined with foil and our chick light. </div>
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Here's hoping! </div>
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I'm just starting to feel a soothing flow of creative energy and concentration when it happens. </div>
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A squawk and a cry. </div>
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A grunt and a coo. </div>
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He's awake. </div>
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It's been 30 minutes. </div>
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My heart sinks. </div>
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I breath and gather myself for accepting what is. </div>
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This moment. </div>
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I wait a few more minutes. </div>
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Organize, straighten. </div>
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Turn off the burner. Head inside. </div>
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I pause in his doorway and see he's still in his resting position, on his belly, with arms and legs tucked under him, like a frog. </div>
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I wait, looking at him. I realize he's pooping. </div>
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And I can see he also wants to sleep. </div>
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Poor thing. </div>
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I head in anyway.</div>
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We start our process of hugs, change, tickles, play, breakfast, nap. </div>
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He goes down like a champ. I'm scattered even more then before but I see my window of open opportunity and I charge forward. </div>
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After his next nap, we take a walk.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatCiV5MJ1aGfWH5WgAFimLx2ANsZxvzcoOwqAjFs28i8fMJQPO-VmVfxafrITumnZvuyZjzc5AAA1CXf_myjccbbZDURWrXsc57GfdzFiOan9aSqN-205HiW5DQyla9CuiT8cpvplXUk/s1600/IMG_8062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatCiV5MJ1aGfWH5WgAFimLx2ANsZxvzcoOwqAjFs28i8fMJQPO-VmVfxafrITumnZvuyZjzc5AAA1CXf_myjccbbZDURWrXsc57GfdzFiOan9aSqN-205HiW5DQyla9CuiT8cpvplXUk/s640/IMG_8062.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As short as it was getting outside, it made all the difference for both of us. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNWgE7DS1Dqvmq4-6eXmjDA1yAUKUJGNrMiJerv4Hi7NsyyqwYAKMPXBsQ6Dxp9IlfBXtH8Dc9eju9w3ApFAM1eoEiOWPnrTzGjepMvOvt-Jvi21O6TH_FYKIFjuZ8kGLQIgpii4-Wus/s1600/IMG_8061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNWgE7DS1Dqvmq4-6eXmjDA1yAUKUJGNrMiJerv4Hi7NsyyqwYAKMPXBsQ6Dxp9IlfBXtH8Dc9eju9w3ApFAM1eoEiOWPnrTzGjepMvOvt-Jvi21O6TH_FYKIFjuZ8kGLQIgpii4-Wus/s640/IMG_8061.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It is so easy to forget that our little humans really doesn't need much. Not like we do. </div>
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I'm an over thinker by nature but this guy is teaching me to just dive in, stay present, and to be better organized. </div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-70856495295722669172016-01-25T13:20:00.000-05:002016-01-25T13:20:18.072-05:00Spinning Progress and a sneak peak for the next Maine Fiber Issue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Progress. </div>
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It's such a beautiful thing. </div>
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Especially with a little one at my feet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vnKS3z0jw-K_zDPrB57I2RiFcTej1gRTDRNcwwW_6kDSrk0PVFyLu8KSbof1QsAblNiMO_C9n1vWDEKy0VmsTBx3B8mf2Noh6Q2OFvBtonNfRJmiDh8XFi21-861AMBCFZqTaNHzuv8/s1600/IMG_7636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vnKS3z0jw-K_zDPrB57I2RiFcTej1gRTDRNcwwW_6kDSrk0PVFyLu8KSbof1QsAblNiMO_C9n1vWDEKy0VmsTBx3B8mf2Noh6Q2OFvBtonNfRJmiDh8XFi21-861AMBCFZqTaNHzuv8/s640/IMG_7636.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I've some how managed to finished my white Navajo Churro fleece in the space of 2 weeks. </div>
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I will have 7 skeins of single, woolen spun, aran weight, and 2 double plied, bulky, extra large skeins available dyed in various plants- some of which will be with New Mexican foraged plants I dried and brought home. Like Cota, or Navajo Tea which will yield light to medium earthy orange. I cannot wait!!</div>
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I promptly started in on the grey Navajo Churro fleece I bought from <a href="http://www.handweavers.com/" target="_blank">Tierra Wools</a> in Los Ojos, New Mexico. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7izuS2aEtV4Kz3WZZx7I_NewewGsq1RZu9DYJbkPlowWZ46eo6jvW2QH_7zI1Q9jH28hEF0OzHd8hJX64CX2Ft9tzySQZNfmLlq6DtMDcbWyAB9lUWSmtmCyFVucW97k8kXkRCzRWmY/s1600/IMG_7722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7izuS2aEtV4Kz3WZZx7I_NewewGsq1RZu9DYJbkPlowWZ46eo6jvW2QH_7zI1Q9jH28hEF0OzHd8hJX64CX2Ft9tzySQZNfmLlq6DtMDcbWyAB9lUWSmtmCyFVucW97k8kXkRCzRWmY/s640/IMG_7722.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I L O V E spinning this fleece sooooooooooooooo much. </div>
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It's a larger size, the guard hairs are slightly softer and slightly less then the white fleece. </div>
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And there is tons of long ultra soft wool, still with a bit of lanolin. </div>
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I was hoping I could finish up this fleece by the end of this month, that's 7 days left. However, as of right now I have 11, 4 oz batts to spin. If I spin one a day and add a few extras on a few days, I can do it. We'll see. When I spin my single aran weight yarns though, I can fill a bobbin in about 40 minutes. </div>
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In addition to all this spinning and staying home with my 7 month old love, I've been working on the issue of <a href="http://northernjourneysmagazine.com/index.html" target="_blank">Northern Journeys Magazine</a> for my <i>Your Maine Fiber Connection </i>column. Which will be out on April 1st. If you do not live in Maine, you can follow my link above to read the online edition. </div>
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Northern Journeys Magazine is a free quarterly all arts publication. </div>
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For this next issue I've interviewed the Cumberland County 4H Wool Breeders Group AND Nancy and Al of <a href="http://www.newaimfibermill.com/" target="_blank">New Aim Farm and Mill in Waldoboro. </a></div>
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In this section there will also be a seasonal plant dye recipe and a calendar of fiber events coming up. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzYqmsAHlWU8O3ds3LiWzJm0z-I_TAUgJh6qOFZPt5-kQFFM9TVIokyzdWCjvEjuUjXZ2xEEIJK8OKHIOnFbjJ-Biu-wIPc62RCnfrEDuxnmDcClDLgYpgrfGeFWafeMxO0DjZU4oZMQ/s1600/IMG_7704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzYqmsAHlWU8O3ds3LiWzJm0z-I_TAUgJh6qOFZPt5-kQFFM9TVIokyzdWCjvEjuUjXZ2xEEIJK8OKHIOnFbjJ-Biu-wIPc62RCnfrEDuxnmDcClDLgYpgrfGeFWafeMxO0DjZU4oZMQ/s640/IMG_7704.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flock at New Aim Farm and Mill, California Variegated Mutant Sheep</td></tr>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-18680822009646022972016-01-05T08:50:00.001-05:002016-01-05T08:50:37.454-05:00Finally! Spinning Season Is Here; a white Navajo Churro Fleece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I fall more and more in love with this fleece every time I work with it. </div>
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As I really should, as I did spent a number of obsessive hours de-hairing it. </div>
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By hand. </div>
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Purchased from a farmer named Pat, I met him at the Albuquerque State Fair last year in September. </div>
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I was determined to find a white Navajo Churro fleece to bring home. </div>
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Pat was standing outside the sheep tent with three sheep in a small demonstration pen and a fleece on the ground. </div>
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My husband and I inquired about the fleece, we chatted for a while and we discovered that we both knew Peter Haggerty of <a href="http://www.peacefleece.com/thestory.htm" target="_blank">Peace Fleece</a> and I knew that this was the right place to buy my fleece. </div>
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And it turned out it was the only place to buy a churro fleece at the state fair. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLot31cnzy6K1lUjymwL_uCQuPtKHtFospjXf6PmR9u1BDiloaIgX3Fp2EWAvEq4OyMtPfHfyIGasmekWSP91Whj7F6I1sFtxsTU6XVJoQDRAlLHosVVDTffBGTTRlLfIBrFOJ44fco/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLot31cnzy6K1lUjymwL_uCQuPtKHtFospjXf6PmR9u1BDiloaIgX3Fp2EWAvEq4OyMtPfHfyIGasmekWSP91Whj7F6I1sFtxsTU6XVJoQDRAlLHosVVDTffBGTTRlLfIBrFOJ44fco/s640/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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I brought it back to our vacation rental, skirted, washed it in small batches then we shipped it home. This is the first time I've worked with a churro fleece. I worried a little bit that it would be too wiry or coarse but I'm quite pleased as it has a soft springy sometimes downy spongy texture. I just can't wait to dye it with the <a href="http://santafebotanicalgarden.org/july-2012/" target="_blank">cota</a> that I both collected and purchased, which gives a beautiful orange. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEpI_xkdZU8uPTUlOsdodEG5G0OFrnUYI6n4eg-5l3lZDZtwQcmwpTgL3gg94n0AcS-CE8H9UPJ_4zacJfwmHYeHkBB7KcEHqKqOqD-7h7ENGCzbk38ZQZMvhpTjvVtD7ZtxejjmSXSE/s640/blogger-image--1895527364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEpI_xkdZU8uPTUlOsdodEG5G0OFrnUYI6n4eg-5l3lZDZtwQcmwpTgL3gg94n0AcS-CE8H9UPJ_4zacJfwmHYeHkBB7KcEHqKqOqD-7h7ENGCzbk38ZQZMvhpTjvVtD7ZtxejjmSXSE/s640/blogger-image--1895527364.jpg" /></a><br />
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This summer as my newborn was still in his super sleepy stage and sleeping through everything, he'd nap next to me in his Moses Basket on the porch in 70 degree weather as I worked on this first skeins, which I ended up plying.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPXFyLJZqfFU6CE6otInkRuKno8khOOpVL0ErnrUZoYwTS2TWLg1EVyAYN9WlIQVI7t-k6K5JcJT4x-8L5EtFlEp4YlBqVL1Vck8kpSysUXyqmYWr_46uIgrNfAtzmAxQOywpw3mNM84/s1600/IMG_6629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPXFyLJZqfFU6CE6otInkRuKno8khOOpVL0ErnrUZoYwTS2TWLg1EVyAYN9WlIQVI7t-k6K5JcJT4x-8L5EtFlEp4YlBqVL1Vck8kpSysUXyqmYWr_46uIgrNfAtzmAxQOywpw3mNM84/s640/IMG_6629.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll be spending the next 6 months or so spinning every chance I get.</div>
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I do have about 7-8 fleeces I'd like to get through. </div>
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3 huge ones, and I think 4 very small ones, like 1 pounders. </div>
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Despite what someone said to me when she saw me piling up fleeces at the Fiber Frolic when I was about 5 days from giving birth; </div>
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"YOU WON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" </div>
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Yes, I do have a baby now to care for and he will always come first. </div>
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Also, I have myself to care for and if I don't make time to spin, I simply can't be.</div>
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So, watch me lady. </div>
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If your a new parent or a seasoned parent, just remember, it's ok to do things for yourself too, and often. When we give our selves joy by creating moments and asking for help, or simply folding our children into the mix of what we are wanting to do, it can feed everyone emotionally. </div>
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So, despite my having "no time" I'm also committing to sharing a post here once a week of my spinning progress and any other adventures and projects that might happen. </div>
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Sharing makes me happy. </div>
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p.s. Oh! I forgot to mention my new (old) loom!! More on that next time. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-74219588561746898062015-12-11T11:20:00.002-05:002015-12-11T11:20:46.605-05:00A little wreath making<div style="text-align: center;">
For years I've wanted to make my own wreaths.</div>
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I think it started when my older sister introduced me to this little shop in our home town called Welch Farm. It is unfortunately no longer open. It was a sweet farm store that had a room dedicated to just items made from dried flowers and other rustic style decorations. </div>
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We fell in love with these wreaths made just of dried blushing pink hydrangeas. My sister gave me one for Christmas or a housewarming present, I can't remember. </div>
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I loved this wreath and even though it was so fragile, it always moved with me adorning my front door or my bedroom door from apartment to apartment.</div>
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If someone would brush against this wreath, I'd hold my breath and clench my fists trying not to scream. </div>
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It did finally kick the bucket though when it got acceidenly crushed during a move. </div>
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I was so sad but knew it had a longer run than I thought it would. </div>
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Ever since that time I've had a little bug to make my own wreaths out of other natural materials that I love.<br />
Like these muscle shells from the beach just a few minutes walk from my house.<br />
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I collected them last April intending to make one for my son's room.<br />
I have always loved this classic blue of the sea etched into these shells that scatter the Maine coast.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggCJ06ef3l4sd2wCc9NZXfjvtykObnzZAgmZMaDf4Gn62WUcTP_-E7KMoYu7b7vrti6HCHKH9JiDKNS8HUfOwrqb1a6WKNMiEj-inokSWqBP6HUbO4V9PHKMCQkWhsir5Uc-Wb6xLWog/s1600/IMG_6997.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggCJ06ef3l4sd2wCc9NZXfjvtykObnzZAgmZMaDf4Gn62WUcTP_-E7KMoYu7b7vrti6HCHKH9JiDKNS8HUfOwrqb1a6WKNMiEj-inokSWqBP6HUbO4V9PHKMCQkWhsir5Uc-Wb6xLWog/s640/IMG_6997.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I used a $5.00 grapevine wreath from JoAnn Fabrics and a hot glue gun. I realized I had to sift through my pile to fine ones that were basicly the same the size and all going the same way. Because with mucsle shells there is a top and a bottom. Or a right and a left. Depending on howyou look at it.<br />
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I also wanted to make some winter wearths for all four of our door. Three for our house and one for my studio door. Everything in these wreaths I also found at JoAnn's. Though I realized that next time, I'm going to search for things on my property that have fallen on the ground.<br />
I have a special spot in my heart for songbirds, especially cardinals. And lichens. And pine trees. The little trees and birds are not meant for outdoor decoriation, but I didn't care. I'll see how long they all last when our snow comes. In the spring I'll make something different. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">studio door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all four together,<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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So many years have passed when I don't do any holiday or seasonal crafts/ activities and then I get really bummed out because I didn't plan or I was too busy. Making time to do things like this right around Thanksgiving really gets me in the spirit. </div>
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Now, if only I can find time to make some salt ornaments....</div>
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What crafts put you in the mood for the holidays? </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-48745904500941822982015-12-04T09:32:00.000-05:002015-12-04T09:49:02.397-05:00Journey of a Yarn; the rainbow cap<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">5 years ago, my sister was expecting her 3rd baby. She asked me to create some of my rainbow yarn for a blanket. Her oldest, 4 then and with healing chicken pox, came over to spend the day with me and help prepare this special yarn for her future baby brother. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I had the best day planned with my niece. It was filled with grilled cheese, tomato soup, and sharing my favorite Irish movie, Secret of Roan Inish. I just had to run to the store before hand to pick up the goodies. However, as I was leaving, my car died about 5 feet after I started driving. I then went carless for 2 years. It certainly made life more interesting but that's a story for another time. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I loved doing this project with my niece as it's really kid friendly and even though she wasn't feeling her best, she was so into it. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">For the yarn, my sister requested mixed Bluefaced Leicester with silk which you can find here, my favorite local fiber shop, Portfiber. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I love working with this fiber so much. With the grey and the silk mixed in, whatever you use for dye, it always looks so beautiful because of the multi textures. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Dyeing rainbows is a lot of fun to do with roving. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">And because I wanted a very specific color placement, I used jars, which some call space dyeing. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I think I dyed 8 oz or more. I may have dyed the roving in batches if that were the case. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">For the dyes I used 1 Kool-Aid packet of each:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">cherry</span></div>
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<span class="s1">orange</span></div>
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<span class="s1">yellow rite dye- the lemonade doesn't give a strong yellow</span></div>
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<span class="s1">lime</span></div>
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<span class="s1">blue raspberry lemonade- be careful here. make sure the picture on the package shows a blue pitcher and not red!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">and grape</span></div>
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<span class="s1">oh! and strawberry sometimes to get that nice gradient inbetween the red and purple. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I let my roving soak for a few hours. If it were just wool, it would have been 30 minutes or so. But silk takes much longer to absorb water. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Lucy dumped each packet into the jars. With the yellow, I only sprinkled in a little bit because the pigment is so strong. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With a tea kettle filled with just boiled water, I filled each jar about half way full. Lucy stuffed the roving in. I helped her by telling her when to stop stuffing so to keep the roving equal in each jar. I them topped each jar off with more water and with the end of a wooden spoon, she poked around each jar until the wool was completely submerged. We fiddled with each one to make sure color was swimming around the wool. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After about half and hour- I don't like to wait longer than that because the wool soaks up the color so fast. I scooted the wool from each jar over into the next jar by about 2 inches so that as each color ends, it slightly bleeds into the next. This also gives you beautiful color gradiation. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">That's really all there is to it! I typically let these set for a day or until there is no colored liquid left. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To make it go even faster, try this outside on a very sunny hot day and leave them in the sun. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The red/cherry you can usually use again because there is so much pigment there (can you believe we used to drink this?!) With the purple, there will be blue color left which I always find amusing. But with the other colors, they usually get soaked up all the way. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once done dyeing, I gently pull up all the roving, squeeze and let soak in a room temperture bath, with a tiny bit of wool washing soap, like orvis paste. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I then hang it dry. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once dry fully, I prepare for spinning. Because I wanted a long color repeat, I gently pulled the roving apart length wise so that I have continuous long pencil roving that started with red and ends with purple(or pink). Preparing your roving this way, makes it very easy to keep your spinning even. There is very little drafting you need to do and you can just let it flow from your fingers into a soft single. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once the yarn was spun, I wound it onto my knitty knotty (skein maker) and soaked it again (like I did for the roving). It helps set the twist of the yarn. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">My sister made a few items with this yarn and a little bit she had left over, went into a little cap for her middle child who is now 6. She recently passed that cap onto me for my baby. It was far to big for R's new head. So I frogged it, soaked the yarn again to get the knitted kinks out and started knitting a new hat for my babe. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It took me 5 tries to get just the right fit. I've knit a ton of hats but hardly even knit baby hats. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Living on an island with the wind we get, it was very important for me that he had a solid hat that covered his ears. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I loved making this so much.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And you know what?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It still smells like Koolade!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And I love how this yarn has made it back to us in this full circle that's seen so much love between our two families. </span></div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-49597536977942670092015-11-25T14:24:00.000-05:002015-11-25T14:24:10.235-05:00New Shop Items, Baby Socks, and a Fiber Column <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've just have too many thoughts swimming around up here to get organized properly.<br />Or at least like I used to. </div>
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Days of spending endless hours creating and writing are over. </div>
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Or at least on hold, for a long while. </div>
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But that's ok. I've got a human to raise and cuddle and love and just be with. </div>
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Motherhood is a crazy time warp spent swimming through diapers, cuddles, and every emotion. </div>
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And being a new mom whose life has been spent creating has its special challenages and highlights. </div>
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My good friend, Casey recently told me about the podcast On Being with Krista Tippet. In particular <a href="http://www.onbeing.org/program/ann-hamilton-making-and-the-spaces-we-share/6147">this episode with Ann Hamilton</a>. I loved the last question of the interview about balancing motherhood and creating. </div>
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I had had a particular crappy week with teething issues with our 5 month old. </div>
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The concept of balance has always eluded me. </div>
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That is until however I heard the Ann's answer. </div>
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I then started to feel differently. </div>
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Thoughts mainly consisting of:</div>
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Nothing is written stone.</div>
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Lower my expectations for myself and for my baby's routine.</div>
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Sink in deeper and cuddle more.</div>
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Put off that project if it's not working. Let it breath, think about it, come back to it. </div>
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The response Ann had to how she keeps her balance invloves looking at everything, from her art work, to making soup for her sick child, to whatever needs to come next- as all one big project. </div>
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What I took away from it was</div>
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L E T A L L O F I T B E YOUR W O R K </div>
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the laundry</div>
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the meals</div>
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the playing</div>
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the relaxing</div>
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the creating</div>
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And for me the word <b>work </b>isn't a negative one. But rather filled with privilege, meditation, graditude, hope, shelter, color, nourishment, entertainment, therapy. </div>
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This past week, my heart has felt new aches for the world that it hasn't felt in a very long time. </div>
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I've been reminded to be thankful all over again for the rhythm we've created in our family, the environment we live in and to remember to look up at strangers to smile, say hello, or even give a compliment. To just slow down and notice. </div>
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So, to let all of it, my work, to be part of one project that is never ending. </div>
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Doesn't it make sense? Because laundry and meals and general care of our selves and our child is not suppose to have an end. Neither should our creating. Or interacting with one another. </div>
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I used to think I needed (and sometimes I still do) so much clear head space to get settled into a creating rhythm. But I also realized that part of my creating rhythm needs to include prepping and cleaning materials and making lists or steps and documenting- it's really endless what needs to go into creating. </div>
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All this has come about for me with the approach of winter. I've been remembering that at the beginning of last year, I was writing and creating a dye tutorial once a week or this space to share. I miss my dyeing desperately and hope to get to it when I can. But in the mean time, I'd like get back to my once a week posting and share whatever I've been working on for the week. When I decided to do this, I was reminded that Damn! I make a lot! Despite the broken hours and stranded projects and misplaced ideas I have at 4am. I'm still creating!</div>
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For <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers?ref=hdr_shop_menu">my shop</a>, new Holiday themed project bags. I love making these so much. </div>
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I am a fat quarters hound. I visit a fabric store and I immediately start looking for stacks of fat quarters. I found these sweeties at <a href="http://www.zfabric.com/">Z Fabrics</a> in Portland, Maine. I've also been taking a weekly sewing class there working on garments. I love it so so much. I've completed 2 so far that I'll share later.</div>
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I often have several knitting projects on the needles and I love keeping them tidy and clean and in a to go mode. I never know what I'll want to work on while on the boat and on car trips. </div>
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Sewing up fat quarters and adding a simple ribbon or lace at the top to create a simple size bag and an easy to open and close bag. </div>
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I couldn't resist these prints. And I really enjoy adding to my project bag collection every season. </div>
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My little one has been growing faster than I can blink- as babies do. He's just over 5 months now and growing out of his soft stretchy new born Old Navy socks. Though I can't believe how long they've lasted. Babies grow in funny ways. Our guy has been growing long and fast but it wasn't until last month or so that he started growing out ward much faster than before. </div>
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I've had a few balls of my hand spun Irish Texel and fermented lichen dyed yarn hanging out in my stash for a while now from experiments I did <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2015/01/dyeing-with-4-lichens-from-3-corners-of.html">here</a> last year. You can also read about my whole process for lichen dyes there. </div>
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For this little sock pattern that I improvised, for the starting point I used the pattern from a book in my home library, Last Minute Knitted Gifts, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/angora-baby-booties">Angora Baby Booties</a>. </div>
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I've made countless pairs of these booties and they are so much fun to make. I tried the base of this pattern with my thick and chunky handspun. The only adjustment I made was continuing to knit up the leg and adding a few rows of rib stitch. I tried to make my bind off nice and loose and stretchy but it didn't happen. Resulting in making it kind of hard to get the socks on his chubby feet. I found instead it worked to fold over the rib edge and get them on that way! He wears them that way too. And usually stay on for a quite a while. </div>
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My latest endevor involves venturing more into my home state of Maine exploring and sharing Maine's fiber happenings through a new media outlet known as <a href="http://northernjourneysmagazine.com/" target="_blank">Northern Journeys Magazine</a>. A quartley publication that was created by Jason Thomas nearly 20 years ago in Idaho. You can read more about it on their website. I will be a contributing columnist for each edition for the </div>
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<i>Your Maine Fiber Connection.</i></div>
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In the first edition, I share my own fiber journey. The online edition will be live soon. </div>
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I somehow was able to complete this post around a feeding and getting a pumpkin in the oven and feeding myself!</div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-86503629259343143572015-10-15T09:10:00.000-04:002015-10-15T09:13:24.883-04:00Fiber Prep Season; for the love of the process<div style="text-align: center;">
I just love this time of year.</div>
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The cooler weather, the leaves changing, the goldenrod still lingering, and wearing layers. </div>
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It's also the time of year I pull out my acquired fleeces and go to town. </div>
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Since I went full time with <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers?ref=hdr_shop_menu">my yarn making business</a> two years ago, I've also been in the process of tweaking and streamlining my entire process. </div>
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Turns out I have a thing for lining up several projects at once and building up such a momentum it feels almost meditative. </div>
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It may seem danuting but breaking it all up into little bits, it's quite managable and simple. </div>
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In this age of Etsy's new guidlines of allowing outsourcing and now most recently Amazon Handmade, I continue to stick my toes further into the sand in order to stand up for what I believe in when it comes to a creator's creative integrity. </div>
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I've also just recently (and finally) added a much needed tag line to my business title </div>
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44 Clovers</div>
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: <i>heritage yarns; hand spun & plant dyed </i>:</div>
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Why "heritage" you might ask? </div>
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To me, the word heritage stems from age old traditions and techniques and processes that I hold very dear to my heart. </div>
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When I started spinning 15 years ago (this month!) I had been wanting to do so as a way to bond with the past when it came to textiles. </div>
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Since then I have worked with all kinds of textiles especially fibers when it comes to spinning and I found I started to ask the questions of "where did this wool come from?" "where was it grown?" "Who worked on and took care of this animal?" The more I asked myself these questions and went seeking, the more I ended up being drawn towards raw fleece which I can easily find in my surrounding communities.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMjLstcl3wfnZJAf1JKBag3um636bNdDVzaUa8B2_-zc0S1tyUbQCR9JMXpBtO6OR1DQKUkKpBcBzrQspdsPKWeISneZPS84OmBTXxkjE9WgF_gLITUAiEU2G2vz9awK_3DBUCMWSLUs/s1600/IMG_6360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMjLstcl3wfnZJAf1JKBag3um636bNdDVzaUa8B2_-zc0S1tyUbQCR9JMXpBtO6OR1DQKUkKpBcBzrQspdsPKWeISneZPS84OmBTXxkjE9WgF_gLITUAiEU2G2vz9awK_3DBUCMWSLUs/s640/IMG_6360.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">skirting a white shetland fleece</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bYYsuFvNfFXYRjpFokw4TryQmJYa7Wu0hPlco2zyeECJ2QUercBfiO8j2xs_yQ6Q-2qFXuKDm3-FdKRg155tqDCYtV0PyTeZ7c-8fSW5UPGsXzsMAaL-Oz1ZNIJ0M-cSN8rjZ-Cslis/s1600/IMG_6355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bYYsuFvNfFXYRjpFokw4TryQmJYa7Wu0hPlco2zyeECJ2QUercBfiO8j2xs_yQ6Q-2qFXuKDm3-FdKRg155tqDCYtV0PyTeZ7c-8fSW5UPGsXzsMAaL-Oz1ZNIJ0M-cSN8rjZ-Cslis/s640/IMG_6355.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shetland before the wash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8Tc91Jia-j7UatI3ghPA5RTVbafHNiTyQlhOdxpvguOyxVpK3sP0QLgf7cUqM4V7H1mhxyFyMv8prrtrim0d2O87AFDhCDByRZ1upzQgnUYj0GMCcIaH5SaIIe2a72M88AEQc4xEayc/s1600/IMG_6356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8Tc91Jia-j7UatI3ghPA5RTVbafHNiTyQlhOdxpvguOyxVpK3sP0QLgf7cUqM4V7H1mhxyFyMv8prrtrim0d2O87AFDhCDByRZ1upzQgnUYj0GMCcIaH5SaIIe2a72M88AEQc4xEayc/s640/IMG_6356.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love using my double kitchen sinks, a scoop of orvis paste, and the hottest water from the tap for gentle soaking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE5-Hi7Wg7b0Y7ybyrQrgmHUPo7o3kZi2SLSl-b6Pl9B2u9u6VstaSPT2qxgMm02ytH2n6rmBQ7pDBIAUZ19xPoibLgBvlfhjuxanZof3FwZx7A1JETWOIL94mharVftj74X_qyhfejg/s1600/IMG_6359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE5-Hi7Wg7b0Y7ybyrQrgmHUPo7o3kZi2SLSl-b6Pl9B2u9u6VstaSPT2qxgMm02ytH2n6rmBQ7pDBIAUZ19xPoibLgBvlfhjuxanZof3FwZx7A1JETWOIL94mharVftj74X_qyhfejg/s640/IMG_6359.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shetland came out<br />
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A few weekends ago I was taking advantage of the warmer weather by skirting, drying and carding my fleeces on the front porch. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRO0aD7zDKwWNE74yfcAxr1OxxRz7Ff2M3-cFf2EXz8vYNxucFrGAvk2rb1sHV2ow7CLj5A4locEaQWOvevtUuemhBMAh-4o-MVGj791a-Ei7eEYcM07JpQn50b0uFkkVsqw90XcQ9AlM/s1600/IMG_6361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRO0aD7zDKwWNE74yfcAxr1OxxRz7Ff2M3-cFf2EXz8vYNxucFrGAvk2rb1sHV2ow7CLj5A4locEaQWOvevtUuemhBMAh-4o-MVGj791a-Ei7eEYcM07JpQn50b0uFkkVsqw90XcQ9AlM/s640/IMG_6361.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">skirting a finn fleece</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZe8m3s4MfHFIo3BmW68ZiQhFx03nVR_wxU7Y0x2_SJjgqw0c4Ub0Y2-8v_LjrM_pOMMQiethmOmnnWYuRzAk0Yvcd2JE7VXJ5rgBlO0BgBF155IEOUHrXYIJgyM-1U71WlqQdHT5HiQ/s1600/IMG_6363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZe8m3s4MfHFIo3BmW68ZiQhFx03nVR_wxU7Y0x2_SJjgqw0c4Ub0Y2-8v_LjrM_pOMMQiethmOmnnWYuRzAk0Yvcd2JE7VXJ5rgBlO0BgBF155IEOUHrXYIJgyM-1U71WlqQdHT5HiQ/s640/IMG_6363.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">carding a scottish black face fleece</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFOeMzjUnNBP6bapAcnhw0IyYKaLzQgbdrvOJFTfWtB_2PxtFbboNM4zhWl99vKGL4rt6DCjOHwPLmtjjj0seEhtS-ZTLjItE_nKMNCeMy0xJmkXl9cAWhri03_ePxwKLpeSXlvInvyY/s1600/IMG_6332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFOeMzjUnNBP6bapAcnhw0IyYKaLzQgbdrvOJFTfWtB_2PxtFbboNM4zhWl99vKGL4rt6DCjOHwPLmtjjj0seEhtS-ZTLjItE_nKMNCeMy0xJmkXl9cAWhri03_ePxwKLpeSXlvInvyY/s640/IMG_6332.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">spinning and plying my first skein of white new mexican churro wool<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So far I've managed to get all fleeces washed and two carded.<br />Once all is carded I'll be ready to settle in for the winter to spin in front of the fire.<br />Then just like Fredrick, I can dream about the colors they will be come spring. </span></td></tr>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-46184922902885609772015-09-29T10:28:00.000-04:002015-09-29T10:28:03.864-04:00Finding My Feet; life with baby and wool<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">For the past 3 months, my life has been all about establishing routines. Something I find very grounding. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our babe has quickly become a 3 month old. And I know next time I blink, he'll be a 4 month old. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I have been loving every bit of figuring out motherhood and forming a family.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I've also been learning that raising a baby and working with wool, go so nicely together. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Lately I've been thinking a lot about and missing showing up to this space to share my work. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we figure out routines, care for, play with, and generally stare at our baby waiting for him to wake up (which is happening right now), I've been wanting to show up here but also feeling too scattered to do so in a way that feels right to me. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">But this past Friday I was given the gift of time to travel on my own up tp the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine as my husband took charge of our R. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It was blissful and I was giddy as I moved through the fair with an energy I don't quite remember happening since long before I was pregnant.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once there, I bee lined it for the fleece tent and people in there must of thought I was nuts as I darted around with my cart looking at every single fleece. I smooshed 5 fleeces into my cart to open up and decide upon. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I went home with 4. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">On the way out, I found this dye garden with a weaving project in the middle. Dream dye garden. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCX6o-iCjvvuhzCU5ngzdyUVlwhbvyE-7KqKuLkI3APQ8Ng2XNyj-GZV5_E5m-d5XpWtN0z9wuCxIAkoWxgyGhxY6KmqHAIk0lSs3tkt1InOel9ZqLZ5nGvkFUaUtxuoFzIByzm9IaR4/s1600/IMG_6354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCX6o-iCjvvuhzCU5ngzdyUVlwhbvyE-7KqKuLkI3APQ8Ng2XNyj-GZV5_E5m-d5XpWtN0z9wuCxIAkoWxgyGhxY6KmqHAIk0lSs3tkt1InOel9ZqLZ5nGvkFUaUtxuoFzIByzm9IaR4/s640/IMG_6354.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dye garden by the wednesday spinners. very inspiring for my soon to be dye garden.</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">I was so so pleased with the fleeces I found. Three of which are from Eolian Farm~ a brown/ grey finn and 2 very light grey/ very light tan shetlands. And a beautiful brown icelandic from another grower- name is escaping me at the moment. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The following day I started my fiber prep process. This fleece is also from Eolian Farm that I purchased this past June at the Fiber Frolic. I was way too pregnant to do any prep- then my water broke one week later. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I soak my skirted fleeces in a my double sinks. Giving them several baths until the water is clear.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFfIOPAnS5lpyeBJ0hBc1orixKrSR7L25o8O-FBSVVXrkP5tCZ8Yy_vWeU2ktMMHvfmxlYJrRW0eYJeb94gWh1laVFscibnS6Xv5zwvuJTxQCx6qxhGWEy2J1Q6HZRw0gmZplLjVMGE4/s1600/IMG_6357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFfIOPAnS5lpyeBJ0hBc1orixKrSR7L25o8O-FBSVVXrkP5tCZ8Yy_vWeU2ktMMHvfmxlYJrRW0eYJeb94gWh1laVFscibnS6Xv5zwvuJTxQCx6qxhGWEy2J1Q6HZRw0gmZplLjVMGE4/s640/IMG_6357.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbTYkFEwcyC_wxTEYynMOPM5EfRnHCBIhpATGR0lzcBhvt9e2EnJzjyJBunsutydfvqh_XZvKhQp69hvAHjX9zqgYg1IL6x0GPnJ3B1Ulh_UL7vR-qZRCbvovoo1RvhNBU_dtaIgHGXY/s1600/IMG_6359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbTYkFEwcyC_wxTEYynMOPM5EfRnHCBIhpATGR0lzcBhvt9e2EnJzjyJBunsutydfvqh_XZvKhQp69hvAHjX9zqgYg1IL6x0GPnJ3B1Ulh_UL7vR-qZRCbvovoo1RvhNBU_dtaIgHGXY/s640/IMG_6359.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Just look how snow white that comes out!!! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I use Orvis paste for the soap. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Washing fleece is really easy and you can even have little ones help. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I fill up my sinks, or you can use basins or bowls, what ever size. I found I'm able to fit a pound of fleece in one sink. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I fill it up with the hottest water from the tap, shut off the water, add a scoop of orvis paste (I found mine on amazon), stir it around, sink the fleece in- dirty tips down if your able. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Let sit for a few hours to over night. I'm impatient though and I only let mine for for a few hours and then change the water. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EFJ_Ia5ErspU6PtbaMfgXXfwN_kxsm3aqEICzATy-pUFq9gonp4bo-xDqZtlzhEAqG9txca6K1FyA07RQ-4yVTJAZHVjA7hcZtxu2Nn-i1TxzutF0oj8LNKn7_NL_1tY5nHz7P7IHBo/s1600/IMG_6361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EFJ_Ia5ErspU6PtbaMfgXXfwN_kxsm3aqEICzATy-pUFq9gonp4bo-xDqZtlzhEAqG9txca6K1FyA07RQ-4yVTJAZHVjA7hcZtxu2Nn-i1TxzutF0oj8LNKn7_NL_1tY5nHz7P7IHBo/s640/IMG_6361.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is the brown/ grey Finn I mentioned. So so lovely!! I can't wait to spin it up. I've already envisioned making a little cabled sweater for my R. </div>
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<span class="s1">I typically go to the Frolic, Common Ground, or help put farms with skirting for all my fleeces to produce my yarns for my etsy shop. But I've had a super sad realization about my work. That is, I never spend time knitting these yarns I work for hard to make! That is changing now. From each fleece I'll be keeping enough yarn for myself to make at least something small. Especially to showcase what this yarn looks like to help encourage you along too:) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXU3oVXJHOByCk7Mr9Y3V_mklutG1iCYOuJS1qPPLAijTu7T57qgLopiPuLXf9zGU7Rvj9kyCNrtaXUHuvu_3RIbPFhQTdvjHPc2Qkg9t7J-AJbxJZIUhWXlXaw1EFuKnQmWFVxlZet4/s1600/IMG_6362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXU3oVXJHOByCk7Mr9Y3V_mklutG1iCYOuJS1qPPLAijTu7T57qgLopiPuLXf9zGU7Rvj9kyCNrtaXUHuvu_3RIbPFhQTdvjHPc2Qkg9t7J-AJbxJZIUhWXlXaw1EFuKnQmWFVxlZet4/s640/IMG_6362.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">As I started washing all my raw fleeces, I also started to set up my carding operation outside on my porch. I have 7 fleeces left to card. Some are only 1 pound where others are up to 8!! My goal is to have all these carded up before the weather turns too cold to do it outside. Then, come winter, my work will switch over to spinning 10 fleeces by the spring. Let me tell you what they all are, because I'm so proud of my selection this year. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">But before I do, here's a Scottish Black Face fleece on the carder. Speaking of carders, I have an extra wide Fancy Kitty and it's a dream to work with. Once my fiber is weighed out, I'm able to card up 4 ounces in 5 minutes. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">So these 10 fleeces I've got:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Scottish Black Face from Nina Fuller at Lily Brook Farm</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A Cheviot mixed breed from Wolf's Neck Farm</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A white Shetland and two grey/tans and a brown Finn from Jenni Johnson at Eoilan Farm</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A brown Icelandic from a place that's escaping me at the moment. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">and a creamy alpaca, also can't remember where it's from</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A white churro from New Mexico from Pat at the State Fair</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And a creamy cinnamon Churro from New Mexico from a lovely weaving center, again, my brian is starting to take flight. I will post about all these later as I'm working on them so stay tuned. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">That's my work for this week. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I wonder what I'll get up to next week. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">What are you working on?</span></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-70307111820095269322015-08-12T20:16:00.001-04:002015-08-12T20:16:12.571-04:00It's the Little Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've been trying to reconcile missing the entire gardening season despite the fact that we started an enormous amount of seedlings. </div>
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For our 6 beds. </div>
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And pending new bed that hasn't been dug yet. </div>
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However, we got a bit behind this spring. Then it was June. Then my baby arrived in the middle of June. </div>
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I still have the gardening bug though and have been trying to figure out really simple ways to brighten up our yard with what we've got. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qOPv0INjCvFUIm4HUuAcyXkWIUedibVOXWYT63MdKWMjPr10MT2DLix9y1ICUjD6HrEHR__Js3ZH4iJNwLWm-uJKbJm06klnW2OoQgnvOyGo9ELtJmaZqQVsuUhA7C7BqbizPvBZBjo/s1600/IMG_6034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qOPv0INjCvFUIm4HUuAcyXkWIUedibVOXWYT63MdKWMjPr10MT2DLix9y1ICUjD6HrEHR__Js3ZH4iJNwLWm-uJKbJm06klnW2OoQgnvOyGo9ELtJmaZqQVsuUhA7C7BqbizPvBZBjo/s640/IMG_6034.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've got this wonderful red geranium that I over wintered indoors this year. </div>
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I've got a couple dozen old glass jars we found on the side of the road that we also used in our wedding a few years ago...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjWVV6klSMF3fC6OwbdUbCO26Hfd59MfmT82SB5oiqCt8_C8KJFIQBldFTaG5Jcurwc1gKRqZ0NfH5A_ZT7mRgC5uMRUQBm0Y7-yPIQPbht80IYcVZJvVdgpVRA1BPBL6D3Nt2N9gUGs/s1600/DSC06750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjWVV6klSMF3fC6OwbdUbCO26Hfd59MfmT82SB5oiqCt8_C8KJFIQBldFTaG5Jcurwc1gKRqZ0NfH5A_ZT7mRgC5uMRUQBm0Y7-yPIQPbht80IYcVZJvVdgpVRA1BPBL6D3Nt2N9gUGs/s640/DSC06750.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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(just had to share. best day of my life.)</div>
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and I've got two sad window boxes outside my studio. </div>
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I pruned my geranuim and filled 7 jars in each box with the cuttings. </div>
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They will start to sprout, and this winter, we'll have geraniums all through the house. It livens up the window boxes for now. And I'll have even more reason to harvest red petals for color. </div>
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After my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers">huge dyeing spree</a>, I've been having withdrawls. </div>
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I've dyed up all my hand spun and had to go rummaging around for my stashed away mill spun. </div>
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I got it all scoured and then mordanted in a cold soak of 10% alum for 24 hours. I love this method so much. Saves me butane and time and energy. </div>
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Still thinking about what I'd like to do with it all. I've got 5 skeins of Purl Soho merino. I'm thinking of going all lichen. I've got quite the collection of several dye lichens. I'd like to make myself something real nice... A huge cowl? Maybe a sweater vest? Just not sure. It's a bulky yarn and will knit fast. A poncho? I need ideas. I'm thinking it's somewhere around 500 yards. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjYBHxtS7y0wsBJv2rHnVnm0YbfGOGQxUVUvBImjCG-eaoKxYQUP3IuA_q7DbVDXNvmrVFJwXajSF2VywlsbZj5P6T80RJ5uS5Rtew8tge02fygUugJqK3cBlguqJwk37ZRRMg8dhY3A/s1600/IMG_6036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjYBHxtS7y0wsBJv2rHnVnm0YbfGOGQxUVUvBImjCG-eaoKxYQUP3IuA_q7DbVDXNvmrVFJwXajSF2VywlsbZj5P6T80RJ5uS5Rtew8tge02fygUugJqK3cBlguqJwk37ZRRMg8dhY3A/s640/IMG_6036.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also set up another sample hoop stash. </div>
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This time I only prepared wool, silk, cotton, and linen. </div>
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Very basic.</div>
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My mordants are: </div>
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alum</div>
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copper liquor</div>
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iron liquor</div>
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oxalis acid (ran out of rhubarb leaves and I had this on hand, thank goodness)</div>
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alum acetate</div>
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tannic acid </div>
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I used a second bath of the tannic acid and it was so much more powerful than the first bath. I only let it soak for a day and holy cow!) It's a beautiful color on it's own. </div>
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After these dry, I'll sort them into their proper bags and then assemble 20 hoops with one of each. </div>
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My first dye pot will be my jewelweed out back. </div>
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And then maybe the horsetail out front. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hLG9afIcZJ1IRbrAdXe8cNADqhgZnMrxJdv_37WFLmoAUgqHkpAiUbdECIh_BBg8E3HeNs3RadPxmcamj-Ita73Zn_9xuauqtkfGBlwr7MoNC9DT2FEOrVPxgSSP8XlnaaQGNyvnug8/s1600/IMG_6037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hLG9afIcZJ1IRbrAdXe8cNADqhgZnMrxJdv_37WFLmoAUgqHkpAiUbdECIh_BBg8E3HeNs3RadPxmcamj-Ita73Zn_9xuauqtkfGBlwr7MoNC9DT2FEOrVPxgSSP8XlnaaQGNyvnug8/s640/IMG_6037.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm finding that most of the time now, I just need 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there, to get anything going, or to check on progress or to just cleanup. </div>
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Plant dyeing is very involved and a super long process, but it is not something that you need to stick by for hours and hours. </div>
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At least not the way I do it.</div>
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And I'm so excited about my sample hoop work. </div>
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I love setting these hoops up. </div>
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It's long and tedious. But also mediative. </div>
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Then at the end, when inspriation strikes, I grab a hoop and throw it in a simmering pot of plants and let it be. </div>
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It's such a beautiful thing. </div>
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And after all is said and done, I take my little piece from each one to add to my organized sample hoops </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek9ptO-JjlAZYFXaK0zEGrtO4i7TDoFhUGAdKhwLQBO-rqUdQt7BT6pIiE6Cu3he6RIe2ErDQHoeYRMfIszmTs7-PnXz-Bq1ia_VTIfvBi09qOnoA8O6MTnzquRuU4YOuPQVeCuZuo9o/s1600/IMG_4722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek9ptO-JjlAZYFXaK0zEGrtO4i7TDoFhUGAdKhwLQBO-rqUdQt7BT6pIiE6Cu3he6RIe2ErDQHoeYRMfIszmTs7-PnXz-Bq1ia_VTIfvBi09qOnoA8O6MTnzquRuU4YOuPQVeCuZuo9o/s320/IMG_4722.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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my catergories are lichens, foraged plants, mushrooms, kitchen scraps, pigments extracts, and teas.</div>
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and the rest.... I add here:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaMetBwcV6e6eWy6zCwH0wWu-5qW0xWN3ceZR0JcLWhDzjLTZOX88z0E6EAQoYmeiY9miQbMl_O356zGyvGoF8aDLeFBHifKUymCBiIGjkeHMC6ZsxQ_xsQH095YXHfrxBdEJMg1mkmM/s1600/IMG_5272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaMetBwcV6e6eWy6zCwH0wWu-5qW0xWN3ceZR0JcLWhDzjLTZOX88z0E6EAQoYmeiY9miQbMl_O356zGyvGoF8aDLeFBHifKUymCBiIGjkeHMC6ZsxQ_xsQH095YXHfrxBdEJMg1mkmM/s640/IMG_5272.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A little quilt for R.</div>
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And then there this little thing. </div>
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A view I haven't really noticed before until I was riding my bike, which I hadn't done in a year, to go to a new pilates class which I hadn't done in 15 years. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgk-xSP8dFX7obEo2gzvVLKZdwkt2HgVbb59EwazCFAIGeZ2jRDyoK46eJSwf827M-G7MlX-atEIC47fw8Ypp3V1ctwhlwKoFsJ9Lnr430rRfQ1t666ujSRck0x3ZaRJkXDCwmI4mtb4/s1600/IMG_6043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgk-xSP8dFX7obEo2gzvVLKZdwkt2HgVbb59EwazCFAIGeZ2jRDyoK46eJSwf827M-G7MlX-atEIC47fw8Ypp3V1ctwhlwKoFsJ9Lnr430rRfQ1t666ujSRck0x3ZaRJkXDCwmI4mtb4/s640/IMG_6043.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All of which felt so great.</div>
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Being a new mom.... I can find it very hard to remember when to let go and do something just for me, like leaving the house and taking a class. </div>
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Or letting it be ok that I can only spend who knows how long in the studio before the baby wakes up. </div>
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I'm realizing quite happily, that it never matters and that planning only goes so far. </div>
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I still pinch myself for how full and rich my life is. </div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-91313229504801100702015-08-03T14:04:00.001-04:002015-08-03T14:12:39.610-04:002015 Summer Collection; the process behind my obsession, making yarn from scratch.<div style="text-align: center;">
It's been what feels like </div>
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FOREVER!!!</div>
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Since I had enough time and mental energy to write something here.</div>
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However, I've been growing a baby.</div>
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And on June 14th, he arrived. </div>
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Which was 3 weeks and 3 days, </div>
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early.</div>
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Our little guy has kept us quite busy and we are just so in love. </div>
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And some how, miraclously, I have been able to accomplish the occasional knitting</div>
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and dyeing. </div>
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All due to his long naps and my husband having time off from work. </div>
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The day before my water broke, I spent it outside in my make shift dye studio moving basicly like a turtle. </div>
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It was the most active I had been in a few months I think. </div>
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The next morning my water broke (which woke me up) and two days later, I was holding my baby. </div>
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When I retuned home almost a week later, I discovered I still had several skeins soaking in dye pots. </div>
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The <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/241869982/hand-spun-yarn-plant-dyed-maine-island?ref=shop_home_active_5">Rosehips</a> in particular benefited from this 8 day soak the most. The color held fast during my wash and light tests. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkxNwL_XcrQp0ujOLbMCfT_q1qnP83aDIptxhwWDxQsNJ-_6bdovWstABDCcdQWnyQtvJzMc2wGmwq1MNdBFLM5bOct5hUtvzHyO9b42664UeFtvK7NsWm53PDVKhzkdaa-HwYgLc7m8/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkxNwL_XcrQp0ujOLbMCfT_q1qnP83aDIptxhwWDxQsNJ-_6bdovWstABDCcdQWnyQtvJzMc2wGmwq1MNdBFLM5bOct5hUtvzHyO9b42664UeFtvK7NsWm53PDVKhzkdaa-HwYgLc7m8/s640/IMG_5865.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Beautiful peach color. </div>
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It didn't take me long to recognize that dyeing and fiber work slipped in nicely with caring for our little one. </div>
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For dyeing I need only about 1/2 hour chunks of time to set things up. I can let pots simmer away checking on them occasionally and then switching them off about an hour later and let them sit for a day or more. </div>
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Same goes for all my fiber prep. </div>
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And speaking of, that's what I wanted to share with you, </div>
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how I get it all done.</div>
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From fleece to yarn.</div>
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First, I start by going to the Maine Fiber Folic, Common Ground Fair or volunterring with sheep farmers to skirt fleeces in exchange for fleece. </div>
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I collect anywhere from 5-10 raw fleeces over the course of the year. </div>
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Focusing on Icelandics, Shetlands, Finn, and Cheviot mixes which come from an island in the Penobscot bay. </div>
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I'm very picking about the fleeces I choose and want to choose them myself and in person so I can smell them and unfold the entire fleece for inspection before bringing it home. </div>
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Once I get them home, I skirt the fleece on my porch and then let it soak is batches in my double kitchen sink with the hottest water and orvis paste. The wool goes through several rinses until the water comes clean. I hang the fleece to dry on hangers and then on the cloth line outside. If I'm doing this is the winter I hang the fleece to dry above the woodstove. </div>
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Then working one fleece at time, I weigh it out in bundles of 4 ounces and using my <a href="http://www.fancy-kitty.com/">Fancy Kitty drum carder</a>, (I just love that name!) I card up bat after bat to then be spun. Once the whole fleece is cardered, I stuff it all back into it's bag and start carding the next. I've had my carder for a whole year now and I just love it. It's a double wide and it was a very reasonal cost. Because it's just me doing this whole operation and I only sell from Etsy right now, I work really hard to keep my costs low and my work sustainble. I was very pleased that I could use money I made fro teaching dye classes to purchase this item. </div>
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When all fleeces are cardered, I then start the process of spinning. Using my Kromski spinning wheel that I've owned for 11 years now, I mostly like to spin these primitive breed wools into singles variying from aran to sport weight. I rarely ply but it does happen. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJd7EyazuYfy-DrxzLI6tQwoDfIZ5AOjrRqt9PFy5RsFRgXmskbpCPUx0EyUtPQSCLZhN9-HIxQfiO2ioS61hYSYmNqTlLh1UA-rcjOp0XSknWRRqxOJVSvCdPS4Ltc7xGTbZt0mSJxE/s1600/IMG_1689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJd7EyazuYfy-DrxzLI6tQwoDfIZ5AOjrRqt9PFy5RsFRgXmskbpCPUx0EyUtPQSCLZhN9-HIxQfiO2ioS61hYSYmNqTlLh1UA-rcjOp0XSknWRRqxOJVSvCdPS4Ltc7xGTbZt0mSJxE/s640/IMG_1689.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcQ_h95RU7Dj5iuQzvtP0XDSdV_Qz-RdpuMxoZHFcS6oMk5LZb2G1nmFgQnEyGe1S7N_gXd14DsB0Z_zl3jTG6c3lb_fMKqSo3gmZBy2QwDHN0d_1pxDcwWlQrjXBWITflYoMsEidbmQ/s1600/IMG_1690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcQ_h95RU7Dj5iuQzvtP0XDSdV_Qz-RdpuMxoZHFcS6oMk5LZb2G1nmFgQnEyGe1S7N_gXd14DsB0Z_zl3jTG6c3lb_fMKqSo3gmZBy2QwDHN0d_1pxDcwWlQrjXBWITflYoMsEidbmQ/s640/IMG_1690.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This summer I read about how to mordant wool with alum in a cold soak. I was over joyed at this item because I knew it would save me time, energy, and butane. I have a very large pot- way to big for my stove or my burners. I set it up outside, filled it up with the garden hose, desloved 10% alum with boiling water and added this to my pot. I then added my wetted out yarns and let them sit for 24 hours. Mordanting done. </div>
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I will admit, I was slightly skeptucal that it would work and it was a bit deal to try it on such a project. But it did work and I highly recommend trying this next time you want to save on time and energy. </div>
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When I everything was ready to dye, I really had no plan for colors. The really wonderful thing about natural dyes is that if you dye something and it's not strong enough or you don't like it, you can over dye it and it will be beautiful. </div>
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I'm someone who both collects too much stuff which clutters my life and I love to get rid of stuff and organized. I really don't like it when things hang around too long. As I was setting up shop and getting highly organized for this 37 skein dye adventure, I discovered I had several buckets full of old dye baths from a year ago. Cochineal, jewelweed, and indigo. I also had some frozen plants last year I dug out of of larger freezer. It felt so great to use everything up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKjR8rYGvvs_Ec2BDflPzh12oycaVG4gIhBhyphenhyphenl-huOV3jwMP9r-sKOi1Uo_h75VgAqgrt0-7umwYDjJ_1yWh9PSdyFlCRDzHIXRDHNYeEYXT00Z5qsL8tZJpdx1I-pNSzlmpNJvixrRY/s1600/IMG_5584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKjR8rYGvvs_Ec2BDflPzh12oycaVG4gIhBhyphenhyphenl-huOV3jwMP9r-sKOi1Uo_h75VgAqgrt0-7umwYDjJ_1yWh9PSdyFlCRDzHIXRDHNYeEYXT00Z5qsL8tZJpdx1I-pNSzlmpNJvixrRY/s640/IMG_5584.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was so pleased with these pastel but bright colors. They are layers of old cochineal, jewelweed, indigo, frozen rosehips, goldenrod. And the purple at the bottom is my Umbilicaria lichen. I had such a great time moving through my colors and wool slowly. </div>
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After each skein cooked in the pot for an hour or two, I turned off the heat and let it sit for 1-2 days. I then hung them out on my front porch to dry- right in full sun so I was able to see if any fading would happen. I then rinsed each skein in a Mrs. Meyers soapy solution and rinsed a few times to get any top color off. The deep madder however was very tricky and some still remains. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHdrT04vi-fZ3Ea4HfNUSDC-HAOC02eLx90AOuk3LUP1JgQPyFZBo9Sw0YicyNtP5_uzSRHyXXGGDCteU0DoHO0VY9-Ud-96_46vAv4qWZjF_tr2cz5msAT9sySWakc4RXXEMl3jhVfY/s1600/IMG_5753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHdrT04vi-fZ3Ea4HfNUSDC-HAOC02eLx90AOuk3LUP1JgQPyFZBo9Sw0YicyNtP5_uzSRHyXXGGDCteU0DoHO0VY9-Ud-96_46vAv4qWZjF_tr2cz5msAT9sySWakc4RXXEMl3jhVfY/s640/IMG_5753.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This picture does not do the colors justice, especially the yellows which really are quite lovely. </div>
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Though I've sold out of a few colors already, you can view more for purchase at mt <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/44clovers?ref=hdr_shop_menu">etsy shop, 44Clovers</a></div>
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I do hope to write more in the near future about more of my creative adventures. I'm also planning more workshops, so stay tuned and thanks for stopping by. </div>
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I love making yarn. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-68122940637968247772015-03-18T14:59:00.001-04:002015-03-18T14:59:16.587-04:00Me & My Knitting<div style="text-align: center;">
Just a quicky to say hi and share where I've been at with my fiber. </div>
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I may have mentioned that I've come to a decision about my </div>
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knitting </div>
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& </div>
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etsy.</div>
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I'm not going to do a ton of knitting for my etsy shop for at least </div>
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a long while.<br /></div>
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My plant dyed </div>
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hand spun</div>
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yarns are doing really well</div>
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and take almost, if not more time to produce</div>
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so I'm going to be putting more energy into that</div>
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and more energy into knitting for my growing family- including my growing self.</div>
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So, with that said, </div>
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here's what I've been working on;</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfaJu4VK-G98eyTjb2gYUp9ToduWrQK7lak7T92VgzknR8U2-P7LyIGpc3agv02StquawQrLzenKyR45s7GNbiD15FZ1Mg3vU2re-Pcs9PjNQoqwxaZ2uvFGe4adQd_BTZrFCNkN-oo/s1600/IMG_5257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfaJu4VK-G98eyTjb2gYUp9ToduWrQK7lak7T92VgzknR8U2-P7LyIGpc3agv02StquawQrLzenKyR45s7GNbiD15FZ1Mg3vU2re-Pcs9PjNQoqwxaZ2uvFGe4adQd_BTZrFCNkN-oo/s1600/IMG_5257.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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AAAHHHHHHH!!!!</div>
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isn't it the cutest thing ever?!?!</div>
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I just loved knitting this little romper. </div>
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I used wool that I bought while on honeymoon in Ireland 2 years.</div>
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The town of Dingle is adorable and though it will be a few years till we can go back, </div>
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I can't wait. </div>
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The pattern I used is by Carina Spencer and is called <u><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/small-things-romper--sweater">Small Things Romper</a></u>. It can be found on ravelry. </div>
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I'm 24 weeks now and just finished knitting and blocking this past weekend.</div>
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It's been a really long time since I had such a connection with something I was knitting. </div>
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I've been needing that feeling for a long time. </div>
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I thought it was gone.</div>
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While knitting it I was able to think about the wool and where it came from-</div>
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off the backs of sheep all over Ireland, deing dyed in Donegal, it's Donegal wool- I'm not sure though, if they do their dyeing in house or in England or Germany, but in any case, it's what I thought about.</div>
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I thought about our honeymoon there and all the adventures we had- mostly sitting in pubs drinkng tea and going for walks. </div>
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I thought about the baby boy in my belly and his increasing wiggles and what he might look like wearign this sweet romper- and how long he'd be able to wear it! </div>
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I may knit 1 or 2 more a I have the same yarn in green and purple. </div>
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I then got to re-working this 9 year old sweater that I made with Maine wool. </div>
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The pattern is from the <u>Last Minute Knitted Gifts</u> book.</div>
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I first washed the fleece,</div>
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stuffed it in large glass containers with the Pumpkin colorway from country classics dye </div>
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and let it do it's dye thing in the sun for 3 days.</div>
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I spun the wool and knitted this up following the pattern exactly- and not all my measurements. </div>
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It's turned out that I don't like hiking up long bell sleeves and pulled at the waist. </div>
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So, I frogged sleeve hems and waist hem, shortening the sleeves by 6" each and adding that rest of that yarn to the bottom. </div>
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I'm almost finished. </div>
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Though I don't use this dye any more, I adore this color and yarn and have been </div>
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loving this methodical heavy knitting every evening. </div>
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I'm noticing more and more with my pregnancy that I'm enjoying the slow process- or just making everything slower, the process of just doing things. I'm not really in a hurry as my body is slowing way down. My level of calm has been developing:)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SoEnuG6xfwFagMYE5sIqhR4Dq601sLun0-nU7q3fnXNmO4StomxApRcHuT1qEx6l_0jeHBZI0WVOrhcCdYN2Sf3suXrzktof2MLCZz98HJ1mYnB5OHCEaeNcYkyJ46AnjgZ5CPRww-Y/s1600/IMG_5259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SoEnuG6xfwFagMYE5sIqhR4Dq601sLun0-nU7q3fnXNmO4StomxApRcHuT1qEx6l_0jeHBZI0WVOrhcCdYN2Sf3suXrzktof2MLCZz98HJ1mYnB5OHCEaeNcYkyJ46AnjgZ5CPRww-Y/s1600/IMG_5259.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's two extra tidbits;</div>
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these yarns {may} appear in the shop- </div>
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haven't decided yet.</div>
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Just a collection of what has been sitting in my spinning basket. </div>
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I don;t know about you, but I do love to clean house and use things up after a certain point. </div>
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The brown is: natural Maine Icelandic.</div>
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The blue is: Navajo spun Maine mohair dyed with indigo</div>
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The magenta is: 1oz, first bath of Umbilicaria lichen fermented liquor.</div>
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The lighter pink is the 2nd bath of this lichen. </div>
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The last two are a combo of evernia, xanthoria, and a curly green lichen I never identified, all spun together. </div>
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All dyed in the batt form first and then I lost track of what every thing was so I spun it all up! These last three I'm not sure yet where they will end up...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsUkPcgQwDXKWgrAQonSN2jyh0w5cXNunFqCSfy1IS-hJgos5zhcHzeudc_BBEkZDgrBEpfSZb8gH-6pisOcpmvx3-vEtfAtm6AcnZc3tDZL9CsRYwXy6DuqGM5672xJyQ44wD1zC46U/s1600/IMG_5248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsUkPcgQwDXKWgrAQonSN2jyh0w5cXNunFqCSfy1IS-hJgos5zhcHzeudc_BBEkZDgrBEpfSZb8gH-6pisOcpmvx3-vEtfAtm6AcnZc3tDZL9CsRYwXy6DuqGM5672xJyQ44wD1zC46U/s1600/IMG_5248.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Remember my last post of Operation Wool? This is another finished finished fleece, Maine Icelandic from Pondview Farm in Limington. </div>
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It will get dyed this spring when it warms up enough. </div>
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I cannot wait!</div>
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I go to bed at night planningout my outdoor dye space.</div>
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We'll set up the canopy,</div>
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bring out the enamal table, </div>
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set up the pots,</div>
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etc...</div>
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This will be the first year I've worked my yarn creating into such a fine tuned mass production.</div>
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Well "mass" for me. </div>
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Whether your a handspinner or not, you should know, it's kind of a big deal to knock out about a dozen spun fleeces in a one year. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-11717737490480986212015-02-17T10:22:00.001-05:002015-09-27T22:06:23.415-04:00Operation Wool<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I don't find this time incredibly creative.</div>
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But it is pretty exciting for me </div>
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as I sift through</div>
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bag after bag</div>
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of wool. </div>
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I never know exactly the full potential of a fleece until I've through each step. </div>
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And here's each of my steps:</div>
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from raw fleece to hand spun yarns.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH1L8GBgd-5W7zi0AzgJPCMLOUXO6eg6kMYp1lnPUG0hwM5SKR2AYRkQUgKI18_SfA8tHsPT96B-dgVhWXipDxYYkxom6acwfCKhsG09Zoax0XWo5WYHp9K0H3B8F9X5QTcSoN8d8mWk/s640/blogger-image--2008506973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH1L8GBgd-5W7zi0AzgJPCMLOUXO6eg6kMYp1lnPUG0hwM5SKR2AYRkQUgKI18_SfA8tHsPT96B-dgVhWXipDxYYkxom6acwfCKhsG09Zoax0XWo5WYHp9K0H3B8F9X5QTcSoN8d8mWk/s640/blogger-image--2008506973.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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I bought this unquiely colored New Mexican Churro fleece while visiting <a href="http://www.handweavers.com/">Tierra Wools</a> in </div>
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Los Ojos, N.M. back in September</div>
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which I then mailed home. </div>
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This week, I finally got around to washing it.</div>
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I love my double sinks. </div>
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I'm able to do a whole fleece usually in one day, in batches. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tUAXafIdImlqPnsQkWMHyJl_x3KiEv_7lGyD3Up-fQCeFVgLL63SyQKU0VnjzJ2AOltbmddWcJADev2TpnXiIOZNw_7YnIhgqpzlEYSZT_PKXdhHOvnKCk-CYcfT-EIAPU0asuZdT5w/s640/blogger-image-1161378437.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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Here in winter, I dry it above my woodstove. </div>
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In summer, outside on the clothline. </div>
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The wire hangers work well for srapping the wool over. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJUBo-wbMCjdz1do2bFGEAt83QWEuzaALBQG7t8npu9-7tR31iDTGK3LIV-Yv_5HwgobE85GPz1C_bRuDUMTL8AL9jHaHUVPFjWqJ-e26BL1_leCqFJJpA0tqCZY7Ecqt_PTTweJfEvE/s640/blogger-image--1637219695.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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At the same time, I've been working on carding up my Maine Island fleece which is a Cheviot cross. And raised by Lee Straw out on Metric Island. </div>
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These are the fleeces that started it all for me;</div>
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using just local fleece as the base for my plant dyed hand spun yarns. </div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0_PFwk8G9lPNLGvp1-c950VYQplJDJYFwDeDn-vKbzFkiywIB7vP2xXZGTwWWtGuqNqMH-dBFe5vTZ8MNZpNjHHXriT3VuiY8-G_P64jCrqG4wRKA1rnzPodUODGKRs-fYerJmbYHxQ/s640/blogger-image-2014422966.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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These fleeces are always so clean, and just a pure joy to work with. </div>
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Long soft staple lenths. </div>
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The dreamiest. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB4WaLUlO1kGif_zOBkp_rdlJJsFyn3c6Rz70Cx8KATC_6X1wW_0-U-FJgcdFrBdUVwCFnS2YOmLrk4tS6qT91A8Q8RHbZ5Mf_hN_LKifiEO8MssDQT3WvO0qjvqHMMWWQM2Sf0FBVoY/s640/blogger-image-1845342855.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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This basket is "yarn in the waiting".</div>
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A Maine Icelandic fleece, also very clean, wonderful to work with and is on the wheel right now. </div>
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I got this fleece from Pondview Farm in Limington in exchange for skirting 32 of their fleeces. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2gPKQrCT4sY211LoQkfisJkTql84LDHJGb-q_3E4p1Ql0QEYPwLySIfuFO8_ONjuw3CQh5dAc5Yvyn_4QfRd0fTICYHFv5qa273z2IYr1jtUf72Jk0gt_TqKqwXqeGaIkI7MAhBCxTs/s640/blogger-image--1490789561.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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As my handspun business is steadily growing, and now with my first child along the way, I'm moving more towards doing less knitting for the shop. </div>
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I will always knit for myself and my little family. But I've finally realized that knitting for the shop, in the quanity I have been in the past, isn't quite working out. </div>
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I do have a collection coming out this spring of something delicate and plant dyed. </div>
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Below is my latest finished piece, for me. </div>
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My 6th <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitchhiker">Hitch Hiker Shawl</a>.</div>
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So easy and so fun. </div>
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Knit with my own handspun of 100% Maine cashmere from Black Locust Farm and dyed by Bill Huntington at Hope Spinnery. </div>
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I couldn't resist a green cloud of cashmere. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJm3MlDeV9rDZWiZTYOw3804JR7xxxGzHVJTv5Y_AGp3E0qtxGB8rmcbCueJHaxhnr678c3vw-yG_vqziW3KWniu03qPN4rPpaNSVqFoRg4vOiroi5WvzIrDfYXdkPHEiiUCe1W0rrXE/s640/blogger-image--1860131522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJm3MlDeV9rDZWiZTYOw3804JR7xxxGzHVJTv5Y_AGp3E0qtxGB8rmcbCueJHaxhnr678c3vw-yG_vqziW3KWniu03qPN4rPpaNSVqFoRg4vOiroi5WvzIrDfYXdkPHEiiUCe1W0rrXE/s640/blogger-image--1860131522.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have one more fleece to wash. </div>
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A Scottish Black Face fleece from Lilybrook Farm in Hollis.</div>
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I just have to card the brown churro, black face, contining spinning the icelandic, island, those other two and by the end I think I'll have about 60 skiens I'm thinking. </div>
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Which I'll then have a field day dyeing in my back yard when the thaw comes. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-88283882035451130062015-02-11T00:07:00.000-05:002015-02-11T00:07:46.361-05:00Creating an Heirloom with my Destash<div style="text-align: center;">
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A few months ago I made a commitment not to buy/ collect/ bring into the house/ studio any more acid dyed fibers for my work. </div>
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Mainly because I create so much plant dyed fiber using locally grown fibers now and want to continue getting better at my craft with just these materials. </div>
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However, this left me wondering what on earth do I do with the lovely goodness I've collected over the years? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHL5BIC6cwhpS634TR6wOsZXTp9LbcSrt5hCQ8yR8N8-GIHkOunLatdQmT1fr9nC2BWVIHNVqJ1IDXyEsWp-RjXIZNH4iFGBNRsA80FtzY7eUfN0M4O-is8Z6bW7bvhnyDmhWJg0zWdw/s640/blogger-image--1699155608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHL5BIC6cwhpS634TR6wOsZXTp9LbcSrt5hCQ8yR8N8-GIHkOunLatdQmT1fr9nC2BWVIHNVqJ1IDXyEsWp-RjXIZNH4iFGBNRsA80FtzY7eUfN0M4O-is8Z6bW7bvhnyDmhWJg0zWdw/s640/blogger-image--1699155608.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Materials for Nuno felting is one of three groups of fibers I'm joining all together into a large rainbow project which is two fold: 1- to destash 2- for the baby.</div>
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The other two- my yarns, fabric scraps which I'll share about another time. </div>
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This will be a wall hanging in the nursery and/ or quilt. </div>
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Made with merino acid dyed fibers and massaged into layers of vintage silk hankies with hot and cold water and soap. </div>
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I collected a bunch of bamboo placemats that work really well as my roller. I used to use bubble wrap but I found it to be a pain, too messy, and too slippery.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVFW1dfHYzCsacirVWRZl3SoAiMSkv1DnRygxtB1C0ydSTFp7u-aJAJmZ4v5wSr5Pivxvgms4LE9VmtOH6u3NyKnonin3dQuVx83cannCiMOvLm1rsm_0WerE8sqX9BdXfa-XLPizZ4c/s640/blogger-image--1184389714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVFW1dfHYzCsacirVWRZl3SoAiMSkv1DnRygxtB1C0ydSTFp7u-aJAJmZ4v5wSr5Pivxvgms4LE9VmtOH6u3NyKnonin3dQuVx83cannCiMOvLm1rsm_0WerE8sqX9BdXfa-XLPizZ4c/s640/blogger-image--1184389714.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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I've tried and taught nuno felting quite a few times before but never with much purpose. Or even passion. The day I pulled my large tote box out of my closet with all I've collected AND after I took a nuno felting workshop from my friend Laura Glandenning at Portfiber, I finally felt like I could focus on a project. </div>
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I made these three rectangles in about four hours. </div>
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I would have kept going but I wanted to get dinner started (I was being very ambitious and cooking my first beef and onion pie which we didn't eat until nine. But it was worth the wait.) and my shoulders where killing me. </div>
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I love how the red turned out. Thick and bumpy. The yellow is lighter but fluffy. In the end, I'm going to cut them into strips a few inches wide and attempt a log cabin style quilt. I intend to use up all my colored merino and silks that are thread bare. You know the kind, scarves that tear if wind blows threw it. Perfect for incorporating into a felt because then the silk is locked in forever. </div>
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Something that gives me so much joy with this project is knowing I'm making fabric and it's how this type of fabric has been made for thousands of years in Asian countries. All it is is an animal fiber and friction. Put the two together somehow and you've got a felted fabric. </div>
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Also, I don't feel the need to make these pieces of fabric perfect. </div>
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Instead, I'm paying more attention to my focus in following through with one piece at a time, letting the design take shape and going with my intuition. </div>
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And as I work, all I can really think about is creating this soft, bumpy fabric for my child to be cradled in from birth to kid to teenager to adulthood. </div>
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And maybe they can pass it on to their child. </div>
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With these thoughts in mind, my work has taken on this new focus that hasn't existed before and I'm really thankful. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-83452222286180189002015-02-10T09:13:00.003-05:002015-02-10T09:13:56.199-05:00Pots of Purple Carrots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So I mentioned I was on a roll with dyeing one day. </div>
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That day I dyed with the <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2015/01/dyeing-with-4-lichens-from-3-corners-of.html">4 lichens</a>, I was also dyeing with <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2015/01/decoding-red-cabbage-dye.html">red cabbage</a></div>
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and these purple carrots. </div>
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When I dye, I often go big. </div>
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Though it can seem very daunting to get it all set up,</div>
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once I've got it set up,</div>
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the actual dyeing time is a snap. </div>
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I just sit back and wait. </div>
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Maybe poke at a pot but really it's just waiting. </div>
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So I often go big, adding several more pots. </div>
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Like this past summer when I found myself dyeing 10 pots at once. </div>
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It was great!</div>
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This is the last of the dyeing from that day and I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. </div>
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I've been itching to get better at linen dyeing so I gather my next days will be about perfecting my scouring and mordanting tecniques for vegetable fibers. </div>
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Have I mentioned before in another post my plans for the dyed yarn?</div>
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I've got 12 skeins or so spun up of various Maine primitive breeds.</div>
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I've also got;</div>
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2 New Mexican Churro fleeces, one from Bob I got at the State Fair back in September in N.M., and 1 from <a href="http://www.organiclamb.com/">Antonio at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market</a> though I went to his ranch for the fleece. </div>
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1 Maine Island Fleece from Lee Straw</div>
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1 Maine Scottish Black Face from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LilyBrookFarm">Nina Fuller in Hollis at Lily Brook Farm</a></div>
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And I think 1 more from Sue <a href="http://www.pondviewmaine.com/">Pondview Farm in Limington</a>.</div>
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I have a feeling there is another floating around in that closet of mine...</div>
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These last two farms I had a blissful time helping them out sort and skirt fleeces in exchange for 1-2 fleeces. It was an idea I had to be near sheep, help out in a way that I knew how and get paid in fleece. I hope do do it again this spring but with a growing belly, I'll need to wait and see. </div>
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Anyway, when I get through this winter spinning all that, and it will happen, I will then have a big ol dyeing time this spring. Just as soon as this 4 feet of snow melts. Oh and after these next 3 (!) storms we have coming this week. I always wondered what it would be like to live in a northern Scandanavian country. I think I know now...</div>
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Anyway, I cannot wait for both spring and for dyeing. </div>
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I've got all kinds of plans for that wool. </div>
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Logwood</div>
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mushrooms</div>
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queen ann's lace and goldenrod I froze from last year so I could use it this sring and rose hips!</div>
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And there will be much more. </div>
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So about these carrots. </div>
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I had <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2014/10/i-have-really-missed-my-regular-blogging.html">wild success</a> the first time I did this back in Santa Fe on vacation. </div>
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Probably one of my favorite posts because it was such a time of self discovery for me to be in a completely different place and still find a way to do my work. It really inspired me.</div>
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In a place like Santa Fe, in September, working with solar methods from raw plant materials, works really well. I got temps up to 110f in the jars over several hours. It was perfect. </div>
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As you'll read about the carrots from that post, </div>
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I only use peels from 2 medium purple carrots I got at the farmers market. </div>
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So when I got home and tried to find purple carrots, there weren't any availble quite yet. </div>
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I waited a few weeks and then when I finally saw them at a local market, I went a little nuts and bought a lot. To be fair, they were very scrawny and I was a little puzzled why they were even put on the shelves. They weren't really the baby size, but more like pencil size carrots. Anyway, I stashed them away planning on using them in the spring for some Easter color:)</div>
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Well, about 2 weeks ago I discovered them in my fridge, a little moldy. </div>
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I had been checking on them every few weeks and they did just fine up until that point. </div>
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So I knew it was time to get to work. </div>
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Though I'm not saying that waiting til your food is moldy means its ready to dye. Fresh is better. However, I rarely dye with good healthy foods, as I don't believe in wasting it. However, these carrots were so tiny and stringy- I had planned on getting some, using only the peels and roasting the rest but there was nothing to peel and no "rest". </div>
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I really didn't want to take the time to peel every single one as it was a pain in the butt. I did this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLOp3ecM_g0vJQSPT23hVIMAFSBcfF0ei2fqeTB0dLyhULlpBpgqnbgVpvu7YOYE2-Q9uBkxisTTkDTR_0Vh0rc3oF3vH3w4asfgppqrDD37KEdIdsMgBJVWcJgPl-VGCc8zo_-E7R5Q/s1600/IMG_4645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLOp3ecM_g0vJQSPT23hVIMAFSBcfF0ei2fqeTB0dLyhULlpBpgqnbgVpvu7YOYE2-Q9uBkxisTTkDTR_0Vh0rc3oF3vH3w4asfgppqrDD37KEdIdsMgBJVWcJgPl-VGCc8zo_-E7R5Q/s1600/IMG_4645.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Then, because in Santa Fe my experiment was solar dyeing with them, creating a long slow heat, and here it was the beginning of Janurary, in Maine. I put them in here and then next to the wood stove. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZuT3oGJFgYKry6wRxgumBanUx9FYQDUfta8hFfr8Hl4RqRGMOW24nvPJASb6e6OQ5NeP2p2jwPRugWpdoRoJzixKJgOnMo6Z1O6oJa2sLQZGYsYMyY5X11v1d_MjGfSfrRl7F4TRmSg/s1600/IMG_4648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZuT3oGJFgYKry6wRxgumBanUx9FYQDUfta8hFfr8Hl4RqRGMOW24nvPJASb6e6OQ5NeP2p2jwPRugWpdoRoJzixKJgOnMo6Z1O6oJa2sLQZGYsYMyY5X11v1d_MjGfSfrRl7F4TRmSg/s1600/IMG_4648.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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In this long tall jar is a skein of kid mohair silk that I get online at elann.com.</div>
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Wonderful source for yarns. Have gone there for years. And now I use them for my test yarns in classes and for test dyeing.</div>
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Also there are bits of vintage lace. </div>
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No mordants. </div>
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Don't you just love that color?!</div>
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It's so different than it was in Santa Fe where the color was so grapey there. </div>
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Because I had a lot of carrots, I split up more into two pots because I had a lot I wanted to dye. </div>
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3 skiens of hand spun Maine double ply Finn. I get Finn roving from a lovely lady, Diane at the Maine Fiber Frolic. Her tent is always off the side and she always has a few Finn sheep in a pen and Shetland lace shawls hanging in her tent. Very small, with lots of natural colored roving, and spun yarns. It's my favorite tent of the whole thing:) </div>
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Anyway, I also had a few other vintage textiles in a pot. Again nothing was mordanted. </div>
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I chose this path because when I did my tests in Santa Fe, I found that the unmordanted samples, especially on wool were almost brighter then the alum ones (??!!) kind of crazy I thought, but I thought I'd go with it. </div>
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It felt so right to place them on our woodstove instead of turning on our oven, which would have been fine. But the woodstove is already there and I knew my pots could handle it, I thought why not? </div>
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I kept a thermometer in there at all times to always keep an eye on the heat. It never got above 180 which was what I wanted. It did take longer then the oven and that was also what I wanted. A long slow heat. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRm8qREFT5JnmTNY45Tz8n3wlQBzHzIyeoTfG0101Atd12MD8tctxH27_Am7_FmX2QUuRD_iaPgAHuTzymVdJ2fLowgiv3s_CfSniDh56zmqqqS8TGZKQ79rkn3F7GAgB0qIJDZVNKhJo/s1600/IMG_4657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRm8qREFT5JnmTNY45Tz8n3wlQBzHzIyeoTfG0101Atd12MD8tctxH27_Am7_FmX2QUuRD_iaPgAHuTzymVdJ2fLowgiv3s_CfSniDh56zmqqqS8TGZKQ79rkn3F7GAgB0qIJDZVNKhJo/s1600/IMG_4657.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is everything washed and drying also by the woodstove. </div>
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I was very surprised and disapointed at first by the grey tones in the wool when in Santa fe the wool took on a lovely deeper/ brighter purple.... Though to be fair, I didn't so an exact ratio comparison. </div>
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But the kid mohair/ silk skein, looks perfect. </div>
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And the vintage textiles also look perfect. </div>
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I was very happy with those. </div>
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As I'll most likely be using these Finn skeins for knitting something for my baby, I think I'm going to go for a deeper purple and dye them in my umbilicaria later on. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq8ebTn46LhinKEM1hsDVuaqEp32r7J0ChovUKWccNM9uSVhMFoup1J26QwaGjVM_qlYM0geybX0Jik9lIFMQWxEV-A4IMhR24VpWHWmMA7WYk-gP_emyPdeuqXGvTtNgO5d7G0z0rs4/s1600/IMG_4658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq8ebTn46LhinKEM1hsDVuaqEp32r7J0ChovUKWccNM9uSVhMFoup1J26QwaGjVM_qlYM0geybX0Jik9lIFMQWxEV-A4IMhR24VpWHWmMA7WYk-gP_emyPdeuqXGvTtNgO5d7G0z0rs4/s1600/IMG_4658.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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They aren't shown here, but I continued to dye with the carrot baths another 3 times. I kept throwing in vintage cloth and lace and just letting it sit. No heat to see what would happen. </div>
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I finally let it go and dumped it when I noticed one morning a fine white film on top. It did pretty well though for about a week and 1/2. And all it was was carrot juice:)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUDXN_hFajarAP_a-oupNkHGvSekmUvGCIFDbFqrSOLMdVPXE8wkNKSM02k9yXvjVRvL9OCrvrSszL9_MOoO9qNqe2sxTqBXbPxPRyRjXcNRVBp_UljFZ8dEEtuNAJDIPSd8Cx8dE0XQ/s1600/IMG_4667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUDXN_hFajarAP_a-oupNkHGvSekmUvGCIFDbFqrSOLMdVPXE8wkNKSM02k9yXvjVRvL9OCrvrSszL9_MOoO9qNqe2sxTqBXbPxPRyRjXcNRVBp_UljFZ8dEEtuNAJDIPSd8Cx8dE0XQ/s1600/IMG_4667.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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The batt below here is dyed with lichens that you can read about <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2015/01/dyeing-with-4-lichens-from-3-corners-of.html">here</a>.</div>
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If you have any questions about dyeing with purple carrots, or have done some yourself, I'd love to here your story. Leave me a comment:) </div>
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You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and FB at 44Clovers. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-49809461499262612022015-01-25T08:55:00.000-05:002015-01-25T08:55:34.080-05:00Decoding Red Cabbage Dye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Oh dear. </div>
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Cabbage.</div>
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You know I really tried to avoid experimenting with red cabbage. </div>
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I just had a feeling it wasn't going to work. Don't know why. Just a feeling.</div>
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But Pinterest got the better of me. </div>
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I love Pinterest.</div>
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I am so inspired and love organizing my various boards and day dreaming with my computer over all the loveliness people do. </div>
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Which includes some lovely cabbage dyed fibers. </div>
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I just knew, I KNEW that heat and alum would not do it. </div>
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Now I work a lot from my gut. And the notes I take. </div>
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I did not study this in college. </div>
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Though if I had had the choice, I know I would have. </div>
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nor did I study science and in fact in school I HATED science. </div>
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So much. </div>
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Now it's really costing me because all I have to go on is my gut. </div>
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However, a stong gut I do have. </div>
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I drew my pre-clusions from my <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2013/10/just-good-bits.html">blueberry experiment</a> last year. </div>
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With heat and alum I got grey from those juicy Maine native jewels. </div>
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But when I soaked a vintage silk hankie in a cold bath with no alum or other mordant, I got a closer purple. </div>
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Something started to sink in.</div>
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It is tricky to know what is simply a stain and what is a pigment and what is a dye.</div>
Golly, aren't they all the same?!<br />
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I want to know. </div>
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But in any case I took that rotting head of red cabbage, chopped off the moldy bits, hacked it up, put it in my stock pot that I use for soup- wait, yes, I DID use a pot for dyeing that I will use again for food.</div>
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BECAUSE I used only food items in the pot, cabbage and a scarf:) No mordant. Don't worry. </div>
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In went this strange and tightly woven silk scarf I got from Japan on ebay. </div>
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Cold water.</div>
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And the scarf was not mordanted with anything. </div>
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No ph mordifiers in the bath. </div>
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After an hour or so. </div>
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I think a few days went by. </div>
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Every few hours I'd turn the scarf in the bath. </div>
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Sometimes pulling it out, wringing out the dye and admiring the color work. </div>
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When I was done dyeing it, I rinsed it and no color ran out. </div>
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With these jars, I filled each up with the cabbage bath from the large pot,</div>
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stuck in the same amount of pre soaked samples in each jar. </div>
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In each jar was </div>
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wool</div>
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alpaca</div>
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kid mohair/ silk</div>
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silk</div>
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cotton</div>
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linen</div>
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and a sample each mordanted with </div>
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alum</div>
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copper</div>
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iron </div>
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and nothing at all. </div>
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So a whole set.</div>
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In the top jar that is purple, no ph modifers where added. </div>
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This is the color of the cabbage bath on its own. </div>
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The pink jar has a splash of vinegar.</div>
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The teal jar a dash of baking soda. </div>
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Seeing that color change was magic!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLpg059D8kLx_MMZO57CQZxgUSxiB-H8eQEjDb-axmpO9L-7R2lunLnjtwKnqkdk707rQuEv-HeT2aeNtW4RcfjUeGmFxjgi7SwSvQmB6CGLPAN3mtX5HNjC1Z4kAcH_9zQJ51S1l3No/s1600/IMG_4637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLpg059D8kLx_MMZO57CQZxgUSxiB-H8eQEjDb-axmpO9L-7R2lunLnjtwKnqkdk707rQuEv-HeT2aeNtW4RcfjUeGmFxjgi7SwSvQmB6CGLPAN3mtX5HNjC1Z4kAcH_9zQJ51S1l3No/s1600/IMG_4637.jpg" height="640" width="622" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b5Tw6q2piHHFCW_qjscC2Y6Y-U9NWYIvvbsrDHN5wXrCkfsp1lOleoIm_DSEvCBSuxjM5-6HrZKWMl5C__WZeBaDoq60_d4Z8YxfKwI2unpZecPzibZalNnPA9WtiuRvJM_hb7cDPYA/s1600/IMG_4638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b5Tw6q2piHHFCW_qjscC2Y6Y-U9NWYIvvbsrDHN5wXrCkfsp1lOleoIm_DSEvCBSuxjM5-6HrZKWMl5C__WZeBaDoq60_d4Z8YxfKwI2unpZecPzibZalNnPA9WtiuRvJM_hb7cDPYA/s1600/IMG_4638.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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However, I second guessed my gut and set them next to the wood stove thinking that maybe the very slow warming would have a positive effect...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVJp5hqs4Dmap0AweifsrPVIwt4XrGTnhF-A1ITMC0kR7Gus-ni_oHQlZ-s3ARit7nQ86nj7drfu3Z0GjT46YPMrTrlnkxLpgxfEc3eyWMvFGAvtkJjGv0hE3JDiHHWMXBhmBqze7ud8/s1600/IMG_4651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVJp5hqs4Dmap0AweifsrPVIwt4XrGTnhF-A1ITMC0kR7Gus-ni_oHQlZ-s3ARit7nQ86nj7drfu3Z0GjT46YPMrTrlnkxLpgxfEc3eyWMvFGAvtkJjGv0hE3JDiHHWMXBhmBqze7ud8/s1600/IMG_4651.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Ummm... not so much.</div>
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I dumped the liquid from each jar and started again with fresh dye liquid as I had plenty from that stock pot. </div>
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Added the same modifers to the same jars and set them in my mud room </div>
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where they actually froze over night....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KKctN8wkAHxYRFjX9fWcrldyk0Kbwy8F-e5iVrfoyYHyzsDxOTPRyblhdEV_M7XpcS_VNdLBQp6AxbtbooJhd1D4_utp6s5PD9DWAE5tydSf0rD8epeNqcq8cxQ8ZBpf0fTFDs1t4hc/s1600/IMG_4655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KKctN8wkAHxYRFjX9fWcrldyk0Kbwy8F-e5iVrfoyYHyzsDxOTPRyblhdEV_M7XpcS_VNdLBQp6AxbtbooJhd1D4_utp6s5PD9DWAE5tydSf0rD8epeNqcq8cxQ8ZBpf0fTFDs1t4hc/s1600/IMG_4655.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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That's ok, interesting things still happened. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HVUL8pXRjiNQbhM0dOuz0M6a6CjUk_dFh2BuFWTm_C9xbs7v56DoWe20Ff70mrUqPKIp64ar5DtyWeaU1VWceG2pqQ6Ua-y-KP0DrCvAVPNmPSU1msyIrsINBm6_Cyi76c8_3SKscfY/s1600/IMG_4660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HVUL8pXRjiNQbhM0dOuz0M6a6CjUk_dFh2BuFWTm_C9xbs7v56DoWe20Ff70mrUqPKIp64ar5DtyWeaU1VWceG2pqQ6Ua-y-KP0DrCvAVPNmPSU1msyIrsINBm6_Cyi76c8_3SKscfY/s1600/IMG_4660.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This here are all the samples starting with the vinegar batch</div>
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nothing batch</div>
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baking soda batch.</div>
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All laying on the dried silk scarf. </div>
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Which really was the most successful of all the cabbage. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGLARzCs5goxg4Rfw-4L1oNINYmmh3rWq71qtTw8-0FGRbHKT-r_TQqxnLpE88gMGBRjDorD7nr_heII9E3OuKQAPZQ9meLy8YSYNN2igUbXItPNWiV8M_80as_07hKYBcXkh2RvcB_o/s1600/IMG_4665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGLARzCs5goxg4Rfw-4L1oNINYmmh3rWq71qtTw8-0FGRbHKT-r_TQqxnLpE88gMGBRjDorD7nr_heII9E3OuKQAPZQ9meLy8YSYNN2igUbXItPNWiV8M_80as_07hKYBcXkh2RvcB_o/s1600/IMG_4665.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Every few days or so I check in on that scarf to see if the color is still there. </div>
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And it is. </div>
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I'm not quite sure what to do with it. </div>
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Not thin enough to work into a felt. </div>
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Not warm enough to wear right now. </div>
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And I'm not keen on putting it in my shop as I don't know when or if it will fade. </div>
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For so now, It'll sit pretty.</div>
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So what did I learn from cabbage dye? </div>
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Red cabbage dye loves silk with no mordant and maybe a modifer. </div>
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Red cabbage loves linen especially with baking soda. Lovely light but bright blues.</div>
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Red cabbage and wool are not friends. Though if you sweeter the deal with a modifer, </div>
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they learn to live togther.</div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-89432520462487972552015-01-24T21:28:00.001-05:002015-01-24T21:29:36.414-05:00Dyeing with 4 Lichens from 3 Corners of the World.<div style="text-align: center;">
So I've been enjoying some nice down time here on Peaks.<br />
I'm now in my 2nd trimester and my energy is perking back up.<br />
Beginning around Halloween I was feeling pretty tuckered out as I was balancing this new life form growing inside me and just in general wrapping my brain around our lives changing forever.<br />
<br />
Between the holidays, my time has been spent researching baby things, doctor appointments, times with family, snuggling on the sofa all day watching endless series of whatever felt nice and interesting. I blow through tv way more than is good for me. Holding my small chicken a whole lot more and just standing in my painting studio soaking up the energy in there and day dreaming about what I'll paint when I get around to it.<br />
<br />
As Christmas neared I started to plan on taking January and Feburary off from cranking out the knitted and sewn goods. Or really any major shop planning things. I just needed a break from not thinking about creating for the shop. And it's been really good.<br />
I still got the dye urges and one day a few weeks ago as I was cleaning out the fridge trying again to find that weird smell, I found two things that I over looked last time.<br />
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A red cabbage.<br />
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And a bag of tiny skiny purple carrots.<br />
From September......<br />
<br />
I had also been hankering to dye up my fermented lichen jars of reds and purples.<br />
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That is what I'm going to begin with here, the lichen dyes.<br />
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The next two posts will be about the carrots and cabbage, but seperately.<br />
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This is my 3rd post on lichen dyes and you can find the others in my archives.<br />
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Lichens.<br />
<br />
I heart lichens<br />
So<br />
Very<br />
Much.<br />
<br />
I revisted my wonderful and so so informative book by Karen Cassleman, <u>Lichen Dyes, A new Source Book. </u><br />
I've had it about a year or more and found a few pages where I had made all these notes on with my pencil. It occured to me that the first time I experimented with my fermented lichen dyes I kind of winged it, even though I had read what she said to do. Also I was working with tiny amounts of fiber.<br />
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This time though, I did exactly as she said.<br />
Started with 1oz of washed fiber : 1cup of dye liquor : 4 cups water.<br />
From there I repeated the fiber amount in the afterbaths until the color was absorbed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB52xLXA3hyphenhyphen_kBJw1B22I3UbcpUJbnUyvpyMuOf0LJc7ceqKhvRlHzRhMRhKFcT5qEIWw2rtGiqXto0_G0q2M0AF_Kgy6KLo1tXm_Rpa6oIIfYevSFI53-bcT7A_Jt3_F3Lqm4mAI328s/s1600/IMG_4620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB52xLXA3hyphenhyphen_kBJw1B22I3UbcpUJbnUyvpyMuOf0LJc7ceqKhvRlHzRhMRhKFcT5qEIWw2rtGiqXto0_G0q2M0AF_Kgy6KLo1tXm_Rpa6oIIfYevSFI53-bcT7A_Jt3_F3Lqm4mAI328s/s1600/IMG_4620.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
I had a different lichen in each jar.<br />
The 1st being what I was pretty sure was<br />
Evernia prunastri<br />
that I collected from my mother in law's yard.<br />
Which by the way is a lichen paradise.<br />
Let me see if I can pull up a picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8RCd5dIPNlpPbNxGA2mg-PGkbeQRXsrvFA0UjHgUzjIwu8gvpeoA6Peo4OMmMVPxBGSq6c4RFHJTkf_Qyl_unitFDf2afzwwACRzz_eAKZAC775RYkaeB1YS9QMQbIAqy045Un5j-t4/s1600/IMG_1833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8RCd5dIPNlpPbNxGA2mg-PGkbeQRXsrvFA0UjHgUzjIwu8gvpeoA6Peo4OMmMVPxBGSq6c4RFHJTkf_Qyl_unitFDf2afzwwACRzz_eAKZAC775RYkaeB1YS9QMQbIAqy045Un5j-t4/s1600/IMG_1833.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
I mean, come on. How can you not fall in love with this weird and strange organism? <br />
Just<br />
So<br />
Beautiful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6It10InKGYxnrNhW898r6ZSVQ5f5Aq_PTMr-RBTwJdmqtqPMToSN71kK1GKjcHLaZj9pVODnRoih3pjbYWej_DU8fgj3i2-_zktVblL2-gDeQ91asGNkyxZSzgkDunJkHHqPhbbiGSA/s1600/IMG_1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6It10InKGYxnrNhW898r6ZSVQ5f5Aq_PTMr-RBTwJdmqtqPMToSN71kK1GKjcHLaZj9pVODnRoih3pjbYWej_DU8fgj3i2-_zktVblL2-gDeQ91asGNkyxZSzgkDunJkHHqPhbbiGSA/s1600/IMG_1823.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Ok, two pictures. They live in the Sierra Foothills, California </div>
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and going there in Feburary is such a treat. </div>
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I also collected from the same spot a dark curly green lichen. Which may be what was in this last picture. </div>
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A had a 3rd jar of Xanthoria parietina that I had collected from Inis Meáin, the middle of the Aran Island off the west coast of Ireland during our honeymoon in 2013. I finally used the last of that jar. </div>
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sniff... sniff....</div>
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The 4th jar was of Umbilicaria mammulata I collected at Squam Lake in New Hampshire while teaching at the <a href="http://44clovers.blogspot.com/2013/09/squam-taproot-gathering.html">September Taproot/Squam</a>. </div>
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Meeting Stephanie Pearl McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot was pivotal in my lichen dyeing adventures because she confirmed for me that indeed Umbilicaria does resemble black potato chips. After she said that I knew I had seen it before. But I realized I didn't know what I was more excited and overwhelmed with. The fact that I just had a conversation with Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Or that she cracked my lichen mystery. </div>
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Both I'm sure. </div>
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Then on the last day of Squam before I headed home, I took another foraging walk around and there by the lake behind the big house, on a rock was a wonderful smattering of Umbilicaria mammulata and another Umbilicaria with the common name, toad skin lichen. Growing side by side. I collected a small amount and begun the soaking as soon I got home. </div>
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On this day of dyeing, I was excited to get some dyeing done.<br />
But to also just use up what I had.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKwqnnOBTvHt1mxQTFhQVHNjW5GhmIIWfPROGggNy1HBDlTr7UND58D2gX49hjIYLedbgMx6cwaYxPCHxpNY5fm3j4abm2FQASVv2RzbY6Y8Sy-QQ6ynWdRPDMAI5Hy1BY45LiK1rMJA/s1600/IMG_4623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKwqnnOBTvHt1mxQTFhQVHNjW5GhmIIWfPROGggNy1HBDlTr7UND58D2gX49hjIYLedbgMx6cwaYxPCHxpNY5fm3j4abm2FQASVv2RzbY6Y8Sy-QQ6ynWdRPDMAI5Hy1BY45LiK1rMJA/s1600/IMG_4623.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a><br />
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Lichen fermentation is super exciting and everything<br />
but we need not foget about the dyeing bit.<br />
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The Umbilicaria is the only one that really held the deep color in the first bath.<br />
The others, turned out to be a very soft pink or purle.<br />
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I did wonder if it was because I was using loose wool opposed to yarn or fabric.<br />
Which I think, saturates better... Not a fact, just in my experience so far.<br />
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I was super impressed with the first dye bath of Umbilicaria which is on the left. A bright magenta.<br />
I think I did 2 after baths with an once of washed wool in each pot.<br />
In a few of them, I added more dye liquor which made me feel like I was cheating but, I wanted some color to be drawn out.<br />
It was fine.<br />
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The mystery lichen, 3rd from the left came out kind of impressive.<br />
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Going across the picture here, the fluffy batts are my carded lichen samples, 1 oz each.<br />
1st baths starting on the far left and going up.<br />
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(below the batts are my cabbage experiments which I will post about later.<br />
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Here is my jar of leftover Xanthoria from the Aran Island.<br />
After I poured off all the dye liquor, I just couldn't face dumping the lichens.<br />
I mean, they came from such an ancient place and ancient spot.<br />
So I filled it back up with more ammonia and water just to see what would happen.<br />
This is it after just a few minutes.<br />
I'll wait a few weeks and try it again.<br />
When using something like lichens for dyes, I think it is so important to use up every last drop.<br />
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In the mean time, I've acquired a few lichen tools. </div>
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A microscope</div>
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another lichen book</div>
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little jars for collecting and testing lichens in the field for dyeing</div>
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dissection tools</div>
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and the cutest red tiny filing cabinet from Ikea that will soon house my new lichen herbarium. </div>
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Now I've just got to get organized. </div>
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If you have any questions about lichen dyeing, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer you. </div>
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I have taught a lichen dyeing course once at the Maine Fiber Frolic last summer. </div>
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Lichen dyeing is a tricky course to teach, for me, because I want to fit so much information into a course and it all really needs time. </div>
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I'm still on the fence if I'm going to teach one from my home studio this spring. </div>
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I need to think about how I want to structure it because most likely, I need to be the one to prepare and ferment the lichens and even then it will be dyeing of little samples. </div>
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So if there is something really specific or an area in lichen dyeing you'd like to learn in the form of a course, do let me know. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142907709154772138.post-82363553096681659272015-01-24T13:12:00.001-05:002015-01-24T21:28:54.405-05:00Quiet times<div style="text-align: center;">
I've neglected this space greatly. </div>
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I have however been continuing my dyeing and creating </div>
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but it in more contimplative drips and drabs. </div>
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So here's just a little note to say I'll be back soon with some </div>
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fresh dye experiments I conducted a few weeks ago.</div>
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All of which are purple actually. </div>
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Also, by April, I will have a fresh line of plant dyed fluffy delicate goodies for the neck. </div>
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As I geared up for the Holiday sale season I tuckered myself out pretty easily. As I'm now growing a human (!!!) I decided to take Janurary and Feburary off from major crank out mode. </div>
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Though I should say I've been spinning at a good relaxed clip and have great plans to get through all 7 fleeces (and that will be washed, carded, spun, and dyed). Normally I work at one fleece at a time and then put it out in my shop. However, I excited myself at the prospect of dyeing everything at once over the course of a few weeks as soon as the weather gets warm. When will that be? April I hope. </div>
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This way, I can hopefully have all my major dyeing for the winter 2015 season done before the baby comes in July. We'll see. </div>
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So, like I said, soon I'll have a few posts up of purple plant dyes!!</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14002127964855420189noreply@blogger.com0