Happy New Year with Maine Shetland Yarns

 I can't believe I haven't shown up here since September! 

I've missed writing and sharing a bunch so I've made it a New Year's resolution to commit Monday's to writing. 

I've set a few writing goals for myself for the New Year that are energizing me. 

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".

Stay tuned!

Today, I'd like to get you caught up on my latest making. 

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. 

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. 

However, I am getting better at carving out time for just me and the things that give me life and feed me. 

Like working with wool. 

handspun maine shetland fingering/dk weight. 

These beauties will be available in the shop soon. 

Something I don't normally do for the shop is such fine spinning. 

But this wool told me exactly what it wanted to become. 

I had to listen because the wool is always right.

When I buy a fleece, I never know what it will end up looking like once spun. 

As I spend all this time with it from 

selecting it

skirting it

washing it

drying it

carding it

by the time I start spinning it, I've had ample time to become familiar. 

By that point I've formed a bond with that wool. 

I know I may sound a little nutzo but I'm really serious. 

I have no idea why I love wool so or why it feels me with such a primitive mothering instinct, but it does. 

Anyway, 

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;)

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. 

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. 

But OH! 

IS  THIS  YARN  

*D   E   L   I   C   I   O   U   S *

It will be available in my etsy shop soon. I promise.

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. 

Icelandic is one of the trickiest for me to work with at times. 

There is so much downy fluff but also long shiny, not too scratchy hairs. 

It kind of wobbles in between wanting to be finely spun, which can feel like wire, in my opinion.

Or thick rope. 

It really is a slippery slope with this wool. 

I'll let you know how we get on. 

In the mean time, R and I try and get out every day to explore a part of the island. 

Sometimes, I get out a few extra minutes to myself before getting on the boat and I find these:

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. 

December skies out here on Peaks are always beautiful too. 

What wool are you spinning this winter? 

More Lichen Hunting

This shop has been filling up with these sweet project bags. 

And then I say good bye to them just as fast. 

So happy to see them go to good homes and into the hands 

of happy owners. 

I've been thinking for a while of this idea involving lichens and Peaks Island.

Peaks Island is about 3 miles around and all walkable.

I'm going to attempt to do a lichen collection and survey of the lichens on Peaks over the next few years. Or however long it might take. 

tiny mushrooms found on maples down front. 

It's amazing what you see when you look closer!

I'm pretty certain, by sight that this lichen is Xanthoria parietina. I adore Xanthoria lichens.

I found even more of these tiny mushroom colonies on more maples, but only in the cevices. This time in town near 50 Commerical Street.

Licen with jam tarts.

I have little piles of lichens floating around the house with little notes here and there so that I can identify each one. 

This great book arrived in the mail yesterday and

Soon I'll have a microscope to work with and from there I'll create my own 

Peaks Island lichen herbarium.

I've also been thinking about how this work might be useful for some environmental cause.

The Island Istitute perhaps? 

If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them:)

Peaks Island Plant Dye Workshop Series; Summer 2014

{It's a cutting it a little close} 

But- this Saturday marks the beginning of 

my plant dye workshop series here on Peaks Island!

Just 2 miles out in the Casco Bay from Portland, Maine. 

Ferries run about every hour and it's very easy to get to. 

Join me in my back yard with my chickens and dye pots 

for some dyeing adventures. 

My home and outdoor workshop is just a 5 minute walk from the ferry so no car is needed. 

In each workshop, materials will be provided,

you'll receive 5 hours of instruction

and enjoy a delicious organic home cooked meal from one of my favorite recipes

which we'll enjoy on my porch with a breezy view of the water.

And you'll come away with a ton of skills, knowledge, dyed samples, 

and a full belly.

For further questions or to reserve your spot for any of the workshops

send me an email at:

44clovers@gmail.com

and I'll send you further info including directions and info about the ferry. 

First up:

:: Under the Rainbow :: 

Saturday July 19th

10:30am-4:30pm

{ferry from portland-9:15am. ferry from peaks- 5pm}

Plant dying for the true blue beginner. We’ll learn the basics of preparing plant dye pigment powders with safe habits, experiment with color blending, and go over equipment and materials. You’ll come away with a ton of techniques and tricks to apply in your own dyeing. 

Materials and delicious home-cooked lunch included. 

$125

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:: Mermaid Threads :: 

Sunday August 10th, 

10:30am-4:30pm

{ferry from portland-9:15am. ferry from peaks- 5pm}

Plant dyeing for fabric and garments. Bring 3-4 white/ light colored natural fiber garments or fabric bits. We’ll use a variety of plant dyes like indigo, madder root, onion skins, and a few others to add new life to your pieces! We’ll go over equipment, safe practices, where you can purchase dye materials, and how to care for your newly dyed pieces.

Dyes and a delicious home-cooked lunch included. 

$125

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:: Foraging for Color :: 

Sunday August 31st 

10:30am-4:30pm 

{ferry from portland-9:15am. ferry from peaks- 5pm}

Have you ever looked at a plant and wondered if a dye lived inside? I’ll get you jump started into the world of exploring your back yard and neighborhood for dyes. We’ll go over foraging within an ecological context, cook up test pots, go over handy equipment, and talk about safety habits. 

Materials and a delicious home-cooked lunch included.

$125

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:: Lichen Magic:: 

Sunday September 7th 

10:30am-4:30pm

{ferry from portland-9:15am. ferry from peaks- 5pm}

  

 Lichens have been used for their dye properties for thousands of years. The colors that can come from lichens cover the rainbow spectrum! You’ll come away knowing at least 4 different types of dye lichens, a few good reference books to use, pigment testing methods, extraction methods, respectful collection methods, the 3 dye-prep methods, and even a little lichenology.

Materials and a delicious home-cooked lunch included.

$125 

Do email me if you have any questions about these workshops.

Hope to see you there!

ox, rachel

Peaks Island Fiber Arts Camp 2014

This New Year, for me has begun with thinking about cultivating innovative ways that reach further into the realm of both independent and collaborative creative endeavors to bring my love of fiber, plant dyes, and teaching into new territories.

Over here on Peaks Island, there is a really talented Textile Artist who also works with plant dyes and creates beautiful felted cloth. I've had the wonderful pleasure of getting to know Laura and we spend a lot of time talking about textiles and drinking tea. I'm really grateful for her friendship. She's also the co-fonder of the Peaks Island Fiber Arts Camp that she has been running with her friend, Susan Hanley, for a decade now, also a fellow islander and textile artist.

Several weeks ago, I asked Laura if they might need any help this year. As it turned out, Susan had just let her know she'd like to take a sabbatical for 1 year. So, for this year, I have the pleasure of stepping in for Susan. Laura and I got down to it and have worked really hard meeting about every week to create these 4 camp offerings for children ages 6-14.

Enrollment is now open.

 :: Early Summer Days :: 

whittling, creature making and mud oven granola baking

Spend the early days of summer relaxing with 

new friends and a project or two. We’ll whittle

a walking stick and knitting needles - visit

beaches and share stories. We’ll make a 

piece of fabric from which little animals & 

creatures will grow. And we’ll heat up the mud 

oven and bake delicious homemade granola. 

June 23-27, 8:30-2:30 ages 7-12, $285

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:: Fabric Collage ::

Matisse, wool, silk, and collage 

Create a beautiful light and colorful collage. 

Using Matisse’s Cut outs as inspiration 

campers will create their own colors, shapes, 

and patterns with silk cloth. We’ll experiment 

with designs and lay-outs. When all the pieces 

of the collage are ready they will be held 

together, not by sewing, but by felting.

June 30-July 3, 8:30-2:30, ages 8-14, 4 day camp $235

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:: Still Life and Lunch ::

drawing, painting, and baking

Fruit salad, bread, blueberry hand pies, pizza and more. 

We’ll spend the first part of each day drawing and painting 

the day’s ingredients. 

Then we’ll work together to prepare

the recipe of the day. 

Finally we’ll enjoy the good food we’ve made. 

On Friday we’ll sew together a book 

of our drawings and paintings 

and possibly include our recipes.

July 21-25, 8:30-2:30 ages 6-14, $285

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:: Bugs, Tracks, and Crafts ::

explore, inspect, and stitch

Follow the paths of snails, bumbles, and hermit crabs 

while we explore the beach, garden, and forest 

for these tiny creatures. 

We’ll inspect their tracks, habitats, and nests. 

Then using various textile textures, techniques, and our imagination, 

we’ll create unique keepsakes 

capturing the nature of 

these tiny creatures.

August 18-22, 8:30-2:30 ages 6-12, $285

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About Laura

“I’ve been making things my whole life - sculptures, clothes, prints, books, and mud ovens. I’m thinking of building a cob cottage someday, but until then I’m busy felting, dyeing and sewing. Each summer I’m glad to share these arts & skills I find so valuable”. 

About Rachel

“Working from my studio here on Peaks Island, I love using oils and watercolors to study botanicals, and foraging wild plants to dye my hand spun yarn. I keep myself busy knitting, sewing, weaving,

felting, blogging and teaching both on island and around New England for my small business, 

44 Clovers”

We're happy to answer any questions:

Rachel (that's me) at: 44clovers@gmail.com

or Laura at: lrglendening@gmail.com

To enroll your child(ren) contact either Laura or myself and we will email you a copy of the brochure where you can print out the registration form to mail in. 

Looking forward to seeing you this summer!

Apple Barks; a foraging and dyeing tutorial

I’m very excited and pleased to be starting off the New Year with a weekly foraging and natural dyeing tutorial to share with you. This first post focuses on foraging downed apple limbs from an organic apple orchard here in Maine. Back in October, we took a day trip out to Raven Hill Orchard. I mention the outing here. 

Using barks from downed limbs is a very easy way to both forage and store until your ready to begin the process. I began the process here. To get the most color out of the barks, they need to soak for at least one week in water. It was October when I began the process, so I left my pots on the porch, though a bit longer than I anticipated. 

A great way to start is to identify what you’ve foraged. If you don’t know, take the time to research it on line or with any nature books you may have around the house. Or ask someone else what they think. Once you know, make a note of what it is. If you have a kitchen scale (which I highly recommend), weigh your foraged materials and make a note of that as well. I’ve tried to remember before- but it never works. I’m so thankful now when I take the time to make these notes. Plus, (i think) it’s really fun to know exactly how much of what you started with. Also, note the location collected and date. Once all this is done, get your barks crumpled into the pots. Cover with water, it doesn’t matter how much, and let soak for at least a week. This long soaking will enable the pigments to be released when heated later, more easily. 

So, I set up my pots outside and then sort of forgot about them. Or rather, every day I thought about them and then got very busy with something else. Exactly two months later, and frozen solid, I couldn’t take the guilt anymore. Mild guilt. And I began the process of dyeing. I did think it pretty neat that they froze solid in the pot. My pots were fine as they are made of stainless steel. My husband kindly brought them inside for me and they thawed. Freezing doesn't do anything different to the materials, other than preserve it. 

I soaked various sample skeins in room temperature water. Actually these weren’t true sample skeins as they were full skeins. A wool alpaca silk blend. 

I placed the two pots on the stove and it wasn’t until after the yarns were soaked through- an hour or more, I added them to the pots. One pot being Hudson Golden Gem and the other being Black Oxford. 

They simmered for roughly two hours. I then turned off the heat and let both pots cool over night into the morning. Then I removed the skeins and hung them over the sink so they could drip. 

I had been soaking 4 other skeins, and added those in the same manner as the day before. I wanted to see what the yarns would pick up from the 1st after bath. I did weigh out each skein but as each one was so light weight, all just under an once, I did not make a note of it. If I had been dyeing a large amount of loose fiber or fabric, I would have written this down. 

After about two hours of simmering (forgot to mention- left the barks swimming free in the bath with the yarns) I then turned off the heat and again let cool over night into morning. Once cooled I hung to dry. 

Here is the fruit itself with the bark. Black Oxford variety. I only processed and dyed using the barks of both apple types. I did not dye with the apples themselves.

Black Oxford barks. The single skein at the top of the picture was from the first dye bath. Dyed over a wool/alpaca/ silk blend. The two skeins on the bottom are actually from the second dye bath (1st after bath). The skein on the left is alpaca/silk blend. The yarn on the right is the same yarn as the top. A slight difference in color. But what a surprising difference with the second blend in that second bath is. Probably the biggest surprise of the whole experiment. 

Here is the Hudson Golden Gem variety. 

Here is the same set up at the first picture. Only difference is the yarn on the left is same as the top, and the yarn on the right is a wool/alpaca blend. All in all, with each skein just a few degrees in color difference. 

And here they are all together. Hudson on the left, oxford on the right. Subtleties... I live for those too. 

When it comes to barks, you do not need a mordant such as alum to make the pigment stay as barks have tanins which is like a natural mordant. Same as in lichens, teas, and coffees. You could certainly experiment with mordants for color variations. This is something I enjoyed about the barks as it’s so simple, one less thing to remember, and except for always needing to be mindful around heat, relatively safe. Also, if cooking dye stuffs in your home, always think about proper ventilation. I keep my oven hood fan on high and when able (like not during a rare polar vortex) I crack the kitchen window. 

For those of you who are really into the science aspect of dyeing, you may find this article interesting. I wanted to enter a link for tanins and found this. Here is another very interesting link - tanins as ink. I'll be combing over these shortly.

I am endlessly fascinated with huge groupings of plant life that hold pigments. Lichens, flowers, tree leaves, tree barks, and mushrooms. And then there are bugs and shellfish...

If you have any questions regarding this post, natural dyeing, or would like to share what you foraged and cooked up, I'd love to hear from you, leave a comment below:)

Wishing you all warmth and light during this polar vortex.

ox, r

Wintery Foraging Walk

On my way to the post office this morning, I noticed this: 

I kicked myself for not having my phone to take some snaps but decided to come back out after I got home. This here scene and the post office are a stone's throw from my front door. 

Walking back outside to get my snaps I was reminded once again, and finally accepted I think, that I am made for this weather. I will take a day like this over a hot steamy humid one any time. I do love the sun, just not beaming directly on me for longer than 15 minutes or I fry up and sizzle. Not pretty and neither is my disposition after I've been in the sun for that long. 

But this weather, seeing the snow and mist roll over the water, snow flying, my cheeks soaking up the fresh zingy air, I LOVE. 

Walking back up to the house I realized, what a perfect time to take a little jaunt and poke around in our yard. I then remembered with a flood of fondness for my childhood in Bowdoinham when I loved to spend time outside in the snow. The world around me always changing and discovering new developments in all the nooks and crannies that was our yard on the Old Post Road. Those times in my childhood where I could wander free and just stare at tree bark, the snow flakes delicate glitterings, and spotting a flash of a red cardinal against the snow are some of my most dear and early memories. 

Our yard here on Peaks Island has it's interesting quirks. And the shape of our yard is kind of neat, I think. It's maybe 3/4 of an acre, I can never remember. And though we have a lot of lawn, there is also woodland. 

This some what blurry picture of all these branches is our lilacs that hug the edge of our "driveway". Or rather the grassy spot where we park the car when we bring it over on the ferry during parking bans (which we are waiting to hear if there will be one tonight or not) and when we bring something large home. Like a dresser. 

But if you look closely, you'll see dark purpley brown buds? Do you see them? To me, when I saw them I was struck by the promise of spring and growth and newness. That's why I love this time of year. It can seem dark and endless and cold because of the short days. But it's also the beginning of a new and fresh cycle for E V E R Y T H I N G. 

This red out building is our very very soon to be painting studio. It was a garden shed that Jubal used for years before I came on the scene. When we first got engaged back in April of 2011 and where making plans to move me here, he came up with the idea to turn it into a studio for us both. Jubal, though he doesn't talk about it much, if at all, is an amazing artist, drawing a lot as a kid and took a few art courses in college. I look forward to seeing him in here when he takes breaks from his computer work. And I also look forward to letting the paints fly and the color splashing everywhere and getting covered in finding my way back to my oils. 

So here's the part that inspired my curiosities for the walk and what I found in the end. Something about talking walks, even for 10 minutes can do such a world of good for my soul. Now to look at this piece of property that is behind the studio, you may not think it looks like much. A lot of brush and ugly gnarly looking vines, shrubs, logs, and what nots. But to really look closer, so much more is discovered. Also, this was the first time I have been back there since it snowed and my goal was to discover what berries lay about as they really stand out against the snow.

The first twig on the left I picked because the leaves looked very rosy. The plant itself looked forlorn, forgotten, and sad. Jubal confirmed it's a sad old sea rose bush. I got really excited and he said, we can plant a new one because this one was small and crazy looking and far off in the waste land of our back yard near a drainage ditch. I told him, no, this one is here and I love the idea of coaxing it back to life and maybe making a small woodland garden right around that rose bush. I'll let you know how it turns out this summer. 

The second twig is barberry Berberis canadensis. I popped a berry between my fingers and the color was so bright red. I discovered quite a good amount for collecting later. 

And the third twig is black night shade Solanum americanum. I popped this berry between my fingers and a very dark but bright purple was the color. I also found a ton of it up in the woody hill. Maybe I'll name this piece of property, Lilac Hill instead. It sounds nicer. 

So that was my foraging walk. I hear it's suppose to warm up on Sunday. I'll go back out then and collect these berries and do a dye experiment with sample yarns. Will post a tutorial later. Until then, starting next week, I'll be posting a dye tutorial at least once a week. First up being apple barks. 

My wish for you, think about this New Year. What does this time of year mean for you? Talk a walk outside a choose a path to meander around in that you don't normally tread. And notice the newness of a space that is always there and let it uplift you and bring freshness into your mind. And if you want to share your walk, or what you love about your yard or neighborhood, consider posting it here. I would love to hear from you. 

ox, r 

Thank you 2013

I have always loved calendars. I love picking one out each year. Writing special events and appointments down, I keep it in a spot I will always notice. A few years ago I started a New Year's Eve tradition: I take down my calendar and go over the year just lived. And this year, 2013, was one for the books. I don't think I've had so much excitement, or extended my family, and felt so loved as I have in this year.

January~ As Jubal and I continued to plan our wedding, I also worked on dye samples, new yarns, and figuring out how to build up my Etsy shop from part-time to full-time. And it was during this month that I was given a tremendous opportunity to teach at Squam Artworkshops :: Taproot Gathering that took place this past September. The year certainly started off with a bang.

     

February~ More wedding planning took place, and I became most obsessed with wedding flowers and table settings. I always knew the obsession would kick in, but I tried hard to keep it at bay. Then it was all I could think about. Pretty boring for anyone who had spent time with me, as all I had were flowers on the brain. We did take some time away from the Maine winter too, and I traveled with Jubal to his hometown in California to see his family and so he could attend a work training. Spending time in the Bay Area and with his family is always such a treat, and I know I am so lucky to be able to do this. 

  

March~  Became a bit of a flurry of shopping, meeting with wedding vendors, packing for a three-month trip, and checking out. Sweet, sweet bliss mixed with excitement for the coming month, mixed with anxiety about the Big Day and our crazy retreat. It was also a month of parties, get-togethers, last days at my part-time job, birthday dinners, and such an unreal feeling.

   

April~ The first of April started with celebration of welcoming family and friends as they trickled in from all over to help us celebrate our day. On April 6th, Jubal and I married, and the following day we left Maine to spend our honeymoon in a cottage on the west coast of Ireland. 

We found our way to our cottage that first day, lit the first peat fire in our stove, and took a nap while the harrowing west wind came over the bog. We were so struck with how surreal it felt to have arrived. We made it through dating and finding each other, deciding to marry, planning a home, planning the wedding, and now planning this trip. We were exhausted, and I don't remember when I'd slept so well as I did when we had first arrived to the cottage with the red door in Doonagore village, near Doolin. 

        

(wedding photos: Jennifer Searles Dumont

May~ We found our groove and delighted in driving all over Ireland to visit pubs, shops, museums, farms, random castles appearing on the horizon, and much much, so much to our pure delight, we witnessed the Burren come alive with the most sweet and delicate wild orchids. Such a treasure and blessing to witness such natural beauty.

We made new friends and spent time with old ones. Everywhere we went, we were our own version of a sponge -- soaking up every detail, color, historical fact, vernacular, dessert, and sounds that we could. 

June~ It started to sink in we had to leave at the end of the month. I packed even more in including a trip to the middle of the Aran Islands. I cannot pick one amazing moment of those three months. But if I had to, if I really did, it would be that side trip to Inis Meáin.

    

Leaving at the end of the month, I looked back on all that we had done, but mostly on all that I had thought about. I left feeling so grateful, refreshed, and inspired to do so many things on our return. The thing is, as much as we both were ready to go home to our home, our island, our state, our families -- we so badly wanted to stay. It was a very weird place to be. It was my fourth trip to Ireland, and each time I've gone, I didn't want to leave. But this time, this time, I felt such a strange pull that was ten times stronger than the last trip. I think it had something to do with living so near to that ancient bog that had seen and held so much. 

July~ We settled right back in and it felt as if we had never left. Getting back to our familiar things felt very sweet. I saw friends, family, and took a watercolor class at a nearby farm. Jubal got right back to work and even traveled for a bit. I returned to Medomak for my fourth year to teach fiber arts classes with my good friends. It was a wonderful week, as always.

 

August~ Jubal had to travel again for work, and I became more used to taking care of things in his absence. We held a yard sale. I harvested my first indigo crop of the year and held a small indigo dyeing party. My sister, mom, and two good friends came to learn about the process and dye a few pieces -- something I look forward to doing again next year. It was a lot of fun, and I look forward to taking advantage of our garden beds and the Peaks Community Garden to grow more dye plants. Also, my youngest niece came for a sleepover for the first time. We had the best time, and I didn't want her to leave.

September~ My interest in foraging for mushrooms flourished, and a new obsession was born. Jubal and I attended a fun fungi fair in north-central Massachusetts to learn more. Then I packed up my pots, samples, books, aprons, and nerves and drove deep into the New Hampshire woods to teach natural dyeing at the Squam Art Workshops. It was a wonderful time of self-discovery, new friendships, and explorations. I also forged a new connection for a project that I've been working on since, and which I hope to share more about in the future. I attended the Common Ground Fair (again) where I picked out two fleeces for myself and pumpkins for Jubal. He makes a killer pumpkin pie. My oldest nephew came to stay for a sleepover for the first time, I taught him how to skirt a fleece, and he taught us how to pick up a chicken. We adopted two hens from neighbors the week before, and we didn't have much of a clue. I also held my first natural dye workshop at the house, which was a lot of fun.

October~ For 20 years I have dreamed about learning to play the fiddle. I finally decided it was about time I try. We took a small road trip up north to visit friends, and did more mushroom foraging, and it was particularly fun for Jubal as he had never been that far north in Maine. I spent more time with family and friends too.

    

November~ We took another road trip, but this time to Prince Edward Island. A wonderful scenic trip and more time with family and friends. Also this month, I hit an all time record high for sales in my etsy shop.

December~ Early on in this month I decided to spend more time trying to take things slow. The holiday season can make me feel crazy, stressed and like I'm not doing enough. I made a conscious decision to do less in the way of my shop and blogging so that I could do more in the way of creating more holiday cheer around our home and make time for friends and family. I wanted to soak up every moment of December by watching Christmas movies, listening to music, baking, trying new holiday crafting projects, and taking more time to really enjoy a season that could whirl right by.

     

Looking back on my year, I feel I am so blessed, and am inspired to unfold even more possibilities for 2014. 

And speaking of 2014, I'm so happy to share with you some fun plans I have in store for my shop, 44 Clovers, my blog which will soon be a website that Jubal's been building, and workshops that will be on offer here on Peaks, local shops in Portland, and beyond.    

Thank you, 2013, and all that you've blessed me with. 

ox, r