Volunteeritis

I'm not one to volunteer very often, and when I do, it usually does not work well. But this year, I volunteered at the Salomon Farm Fiber Fest for the spinning guild - that was fun. And now it seems I am the unofficial "outreach coordinator" for the weaving guild. We've lost dues-paying members over the course of the pandemic and are running low on funds. So I've been searching for ways to raise our profile, attract new members, and earn some money.

Then, at a recent Zoom meeting with the board, the audio cut out at one point and I inadvertantly volunteered to help with a "super Saturday" in August, on tapestry weaving. At least no one asked me to become an officer. At least, I don't think so.

Knitting: Yes, still hacking away at the Habitation throw. Since I need a portable project, I started another 100% That Cowl.
Spinning: Still spinning the Shetland top. On spool #2.
Weaving: I'm almost done with towel #1 - just need to weave the hem at the end. And I warped my big frame loom for a wall hanging and started weaving. (The photo makes the yarn look like shades of brown when it is really shades of gray.)

Usually I avoid politics and religion in this blog, but in the wake of the recent tragedy in Texas, I feel compelled to put in my two cents worth. I am wondering if firearms could be treated like tobacco: sales of firearms and ammo highly taxed (and the proceeds could be used to fund mental health services), elimination of all advertising on all media, "gun-free" zones like we have "smoke-free" zones, age limits on purchases, etc. This action would sidestep second amendment issues while addressing some of the contributing factors of this senseless violence. I've contacted all my legislators, both state and federal, but frankly, I feel very hopeless and helpless.

Fiber in Iceland

A tapestry artist I follow, Rebecca Mezoff, just completed a month in Iceland, experimenting with the local fiber and yarns. She wrote about her experience in her blog. While she was abroad, I read a book called Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland, by Sarah Moss. Moss and her family spent a year in Iceland about ten years ago, where she discovered (among many other things) that knitting is endemic in Iceland. The Icelanders think it strange that we have a Knit in Public day because many of them knit in public on a regular basis and no one thinks it odd. Fun fact: the iconic Iceland sweater came into being shortly after World War II, which makes it a relatively new "tradition".

Knitting: Back to the Habitation throw; I've finally decreased to less than 200 stitches per row.
Spinning: I'm still spinning the Shetland top, decided to just finish it all in one go.
Weaving: I'm about halfway through the first waffle weave towel; this project seems to require a lot of "tools".

And I finished hemming the plain weave sage-colored towels (again), this time by hand.

Despite being vaccinated, my granddaughter came down with Covid, presumably Omicron. Fortunately, she did not get very ill. Unfortunately, they were out and about the two days before her positive test, thinking her runny nose and headache were from seasonal allergies. It wasn't until she developed a fever that they thought to give her a home test. I too have seasonal allergies and have tested myself several times, just in case, especially if I was going to be among people. So far, so good. (Knock on wood.)

100% That Cowl

I needed a small, portable knitting project, but not socks. This cowl was the perfect solution as it is stockinette bordered by 2x2 ribbing. Very simple.

Pattern: 100% That Cowl, by Kris Rossi
Yarn: Colinette Cadenza in 'Tapis' colorway
Needles: US5 for body, larger needles for cast on and bind off
Modifications: I didn't follow the pattern regarding colors, as the only DK yarn I had was this hand-dyed one

I was a bit surprised that the yarn bled when I gave the cowl a bath.

The merino yarn is very soft, so no itchiness when worn next to the skin. The cowl is nice and stretchy, too, easy to pull on and take off.

I have enough of this yarn to make another cowl, albeit a bit shorter, so I plan to cast on again when I need another easy, portable knitting project.

I spun and spun and spun some more

Yesterday morning I worked my shift at the Salomon Farm Fiber Fest, for the spinning guild. I can't recall the last time I attended this fiber fest, so it felt a bit new to me, plus I think it was downsized? Anyway, I arrived early enough to help set up, then parked my butt in a very uncomfortable folding chair, and spun and spun and spun.

Natural dyeing display

Besides me and my wheel, there were several volunteers showing kids how to hand card fleece and spin it into yarn using a spindle. Since it was a Friday, the clientele was mostly home school kids of all ages, and their parents, although there were a few adults without children as well.

Sheep breeds and flax info

I didn't have a spiel prepared, but after a while I developed a patter about what I was doing. I also answered random questions about the displays. In the future I think it would be helpful to have a volunteer to "man" the displays, to answer questions and point out exactly what they are looking at (like the live silk worms).

We lost the F's somewhere along the way

At lunchtime, I quit for the day, but then had to visit the other displays. The weaving guild was there, as well as quilters, a flax demonstrator, a goose quill demonstrator, a knitting guild with various knitting machines, etc. Many of the demonstrators are involved in multiple guilds, which explains why it is so hard to find volunteers to work the festival. And it also explained why I was still there two hours later, because I had to talk to everybody.

Silk display, including live worms

Besides the demonstration area, there were vendors. I took a quick tour but managed to get out of there without buying any fiber. In fact, I got rid of two of the fleeces in the garage, as someone needs dirty fleeces to test some machinery that will turn waste wool into something for gardening? I didn't catch exactly what the purpose was, but was happy to provide some raw material for the effort. Those fleeces were free and have been weighing on my mind. I felt I should process them or have them processed, but the one free fleece I did clean and card turned out to be of poor quality. I didn't want to spend a lot of time and/or money on something that might be a disappointment. I still have a Jacob fleece to play with; I purchased it locally and trust the provider.

Knitting: I finished the cowl; separate post to follow. The Habitation throw is out of time-out; apparently, I just can't count.
Spinning: See above.
Weaving: I started warping the Ashford 24" rigid heddle for some waffle weave towels.

A common weaving problem is measuring one's work as one goes along; dressmaker measuring tapes are usually too short. One solution is to make one's own paper tapes, which I did last week. It was a bit tedious, but now I have a collection of tapes that are over 12 feet long.

I used some kraft paper that came as padding in a package, not realizing that there were perforations every 8 or 9 inches. So besides all the measuring and marking and cutting, there was Scotch taping as well. In the future, if I need to repeat this task, I'll buy some kraft paper.

A success

Sometimes I think the more experienced weavers at guild look down on my efforts (with good reason but still rude). So I was pleasantly surprised at the interest generated by the sari yarn runner that I brought for show-and-tell this past week. It's not often I get to impress those ladies. (And for the record, the sari yarn *is* silk, not polyester. I think I got it from Darn Good Yarn.)

Knitting: The Habitation throw is still in time-out. The cowl is nearly done, though.
Spinning: My wheel is set up and I started spinning some Shetland roving.

Weaving: The hemming on the sage towels looked so bad I ripped it out so I could do it by hand. I'm learning that one should weave the hems with a lighter yarn to reduce bulk. I will definitely do this in the future.

The presentation at the last weaving guild meeting was how to dye with "mud". It wasn't really mud but minerals derived from soil. Bengala dyes have been used historically to paint temples and shrines. It protects against termites and UV rays, so the colors don't fade in the sun. Unfortunately, it is rather expensive.

We played with it a bit, dyeing some handwoven fabric and yarns. The colors are subtle if the dyes are diluted with water, but used directly they are quite intense. I started by dipping my piece of cloth into different colors, to create subtle striping, then went overboard using the dyes directly. I also dyed a hank of what I think is hemp.


This is the simplest method I've come across for dyeing fabric and yarn, as it requires no heat, not much mixing, no special equipment. And it is very safe to use.

Little Looms

For a while now, I have purchased each issue of Little Looms from either B&N or Little Shop of Spinning. I finally decided to subscribe and the first issue I received has a "been there, done that" feel, articles on topics I am already familiar with. Not that I can't learn something new from Tommye Scanlin (author of Tapestry Design Basics and Beyond) or Myra Wood (author of Crazyshot) - lord knows I don't know everything there is to know about anything - but I was expecting something more unknown to me.

Even though I have quite a few issues (of the magazine - we won't go into the personal ones here), I think I have never actually made any of the projects with the exception of some xmas ornaments we fiddled with at weaving guild. I'd like to change that, so I spent some time yesterday perusing old issues, focusing on projects where I did not need to buy any fiber. (My cynical self thinks some of the projects are simply methods for flogging yarn, especially the ones calling for five or even eight different colors.) Before warping a loom, though, I need to sample some color combinations.

Knitting: The Habitation throw is in a time-out, as I made another booboo and the stitch count is off AGAIN. Meanwhile, I returned to the DK cowl, deciding the colors look better once I knit beyond the initial ribbing.

Spinning: No, I didn't actually do any spinning this week. However, I did volunteer to demonstrate spinning at the next Salomon Farm Fiber Arts Celebration. Time to dust off the Ashford Joy and pick out some fiber.
Weaving: I *finally* hemmed the sage towels. Too bad my sewing skills are not better. Maybe I should actually sew something simple, like a caftan out of muslin, just to get more practice.

My driveway now sports a basketball hoop, as my granddaughter is interested in the sport and her driveway is not conducive to such activity. Back in the day (WAY back), I went to a high school that did not have team sports for girls, but I played intramural basketball and was rather good at it, if I do say so myself. Imagine my shock when I discovered I can't throw the ball hard enough to reach the rim, let alone make a basket. Fortunately, the hoop can be lowered, so I've been practicing to strengthen my shoulders so I can play "Horse" with my granddaughter this summer. The things we do for those we love.