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Been busy weaving in the studio this weekend. It’s been a nice couple of days of needed “down time” from work.
I’m a crappy weaver - I have much to learn. Scarf #1 was completed, but looks a bit too rustic for my taste. My selvages are horrible! Here is rustic scarf #1
Scarf #2 is on the loom: a wool/silk blend for warp and Pygora yarn for weft. Not happy with it just yet. A bit too weft-faced for what I had in mind. Can’t let the beater fall forward on it’s own weight - it’s just too much. I began having nasty flashbacks to a fiber PLANK that I made once. Sigh…maybe someday I’ll get the results I want off that loom. I continue taking notes on what worked/what didn’t work because I know that I will never be able to remember! Weaving is a challenge for me….yet I find it’s teaching me patience. And believe me, I don’t think it’s possible for me to have too much patience.
Here is scarf #2 (but it’s not that orange in “real life” ~). The warp yarns are too small - or the sett is too large (ok, so I will admit getting all wigged out if the sett is anything closer than 12 epi which is what this is….). Would probably look better at 18 epi. I’m thinking of starting over….
It snowed Saturday. Ick. Most of it was gone by late afternoon. We’re to get more tonight. Oh goodie. Remember my upside down Jeep last year? New Jeep is now sporting little metal studs on all four tires. Sounds like I’m driving on tiny suction cups. I’ll take all the help I can get to make it down my hill safely. My house is roughly at 1100′ elevation. The creek at the bottom is about 300′ elevation. This in approximately 1.5 miles. That is one steep puppy, I tell ya.
I thought of one positive thing to say about this weather and the snow: It’s GREAT for stepping out into the snow when you are positively burning up from another CRAPPY HOT FLASH! So if you see a middle aged woman happily rolling about in the snow with few clothes on this winter - you’ll totally know what she’s all about~!
My “other” hobby is genealogy - my Mom got me interested in family history about 14 yrs ago. Right now I’m focusing on my paternal side of my family tree, specifically one line that I’ve gotten to about 1800 in County Monaghan, Ireland.
Irish genealogy is difficult because, well, they’ve bombed many of their records during the times of “The Troubles”. Some records have not been harmed and are therefore very useful - one of them that many genealogist use is called the “Spinning Wheel Premium List” of 1796. All spinning wheels in Ireland were taxed - mainly because they were a form of providing income.
Last weekend Mom and I spent three wonderful days together (we live almost 500 miles apart) - she was researching a line in early London, while I was methodically going through old Irish tax and land records from the 1700’s and the early 1800’s. We were in the largest genealogical repository in the world: The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT. No, we’re not members of their church - you don’t have to be to do research there.
It was quite sobering to read about that era in Ireland. People were so very poor. This was the time when the Linen Industry was in full swing. Women and children (and many men) worked long hours at their wheels spinning flax. In addition, there was the garden that fed them to tend as well as other chores that we likely know nothing about. I found it rather interesting that the spinning wheel provided them income to get by - - (Substenance spinning?) - - while I use my spinning wheel to get by as well: but in a much different way.
My spinning allows me to remain sane in what has become a very stressful time in my life.
This photo is from the “Clogher Record” and genealogical publication from Ireland. The caption beneath this title reads: “Mary Maguire, Kell, Co. Tyrone, one of the last operative spinners in the Clogher Valley”.
An excerpt from “History of Monaghan for Two Hundred Years 1660-1860″ by Denis Carolyn Rush goes like this: “Spinning-wheels were given as prizes for the produce of seed and fibre and the manufacture of linen. The first prizes were given to the landlords for distribution amoung their tenants, the larger estates in this being allotted 10 or 12 each and the smaller 3 each, but afterwards Inspectors were appointed for the whole Kingdom, and the prizes were granted according to the Inspector’s reports; 87,000 spinning-wheels were given to the wives of cottiers who produced one rood of good flax and 88,000 spinning wheels were given to the wives of farmers who produced over one acre of good flax for the fibre or for seed. To those who excelled in weaving linen 227 new looms were awarded. An exceptionally large proportion came to County Monaghan.”
I find this endlessly facinating! Since many of my family names are on that linen list, I guess I was bound to find the spinning wheel and loom in my life. I’m glad I don’t have to count on my spinning talents for substinence however, or I’d be in big trouble! OH! And as I was scanning surnames on that Monaghan Linen List - another name kept popping up - “Lendrum”.
I wonder what those people would think of my life? Zipping around like an idiot, attempting to cover work that used to require two people (welcome to corporate America…), and at the end of the day finding solice with a barn full of fluffy goats and my spinning wheel (and I’ve never even attempted to spin flax……..)
Terry
“Rain, rain, go away……come again some other day.” Or NOT!
Having lived here in rain country, the Pacific Northwest, all of my life, you’d think I’d be used to the rain. Actually, I really don’t mind the rain, especially since I love all that it produces: green grass, mossy rocks and graceful ferns, beautiful waterfalls and streams, and lovely sweet water from our well. However, over the past several days, our area has been inundated with rain – so much so that the streams and rivers are overflowing and causing havoc everywhere. One day we had almost 10 inches in a period of time slightly less than 24 hours and right now, it hasn’t stopped raining since early Sunday morning. We’re not expected to see a let up of the rain until maybe Thursday.
During this time of year I am unable to see my property during daylight hours due to my commute and work schedule. But as I step outside my back door for my walk to the barns, I hear the sounds of water everywhere. It sounds as if it is pounding in the roof of the house and garage. It is making sloshing sounds as it falls through the downspouts on the house. I can hear the dripping sounds coming from the trees and other structures. There are puddles everywhere and the ground itself squishes up around my boots as I walk across the lawn.
The animals are huddled in their shelters, trying desperately to avoid the rain. They’re anxious and cranky from days of being cooped up together. Even my wash-and-wear llama, Captain Flash, is refusing to leave the barn because he hates to walk through the knee-deep muck outside the barn door.
We had a bit of a catastrophe last Friday. It had rained so much during the day, that by the time I returned home, water had run down the little bit of hill right in through the barn door, carrying muck and mud with it. Apparently my drainage ditch outside had been compromised by a nasty band of wood rats that I have been trying to exterminate. These creatures make runs and tunnels everywhere, leaving behind mountains of debris in my drainage ditch. I did my best to clear as much as I could Friday night, but it was dark and raining buckets. Thankfully, only half the barn was somewhat flooded and I put down loads of fresh bedding to cover the mucky places. Oh, my, but it will be a chore to clean out the barn later with all that wet, heavy bedding! Yikes, yet another day of laboring and taking Advil!
During the daylight hours on the weekend, during an extremely brief time when it had stopped raining, the nasty chore of hand digging out the drainage ditch could begin. The wood covers were difficult to lift because they were water logged and coated with mud. Underneath, the ditch was nowhere to be seen – it had been completely filled in by those furry varmints.. The shoveling was begun and each shovel full was accompanied by a sucking sound as the wet muck was lifted. I worked for two hours and my husband finally took pity on me and donned his rubber boots to help. Finally we had it cleared and, to discourage the rodents, we left the covers off to keep it exposed, preferring instead to erect a new fence to keep the goats and chickens out of the area.
I did have to build a new ramp into the barn, over the newly dug ditch, that would accommodate not only my goats but also Captain Flash. While nothing seems to bother the goats (I think they’d walk a tightrope to get to shelter and food), Captain Flash eyes everything new with that wary llama eye and his disdainful look. He walked up to the new ramp, gave it a good sniff, and whirled around and walked off, as if to say, “That’s NOT the same ramp that was here this morning!”
Poor Flash, since he was reluctant to cross the ramp, he spent the entire day out in a driving rain. At almost dusk I took pity on him and donned my boots and slicker. I collected his halter and lead rope at the barn and went out into the pasture to get him. He was totally soaked and not very happy. I was able to get the halter on him quite easily (Hah! He was hungry and really WANTED to go inside). I lead him over to the ramp and hoped he would follow me over it into the barn. No such luck! He put on the brakes, leaned back and locked his legs. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“Hmmm….maybe if I grab his tail like I do when I want to move a goat forward.” I gave it a try but it had no effect. “Maybe if I pull on it a little harder?” About the time I grabbed onto his tail, Flash decided it was time to go into the barn. But, rather than walk across the ramp, which is about six feet long and four feet wide, he decided to completely avoid the issue of whether it was safe or not by LEAPING over the entire thing, landing right smack dab in the middle of the barn. All I can say is that I was glad there wasn’t a couple of goats milling about in that area at that moment!
Now I can’t get Flash OUT of the barn. Rather than wrestle with him again (it is important to stress animals as little as possible), I brought in five-gallon buckets of water to ensure that all the critters had plenty to drink without requiring them to go outside.
Much of our state has now been declared as disaster areas and my heart goes out to those people who are experiencing severe property damage and loss of animals. My own rain troubles pale in comparison. Check out one of our local TV stations for videos and reports if you’re interested: http://www.koin.com/ The town of Tillamook on the coast, famous for its cheese and dairy products, is experiencing disastrous flooding and many diary herds are threatened. Mud and rockslides, and downed trees are everywhere.
Rain, rain - please go away…
Susan
Well gosh! We have neglected our little blog, haven’t we? Sigh….seems like there’s so much to do - one blink and a month goes by!! Fall is my favorite season (although I could do without so much rain). I love the crispness in the air and the changing colors of the trees. And it seems like a good time to update you on some farm stuff.
I’m ready now to talk about my dear cat, Hondo. Those of you who read this blog know he likes to sit in my lap when I spin. He was the sweetest cat I believe I ever had. We lost Hondo this summer - he just went out in the woods and never came back. It took my husband and I a couple of months before we finally accepted the fact that he’s gone. We “rescued” two little kitty brothers who were destined for the animal shelter. Our grandson named them for us. Ha. May I now introduce “Scooter” and “Hunter” -
They’ve both settled in to life on the farm quite nicely. They caught their first mouse yesterday! I wish I had half their energy!!!
Studio news - uh, I’m not sure I should do this, but what the heck! My husband converted half our old rabbit barn into a studio for me. What a sweetheart. I knew I really should’ve had him convert the entire barn, but I had my hay stash in the other half and well, I’m not certain I could’ve convinced him to do the whole thing - so I settled for half. I was in hog heaven for about 8 months. It then became painfully obvious that I needed the other half as well. I let my husband come up with that idea (sneaky, sneaky, I know!!). Here is how bad it had gotten (am now going to bare my mess for all to see!!) -
So here is the second half - in the “almost done” stage:
Is he a keeper or what?!!!
Things look much better now - will have to post the “after” photos. I’ve been able to move the two looms into the “new” half and reorg the mess in the original section. Whew! Now I can at least work out there again.
I found a cute little item at the antique shop the other day - perfect for the new studio addition!!
And last, but certainly not least - another great update! Remember Molly? Our resident “pet deer”? She found a man (er, I mean a buck!). I’m happy to say that Molly is now a mom and she no longer likes humans as much as she used to!! We are so happy about that - she’s worked herself back into the deer world and I no longer have to sweep deer hair off my front porch!!!
Terry