tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.comments2024-03-10T16:41:14.503-04:00The Inconsequential BloggerICQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comBlogger1677125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-31763472069517388032023-11-01T12:46:42.116-04:002023-11-01T12:46:42.116-04:00Just came across your blog via a 2012 post on comb...Just came across your blog via a 2012 post on combing flax that came up when I Googled the topic, and I'm just fascinated by your creativity - this little coat is WAY TOO CUTE, I can't handle it. Really hope I can reach your level of skill someday, keep up the blogging please!E.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18296771447909653191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-65155329256388825512023-09-22T04:24:07.986-04:002023-09-22T04:24:07.986-04:00Cool stuffCool stuffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-21176908611412016352023-04-26T06:49:38.621-04:002023-04-26T06:49:38.621-04:00Hi ICQB!
I am interested to see your work with fla...Hi ICQB!<br />I am interested to see your work with flax. I have some linen fibre, whuch I bought somewhere, years ago. One day I may get to it.<br />Just one important thing: Please use some sort of dust mask, while you are working with the retted flax. I have been told that, for those working in the industry, in days of yore, the life expectancy wasn't great, as the dust and fibres set up manifold lung problems. So, please take care!?Stephanie L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-49525732520947533692022-03-06T21:31:44.061-05:002022-03-06T21:31:44.061-05:00Thanks, Kim!Thanks, Kim!ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-64219598608178609812022-02-27T14:23:02.877-05:002022-02-27T14:23:02.877-05:00What a lovely, subtle pattern. And it looks cozy!...What a lovely, subtle pattern. And it looks cozy!Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08046035542749722554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-22879553222264093262021-03-11T04:33:16.249-05:002021-03-11T04:33:16.249-05:00You are amazingly talented. I was pulled into you...You are amazingly talented. I was pulled into your blog this evening as I was curious about growing/harvesting/processing flax. Your flax journey was fascinating, and now I’m all curious about wool varieties and natural dyes!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-18540760758842440662020-08-26T12:54:57.057-04:002020-08-26T12:54:57.057-04:00Have tried before and gave up as a kid. Kate , is ...Have tried before and gave up as a kid. Kate , is there a link to woman who did the milkweed processing? Did see Sally Pointer on YT who used a butter knife to peel green outside off and broke inner pith to peel fibers off center pith area. Thanks for info. Saw Sara Swett had some very clean fiber she spun and will go see if she posted how to. Wish she had a video of it.<br />LD<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-74737009495632899462020-02-11T15:52:44.950-05:002020-02-11T15:52:44.950-05:00Hi Kate,
Thanks for your comment! I will have to g...Hi Kate,<br />Thanks for your comment! I will have to give this a try, too, once I get some milkweed established in my own garden. And thanks for the hints from your great great grandmother. I know I always spin my flax wet, it's much easier to handle that way.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17665093130063661607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-45591911880299170862020-02-11T15:46:51.390-05:002020-02-11T15:46:51.390-05:00Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry to get back to you so late. It...Hi Elizabeth,<br />Sorry to get back to you so late. It seems like you've used too much bee's wax. My recipe is in cups of infused oil and ounces of bee's wax, but converts to 4 fluid ounces of infused oil to 1/2 ounce of bee's wax. So your five ounces of bee's wax would be enough for 40 fluid ounces of infused oil, not the 3.5 ounces you used. To fix it, I would just treat what you made as bee's wax because the infused oil is so diluted in it. Cut off, say 1/2 ounce of your mixture, which you are treating as if it was just bee's wax, and mix it with 4 fluid ounces of infused oil. Good luck! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17665093130063661607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-67188165599835066692019-11-07T14:32:51.642-05:002019-11-07T14:32:51.642-05:00Hi, I made this yesterday using another recipe and...Hi, I made this yesterday using another recipe and it is hard as a brick. I used 5 ounces of beeswax and 3.5 ounces of goldenrod infusion. When I use it on my arm, it felt like I was coated in something. What can I do to fix this? ElizabethElizabeth Hawkinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-19396085009217508332019-09-22T23:19:05.437-04:002019-09-22T23:19:05.437-04:00I watched a woman peel the outer bark away when th...I watched a woman peel the outer bark away when the milkweed plant was green. She scored the length of the stalk with a push pin 2 or three times and then peeled the bark off. She then took the next layer and carefully peeled it back and it looked just like flax that had already been hackled. So shiny and soft it was! After she peeled this layer away all that was left was the inner core. She hung the flax type fiber over a drying rack and then she worked at splitting the strips of fiber into thread. The threads were as long as the stalk. Some did break, but they were more than long enough to spin. Also the outer bark of the stalk was twisted into a strong 2 ply cord to be used for tying up things in the garden or around the house.I also wanted to suggest trying retting the stalks plant fibers hate being dry. It's completely against their nature which is to catch moisture and disperse it where needed. My great great grandmother passe down some hints for spinning what she called bast fibers. She said they always like to be wet until they are in place. And by wet she meant slightly damp. She said if you spin bast fibers dry, you will get a lot of fiber breakage. I'm going to experiment with this too. Thanks so much for your well written article.Kate Boyingtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-64565535174022843912019-08-24T11:15:49.719-04:002019-08-24T11:15:49.719-04:00Thanks, Anonymous! Thanks, Anonymous! ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-92225878468142582872019-07-24T03:25:39.294-04:002019-07-24T03:25:39.294-04:00Beautiful work! I love how you've worked such ...Beautiful work! I love how you've worked such gentle stripes into the weft. It must ave taken sooo long to spin all of that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-72215075023536770912019-03-28T19:01:51.065-04:002019-03-28T19:01:51.065-04:00Use cotton cards. I believe they have short tinesUse cotton cards. I believe they have short tinesNerolioilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16563372394535922192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-36058266710042071442019-02-25T17:10:52.507-05:002019-02-25T17:10:52.507-05:00Thanks, Anonymous!Thanks, Anonymous!ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-67620922811624168042019-02-12T14:37:43.304-05:002019-02-12T14:37:43.304-05:00Amazing!!Amazing!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-9111115325775777142018-09-14T10:28:26.824-04:002018-09-14T10:28:26.824-04:00Thanks Everyone! I really challenged myself on jus...Thanks Everyone! I really challenged myself on just about every level with this project, but it really paid off in the end. 😊ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-78135270619731628182018-09-14T10:25:05.025-04:002018-09-14T10:25:05.025-04:00Hi Vegetables Matter!
Next time I dye with HBDSS ...Hi Vegetables Matter!<br /><br />Next time I dye with HBDSS I will use your method - thanks so much for sharing your process! I haven’t really done anything new lately, last year I dyed a bit if BFL and Finn wool to a teal gray, and overdyed some wool that had been dyed yellow with goldenrod first to get a darkish green. My oven/stove broke recently and has given us an excuse to finally plan a new kitchen. I will be without a cooktop for a few weeks so no natural dyeing for awhile. 😕ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-46672002591360735472018-09-10T14:36:03.054-04:002018-09-10T14:36:03.054-04:00You are my hero! I'm always looking for people...You are my hero! I'm always looking for people making their own clothes from scratch and oh my, you are doing it!! Great job. Vegetables Matternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-6808927271869500712018-09-10T00:30:16.037-04:002018-09-10T00:30:16.037-04:00I just did a dyebath with Hopi black sunflower see...I just did a dyebath with Hopi black sunflower seeds I got at the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair and I'm so pleased with the results!! Thank you so much for the info in your posts about it. It was extremely helpful in deciding my process. <br /> <br />So, the person I got the seeds from told me not to boil the water for extraction. I think he said to keep it to 200 F. I don't have a thermometer, and honestly I don't want a thermometer. I mean the Hopi and others had ways of figuring out a good water temperature. So in your comments when someone suggested pouring boiling water over the seeds and letting it soak for an hour, I knew I wanted to give that method a try. <br /><br />I put on the electric kettle, waited a minute after it had boiled, then poured the water over the seeds and let it soak for almost two hours. Then I strained the water into a pot with pre-soaked, pre-mordanted Lincoln roving I had. I let it sit overnight. It was a pretty pale blue in the morning. Then I read through more of your post and comments and saw that you got more purple colors when you added vinegar. So, I pulled out some of the fiber and dyebath into a second container and added a glug or two of vinegar, and presto purple! I let both dyebaths sit for the rest of the day (in the sun, so they got quite warm), pulled them out in the evening and I have the prettiest lavender and pale teal. <br /><br />I haven't rinsed them yet. I 'll do that tomorrow. I used most of the seeds already, but I have a bit left and I'm going to do a little more experimenting soon with some Targhee roving. <br /><br />Have you had any more results? Vegetables Matternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-72428720482508485942018-08-24T06:15:48.889-04:002018-08-24T06:15:48.889-04:00Stunning work!Stunning work!Mimmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08861246584603744430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-81685252190550747802018-08-23T23:16:38.990-04:002018-08-23T23:16:38.990-04:00Hi, Lynn! Thanks so much for the advice. I use pap...Hi, Lynn! Thanks so much for the advice. I use paper and sometimes sticks in the back where the warp is wound, but not in the front on the take-up beam. I will give it a try.ICQBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634452093934367498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-63413123290050185122018-08-23T17:35:30.959-04:002018-08-23T17:35:30.959-04:00Question... suggestion? I learned to weave on larg...Question... suggestion? I learned to weave on large floor looms and we always used sticks, thin flat lathe type of sticks, for the first wrap around the cloth beam. It protects the cloth from being pushed apart by the ropes and knots, keeps the tension even.... apologies if I have misunderstood. Anyway, we also use sticks the first time around while warping on, for same reason, to protect the warp from uneven tension and then switch to paper to separate the warp, so the various threads do not fall of the edges so to speak as they are wound on. I have a Baby Wolf too and just realized it did not come with these sticks. I stole some from my big loom and cut them down. But any hardware store will have thin thin lathes to use, and likely able to cut them to the width of your beams, You need maybe... well, I prefer one per "face" of my beam, so I think six or so? Per beam. So 12. And thickness is about the size of a ruler or a little thinner, length is width of beam. Anyway, this may help and then stop any unevenness coming from the ropes and knots. :-) We use ropes at our local weaving studio too, find it gives better tension across the warp, but when we wind on, we place those sticks... ok end of babble! Hope I understood. If not, chuck all this! :-) Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07315588310922072530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-59800511676188901632018-08-23T17:26:47.067-04:002018-08-23T17:26:47.067-04:00That is incredible. What a huge accomplishment! I ...That is incredible. What a huge accomplishment! I love it. It looks wonderful too. You did a fabulous job start to finish!!! Fascinating!Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07315588310922072530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176800410822139543.post-71627357302436553002018-08-23T17:16:01.463-04:002018-08-23T17:16:01.463-04:00YOu are amazing. Your yarn is so consistent! Excel...YOu are amazing. Your yarn is so consistent! Excellent! suzanne jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18283804022483834144noreply@blogger.com