Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Thank you for your generous donations to Elysa’s Knit Happens to Help project.  They have been coming in all summer until I took a trunk full to school.  Elysa  will accept donations until Halloween.  If you want to learn more about the project, give Episode 198 a listen.

Your purchase of the Humblebee sock pattern during the August sale enabled another donation to Heifer International. Thank you!

Look for the Humblebee Mitts coming in early October!  I will need a few very quick test knitters to try out this design at the end of September.  You need DK weight yarn and US 4 needles.  Let me know if you’re interested by sending me a PM on Ravelry.

I’ll be facilitating a Fleece to Finished Object course at Hope’s Favorite Things in Richmond, PA.  Over a series of four sessions, we will work with beautiful Jacob fleece from nearby Spring Hills Farm, and develop a garment or accessory of our own design.  We will honor process over product, and learn together.  Contact me if you have questions, or call Hope’s shop to sign up!

The Back Porch

My Lotta dress is complete.  I love the fit, and all of the beautiful ktbl details; I love the fabric created by Beaver Slide Dry Goods’ wool / mohair blend — but can you see the fuschia blush around the hipline? Head smack!  I’ll be running through solutions as I work on my Rhinebeck sweater, and with any luck, I’ll have time to fix this dress!

I’ve been playing around some more with the back detail of my Humblebee sock pattern, incorporating it as a side panel on some shortie socks for my mother.  This time, I made anatomically-suitable toe decreases on each sock. I’m quite pleased with the result and intend to work on this more for a future sock design. The yarn is Foster Sheep Farm‘s Northumberland Sock.  I love this yarn, and Carole’s amazing colors.

The Front Porch

My objective is to finish Lovage by October 16 and wear it proudly to Rhinebeck. To accomplish this task, I’ve set a number of mini-goals, including completing the sleeves by Labor Day.  Next, I need to knit the MC body and start the colorwork by mid-September.  Despite the self-imposed pressure,  I’m really enjoying this knit with Jamieson & Smith’s Shetland Supreme and their 2-ply jumper weight.

Ever-expanding Skill Set

There’s still some work to do before the year of fermented foods comes to a close, but one constant has been my batch of water kefir, that I’ve been putting to a second fermentation and harvesting every week since January! By far my favorite flavor is blueberry-ginger.  Just look at the gorgeous pink color.  And it’s refreshing and delicious, not as sour as kombucha.

And Sew Forth

I’m working my way through the patterns in Merchant & Mills Workbook.  This is my second Curlew dress, and I’m enjoying the challenge of working with fabric that has been cut on the bias. I’ll be posting daily to the #sewphotohop and #sewphotohop2018 hashtags during the month of September, sharing my story and meeting other sewists from around the globe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this very special episode, I join my friend Hope at her shop and we talk over our visit to Quiet Valley Farm, where we spent the day in period costume and learned about the harvest and preparation of flax to make linen thread. The photo series here is a companion to our description of the process on the audio episode.  If you have any questions or wisdom to share, I hope that you will participate in the discussion thread on Ravelry.

Flax harvest: Quiet Valley’s extensive gardens included a small planting of flax plants. These photos also show the period clothing that Hope and I wore so that we could really take part in the hands-on activities of the day.

Here is Mr. Oiler harvesting flax.  Once harvested and dried, flax can be stored indefinitely before retting and the remainder of the processing.  It just needs to be kept dry and protected from rodents. Large scale flax harvesting involves stooking (tying the flax in bundles for easier handling) and rippling (removing seeds from stalks).

Something we didn’t see here, but is an essential part of processing, is retting.  After the initial thorough drying of the plant, it is then retted (rotted) so that the outer fibers break away from the inner core.  There are two methods of retting: dew retting, in which the flax is spread over the ground and left to wet and dry over a period of a few weeks; or vat retting, in which flax is submerged in a tub or pond. Vat retting is risky in that it is easy to overdo it and start rotting the inner core.  There is also the consideration of where runoff from vat retting ends up because some of the enzymes can be harmful to farming or animal life. Another consideration is the finished product: vat retted fibers are pale in color; dew retted fiber is often brown or green in appearance.

Here we see a flax break in use.  It’s a simple lever, a reproduction made by Mr. Oiler.  The top is lifted and then lowered as a bundle of flax is drawn through it.

You can see the difference in the flax from the previous photo to this one as the outer pith breaks away.

Next comes scutching, in which a scutching knife is used to scrape unwanted fibers away from the desirable flax.

The hackling process involves repeatedly pulling a handful of fibers over some very daunting nail combs to remove more unwanted waste and to straighten and soften the flax.

In the photo sequence above, Hope’s distaff is prepared, or dressed, with flax and tied with a ribbon to secure.

Here I am taking a turn at Hope’s wheel.  Can you see the little water pail at my right knee? In this photo, I appear to have the hang of it, but mostly, I struggled to keep the wheel spinning in a counterclockwise direction to achieve the S twist that is recommended for flax singles.

Most of my spinning was on my Jenkins Aegean, a Turkish spindle.

This was my view for the afternoon: an assortment of smart and very interesting women in period dress, sharing knowledge, and working at various stages of the process.

As you may have guessed, flax processing yields much more waste than beautifully-spun linen. One of the stations was devoted to turning this waste into toe rope.

Several strands of spun toe can be plied together on this wheel to achieve various strengths of toe rope.

Some resources that we discussed on the episode.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Back Porch

• Iris by ririko in Elsbeth Lavold LinSilk
• I-cord + tassel necklace in Samite yarn with copper hardware
• a variation on the Humblebee sock pattern

TOUR DE FLEECE!

97 grams of spindle-spun battlings and assorted bits.

800 yards of indigo-dyed 3-ply yarn from Hog Island fiber.  I split this fleece with Emily of the FibreTown podcast at MDSW 2017.

The Front Porch

• Lotta by Marie Green in Beaver Slide Dry Goods 2-ply sock yarn
• Lovage by Marie Wallin

Ever-expanding Skill Set

I’m inspired to keep working with Dori Sanders’ recipe for no-churn lemon ice cream to see how far I can take it from the original. In this version, I reduced sugar to 2/3 cup, substituted lime rind and juice for the lemon, kept the heavy cream, but substituted coconut milk for the whole milk.  Scoopable, creamy, and delicious.

FERMENTED PICKLES!

With Mom’s help, I started a vat of fermented pickles.  They should age to taste over a period of 4-8 days, and can then be stored in the refrigerator.

I started by scrubbing and rinsing small pickling cucumbers in cold water, removing the blossom end of each one and trimming the stem off. In a clean glass jar, I layered some grape leaves, whole fresh dill heads, peppercorns, and peeled garlic cloves.  Then I added all of the cucumbers, one whole jalapeño pepper, and the garlic, peppercorns, dill heads.  After filling the jar with salt brine (1/3 c salt to 1/2 gallon water) I covered the top with grape leaves and added a glass weight to keep all of the contents below the level of the liquid.

Every day, I will skim the “scummy stuff” from the surface and after a few days, I’ll start tasting the pickles.  I can also remove, rinse, and replace the grape leaves to keep the top of the jar clean. This is my mother’s recipe.  For companionship on your fermented foods journey, join in the chatter on our thread.

And Sew Forth

Here is my first go at the Matcha Top from SewLiberated.  I love the look the collar creates.  It is perfect for framing a pendant necklace.  I also love this fabric, but I’m not sure what it’s called.  Any guesses? If I were to make this top again, I might lengthen it by several inches and belt it at the waist.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I pre-recorded this episode for you to enjoy while I’m vacationing in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  I’ve packed waaay too many projects, but it’s good to have options, right?  I also share a poem by a beloved Ptown poet, Mary Oliver.

Poems by Mary Oliver

• Breakage
• Wild Geese

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

It was so hot that I didn’t do much knitting.  I was busy with a number of other projects, however, and managed to find some air conditioned crafting situations over the course of the past two weeks.  As I’m typing up these show notes, it’s a dark and stormy morning here in Delaware Water Gap.  The region is finally getting some much-needed rainfall.

On the Porch

Iris tank by ririko in Elsbeth Lavold LinSilk

Tour de Fleece spinning

• Hog Island batts
• Hobbledehoy battlings and assorted fiber samples

Ever-expanding Skill Set

For summer grilling and cooking with lots of produce, check out the Dishing Up the Dirt website or purchase Andrea’s book.  There are simple, nourishing recipes to help you get familiar with veggies you may not have encountered before. I tried the grilled kohlrabi and broccoli with a dipping sauce — delicious off the grill and as a cold salad the next day.

Yes, you MUST try Dori Sanders’ No Churn Ice Cream!  I’ve made the recipe three times. The mouthfeel is rich, but the flavor is a bright and bracing lemon to zap away the heat and humidity. And, there’s no fancy equipment necessary.  All you need is a bowl, a whisk, and an 8×8″ metal pan.

And Sew Forth

• Merchant and Mills WORKBOOK 
• Uniform Tunic

Over the course of two days, we worked our way from taking measurements to nearly finished Uniform tunics.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Thank you for your part in the Yarns at Yin Hoo community. It has been nearly five years and I’m so grateful for the friendships, knowledge, skill, and inspiration I’ve acquired as a result of deciding to start a little audio podcast about the fiber arts and other post-apocalyptic skills.  This week, I talk about returning to crochet with Cal Patch’s Boxet Bag.  My entry into the fiber arts was the occasion of learning to crochet in a staff development workshop. I feel so fortunate to have discovered fiber arts through the lens of crochet because it has brought out the best in my technique and understanding.  What is your foundation craft?  How does it continue to influence your making?  I would love to read about it on the Ravelry thread for this episode.

The Back Porch

• Sew a Reversible Sun Hat tutorial on CreativeBug
• Boxet Bag by Cal Patch

The Front Porch

• Hog Island spinning project for Tour de Fleece
• Uniform cardigan
• Lotta dress
• Iris tank

Ever-expanding Skill Set

Dori Sanders’ No-Churn Fresh Lemon Ice Cream

Off the Shelf