Stuck in silk

This is some of my tahkli-spun silk drying. I emphasize that it is only 'some', a small portion of my spun silk stash. And that stash gets bigger by the week. I can't seem to stop spinning silk. I know this may seem weird, or weak, perhaps perverse to the silk uninitiated, and they may think I just need more resolve, more backbone. But I have good excuses.
First, it is silk. SILK! Silk, as in lustrous, rich, shimmering, smooth silk!  
Then there is the awe factor. On the one hand it evokes the luxurious image, on the other hand, you are spinning worm spit. Really. Insect fibres. A protein used to cocoon a silk worm until it metamorphs into a silk moth. Just think about that! Amazing. If you want blow-by-blow instructions on how to raise your own silk moths and harvest the silk, go here.

[Photo: Bombyx, or cultivated silk.
SEM Photo by Dave Lewis]

Then there is the colour. Silk has vibrant colour. Even without dye, silk has rich depth in colour. Even white, cultivated silk, has more white, if that is possible, more absence of colour. The silk made from wild moths, such as Muga or Tussah have either a golden or honey colour. It shimmers, with or without colour. And that shimmering is due to the structure of the silk. One long continuous fibre, which means less fuzzy ends to break up the light reflection and the structure of the fibre itself has reflective properties. The Scanning Electron Microscope image to the right shows the structure. Compare the smooth silk fibrewith a Dorset sheep fibre which has layer upon layer of cells which make up the 2-3" long fibre.

[Photo: Dorset sheep.
SEM Photo byDave Lewis ] 

And lastly, I have been spinning on my small Tahkli spindle.  It is perfect for silk because each flick of the fingers, has that spindle spinning so fast and for so long, that it gives a high twist to the silk.  And the Tahkli spindle fits into a purse or backpack.  In other words, I carry it with me all the time, ready to pull it out of the bag at a moments notice and start spinning at airports, in cars, on ferries, at work, while camping, where ever I am.  As a famous anthropologist Ed Franquemont, pointed out, when asked what is faster, a spindle or a spinning wheel?:

[Photo: My Tahkli spinning kit]

" A wheel is faster by the hour, and a spindle faster by the week."
And so, with Tahkli spindle in my bag, I am fated to keep spinning silk.

Salt Spring Island Applefest

Fullford Hall - full of apples

Last weekend was Applefest on Salts Spring Island, so we jumped into the VW Van which somehow seemed just so right for going to this event, after all, someone once said that Salt Spring Island answers the question, where have all the hippies gone? Hippies and yuppies. Gumboots and the well heeled. A bumper sticker reflects the cultures 'To hell with world peace, use your turn signals'.
First stop Ganges where we picked up tickets to the event and a map which showed all the farms and food related hot-spots on the island to visit. We timed it just right-- being 5 minutes late for the Crofton-Vesuvius ferry, or, to put it another way, 55 minutes early for the next ferry, we were first on and first off, and hence, first in line at the ticket booth. It seemed that the whole ferry load of cars were headed to the same place.

[Photo: Briony doing an
apple portrait]

Next stop, Fulford Hall, apple-central. The whole centre of the hall had tables loaded with apples, hundreds of varieties, most with descriptive notes emphasizing their best use (dessert, pies, eating, storage, etc.). I stopped in front of a plate of five perfectly formed, but with skin like russet potatoes, apples with a sign 'Winner of the Fall 2011 Fair'. There was an older man to the right of me and another to the left. They too, were looking at the same plate in puzzlement. 
'That's a pretty ugly apple' declared the one on the right.  
'Yeah', said the left nodding.  
I looked up at a woman who was on the organizing side of the table and asked ' What is it about this apple that makes it a winner?' I was expecting to hear it had a taste out-of-this-world.  
She looked a little embarrassed and hummmed and hawed and suggested 'Weelll, they get judged on a point system and uniformity is important and all five apples look like perfect replicas, so maybe they won based on their clone-like appearance.' She looked slightly doubtful.  
Right and left sides turned to look at me and both raised their eyebrows. They weren't buying it.
I looked it up later, to find this is an apple that dares to be different. A diamond in the rough. A niche apple for the discerning apple lover who appreciate its sweet nutty flavour. A good Salt Spring Island apple and to think we had been very doubtful.
'Along the walls were tables selling a variety of things every apple-lover needed: seeds; mason bee homes; pomegranate, lime, and other heat-loving trees (these islands are known for their Mediterranean-like climate....in good years); apple pies; balms and lotions; and there, in one corner was Briony, friend, professor, artist, writer, raconteur, tv personality, activist, Lady Godiva, Ms April (I think it was) in the Nude Woman's 2001 Save-SaltSpring-from-clear-cutting Calendar; painting portraits of apples-just bring your favorite apple--for $5. What a deal! There was a lineup of proud apple owners waiting their turn.

[Photo:Goat milk ice cream]

Map in hand, we headed next to a couple of organic farms and toured their gardens, and sampled their apples, buying two sweet varieties, Arlete, a sweet golden-delicious-related dessert apple developed in Switzerland and Wynachee (if I remember correctly), small but sweet.
Next, a visit to Salt Spring Island Cheese Company, where we tasted at least six different goat cheeses and then had another round of tasting and narrowed it down to two types: Blue Juliette a soft, mild blue and Montana, a mild hard sheep's milk cheese with a touch of goat milk to make it silkier. We also picked up a jug of fresh pressed pear and apple juice and goat milk ice cream cones.
Next stop was the Salt Spring Island Bread Company where we picked up a loaf of whole wheat nut. This has to be the most beautifully situated bakery. Perched on top of a moss and arbutus covered hill overlooking the southern Straits. This logically led to Ruckles Park where we had a picnic, admired the apple trees and the scenery.
And, you fibre friends might be wondering, just where is the fibre. Well, there were sheep everywhere, and I saw fleeces sticking out beneath the rafters at two farms. And, as luck would have it, it was also the Salt Spring \island Guild show at Arts Spring. There was lots of inspiration there. Two things stood out for me, a incredibly intricate black silk scarf and a blanket or throw spun and woven by Lorrie Irwin (probably from her own sheep) and dyed in gorgeous colours by Cheryl Wiebe. Of course I took my spindle and spun up some silk.

Spinning in the fall of life

[Photo: An incredible colour and
 fleece roving by Jeanette of
Hummingbird Fibre Arts]

I confess to not blogging much lately. I have been too busy relaxing and contemplating life...or to be more precise...the end of life. At first it was hitting one of those major milestone birthdays where you realize more than half your life has gone by. So one naturally starts thinking mid-life and while maybe not about crises, but, well, you know, thoughts. And the nearer I get to retirement, the more I worry about not being around to spend my pension. What a pity that would be!
Then came black Thursday when someone who had been a very good friend, died; another was diagnosed with cancer; another started chemo; a friend's partner died; a friend was in a bad car accident; and another was taken to hospital in great pain.

So....these are all part of the reason we spent an outrageous sum of money on a 35 year old VW camper van. We have had two before and sold both because of the expense of upkeep. Well to hell with the expense. One needs to enjoy life while one can.

Hence, a lot of weekend camping and travelling. First adventure, off to Port Renfrew via the what is being called, the Pacific Marine Circle Route. From Lake Cowichan, down the logging road which is now paved the whole way to Port Renfrew and returning via Jordan River, Sooke and Victoria. 

[Photo: Pacheenacht White Sand beach from
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townid=41 ]

I didn't want to think about spinning, I just wanted to spin. No homework spinning. Just rewarding spinning. I took Little Louie (aka Louet Victoria) which was perfect for spinning in the van. For fibre, I took Jeannette's (Hummingbird Fibre) designer roving: 43% wool (Romney?), 27% Alpaca and 20% Tussah silk. I know, that only adds up to 90%. I figure the other 10% is magic. We camped in the sand at the Pacheedaht First Nations campsite where I spun up 256 meters feeling productive and rewarded by the colours in the fibre, autumn muted golds and pinks.
Well worth the time and the money....for everything.

A West Coast Basket

[Photo: The collective work of the
whole class]

I seem to have been bitten by the basket bug. I am supposed to be focusing on spinning, but rationalized learning basketry to find out more about west coast fibres that were used in spinning and weaving. Things like spinning cedar bark. SO, this basket making is just a waypoint on my route. A pleasant foray, I must admit.

This workshop, taught once again by Joan Carrigan (see also the post below on the Cat's Head Basket) was a study in Pacific Northwest materials and techniques. We used red cedar for the framework, yellow cedar for a bit of twining, willow and wild cherry bark, and bear grass and scrirpus americanus -- sedges have edges.
Techniques included plain over-and-under weaving, also twill, plaiting, twining, reverse twining and using twining to give different effects. To top it off, (pun intended) we did a tricky rim using a technique Joan had learned from the Lummi First Nation in Puget Sound.

[Photo: A living willow fence.  Photo from the Vegetable Gardener]

Joan told us a funny story about a famous aging rock star, a living woven willow fence and a basketry mentor she has in France. While studying with him, he took her to the estate of this rock start where he was employed to create and care for a living woven willow fence for this famous rock star. After ten years, the basketry/fence mentor suggested to the aging rock star that the fence be taken down and started from scratch again as the fence was getting too overgrown and showing its age. At which the aging rock star, in a dead-pan, not-to-be-argued-with voice replied ' Aren't we all'. And that was the end of that conversation.

A Cat's Head Basket

A lack of blog posts doesn't mean a lack of things to blog about, just a lack of time. Take this post for example, you'll see I have been busy with something a little different. 
I branched out (pardon the pun) into a slightly different branch of the fibre world and took a course in basketry from Joan Carrigan on Saltspring Island.
Joan is a very accomplished basketry artist. Check out her web site to see her gallery of works and see her workshop list.
What fun we had! A group of six of us met and worked side-by-side for the day on these Cat's Head baskets. Cat's head is from the shape of the basket when held upside down. It looks like a cat's head with each corner like ears on a round head.

   

We used red cedar for the main structure and used willow bark to weave a twill pattern onto and through the cedar. Yellow cedar was used to twine the edges together with a couple of rows of waxed linen thread to accent the rim. And just look at the finished baskets. So inspired, I have signed up for another one in a week.

From there to here

[Photo: There. Glasgow train station]

[Photo: Here. Ruxton Island, Salish Sea]

Paddling in the Shetlands

From there to here in 24 hours. Travelling is fun but when you live in such a beautiful spot, it's wonderful to return home.






Highlights:

• canoeing in the Shetland Islands
• seeing the tall ships in the Orkney's and Shetlands
• seeing puffins
• watching my mother eat haggis vol au vent
• watching my 82 year old father riding a skateboard on his stomach coming out of a 5,000 year old iron age burial chamber
• learning to spin on a tahkli in the car while being driven all over Scotland
• Salisbury Cathedral
• examining a Coast Salish blanket in the Perth Museum
• seeing a feather cape in the Pitt River Museum in Oxford
• coming home to summer in the Gulf Islands

Paisley - The Shawl, the museum

[Photo from Spurlock Museum]

If one is staying at Paisley, which is where the Glasgow International Airport is located, and if one is passionate about beautiful fabrics, then you must visit the Paisley Museum to find out about the famous Paisley shawls.
Paisley is, or was, a mill town.  According to our taxi driver, in its heyday, the two main mills (Coates-as in J. & P. Coats and Anchor threads) employeed 40,000 people.  Now they employ a mostly volunteer force to keep the Thread  Mill museum open 2 days a week. One of the mills has been turned mostly into flats.  The Coats mills still operates but on a much reduced basis.
I had hoped to visit the Paisley Thread Museum, the Anchor Mill and the Sma' Shot Cottage, a weaving history cottage, but these were only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays and this was a Tuesday.  Sigh.  But the Town Museum had some beautiful shawls and weaving equipment on display.
The weavers in Paisley based their designs on fabrics that came from Asia.  So they did not design the original Paisley shawls. Other mills were doing the same thing and producing copies of Eastern patterns, but in Paisley, they produced the shawls cheaper and quicker than other mills, hence they became more popular and more famous.  I thought it interesting that the museum pointed out that Paisley weavers were notoriously argumentative and British politicians always has a wary eye out for revolutionary actions emanating from Paisley.

The museum weaving expert was on holiday but we were allowed in to the weaving room to look at the equipment.  Pretty impressive.  There were a couple of Jacquard looms set up.  These looms used some of the fist computer concepts - the use of punch cards to control which warp threads were to be raised and which lowered.  This meant one could design complex and intricate patters -- voila, the Paisley patterns.

The shawl grew in popularity as the fashion trended to larger shawls and the design could be shown off by covering a woman's back from neck to ankle.  It was the bustle that killed the shawl. The whole idea of a skirt bustle was to highlight the rear and covering shawls were not wanted. So ended the power of Paisley.  It left me wondering how a town goes about finding jobs for 40,000 out-of-work people? And why didn't the tourist trade try to capitalize on that history?  I was all pumped up to buy a Paisley shawl but pickings were slim.