Hedge Bindweed, Calystegia Sepium

 

Day 300: You may hear people refer to this plant as "morning glory," and in fact, it used to be placed in Convolvulus alongside the Morning Glory of garden fame. Today, we know it as Calystegia sepium, referring to it commonly as Hedge Bindweed. It may also be called "Lady's Nightcap," although this appellation is used less frequently than it was a century ago. Modern English defines "nightcap" as an alcoholic drink taken before bed and, except in the literature of Dickens' era, rarely refers to headgear worn to protect the coiffure. The Latin translates to "a cup-like cover growing as a hedge," and for what it's worth, my mother used to tell me that they were faeries' skirts, a hypothesis which found some support in my much-loved copy of "The Flower Children" by Elizabeth Gordon, copyright 1910. Now considered a "Weed of Concern" in many Washington counties, Hedge Bindweed still has a certain romantic appeal to it. I wouldn't want it or any of its cousins in my yard, though.

Spurge Laurel Purge

Day 299: I went out for a very short walk yesterday in our little county park, and was distressed to find that the Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola) was alive and well. It's been several years since I found it and turned in a report to the Invasive Plant Council, and I would have thought the county would have taken care of it by now. However, this brought up another issue which has been bothering me for some time. In my personal contacts with various land managers in the area, I've been told several times that "we've never gotten any reports from the IPC." They've gone on to ask that I report directly to them instead, which I began doing with much better results. The land managers are grateful for the information and generally act swiftly when told about invasives in their domains. As I walked, these factors were brewing in my head, and as I came back into the parking area, I noticed a county worker spraying for blackberry on a hillside. I hailed him over and told him about the Spurge Laurel. He then took me to his supervisor, and the three of us went together so that I could show them where the plants were located. Once again, I was told that the county had never received a report of this noxious weed. It makes me wonder if any of my reports have ever been sent to the agencies involved. That said, the crew working in our little park assured me that there would be a Spurge Laurel purge as soon as they've done the research on how best to eradicate it.

A Matter Of Taste

Day 298: When Nature opens her larder and issues an invitation to partake of her provender, I am usually at the head of the queue with both hands and my mouth wide open to accept the gift. However, I take exception to the fruit of the Red-flowering Currant, a Pacific Northwest native purported to be edible. As I have often said, paper is "edible," but I wouldn't want it served up on my dinner plate. The same holds true for these insipid, dusty-flavoured berries. I have tried to like them, seriously tried. I've juiced them, jammed them, eaten them raw in the hopes I would develop a taste for them as I did for cilantro (which I now love), but no treatment or lack thereof has provided me with any reason to harvest them.The local birds seem to share in my opinion of the fruit, but since the hummers love to nectar at the flowers, I maintain two bushes. In all the years I've grown them, I have yet to see any evidence of any wild creature eating the currants. Thanks, Ma, but I'm going to continue to give this one a pass.

Seasonal Change

Day 297: When I first described summer-and-winter weave in a post, I referred to the dark side as "winter" and the light as "summer," not really considering that there might be another way of looking at it. While my definition has its foundation in the amount of ambient light in the Pacific Northwest during those two seasons, friends elsewhere saw the lighter side as being frosty and the darker, lush with growth. I can see the logic in both views, and it makes me wonder if I had woven these towels during the winter months, would my choice of terms have been reversed? In any event, this was a very quick project as weaving goes. I strung 18 feet of warp on July 13, and here I am, done already. The towels have been fulled yet, i.e., put through the washing machine to plump up the fibers. Weaving yarns are tightly spun as a general rule so that they can withstand the friction of the heddles and reed and so that they have as little stretch as possible. Fulling relaxes the fiber and lets it expand into the small gaps between threads. Now the loom is naked, and will have to stay unclothed until Tuesday or Wednesday, waiting for the arrival of a new, heavier thread. The Plan is laid out, the calculations done, but the warp must be measured and hung before the shuttles can embark on their flight across the seasons of summer-and-winter again.

Almost Showtime!

Day 296: Two weeks from now, these four items will be delivered to the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair). The waffle-weave coverlet is my sole entry in the Weaving Division. The other three will be competing in Spinning in the classes Socks, Blended Fibers (the center skein) and Drop Spindle. The Fair runs from September 1-24, open every day except Tuesdays and Sept. 6. Unfortunately, my reservations with regard to COVID and being in public places will mean that I do not attend, but I'll be using the time wisely, working on pieces for the 2024 season.

Meet Mrs. Peck

Day 295: Meet Mrs. Peck! That was how she was introduced to me via a YouTube video, although in my care she has undergone a tummy tuck to reduce her avoirdupois. The original pattern for her body consisted of two squares which left her looking quite boxy as a plain cloth prototype, so I trimmed a curve to round her out, "smallerizing" her at the same time. In theory, she's a pincushion, but I couldn't bear the thought of doing chicken voodoo, so she'll just sit on my shelf for now.

If you'd like to make your own Mrs. Peck, you'll need two 6.5" squares of fabric for her body, with one corner rounded off into a nice curve. Her wings shouldn't be too large. Draw a template for them slightly wider at the front and straight across the top edge. Cut them from fabric and sew them to her body parallel to her back seam, then fold them down and topstitch. Cut a 2.25" square for her beak. Fold it into a triangle and then bring the side points together at the lower point to make a square. Fold the beak in half again to make another triangle. It should be open along the lower edge. Cut shapes for her tail, comb and wattle and position them as you like. Sew together along the curved edges and her back, leaving the side opposite her beak open. Now match her back seam to the center bottom seam by pulling out the corners of her bum. Take a few stitches along each side, leaving the center open so you can stuff her tummy. Hand-sew the last short seam and tack on a couple of 1/4"buttons for her eyes. The most time-consuming parts of this cute project are cutting out the pieces and inserting the stuffing, so in a very short period of time, you can make a whole flock to give as gifts.

Dyeing To Try This

Day 294: I've been dying to try this: trying to dye this Blue-Faced Leicester wool with unsweetened Kool-aid. It seems to be a popular way to break into the science of dyeing, and one which gives surprisingly good, non-fading results. Chemical dyes require dedicated equipment, whereas Kool-aid dyeing can be done with your regular kitchenware, using either a Crock-pot or a microwave oven. I opted for the microwave version. I presoaked three ounces of BFL (a stray skein of handspun I found in my stash) in six cups of room temperature tap water for about 20 minutes, agitating it lightly halfway through. Then I gently removed the wool from the water and added two packets of "blue raspberry lemonade" Kool-aid. I chose it because it was the only flavour available to me which wouldn't have resulted in pink yarn! Since the drink powder already contains citric acid, there was no need to mordant the yarn. After replacing the wool in the cup, I heated it in the microwave for two minutes on high, then gently moved the yarn around, taking care not to handle it too roughly for fear of felting. After repeating the process twice more, all the dye had been absorbed. Once it has cooled to room temp again, I'll give it a light rinse with a little Dawn, and hang it out to dry. The colour will undoubtedly lighten as it dries, but will still be a lovely permanent shade of light aqua blue.