Read The Script

Day 139: There is a secret message here, I'm sure of it, but even if I was conversant with Ogham script, the form of Gaelic used in mediaeval Ireland (or any Gaelic, for that matter) is out of my realm of expertise. Whatever Graphis scripta is trying to tell me, I can't read it. That said, I don't understand Italian either, but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying a good opera. Nor can I read Chinese, but I can admire the artistry in its written characters. Thus, Graphis scripta is one of my favourite lichens. The black "inscriptions" are in fact the fruiting bodies of this crustose species, specialized structures called "lirellae." Close examination of them would show that each "dash" is split down the center. The thallus (body) of the lichen is the whitish-grey background, one of several species of lichen which give our Red Alders the appearance of having grey bark.

Good Day For A Hike

Day 138: Good weather finally made an appearance here in the Pacific Northwest, and since I already had to make a trip to the library, I decided to take a walk on the Bud Blancher Trail. As walks go in my book, three miles wasn't much, although it was an improvement on sitting. I was able to set a good pace and only allowed myself to be distracted by lichens once I'd reached my goal of the Little Mashel bridge and was ready to turn around. I didn't want to leave Merry locked in the bathroom for too long, despite having made him as comfortable as possible with food, a kitty bed, toys and his litter box. He is coming to the conclusion that "library" is a swear-word when Mama tells him she has to be gone for a while. In any event, while at the bridge, I braved blackberry vines to reach the Graphis scripta tree, and a future post will show the lichen. It's always nice to visit old friends.

Comparative Anatomy

Day 137: For this exercise, we will be looking at Comparative Anatomy, and yes, size matters. These bands use different weights of thread. On the right, the pattern threads of the blue/green Xs are doubled (i.e., two threads are treated as one), with white and coloured threads all being 8/2 cotton. In the lower left, the lavender hearts are 10/2 cotton on a white ground of 16/2. The uppermost band is made on green sewing thread ground against gold 10/2 cotton, creating a "negative space" pattern of green hearts. The lavender hearts have a wider border than the Xs, and both bands are 1" wide. The green/gold band is slightly over 1/2" in width. All three bands employ the same number of threads in the patterned pickup section: nine. In all cases, the weft thread is identical to that used for the ground.

Making String Heddles

Day 136: When Max, my Bergman countermarch loom, came to live at my house, he was dressed with a minimal amount of string heddles. Before I could work on a project of any size, I had to tie more, which meant that I needed a jig so they would all be the same size. The odds and ends of lumber and nails I had in my garage weren't particularly inspiring, so I cast about for anything else I might use. I'd nearly given up when the cribbage board came to mind. The pegs allowed me to set the distance from the ends to the heddle eye in a perfect match to the existing heddles, and a warping tool gave me a way to store them without tangling until I had made a batch (I tie them off in bundles of 50). I made 400 on that first run, sufficient for any of the panel widths I normally use for overshot. I thought that would hold me for the rest of my life, but then I was given a gift of enough 16/2 tartan wool (made in Scotland!) to weave a summer shawl. Drafting it out, I determined that I would need 920 ends, i.e., 920 heddles...oh, let's say another 400 just to be on the safe side. I've been pecking away at it (tying heddles is not my favourite occupation, believe me) and am making substantial progress. By the time I get "Friend Evelyn" off Max, I'll have enough tied for the tartan shawl.

Blooming Filbert

Day 135: The bloomin' filbert is in bloom! Harry Lauder (Contorted Filbert, Corylus avellana "Contorta") has put forth a profusion of blossoms, and you'd never know it even if you were standing only three feet away unless you knew exactly what to look for. But if you do know and peer closely, you'll be rewarded with the sight of tiny hot-pink stars. These are the female flowers of this monoecious species. The drooping catkins are the males. Once fertilized, non-edible filberts (nuts) will form inside the ovaries. Ttuly, this seems like a good example of overkill. When the catkins begin shedding pollen, it comes off the tree in clouds! A couple of years ago, I caged a few of the clusters to see if nut meats would develop inside. Usually, they're consumed by the birds and squirrels before they ripen. The few I protected did in fact form nuts somewhat smaller than a lightly flattened pea, but they are not fit for human consumption.

Borders

 

Day 134: When making bands, it's good to keep in mind that an attractive border can be as essential to the overall design as the central motif. A border can also be used to add width to a piece, but care should be taken that it doesn't dominate the work (unless, of course, you intend it to do so). Border designs can be employed as spacers between patterned segments, and don't have to be identical to the outer edges. Borders are generally loom-controlled when doing pickup in the middle section, but that's not a hard-and-fast rule, either. Here, I am using white 16/2 cotton for the ground and 10/2 for both the borders and the center motifs, and am weaving this band on my Leksand loom, Jutta. The heart design is pickup on nine pattern threads, with the center section of the adjacent chains in the border echoing the main colour.

Jam Day

Day 133: I know someone who is going to be very happy to see this. Yes, I've turned my weaving partner Ed into a gooseberry jam addict. Today I made 16 half-pints (and leftovers) from the berries I harvested last June. Since the ripening period spans two weeks or more,  I picked them every day, topping and tailing each batch and freezing them. At the end of the season, I had ten cups ready to process into jam. Of course by that time, hot weather had moved in to stay, and no one likes to toil at the stove when it's hot outside, and in any event, they weren't going anywhere. Winter is a good time for this chore! As usual, I got up long before the sun and had the first five cups on the hob by 7 AM. I was done with both batches by 9:30. I also found some of last year's rhubarb in the freezer, so later today, I'll make some rhubarb bread to get a head start on spring.