Farm Show

Last year, what with school and all, I didn't get a chance to go out and do too many demos with the Weaving and Spinning Guild. But I've managed a couple this winter, and yesterday was the demo at the Ottawa Farm Show. I did this one a couple years ago too, the first year they were at the Ernst and Young Centre, when we scored fleeces from Rare Breeds Canada to sample.

It's a fun show, for several reasons. I always get a kick out of seeing the contrast between the EY Centre, which is shiny-modern-new, and the show clientele, which is heavy on pick-up trucks in the lot and feed-caps, plaid shirts, and jeans on the people. And even if you're not interested in the latest breed of wheat or model of John Deere tractor, there's plenty to see in the way of antiques and fun things in the exhibition area. Our station was right outside there.

We had a  good variety of things to show people about the Guild and what we do.

Across from us was a rope maker, who also had some wooden toys and games, and who got people to help make plied and cabled ropes from cakes of baler twine. Inside the exhibition there was leather-working, antique implements, quilts, detailed wooden models, and a sock-knitting machine.

Some of the booths in the show had what definitely could be called eye-catching displays, like the stuffed bison I passed on my way in.

And then there's the loot. We saw people passing with foam #1 fingers, wooden staffs, Kubota bags, balloons, and who knows what else. I think the best, though, was the T-shirts that were for sale. Both of my demo partners bought shirts. One said 'Kiss me, I'm a farmer', and the other said, '100% Farm-Raised'.

The only draw-back, in fact, was the weather. Snow and wind all afternoon and evening, making getting home lots of fun. Sigh. More white stuff to melt before we can do more than plan gardens and start seedlings, and dream of going outside without a coat and boots...

Fiber, Various

A week since I taught my first dye class, and I'm finally getting around to showing off the pics of the day, and the newest member of Johanne's flock. We all went to see baby Achai before class started.

It's cute to see how all the females in the pen are kind of protective of him, and they would all move in front of Achai to keep us from seeing him, in case we were dangerous. 'He has a lot of aunts', Johanne said.

Thanks to Jo and Chantal's organization, we were ready to start promptly on time, with neat booklets of information and skeins of yarn for everyone. And all the students had a great time, getting into chopping plants and straining dye baths, ending up with a lovely row of samples to go home with.

You know it's a keen class when one of the comments from a sort of survey and discussion after was "You should have dye supplies for us to purchase so we can go home and do some more!"

This afternoon there was a bit of fiber fun of a different sort. Fibrefest is on in Almonte this weekend, and I snagged a ride with my mother and a friend. What I really wanted to see wasn't even as much the vendors as the exhibits at the museum (the MVTM, textile museum). I will say right now, definitely worth the trip. Go soon, before they're finished.

One exhibit was by a Peruvian tapestry artist, and while I'm not usually big on modern work, the colours and technique were incredible, as if the tapestries were painted.

(detail of the tapestry above)

The other exhibit I really wanted to see was a display of Coptic weaving, dating from the 4th-10th centuries. And they were amazing. Most of the pictures I had seen of Coptic weaving previously was monochrome, like the first picture, so to see a few colored pieces was exciting. This particular colored piece says it was likely a piece off a curtain. Think of it, these fibers were all handspun (spindle-spun, since spinning wheels were still hundreds of years in the future), natural-dyed, and handwoven, and they've survived for 1500 years since they decorated someone's clothes or home...

Lang Syne

Remember those old National Geographic magazines I bought a few months ago? I meant to show off a bit of what was inside them, but don't think I ever did. So here's a quick look at what the cutting edge was like, 90 years ago.

National Geographic was just starting to get some colored pictures. I think they're supposed to be color photographs, but they look more like someone painted over a black and white photo.

There was an article in one of them on Holland, which I was excited about because my mother's Dutch.  Only think - everyone's wearing the traditional costume in these pictures, and the wooden shoes!

And there were at least 3 pictures with someone knitting. Apparently it's in the genes.

The articles had a few prime notions too. It's a little odd to think of a large, scientific-type magazine like this one apparently thinking it completely the norm to use concepts like Manifest Destiny (which was sort of a White supremacy, we-were-born-to-rule idea; think British India or the Boer War), referring to 'the ladies' or 'the weaker sex', describing a South American as 'a Peon type', or having one of the authors casually mentioning how he let his pre-teen son loose in the jungle to shoot at birds for amusement.

And just to show how much else has changed...imagine buying a house for this price.

You'd maybe have a car in the drive that looked like this:

And you would still have to dip your steel-nib pen in the inkwell to write your letters and do your accounting.

Yet Another Project

I completely forgot to blog yesterday. My computer time for the morning was taken up with arranging testers for the Snowdrop shawl pattern. They're all raring to go, comments already flying this morning, it's all very exciting.

And lately, the afternoon computing has been, on bright days, devoted to yet another project I’m working on. Take a look at these:

Two lovely needlepoint panels I found a couple summers ago at an antique shop. My mother had been there previously with a friend, and suggested a trip to me (twist my rubber arm, eh?) The place was closing at the end of the season, so we had to check it out then. She had her eye on a copper bedwarmer, which she ended up buying. I poked about, and found these tucked away in a pile of linens. Think of all the work that went into them. Well used – the colors are faded (the back is brighter), and some of the stitches are missing. The ragged edges and slashes at the corners suggest that they were used to upholster the seat and back of a chair. So what am I doing with them?

 I’m sitting at the computer, and working on graphing out the pattern, trying to approximate the unfaded colors. I know it’s going to take a while, as some of the shades are hard to tell apart unless the light is good. The brilliant maroon and blues and gold are easy to pick out, but some of paler shades and the varied greens require closer scrutiny. At some point, this should result in being able to re-create the two pieces in (close to) their original glory. If I get ambitious, I could even dye the yarns myself with the natural dyes. But right now, I will be happy to get the graphs done. The smaller one is getting close to a third done, and that's been three sessions!

This afternoon I know I should cut the session short. Lovely sunny weather and I really ought to get back to garden clean-up. There are not enough hours in a day as is - I shudder to think of what it will be like when I get a job. Maybe I start buying lottery tickets.