May 15, 2013
The Gifts of Fiber
I really hate that there is only so much time. By the time I finish working at my profession, training my border collies to herd, cleaning my house, teaching my spinning lessons, I have no time left to create my own art projects. I have now reached the place where I have to parcel out segments of time to do all the things with fiber I love, and I have to identify those things that I could do but do not have time to do without causing some other aspect of the creative process to suffer.
Yikes!!!! I hate choosing. I love preparing fleeces and seeing the fiber come alive into beautifully hand drafted tops and clouds of carded fiber that I spin in to lovely woolen and worsted yarns. When I prepare fleeces, no matter what animal provided them, I feel connected to and thankful for that animal's gift. I am grateful for the opportunity to create something beautiful. How could I give up the fiber I prepare or the feeling of gratitude that comes with it?
Oh, and the spinning is wonderful. I can make exactly the yarn I want for my projects simply by preparing the fiber with forethought and mindfully spinning it into yarn. Mindfully...Mindful... the spinning is a process that helps me to embrace a relaxed state of mind. It leads me into meditation so that my hands are occupied with creation and my mind and heart are occupied with thoughts of peace and love. I must continue to spin.
What shall I do with the yarn? Sometimes I knit. Sometimes I weave. The choice of which to do is guided by my creative desires, and, often, I have several projects going at once. Some of them are knitting. Some of them are weaving. The completion of any one of these projects allows me a sense of satisfaction that is hard to find in this world of rapidly accelerating technology and demands. When I finish a fiber art project, I have reached completion. I have created a "whole" out of many different parts, and I am satisfied.
I still haven't chosen... Let's see...I receive the experience of gratitude from the preparation, the experience of mindfulness from the spinning, and the experience of wholeness from the knitting and weaving. How could I choose not do any one of these? The gifts of the fibers to me, gratitude, mindfulness, and wholeness, leave me a better person. No, I won't choose, but I will certainly be thankful.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
May 5, 2013
Fleece Preparation...Or...Up to Our Elbows in Alpacas
I started out being fascinated with sheep...heritage breeds....long wools...and of course merinos. I am now working with alpaca and find my loyalty to wool shifting a little to make room for the alpaca.
One of the ways that alpaca is different from wool is that it does not have lanolin like oils as wool does. I recently had the opportunity to teach an alpaca fleece preparation class and I brought a merino fleece to demonstrate the similarities and differences between the two fleeces.
The merino was fabulous. It was fine (very low microns), bright white, with a great hand (meaning it felt great to the touch), but had very heavy grease (lanolin and waxes normally produced by the animal) and had not been jacketed. It was dirty!!!! The alpaca on the other hand had no oils, was fine, and had a great hand. And, it was dirty!!!
We began by skirting both fleeces. Skirting is a process that is similar for both wool and alpaca. However, because the alpaca fleece lacks those tenacious oils, much of the vegetable matter entangled in the fleece could be eliminated by shaking the fleece vigorously after skirting. Not so with our lovely merino, the oils held the vegetable matter to the fleece and it required a practiced eye and fearless hand to get rid of the "trash".
Once we skirted the fleeces, we placed small amounts of fiber in net lingerie bags for scouring (washing). We (there were about 6 of us) each filled a container (we choose small plastic trash cans) with hot water. An easy way to gauge how hot the water needs to be is to use water that is as hot as your hand can tolerate it. We also added a neutral pH, no phosphate detergent to the water. Then using a plastic spatula we submerged the fiber until it was completely under the surface of the water. Once the fiber is completely underwater it can be gently stirred, but it must never be agitated outside of the water and soap solution as it will probably felt. Then we had coffee while our fibers soaked...
There is nothing liking working with a community of women to complete a project. Particularly these women. They have wonderful senses of humor and they delight in learning new things. They are quick to make contributions from their own expertise, yet they always do it in a way that leaves everyone feeling positive and enlightened. The hoped for result of preparing a fleece is beautiful fiber for our projects, but the result that I like best is getting to know each one of these women. They have spoiled me for preparing my own fleeces as a solitary artist...Now I want to be creative with them and inspired by them...
We washed the fibers in more than one bath and the merino required more than the alpaca. Rinsing of the fibers is very important. The process for rinsing the fibers is a duplicate of the wash, except the soap is omitted. Rinsing must continue until the rinse water runs clear. This is especially true for the merino. If any residual oils are left on the merino fiber, it will crystalize and be very difficult to remove. The water is then squeezed out of the fiber without ringing the fiber and left to dry in a bright airy place...What a wonderful day...happy friends...and clean fiber...I can't wait to prepare it for spinning!!!!
Fleece Preparation...Or...Up to Our Elbows in Alpacas
I started out being fascinated with sheep...heritage breeds....long wools...and of course merinos. I am now working with alpaca and find my loyalty to wool shifting a little to make room for the alpaca.
One of the ways that alpaca is different from wool is that it does not have lanolin like oils as wool does. I recently had the opportunity to teach an alpaca fleece preparation class and I brought a merino fleece to demonstrate the similarities and differences between the two fleeces.
The merino was fabulous. It was fine (very low microns), bright white, with a great hand (meaning it felt great to the touch), but had very heavy grease (lanolin and waxes normally produced by the animal) and had not been jacketed. It was dirty!!!! The alpaca on the other hand had no oils, was fine, and had a great hand. And, it was dirty!!!
We began by skirting both fleeces. Skirting is a process that is similar for both wool and alpaca. However, because the alpaca fleece lacks those tenacious oils, much of the vegetable matter entangled in the fleece could be eliminated by shaking the fleece vigorously after skirting. Not so with our lovely merino, the oils held the vegetable matter to the fleece and it required a practiced eye and fearless hand to get rid of the "trash".
Once we skirted the fleeces, we placed small amounts of fiber in net lingerie bags for scouring (washing). We (there were about 6 of us) each filled a container (we choose small plastic trash cans) with hot water. An easy way to gauge how hot the water needs to be is to use water that is as hot as your hand can tolerate it. We also added a neutral pH, no phosphate detergent to the water. Then using a plastic spatula we submerged the fiber until it was completely under the surface of the water. Once the fiber is completely underwater it can be gently stirred, but it must never be agitated outside of the water and soap solution as it will probably felt. Then we had coffee while our fibers soaked...
There is nothing liking working with a community of women to complete a project. Particularly these women. They have wonderful senses of humor and they delight in learning new things. They are quick to make contributions from their own expertise, yet they always do it in a way that leaves everyone feeling positive and enlightened. The hoped for result of preparing a fleece is beautiful fiber for our projects, but the result that I like best is getting to know each one of these women. They have spoiled me for preparing my own fleeces as a solitary artist...Now I want to be creative with them and inspired by them...
We washed the fibers in more than one bath and the merino required more than the alpaca. Rinsing of the fibers is very important. The process for rinsing the fibers is a duplicate of the wash, except the soap is omitted. Rinsing must continue until the rinse water runs clear. This is especially true for the merino. If any residual oils are left on the merino fiber, it will crystalize and be very difficult to remove. The water is then squeezed out of the fiber without ringing the fiber and left to dry in a bright airy place...What a wonderful day...happy friends...and clean fiber...I can't wait to prepare it for spinning!!!!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
This is Kate's Fiber Arts blog. I am Kate and I have been interested in fiber and fiber arts since I was 9 years old when I asked my mom to teach me to knit. She told me she did not know how to teach me and I would have to watch and learn on my own. So, I taught myself.
Of course, my fascination has grown and progressed from knitting to crocheting to spinning and finally to weaving. My goal has been to have my own sheep and produce wool for hand spinners. I even got Border Collies and learned to herd with them so that I would be ready for my life as a shepherd. Then circumstances intervened in an unexpected way. I had to put my dream on hold and focus on other parts of my life.
Now, I find myself living on ranch where alpacas are raised. The ranch is Alpacas at Windy Hill and there are almost 200 beautiful alpacas here. And, what fiber!!!!!!! So, while I still love sheep and wool, I am discovering and delighting in the use of alpaca for the creation of textiles.
I thought that this blog would be a way for me to "meet" other fiber artists who have similar interests and experiences. I am hoping that this will turn into a dialogue and that we can develop a large community dedicated to using fiber.
If you have thoughts or comments, share them. In my other life I am a researcher, maybe we can use those skills to get answers to some of the questions we might have. Any way, I look forward to hearing from you.
Kate
Of course, my fascination has grown and progressed from knitting to crocheting to spinning and finally to weaving. My goal has been to have my own sheep and produce wool for hand spinners. I even got Border Collies and learned to herd with them so that I would be ready for my life as a shepherd. Then circumstances intervened in an unexpected way. I had to put my dream on hold and focus on other parts of my life.
Now, I find myself living on ranch where alpacas are raised. The ranch is Alpacas at Windy Hill and there are almost 200 beautiful alpacas here. And, what fiber!!!!!!! So, while I still love sheep and wool, I am discovering and delighting in the use of alpaca for the creation of textiles.
I thought that this blog would be a way for me to "meet" other fiber artists who have similar interests and experiences. I am hoping that this will turn into a dialogue and that we can develop a large community dedicated to using fiber.
If you have thoughts or comments, share them. In my other life I am a researcher, maybe we can use those skills to get answers to some of the questions we might have. Any way, I look forward to hearing from you.
Kate
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