The weather around here has not been conducive to summer activities. It has been raining a lot and the temperatures have been way below average. In spite of this, my garden is coming along nicely. In the craft department, I've been doing a little bit of spinning, namely a couple of ounces of buffalo down.
From what I've read, the wool is gathered from the field the buffalo graze on after they molt in the spring. But sometimes it is obtained from animals killed for meat. I choose to believe I purchased the former. Anyhoo... the yarn is amazingly soft. It has a very short staple but I was able to spin a fairly even yarn. I don't have much yarn, so I'm on the lookout for a lacy little something to knit. The mat under my modest little ball of yarn merits an explanation. I picked it up ant an estate sale for cheap (maybe a quarter?). Yesterday I washed and blocked it. I can't even imagine how much time it took to make.
Each of the raised rose motifs are the size of a dime. The history of this crocheted lace is interesting. It was taught to poor Irish women and children by Ursuline nuns to give them a source of income. Originally workers specialized in different parts of the design; one person would do only roses, one would do the leaves and yet another would do the background netting. This mat is in pristine condition and I really like it.
Although I need more fiber like I need to fly to the moon, I did acquire this huge amount of hemp. It is prepared beautifully and absolutely luminous. I need to do a little research and practice to do this beautiful stuff justice. I'll put it on my ever-growing list of summer projects.
This is the best summer ever! I heart the cool!
Posted by: Mags | July 03, 2009 at 12:10 AM