Orb Weavers and spinners!

 This time of year we see many orb weavers in our yard.  Be careful when you walk through your garden, you might run smack dab into one of their beautiful webs.  Did you know that spiders are the first spinners/weavers ever?  garden spiders (subfamily Argiopinae), which are common in grassy areas and are brightly coloured—yellow and black or red and black. The oldest known orb weaver, Mesozygiella dunlopi, was described in 2006 from fossils discovered in Álava, Spain. The species was dated to the Early Cretaceous Epoch (about 145.5 million to 99.6 million years ago).  

Isn't that remarkable?  The other day I walked into my backyard and was stopped by a web glistening in the morning sunlight.  It was a piece of sheer beauty and workmanship!  I could never build such a masterpiece of intricate lines and spaces!

I did not see the creator of this lovely art.  Maybe, she was sleeping out of my sight, waiting on an unspecting prey.

The other day our daughter found this creature outside her back door--

We have seen this type of spider before outside our front door--one day it was on one side and the next day, she had moved to the other side.  Such a fast worker!

Yellow garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) are also known as writing spiders due to the zig-zag pattern they weave in their large webs. These beautiful spiders are beneficial and prey on bothersome insects, such as gnats, mosquitoes, flies, and aphids.

Why the zig zag?  It's a warning to birds that a web is built--please do not destroy!  and that goes for humans--these dandy insects are useful to nature.

Spider silk is a wonder material that, weight for weight, is stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar and can be more elastic than rubber. It's also flexible and antimicrobial. Scientists have used silk to make bulletproof armor, violin strings, medical bandages, optical fiber cables and even extravagant clothing.

the spider can create an egg sac or weave a web for capturing food. Spider silk is highly flexible, extremely stretchable, surpasses steel in strength, and most importantly, can be formed into a mesh that would stop a bullet.

Next time you see a spider or one of these orb weavers--give them a break!  They are wonderful and useful for humans!

Case For Short Fiber

 Short fiber—in spinning a short fiber, you need 1. Patience!!  2. A well prepared fiber 3. Wheel in good opening function—that’s all you need to produce a useful yarn.  I’ve been spinning brown, green, white cotton for years.  It wasn’t easy to get the hang of twist in this lovely very short fiber—I lost my cool several times until I visited with Acadian spinners while living in Louisiana.  Never heard of brown cotton before—Acadians learned to use this fiber because there was plenty of brown cotton; useful due to it’s natural color—many textiles were woven with brown cotton intermingled with indigo dyed cotton and white.

Just because a fiber is short in length, doesn't mean it can't be spun.  Here is a video presented by two of my Louisiana Acadian spinners/weavers.  Their knowledge is well rounded to give you an insight to this important craft.  Watch and enjoy!

   

Tour de Fleece Update!

 I’m excited about my spinning progress during TDF!  I’ve enjoyed watching the race, even remember racers names—and that’s unusual for me!  I love the scenery!  It is the best way to travel parts of Europe off the beaten path without leaving your spinning wheel and easy chair!  Do you find yourself treadling faster when there is breakaway or a sprint to the finish?  Oh, look at me using racing lingo!

I have a handful of this brown cotton batch.

All my bobbins are full!  I know--shouldn't be that way.  I've been lazy about winding off the bobbins and now that I need to ply--that job will need to be done

Here are my two bobbins on my lazy kate (why is it called lazy kate?)  I love this kate as it was made by a good friend and gifted to me--always good memories when I load her up!

plying is easy job and I like seeing a balanced yarn!

Bobbin is full!  Only one problem-- no empty bobbin!  Winding is the next task to free up an empty bobbin. 

no bobbin is empty!  At least I add one of these bobbins to the wheel and spin the rest of my brown cotton batch

Only about one yard left of that braid!  I like to spin with a long draw, putting the twist needed.  Do you use the long draw method?  Long draw is usually used with walking wheel.

So, now my brown cotton bobbins have been plied, I switch to my green cotton—another short staple fiber.  I grew this cotton and was happy to find someone who could put the fiber into sliver form after it was hand carded. 

It's Definitely Summer!!

 This summer has been exhausting!  Temperatures and humidity have you staying indoors or hurrying from AC car to AC store!  and even then you can break out into a sweat!  What do we expect?  It is SUMMER!

What to do on these summer days?  Books, movies, baking are my favorite past times--I've found way too many books to indulge in -- thank goodness, there are cheaper ways to read and listen then purchasing.  I did join Libby and got a free online library card--thought I'd never enjoy a library again!  so far, I've been able to enjoy audio books from Libby--"Horse" by Geraldine Brooks 

is my latest.  Many on the standby or wait list--So, I also assign to Scribd app--or then there is many free podcasts--there is never enough time to take up all those I've saved!  

Always enjoyed Lisa See works--this is the first of series of murders in China--We'll hope it's as good and informative as her other novels

This book has a good following--I'm sure you've seen the news on this author--one who had no one wanting to buy his book until someone posted a photo of him and his challenge to sell his book--now, he is top of the list!  Really grabbed me from the first page! 

Definitely a challenge--a mystery that is historical--the pages are not in order.  I thought this might be fun to do with hubby during these hot summer days--you can forget that!  He's too busy with his computer games--I'll chung along by myself!

We have spent hours at the Children's hospital visiting our five month old great grandson--he has many obstacles to overcome--but, let me tell you, this fellow is always smiling no matter what he has tests he has endured; messing about by nurses and doctors; surgeries he has encountered.

He is loved by many and has captured the heart of those throughout the world--he will remain in hospital until his intestines are reconnected and feeds can be begun again.  What a joy he is to the hospital personnel and those who have become his heart felt friends.

In the love of children, we went to the movies to see "Sound of Freedom"!  This movie tugs at your heart strings and brings awareness to child salvery.  How could we let this happen?  If you haven't seen the movie--go and be enlightened!

The afternoons can be spent working in the quilt room--cutting fabric for blocks, sewing on binding, and

Then there is this—sew along with Fort Worth Fabric Studio!  Begins July 24

and once the table is organized, too many other projects are found and then it's a squirrel moment!!

How's your summer??

Well! I’ll Be!

I thought my summer would be smooth sailing—no deadlines, no new quilt blocks beginning—was I wrong!!

I’m trying to finish up orphan block tops, keeping up to date in couple BOMs

These blocks have been sitting aside—until I found this setting!  The 16 squares were made so it took a little more time to add the corners and then the borders.  Really like the looks of this finish

My long arm quilting friend accomplished this!  I forgot to get a photo while on machine—she free hand quilted butterflies, which look so happy flitting around her blocks 

Every July Quiltville (Bonnie Hunter)adds a special leader/ender challenge.  The above quilt top was a leader/ender challenge (although not one of Bonnie's)  Just think every time you start to or stop to sew, you could be making a block!

New mystery for Christmas!  Holy Moley!  This will be nice to start and finish within a few weeks.

You can find the listing of supplies at Fat Quarter Shop.  A lot of kits are available to purchase and the pattern will be free once the mystery begins.  Recently there was free Halloween sew along--always fun--always easy and satisfying 

Yes!! This will be a perfect gift for our pastor and wife! Beginning Sunday, July 9! We will sew along with this study of the Fruit of the Spirit Quilt along.  You can find this quilt along on Instagram

This is the fabric listing--

 

So it begins!!

  Spinners!  Start those wheels—get to treadling!  What fiber will you begin with on this day?  I'm still working away on my cotton stash.  It looks smaller each time I pull out a sliver--

These have been plied--YAY!  Just need to wind off and the bobbins will be ready to use.  I don't usually set the twist in cotton--as these have been on the bobbin for some time, the twist will be set.

One is singles so I'll continue spinning on this bobbin. and then ply!  It's always a good feeling when you can fill a bobbin and empty it!

Working off and on with brown cotton—

Do you watch the race as you spin?  I usually record in order to speed up during the race when it isn’t interesting!  Another reason to record, I can spin any time during the day! 

Sundry Items

Beginning the month of the beginning of the end of 2023!  Does that make sense!??  Only 6 months till Christmas! YAY!  

Right now we are smack dab in the middle of HOT summer!

definitely summer!!  Temps have been in triple digits--no rain either!  Hopefully, the downward temps will make a comeback.

And here I am in July still working on the June dishcloth pattern!  Bummer!  It's an easy pattern so no excuses for not finishing!  The yarn is handspun brown cotton from my hands.  I planted, ginned, carded, spun the cotton and now will get to finishing up this neat pattern.  I like the name "energy bar"==I have the recipe, but haven't made it yet.  You can find the free pattern from The Kitchen Sink Shop

I'm knitting away on another Musselburgh hat by Ysolda Teague

It's just idiot knitting--easy to do without thinking of what you're doing!

I like using small bits of yarn to create this wearable hat--think this is the third or fourth one I've done; still haven't made a dent in my fiber stash!

I like making this type of hat!  So fun to pull yarns from the stash, cast on 80 or 88 stitches and knit.  This hat began with ribbing of K2,P2;  sometimes I just knit to give a rolled up brim.  I used two small balls of handspun alternating with a fancy yarn, which is mostly acrylic—like the look!! 

Okay--it's summer so his socks don't need to be finished for another three months!  I'm close on one--It looks big--he tried it on and it fit just perfectly!  Now, if I can get the other sock to match the first.  Usually, I knit both at the same time--but my brain got all twisted around and I just couldn't get it going the right direction to put two on the two circulars.  It's all good!  He'll have nice warm socks for the winter--IF it ever gets here!