A Root in Fiber

Hi guys!!  Have I got a few treats for you today!!  It was a big weekend for festivities in Carriacou.  On Friday night the town that I’m staying in (Bogles) had its annual cultural festival….called the Maroon festival.  All day long people cook, eat, and mingle from one house to the next.  I finally got to try some traditional Carriacou cuisine.  I wish I would have taken a picture of my plate because there were some things I could not identify.  However, even though I can’t say that I loved it all,  I did eat it all.  Mom would be proud.  I think there was some chicken, some pork, potatoes, a rice ball, and a cornmeal ball….oh how it made me miss biscuits and cornbread.  They don’t know what biscuits and cornbread are here.  I wish I knew how to cook them from scratch because I’d give them to everyone and I would be forever remembered as the biscuit girl.  By the way, what is the difference between baking bread and baking biscuits? Anyways, there was also a performance with drummers and dancers.  I managed to get a pretty cool video.  So here ya go…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7wq2eKGWxg

I had to upload this video to YouTube in order to get it into this blog.  It was my first time as a YouTuber and I’d have to say they make it pretty easy and self explanitory to upload videos.  No wonder everyone’s doing it.  — This performance went on for a couple of hours and many people took a turn dancing in the circle.  All the women wore skirts with a split down the middle and another slip or pants underneath.  When they danced they would face the drummers and hold their skirt open, why? I don’t know, I never asked.

I managed to get right up around the edge of the circle, so I had a pretty awsome view.  There were a bunch of little kids in front of me who were fascinated by my digital camera.  I kept noticing them look up at it again and again.  Finally one little girl looked up and said very faintly, “Can I hold your camera?”  It was so cute, I just had to let her try.  And you know when you let one try, they all have to try.  So I ended up with like 20 extra pictures on my camera and this was one of them. 

 

 

This is Andy, and this is his 1977 police issue BMW motorcycle with a 1947 sidecar.  So why do you think I’m showing you this picture….because I got a ride in the sidecar….and it was AWESOME!!!

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a big artist here from Jamaica here on Saturday (Mr. Vegas).  It was a free show put on by one of the political parties here.  Apparently they will be having a big election pretty soon here as well.  There were thousands of people there and many of the locals brought grills and coolers to sell consessions.  Sorry, no picures though…it was too dark.

Sunday, I had probably the best day yet.  I took a water taxi out to swim with the sea turtles.  It was amazing.  We saw like six or seven of them just pokin’ along.  I couldn’t take a picture under water, so I found a picture on Google of the kind we saw. 

 

Don’t ya just love the pattern on its shell.  They weren’t very big…just about the size of my torso. 

 

 

 

 

We also saw these star fish.  At first I thought they were dead, but then I got to hold one in my hand and I felt his fingers move.  It was cool but it freaked me out a bit.

 

 

 

And look guys, Kite surfing!!! I was totally stoked when I saw this and I made the water taxi stop so I could take a picture.  I haven’t seen a surfer yet, much less a wave big enough to surf on. But you know what, its much the same on the coast of Georgia, so what do they do instead…they kite surf.  So this picture is for Tim @ High Tide Surf Shop where I work in Tybee Island, Georgia.  Do you see what kind of kite he’s got? Cabrinha!! Woohooo!!  This is off the coast of Union Island….and that’s all I can really say. 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, so this is the Caribbean.  As I use to dream of what it would be like to visit the Caribbean, this is what my imagination saw.  Ahhhh, what a wonderful day this was!!

But wait, does this view look familiar to anyone?  Hint, hint…a movie with pirates.

 

 

 

Yep, you guessed it…Pirates of the Caribbean. This spot is from the scene in the first movie where they dug up all the rum…and thats all I know.  I think it was in the first movie, but I’m not sure….Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m the world’s worst when it comes to recalling movie scenes. 

Anyways, no sign of Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom here now. Too bad, so sad!!

 

 

And this folks, is my favorite picture yet. I will blow it up and hang it on my wall when I return.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, Okay!! I know, I know…where’s the fiber at?  Well, I have to be honest and say that my top priority for the past few days has been my research paper.  I’ve had three weeks to research, formulate an opinion, map it out, learn a new writing format (Chicago/Turabian), and write 10 pages about it.  So if you’re tired of hearing about it, tuff…’cause my brain is tired of thinking about it.  Can you say mentally tapped, ’cause that’s how I’m feelin’ right now.  So how do I fix it, by knittin’ it up!!! Woohoo!!

 

First I had to spin a little more yarn to get the length I wanted for my scarf.  I chose a dark domestic fleece and plyed it with the same metallic blue thread as the previous yarns.  It reminds me of the black sand on the beach right outside the Roundhouse. 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the finished piece, with me and my cheesy grin.  i took like 10 photos and hated them all, but who cares…that’s not the point.  Isn’t that scarf beautimous?!  I love it with the blue tank underneath.  Oh, the perfect vision of the sand and sea, hehe! This scarf is super soft and warm, even with the big holes. 

It reminds me of a fishing net or even some of that camouflage netting thats out now. 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a close up.

 

 

 

 

 

These little jars are from my cabin.  Each one has sand from a different beach or island close by (Sandy Beach, Sparrow Bay, Anse La Roche, & Jack-A-Dan). They were a source of inspiration for this scarf. 

 

 

 

 

So what’s next? Weaving with this stuff…palm leaves, cocoa bark, and I thought this seaweed yarn…but now I’m thinking not.

Along with trying to get my research paper started, I’ve been spinning and knitting this week.  So I’ll just get right into it…

 

This is camel down, red alpaca top, grey domestic wool, some angelina hot fix sparkle fibers, and all the scraps from various fibers that were left over from my samples.  We don’t have carders here to comb and mix the fibers, so I had to do it by hand…and spin it like this.

 

 

 

This is how it turned out.  I spun the fiber first thick and thin, then plyed it with a metallic blue thread…like the ocean at sunset.  When you hold the plying thread taught and let the yarn just kind of loosely wrap around it, you get this kind of wavy effect in the yarn.  Pretty cool huh!

 

 

 

 

A close up.  I didn’t soak or wash this yarn when I got finished plying it, so I don’t know what’s going to happen to it over time.  Soaking yarn after you spin it helps it to hold the twist so it won’t pull apart.  This camel down is super soft and slippery, so it might peel later since I didn’t soak it.  We’ll see though.

 

 

 

 

 

Organic cotton I plyed with the same blue thread.  I just love this wavy look…and its very easy to make!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A close up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giant knitting needles that Sue made.  They measure approx. 48″ long. These are super fun to knit with and the perfect tool for teaching because they create loose stitches and there’s just more to hold on to.  It like a kid coloring with giant crayons.  I am definately going to make me a pair when I get back to Savannah. 

 

 

 

 

I’m knitting a scarf, a beginner’s favorite.  Its really going to be about the size of a pashmina, so I can wrap it or tuck it like a scarf.  These are the two yarns from above.  I have run out of yarn though and will have to spin some more in order to finish.  The big knitting needles make knitting go really fast, which is a bonus because I’m a rather impatient person.

 

 

 

 

A close up.  This is knit stitch only.  I tried to string a few shells onto the blue thread before I plyed the yarn, but they wouldn’t fit through the orfice on the spinning wheel, so I had to take them out…so sad.  I was going for a sand, ocean, shell concept.  That’s okay though, this scarf told me he wants fringe instead.

 

 

 

And look everyone, my fiber plant is growing like crazy! Its only been a week and look at it.  I’ve just been watering it with rain water and trying to keep it moist.  The roots on the bottom started to turn brown though, so I took him out of the direct sunlight and wrapped a cloth around the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

Now some odds and ends…

I won’t go into much detail, but just take my advice…If you go out of the country, whatever you do, don’t loose your debit card.  Its like the key to life as we know it.  If you loose it, you’re f$%#!!, ’cause its cash only down here folks.  Your debit card is only good at the ATM.  Don’t worry though, after much distress, I eventually solved my problem and the cash is flowing again.

 

A snipit of a little something that I’m crocheting for my twin sister’s baby.  She’s about to burst and should be having a little girl any day now!! I’m very excited, and I can’t wait to see her.

 

 

 

See this crab, isn’t he cute.  He’s very tiny…and guess where I found him….IN MY BED!!  I was watching a movie late one night on my computer sitting in my bed and I guess he wanted to watch too.  I pulled the covers back to slide under after the movie was over and he came crawling out.  Yes, I was freaked for a moment, but was just glad I saw him before I went to sleep, else I might have gotten a rude awakening in the middle of the night.  Yikes!!  So before all of you go to bed tonight, better look under those covers!!

Man, did this week fly by or what?  I have been super busy this week with school work.  Our quarter ends in a couple of weeks and I am feeling the squeeze to get things done.  I’ve been working on a research paper for my art criticism class that’s due next week.  I had to change my topic when I got here, so I’ve been busy doing a whole new batch of research.  I’ve also been helping Sue with a flyer for some really cool workshops she’ll be doing this fall called the “Wool n Dance.” At first I thought this stuff wouldn’t be much to blog about but since I’ve spent so much time on these two things this week, I’ve decided to include a little bit about both.

I am writing a research paper on an exhibit that just recently left the Museum of Art and Design in New York called “Pricked: Extreme Embroidery.”  The idea behind this exhibit was to show how traditional craft techniques, like embroidery, are being used in contemporary art.  There were over 50 works from artists in 17 different countries.  I exhibit would have been way cool to see in person.  But ya can’t just up and travel to New York every time you want to see an art exhibit now can you.  Anyhow, here’s some pics of some of the art that was exhibited…

 

 

“Lessons from My Mother” by Andrea Dezso….she had 48 of these in the exhibit, all showing a little stitched image to go along with each lesson her mother claimed…

 

 

 

 

“Death of a Blinded Philosopher” by Angelo Filomeno…my favorite piece in the show.  This is the biggest I could get this picture to post.  But, its all hand embroidered on silk with tons of swarovski crystals…that you can’t see in this image.  The detail is incredible!!

 

 

 

“Phrenology Head II” by Morwenna Catt…phrenology is the study of how the lumps and bumps on your head determine your personality and criminality characteristics.

 

 

 

 

“Afro Abe II” by Sonya Clark…Abraham Lincoln has a french knot afro as a way to symbolize his aid to African Americans while in office.

 

 

“EBbb” by Kate Kretz…these are eyes embroidered on a white pillowcase with human hair and eyelashes.  They appear just about actual size on the pillowcase.  Cool huh?

 

 

Okay, I have also been spending a tremendous amount of time putting together a flyer together for Sue’s workshops.  I had to use three programs to get the thing done because I didn’t know how to do everything in just one program.  So when you see it, the graphics may appear simple but it has proven difficult to create in more ways than one. 

 

 

The “Wool n Dance” is an event that happens outdoors in a public place where tons of wool is layed out to form a carpet and sandwiched between two big sheets.  The sheets are then soaked with water and soap and people are invited to come and dance on it to live music. The pressure and friction from people’s feet, along with the water and soap, make the wool fibers felt (stick together).  And even if you didn’t want to dance and get wet, you could just stand back and giggle at all the other silly people slipping and sliding around.  The dancefloor would be padded by all the wool, so if you fell it wouldn’t hurt.  I think it’s gonna be super fun and maybe we can eventually get a “Wool n Dance” set up to happen in Savannah. 

Other than staring at my computer for days on end, here’s what else I’ve been up to this week. 

 

Here at the Roundhouse, its all about recycling. I helped Sue carry some old tires down to the beach so we could build a dam that will prevent the waves from washing all the sand away. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue and Nicol tieing up the tires.  We stuffed them full of rocks and sand so the waves wouldn’t wash them away.  And I’d have to say, this little make-shift dam is already doing a damn good job…hehe!!

 

 

 

and…just to add in a bit of other info I think is cool.  For a better part of their time, Sue and Rico live in and help to run an EcoVillage called Pianta Monda in Southern Switzerland.  Its up on some steep, somewhat rough terrain, but they’ve managed to renovate a few abandoned cottages and plant plenty of organic fruits and vegetables to live on.  They use solar power, compost toilets, and utilize running water from a nearby river.  If anyone’s willing to lend a helping hand and wants to learn a sustainable way of living, then an adventure to Pianta Monda is an excellent choice.  The website for the Pianta Monda is written in German, so if anyone can read German or just wants to check out some pictures of the place, then here ya go…www.piantamonda.ch

Oh, what? What’s that you say?…You want to see some more fiber!!! Well then…OK!!

 

I spun this organic cotton earlier this week.  Its super soft, lumpy and bumpy.  Lumpy and bumpy is easy to spin, but smooth and even?…don’t know, haven’t tried yet.

 

Hope you guys like my silly pic. I spend a lot of time here by myself and this is the result.

 

 

 

Anyways, those of you who have been keeping up with my work of recent months know that I’ve been doing some studies on getting plants to grow in fiber.  Well I’ve decided since I’ve got all these cotton seeds at my disposal, that I might as well try to grow some.

So first, I spun some cotton fiber with the seeds still in it.  I spun it using what’s called a core yarn/thread (the orange one you see to the left of me) to prevent the yarn from tearing while spinning because this fiber had a lot of seeds in it.  Big stuff has a hard time going through the orfice (where the yarn is entering the wheel) so its nice to have the added strength from a core thread.                                             

 

 

I decided it would be a good idea to knit this yarn into a tube on some double pointed needles.  It was my first try with these things, and let me just say it was a bitch to work with.  I’m not very good at knitting anyway, but leave it up to me to do something the hard way the first time around.  This little ball of yarn and these little needles didn’t get me a very long tube… but it did give me something to work with.  The idea was to knit a tube with seeds, hang it up, and water it to see if it would sprout….this is how far I got.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside of my little tube.  Most of the seeds ended up on the outside, and yes many of them may fall out, but there’s at least 300 seeds in there…and you only need one to plant a bush.

 

 

 

 

The inside of my little tube.  Here you can actually see that its knitted.  I mixed two different colors of cotton fiber when spinning this yarn, a white one and an off white one.  They look nice together here don’t they?

 

 

 

 

Did you know that aloe plants are a natural source for dying fiber.  It will turn your sheets purple if you go to sleep after rubbing some on.  So, I decided to give it a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You gotta split the leaf open and scrape out the jelly.  The jelly is what will dye the fiber.  And boy, does it reek…like a smelly armpit to be exact.  We’re use to smelly substances in the fibers department though, right girls?

 

 

 

 

I also just put some loose cotton fiber in the bottom of this bottle with some seeds and water to see if it would sprout. So, do ya think it worked?   Weeeellllll…….

 

 

 

 

After only two days, look what I’ve got….some sprouts in the bottom.  They haven’t popped out through the top yet, but they will hopefully within the next couple of days.  Yaaaa, I’m so excited!!!

 

 

 

And to round out today’s super long post, how ’bout some odds and ends…

 

Some more beach findings.  The crab is all dried up and hollow, but the sea urchen looks as though it may have only died a few days ago.  There’s a yellow shell there, do you see it?  Have you ever seen a yellow shell? Not me.  Oh yeah, at home on Tybee Island, my friend Darcie and I collect broken shells a lot because sometimes that’s all you can find.  But don’l look over the broken ones…for they can be some of the most interesting…like to corkscrew ones to the left here. 

 

 

This is the bay in one of the next towns over from Bogles where I’m staying.  Its called Harvey Vale and its where all the the traveling sailors and yatchies come to dock their boats.  Its one of my most favorite locations in Carriacou yet.

 

 

 

 

A sea urchin on the beach in Harvey Vale.  This one wasn’t quite dead yet, but there were tons of other ones…however most of them were broken. 

 

 

 

 

And another beautiful sunset here at the Roundhouse to end another busy week.

Hi guys, I’ve been busy the past few days working on spinning fiber and haven’t had much time for touring around the island.  However, I went for a little jog yesterday morning and ended up following a trail into the woods that led me to a really cool little beach called Anse La Roche.  It was super serene and part of the national park system on the islands.  I learned that this beach is a popluar breeding grounds for the endangered sea turtle.  Hopefully in a few days I’ll get the chance to swim with the sea turtles via Nicol’s boat, he’s the water taxi guy for the Roundhouse.  So more on that later.  For now…Fiber…Fiber….and more Fiber. 

I brought a big bag of various fibers with me to the Roundhouse and I’ve been trying to spin a little sample of each of them to put in my notebook.  There are a lot of them so I will only show you a few of my favorites.

 

This is mohair, a type of wool that is super soft and shiny.  Its a fine fiber that’s easy to spin.  Mohair is one of the hottest fibers on the market in the US and Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

This is Australian merino wool.  It was one of the easiest fibers for me to spin because of its long stable fibers. I like it because its super loafty.

 

 

 

 Uncarded organic cotton.  Sue say its best not to card the cotton because the fibers are short and pull apart easily.  Besides, when you spin it uncarded you get a cool lumpy and bumpy effect…I love it!!

 

 

 

The following two pictures are shots from the samples I put in my notebook.

My notebook, I made it.  I cut the pieces and covered them with this nice ocean blue handmade paper and used a fabric strip to connect the front two pieces for easy opening.  The fabric will also keep the front cover from tearing away from the binding through many openings and closings.  It wraps around the outside and inside seam.

 

 

 

 

 

I used waxed thread to sew the book together using the noble binding method described in the following book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great book that explains many different ways to make books and sew them together.  Feelin’ crafty?  This book is probably available at your local library, so check it out and start cutting.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay folks, time for some spinning wheel action.  I started using the wheel today and it took a bit to get the hang of how all the parts work, but eventually I figured it out. 

 

 

This is one of Sue’s spinning wheels.  Her uncle made it for her a very long time ago.  The craftsmanship is amazing.  Even though this one is handmade, you can find similar ones on the market…refered to as castle wheels. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue spinning cotton.

 

 

 

 

A helpful tip.  When spinning, hold the fiber in one palm and let it slide between your thumb and index finger while teasing (pulling) the fiber away with the other hand.  The key is not to pinch the fiber coming from your hand too tight.  Tease the fiber with the other hand and use the fiber holding fingers like a small venue to pull the fiber through.  Hold the fiber too tight and it will not tease…and you will get frustrated because your yarn will break again and again. 

 

 

 

 

Me spinning wool. Weeee, look at me go!!!

 

 

 

 

My first yarn on the bobbin.  The U-shaped piece with the hooks is called the flyer.  It spins with the yarn and guides it onto the bobbin.  And the tension, the tension is a whole other story I can’t even begin to explain yet.  But the tension determines how fast the yarn pulls through and onto the bobbin.  This, for me, is the trickiest part. 

 

 

And after a long day’s work….we watch a beautiful sunset.

 

 

And oddly enough, the sun sets just as beautifully on the Georgia coastline. 

 

 

 

 

 

Well guys, even though I’m in a very beautiful place with lots to do and see, we must all remember that I am here for school.  Sue has been teaching me to spin fiber on a drop spindle.  When you learn a new skill, you have to start with the basics right?  For those of you who are not familiar with what a drop spindle looks like… here ya go…

 

You spin the stick with one hand while holding loose fiber in the other, which forms the yarn you see hanging from the top and wrapped around the spindle.  I’ll try to get Sue to take a picture of me spinning with the spindle so you can get a better idea of what I’m talking about.

 

 

 

 

Anyways, here’s some pictures of some sample fibers I tried to spin.

 

 

Sheep’s wool.  This is the easiest fiber to spin because the hairs are long and sturdy.

 

 

 

Dark domestic fleece, or wool, or hair, or locks…whatever you want to call it.  This fleece has not been washed yet and still has lanolin (oil) in it.  Surprisingly it was easier to spin this way.

 

 

 

 

 

Tussah silk.  For anyone who doesn’t know, silk comes from the cocoon of a silk worm.  These fibers are very lustrous and long, but they’re slippery, which makes them a little harder to spin.

 

Okay, more fiber stuff later.  Here’s some more cool stuff I’ve seen and done so far. 

 

 

My new favorite drink…and my substitute for Mountain Dew while I’m here.  Its carbonated pear juice and its quite tasty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lizard on the light fixture thats on my porch.  There are tons of lizards here and they get bigger.  I’ve even seen a couple of Iguanas roaming around since I’ve been here. 

 

 

Today we took the ferry over to a small island called Petite Martinique to pick some more cotton.  We also stopped to check out a boat race, or what they call a regatta, that was going on.  So here’s some pics…

 

 

Petite Martinique as we’re arriving on the Ferry.  Its a very small island, only about 1000 people extending from about five families.

 

 

 

 

Petite Martinique and Carriacou are famous for their handcrafted boats.  The regatta is an important and potentially very prestigous time of year as the boats are being raced by the people who build them.  This one is being build of white cider.

 

 

Some goats roaming the streets.  They are not pets here, they are food.  Whenever you need one, you just set out to find one that belongs to you and, well…you know…

 Oh yeah, and did I mention that I saw a cow walking down the street last night at about 10:00…in town. No one else seemed to notice, but I was amazed.  I tried to pet it but it was on a mission to get somewhere, home maybe?

 

 

 

Sailboats getting ready to race.

 

 

 

 

 

A school house in Petite Martinique.

 

 

 

 

 

There were interesting cultural facts about Grenada, Carriacou, and P. Martinique painted on the windows of the school.  This one says, “Cotton was once the island’s main export crop.”

 

 

 

Me picking some more cotton in Petite Martinique.  There are only several bushes here and there.  A kind lady that Sue knows let us pick the rest of the cotton she had growing in her back yard.  This cotton is known as Marigalante cotton.  It has short fibers as opposed to Sea Island cotton, which has longer more stable fibers.

 

 

 

And this is a super market in P. Martinique.  They are a little bigger than this in Carriacou, but any hopes in finding anything close to a Food Lion or Publix is out of the question.  We are so spoiled in the US. Everything we could possibly want and more is right at our fingertips.  It kind of makes me sick when I think about it actually. 

 

 

And now, because I’m so far away and can’t see my mom on Mother’s Day…this should make your day mom…

 

 

This is the national flower here mom.  Its called Bougainvillea and it comes in several colors.  I chose purple because that’s your favorite color.  I love you Mom!!