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!!
A Root in Fiber 