Thursday, June 28, 2012

Carding wool with dog rakes and slicker brushes

*Carding wool with dog rakes and slicker brushes.*

I have used dog slicker brushes as hand cards to process wool and it can be done, if you are patient. Carding is a great excuse for sitting in front of the TV or watching DVDs.

I would sit down with a paper grocery sack of washed wool on one side and empty paper grocery sack on the other side. Make little mini batts with the slickers and put those in the empty bag. Be sure to have 3 or 4 empty bags on hand because the fluffy mini batts will take up much more room than the washed wool.

If you are really in need of obsessive compulsive activity, use dog rakes to pick the wool first, then use the slickers to make mini batts.

You can use a c-clamp to attach one rake or slicker to a table, to reduce the wear/tear on your hands.

Do not do this activity on the good sofa or wearing good pants. Put down a cloth if you do it over the carpet. Much dust and Vegetation Matter (VM) will fall out of your wool no matter how well you washed it.

It was this activity that allowed me to whole heartedly give my lovely wife Tracy permission to shop for a drum carder when she asked. We now have a Strauch Petite.

But I still plan to use my rakes and slickers just to keep my hand in. At least I have been using rakes to pick the wool before putting through the carder.

Dog rakes can cost less than $10 each. Slickers cost around $10 to $15 each, compared to $50 to $100 and more for a pair of regular wool cards and/or combs.

Have a good day!

(from rabbitgeek notes July 2008)

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Caught On The Web June 2012

Caught On The Web - June 21 2012
Links saved while exploring the world wide web


Art of the Ancient Americas - Princeton University
http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/collections/aaa/

Early plant domestication in Mesoamerica (with cotton references)
 http://www.athenapub.com/nwdom1.htm

Aztec clothing - some pictures
http://aztecjournal.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/aztec-clothing/

Aztec Textiles, article Medieval Textiles reprint (pdf)
http://www.medievaltextiles.org/reprintNMMaztec.pdf

Aztec Garments:From Birth to Fulfillment, Andrea Ludden, U of TX Austin (pdf)
http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/LASA97/ludden.pdf

Aztec clothes
http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-clothes.html

Weaving with art art yarn (video)
What to do when you have art yarn, a picture frame and a staple gun
http://sockmonkeycrafts.com/weaving-with-art-yarn/

Japanese temari balls
Balls are covered with thread to create intricate patterns
http://temari.com/temariballs.htm

 http://www.japanesetemari.com/gallery.html

Luke Jerram describes himself as a "color-blind installation artist, who fuses his artistic practice with scientific and perceptual studies." So step away from the color a little and view the form.
http://www.lukejerram.com/

In this podcast, the 2010 Rakow Commission recipient, Luke Jerram, discusses his work on the "Glass Microbiology" project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjU0lzM1LTw


The Shepherds Rug blog - braided wool rugs
http://theshepherdsrug.blogspot.com/

One of the largest rug looms in the world
http://www.nejad.com/consumer/largest-rug.htm


Youtube - How to use granny's old rug loom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC4SJQ17FYk

Tea and Carpets blog - oriental rug articles
http://tea-and-carpets.blogspot.com/

loom knotted rugs
http://www.hussainrugs.com/collections/loomknotted/001loomknotted.htm

Woven miniature rugs for dollhouse
http://dekorativ.tripod.com/doll_house_miniature_carpets/id1.html

Mende loom near Kenema is shown in blog
http://sierraleone1968-70.blogspot.com/2008/09/warren-van-hoos-was-peace-corps.html

Tripod loom in Africa
http://adireafricantextiles.blogspot.com/2011/06/tripod-loom-in-sierra-leone.html

Lady Virag's Blog
http://ladyvirag.wordpress.com/about/

Nomadic looms for SCA
http://ladyvirag.wordpress.com/nomadic-looms-for-the-sca-simple-low-cost-historical-weaving/

Weaving - Russian Academy of Sciences - Navajo loom picture
http://www.kunstkamera.ru/en/museum_exhibitions/encyclopedia/america/crafts/weaving/

Glossary of textile terms - Smithsonian Textiles of North American Southwest
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/textiles/english/glossary/index.htm

Upright loom with warp weights - Norway, with link to video
http://mlab.taik.fi/Mulli/html/media/valokuva/e_kangasp.html

vertial loom africa
http://www.adireafricantextiles.com/africantextintro2.htm

video: Al Sadu, traditional weavings skills in United Arab Emirates
Duration/time: 10:06 
http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/index.php?s=films_details&id_page=33&id_film=2217

Twining Edge Finishes Marla Mallet
http://www.marlamallett.com/ef-twini.htm

Weaving in Chile
http://hilachaspatagonicas.blogspot.com/ 

Knotted Shag Rug Loom how-to
http://rug-makers.livejournal.com/5847.html

Picture of Knotted Shag Rug
http://rug-makers.livejournal.com/3413.html

Information on agriculture and fertilizers at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico USA
http://www.canyonsworldwide.com/chacocanyon/p14.htm

Chaco Canyon National Historic Park
http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm

Have a good day!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Like This on Facebook

I have started a group on Facebook for Franco's Fiber Adventure which will be an echo of this blog.

Please go to the group and "Like" this on Facebook.
Franco's Fiber Adventure on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/360291904001058/

Have a good day!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Treasures at the Book Sale


Last Saturday I went to the warehouse sale of used books sponsored by Friends of the Sacramento Library. I found a couple of treasures. "The Comfortable Arts, Traditional Spinning and Weaving in Canada" by Dorothy K Burnham (1981, 238 pages, $2), is a historical perspective on fiber arts in Canada. With lots of black and white pictures carefully notated and diagrammed, it's a real adventure as we follow the exhibits from various sources and styles.



Here are twined bags with a diagram of the of the technique. This is NOT a how-to book but the diagrams give the student an appreciation for the structure. These bags are representative of weft twined weaving as practiced by the native peoples.


These are bands woven in the manner of the native people and the French. This craft is popularly known as "fingerweaving" in USA. Although I already have 3 or 4 books on fingerweaving, the historical perspective provided by the text gives me insight into why fingerweaving is such a big deal in Canada.


With the immigrants came looms. Fully half the book is filled with examples of the cloth and patterns as contributed by the various immigrant groups. The wedding shirt and shawl are just two of the examples. The only weakness of this book is the lack of color pictures. Otherwise I spent 4 days on the daily commute escaping to Canada!



"A Millennium of Weaving in Chiapas" by Walter F. Morris Jr., (1984, 56 pages, $1) is a short book that focuses on a small region in Mexico. The book discusses weaving in ancient times, colonial times, and into modern times.


Here the text explains how the snake pattern can become the corn pattern, feeding the saints accompanied by toads (singers of the rain) and more. It's a treat to peek into folklore. Patterns like the snake, the toad, monkey (upper right), vulture (middle right), father and mother pattern (lower right) reach back to earliest days.



There is a good balance of black and white pictures and color pictures. I like these pictures with the backstrap weavers at work. I really want to weave some gauze soon.

This is just two books of the books I bought. I bought 9 books for $13. I checked Amazon and it would have cost me over $80 plus shipping to buy these books in used condition. Most of the books at the warehouse sale are library books taken out of circulation plus a few that are donated by book lovers hoping that others will enjoy. All the proceeds help to support the public library.

It was a good day!