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The Vehicle of My Dreams

7/28/2015

 
is cutting edge.
Picture
It is also cozy.
Picture
It will go anywhere
Picture
while reinforcing my self image.
Picture
It is a source of delight
Picture
Wheatstone Model 21 Concertina; early 1900s-- the era of the lost ledgers
and possibility.
Picture
And it will fit in my purse.
Picture
Recent research 
 has indicated
that the only way to get this vehicle
Picture
is to make it myself.
Picture
Four Selvedge Tapestry; hand spun wool warp; hand and commercially spun wool weft; indigo; walnut; lichen
And now I feel better about everything!
Picture
Dream Car ©Sarah C. Swett 2015

That Summer Knitting Feeling

7/20/2015

 
Picture
Stockinette and Earl Grey ©Sarah C. Swett 2015
got even better
Picture
Cheviot Fleece
after ripping several inches 
Picture
Spun on a low whorl Turkish Spindle (20 grams)
and starting again.
Picture
Four singles used together. Some plied. Some not. Indigo. Cutch. Barbara Walker's Mosaic 3 (Fourth Treasury).

 Handmade Running Shoes--a curated history

7/14/2015

 
Moccasin I
PRO:
-Perfect Fit
-Lightweight
-Silent
-Excellent Ground Feel
CON:
-Slippery in Snow
-Absorbs 
water even when well greased
-Bits of road gravel stick to bottoms and won't fall off.  Ouch.
Picture
buckskin; synthetic sinew; 2010

PictureModified Moccasin; Elk Leather; 2010
Moccasin II
PRO: 
Same as above but less flexible
CON: 

Same as above but more absorbent of both water and gravel and even heavier when wet.  Turning them inside out helped, but  best in dry conditions.


PictureUpper: Fulled Wool Swatch - Hand Spun Rambouillet/Columbia ; Garter Stitch; Natural Dye. Sole: 1/4 " neoprene from a roll I found on a beach on the Olympic Peninsula in 1987; stitched with button and craft thread; March 2011
Wool Stitch-Down I
Pro: 
-Good Fit
-Lightweight
-Flexible
-Warm when wet (yay wool and neoprene)
-No Shopping
Con:
- Neoprene started to wear out on the first run.


Wool Stitch Down II
Picture
Upper: Fulled Wool Swatch - hand spun rambouillet/columbia ; Garter Stitch; Natural Dyes; stitched with synthetic sinew; November 2011
Picture
Sole: 'Feel True" Rubber sole from Xero Shoes :http://xeroshoes.com/feeltrue/
Picture Add Indigo
PRO:
-WARM/HOT on the coldest days
-Sole material secure and flexible

-Good tread
-Flexible: if I do slip I can compensate. 
 Vive minimalist running!
-High Cuff keeps snow out of my socks



Picture
Pro Continued...
-No shopping for the upper material
-Improved appearance when dunked  into an Indigo Bath
- Modifiable 
- Continual Fulling for perfect fit

-Welcoming at 5 AM in February
-Warm when wet
-Hand Spun Wool! 



Picture
Yeah!
CON:
- Absorbant
- Heavy when wet
- Not the best in slush

-HOT out of season
 

Picture
So good to be inside after being out

Oxford Stitchdowns I
PictureUppers: White and Brown Buckskin; Soles: Natural Rubber; stitched with synthetic sinew March 2014;
PRO: 
-Comfortable

- Flexible
- Excellent ground feel
-Water resistant if WELL greased (see previous post for how they looked after a year of hard use)
-Warm
-Used a Pattern (slightly modified), from Sharon Raymond's book: How To Make Simple Shoes For Women 
CON:

- WARM in the summer
-Leather Stretched: I didn't use a last, but could adjust
- Natural Rubber wears out (I still love it) 

-Required Some Shopping (Link above is also for Rubber Sole material) 


Oxford Stitchdowns II
Picture
Upper: Duck Cloth; Eco-felt; a bit of worn out leggings (spandex/cotton); Sole: Vibram Cherry 3/16"; stitched with Synthetic Sinew
PRO:
- Lightweight

-Breathable
-Flexible
-Excellent Ground Feel but also protective
-Hard wearing soles 
-Accessible Materials
-Familiar Pattern
-Color!

-Easy on/off for TRUE Barefoot running on nice bits of sidewalk, grass and dirt. 
CON:
-Get wet (could be coated with something)

- Brand New so I don't know as much  about them as I will!


Picture
Two Needle Stitching is Strong; July 2015
Picture
Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 Testing ©Sarah C. Swett 2015

Maintenance

7/7/2015

 
Yesterday, I put new soles on my running shoes
Picture
Before I started, they looked like this
Picture
Natural rubber is heavenly to land on, but not that durable
Picture
I managed to get some of the gunk off the leather, but grime-laden  grease is tenacious stuff.  And anyway, all I really needed was to clean them enough to see the old stitching holes.
Picture
There was no way they'd return to looking like this: 
Picture
(I know, I know -- white shoes? 
But the white buckskin I had 
was sturdier than the brown.)
Picture
They were pristine for about a day.
Picture
But the point is to be outside, so the greasing had to start.
Picture
And the using.
Picture
I find it satisfying to keep them going
Picture
since they do the same for me.
Picture
    Picture

    ​Sarah C Swett 
    tells stories
    with
    ​ and about

     hand spun yarn. 


    Picture
    Click for info on
    my four selvedge
    warping class
    with
    ​ Rebecca Mezoff  
    fringeless


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