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Milkweed --what can I say?

9/1/2020

 
Picture
As you probably can tell--
we're continuing to have
​ a great time.
Picture
field retted milkweed from last fall, soaked, stripped from the core and ready for a gentle scraping of the outer bark
At least I am.
Though I still know so little

Indeed, though I can, apparently
describe a few actions:
"here we did this
​and there we tried that"--
Picture
milkweed fibers with outer bark scraped off
( I've captioned a few photos
with a bit of what​ has happened so far--
 though ​NONE of it,
I hasten to say,
​ is definitive),
Picture
right to left: Milkweed fibers from photo above, dry (approx. 7 stalks); similar amount gently combed; washed and re-combed
​ ​--my attempts
to sum things up 
are coming to naught.
Picture
long fibers layered between pieces of mesh, stitched in place to keep from shifting, gently washed with soap then rinsed.
And really, how could I know
if the approach we took on such and such a day
​with a batch of last year's stalks
(very little of which I had time to process
back then when it was fresh)--
Picture
the fibers are stiff and elegantly shiny when dry
--will hold tomorrow
​when I have slowed down still more
and had my prejudices exposed
yet again
by this toughly gentle plant?
Picture
Washed fibers after combing, organized by length
In these photos, for instance,
having combed and re-combed
for consistency,
I documented the careful separation 
of the fibers by length.
It seemed a good idea at the time,
for is't that how a person is supposed to learn--
documenting the evidence
for later perusal,
​critique and summation?

And isn't it essential to 
show my work?
Picture
longest fibers, twisted by hand
Also, this is the process I used
with the batch of fresh stalks
​I wrote about here and here
and though I didn't outline each step
my categorizing brain
had already decided 
this was THE WAY TO DO IT.
​You can see the resulting skeins
neatly laid out below
​(and captioned!)
Picture
Milkweed yarn from fresh stalks; front to back: 1 & 2= hand twisted cordage with long and medium fibers mixed; 3 & 4 = combed and spun with distaff and cross arm spindle--longest then medium fibers; 5 & 6 - carded and spun from rolags with cross arm spindle, plied and singles; all skeins boiled for approx 1 hr in water with a couple of T of washing soda
Except --
this life is not
 an algebra exam.
There is no paper to write,
no quiz.
 I'm not applying for a grant,
or, indeed, waiting for any power
to give their nod of approval
and tell me I am
(or am not)
doing viable work
in accordance with
some list of measurable criteria. 

(I don't even have to worry
about my permanent record
that loathsome childhood school threat--
"time to tow the line
as everything, from now on,
goes on your permanent record."
Does anyone else remember that?)

Now that I think about it though,
the milkweed itself
may well be taking note.
How else could some processes 
seem so utterly natural
​and others -- just a little off?
The strands, however,
speak directly to my hands,
and neither uses words,
so they generally  do their thing
without connecting 
to the recording device in my brain--
Picture
fresh milkweed; spindle spun on the left, finger twisted on the right
which may well be why
it took me 
ages to notice
that ​"grading" the fiber by length
made me feel kind of icky--
to understand that I was using the ruler
as a kind of 'goodness measure,"

 creating a hierarchy
where none needed to exist--
 imposing my internalized beliefs
and  accompanying judgements
about efficiency, control, and organization
onto a plant that will contentedly grow
by the side of a gravel road,
spaced as it wants to be spaced,

feeding butterflies
and producing amazing fiber---
 all of which is useful.
Picture
It's that idea
​that agriculture isn't a thing
unless the plants
are in rows. 
At any rate,
and for whatever reason,
when I had the good fortune
to get another 7 or so
fresh stalks of  Milkweed
from a friend's "garden waste pile,"
I decided to forgo the combing altogether.

Picture
And the medium sized lengths of fiber,
are twisting into cordage just beautifully,
complimenting the longer pieces
to make the whole
even smoother than it was before.
Picture
What  I'll do with the yarn --
when I'm done--
whenever that will be--
I've absolutely no idea.
 I know for sure today
is that the more time I spend with this fiber
and the slower we go,
the longer I want this part
to last. 
Picture
ps -- because there always seem to be
one or two (or four) more things to say:

1.
A lovely handmade book
about another milkweed relationship:
Poor (Wo)man's Asparagus
by Velma Bolyard


2.
The Nature of Things:
Essays of a Tapestry Weaver

by Tommye McClure Scanlin
will also be out this fall and though
I didn't realize it when listing books last week, 
it is also available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller.
Wonderfully inviting essays on Tommye's design process and tapestry life.

3.
Nettle Fiber Resources
For those of you who have access to Nettles rather than milkweed
Allan Brown shares many resources here and here
and
Sally Pointer has several Nettle Videos. Here's one. 
Of course nettles are not milkweed (as I keep finding out!),
any more than milkweed is flax, 
though apparently, nettle can handle some flax-like techniques!

4.
​And just because:
A marvelous blog by Tracy Hudson --
Thoughtful in all the ways I find satisfying

Christina
9/1/2020 02:49:25 pm

Thanks for sharing your creativity. The milkweed yarn is gorgeous - I love the subtle variation in color. I am inspired to try something new...

Rebecca Mezoff link
9/1/2020 02:53:58 pm

So you're saying that I don't have to worry about my permanent record any more? Thank god. (Love the process and the letting go!)

Masseyna olstynski
9/1/2020 02:59:59 pm

So cool! Beautiful job! Such a terrific insight into a new fiber. Thank you!

Deanna
9/1/2020 03:03:11 pm

Such a Fantastic Voyage! (Remember that movie?!) As always, I'm enchanted reading your blog, and curious about the nature of these fibers you are exploring. I was reorganizing my stash (yet again) and came across a bag of dyed ingeo fibers for spinning - except time had turned them to dust, which makes me ponder impermanence.

Susan
9/1/2020 03:12:44 pm

You are so patient and you get such pleasure out of observing! Corita Kent wrote” when you get past making labels for things, it is possible to combine and transform elements into new things.”

Loved Tracy Hudson blogs! Thank you.

Velma Bolyard link
9/1/2020 03:15:38 pm

lovely--and tracy is b.rilliant and beautifully thought--and i wish i could tell you how that milkweed jelly tasted! like summer

Annette jamieson
9/1/2020 03:16:39 pm

Milkweed..............airy fairy

Tracy Hudson link
9/1/2020 05:03:09 pm

Oh my, I've been linked! And perfectly, because what you are saying dovetails elegantly with what the Egyptian architect I've been going on about keeps saying, and the way his work makes me feel. And your best milkweed images look like drawings or ink paintings - those lines and textures! And this joy of working with material, this. YES.

Sally
9/1/2020 06:04:31 pm

I love this Sarah! Life is SO not an algebra test. I wrestled with these same demons. Thank you for the reminder. Such beauty.

Cate Markey
9/1/2020 07:50:04 pm

The cord, cordage, yard, milky weedy yarn is just so lovely. No wonder you just want to play and play.Asclepias californica might be available near me, or within the state. I want to try this. Dogbane? I may need to go over your old posts to find which of the 115 U.S. varieties you are using. What does baking soda do?

Ginny Bridge
9/1/2020 08:49:19 pm

For months now I have been reading and enjoying your blog. Look forward to enjoying it on Tuesdays. Marvel that you commit to doing it every Tuesday. Smile at the whimsical drawings. And so I must thank you so much for giving us your time even when it takes the better part of the day. I think your blog becomes the better part of many folks’ Tuesdays.

Mandy Lebides link
9/2/2020 12:14:00 am

Thank you for sharing your very astute learning process AND your life musings - haven’t decided yet which I appreciate most but as you so wisely point out, why do we humans always have to apply judgmental metrics to everything? The lists of resources are amazing too! Thank you!

Juliann
9/2/2020 07:35:38 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUXi-dOmDVU
This is about a woman in Vietnam who makes silk from lotus stems. She weaves it into cloth.


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    ​Sarah C Swett 
    tells stories
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    ​ and about

     hand spun yarn. 


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