Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Textiles and Tea, plant rescue and bagworms

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured, Louise Lemieux Berube,  a French Canadian weaver, specialist in Jacquard, one of the earliest to train on software to run Jacquard looms, and a beloved teacher, judging from the comments as she spoke.

She incorporates painting onto her large weaving, and many types of thread in the bobbins. Currrently she's incorporating paper yarn. 

This gave me a great idea for the next wall hanging, using some of my paper weaving, from yarn I spun, Sarah Swett style, from paper I'd dyed. More later on that. And she's been known to branch out into metal, as you see in the forest installation.










Back here, the wall hanging is moving right along


It's starting to feel sturdy in my hands. One more row of squares and it's done.

Gary meanwhile had found little self rooted plants of tradescantia which he ran over with, wanting me to do something about them. 

So here's what happened yesterday


new pot with refreshed soil waiting for use. We were expecting frost so I brought it in overnight.


Work in progress


And here's the pot upstairs under the parent plant.

Meanwhile, I finally got around to a bit of pruning, just as well, because while I was snapping off dead twigs and cutting out crossed branches, I found a couple of  dreaded bagworms.





I opened one case to show you. The others are at a different stage, with a very tough membrane attaching them to branches. As the larvae develop, they eat foliage, and are a serious pest locally. They can defoliate and kill a tree once they get going.

These are gone now, and I need to be alert from now on.

The tree looks happier.


It's been a while since we had a puzzle, here's two

How to use it, then? Or is this like those mattress labels you daren't remove because it's illegal...

anyway here's a Haggard Hawks that's not as hard as it seems at first


And because we all need a puppy right now

Happy day everyone, warm puppies to you!




37 comments:

  1. Oh, those bagworms look horrid. Thinking about the puzzle. Can make lots of almost-connections.

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    1. I did that with the puzzle, then realized I was making it harder than it was. Bagworms no doubt have their place, but my tree isn't it.

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  2. A puppy is life changing in many respects. We have a new golden grand-dog and she has us wrapped around her paw!

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  3. I love how you and Gary go to each other immediately for help in your own separate "fields." And you always help each other out.

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    1. He definitely knows how to choose who to ask, depending on their skills!

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  4. Sweet puppy! I like her work. Gary is ever vigilant! You've been working steadily on the wallhanging.

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    1. Seeing puppy pictures is how people keep wanting one. The wall hanging is getting to the stage where its successor is coming into view.

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  5. Sarah Swett came to our weavers guild for two days, brought her amazing work and basically blew our minds! Delightfully accepting of the “ no rules” rule . Anything is possible. Our weavers guild tends to be traditional, anal, and judge mental. Sarah rather snapped them out of that attitude for a few days. Thank you for mentioning her, my memory needed refreshing.

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    1. I really envy your experience! I love her approach to practically everything. Do you get her newsletter?

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  6. Edges. How do you propose to finish the edges of your wallhanging?

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    1. Don't know yet. More needs to happen first.

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  7. interesting work from Louise. we get bag worms here but they don't seem to do much damage. it was the webworms that defoliated so many of the pecan trees on my street.

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    1. These are a real pest. Only finding a couple means I caught them early. The bags look like dead leaves and can go undetected for ages. Our township has sprayed for them, but I don't like introducing poisons to my little area.

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  8. It DID seem harder than it was! I am loving that wall hanging. Got my first tradescantia the other day. Hope it does well. Mine is a lighter color. Have a good day.

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    1. The light level affects the color. The red one I have is gradually turning green and silver indoors. Tradescantia is pretty easy care, really wants to live. And you can start more using prunings started in water.

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  9. Your creativity is amazing and wonderful!

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    1. Thank you. I can't take credit -- it's hardwired.

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  10. Bag worms are new to me. Perhaps they haven't hit Ohio yet. We have enough forest devastating pests, like emerald ash borers, that we have firewood moving bans here. In many towns and in counties there are signs warning Do Not Move Firewood.

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    1. We've lost all our ash trees that way. But I think bagworms are most common in the East, so maybe you'll escape them.

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  11. I was beside myself trying to work that puzzle out.
    Tradescantia can cause skin allergies in dogs - just in case Billie starts stratching.

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    1. Very sneaky clue there! Billy doesn't have any access, so we're okay there. But there's plenty of other trouble for her to find. All the time!

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  12. Sarah Swett's work is amazing. Wow.

    As an aside, these HH puzzles are good mental exercise.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. She's also a very nice woman, full of fun as well as a talent powerhouse. The puzzles are good, aren't they? You get to be nimble when you do them.

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    2. And I neglected to mark your clue!

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  13. The metal work is amazing. Love the seating area
    Your wall hanging is going to be beautiful hanging on your wall.
    Great job on getting rid of pests.

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    1. Those metal chairs are about twice life size, though there's nothing there for scale.
      I hope the pests are gone, and I think it's an ongoing contest.

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  14. She is a wonderful talent.
    We just had our first frost the other day and now we are going into record warmth.
    Cathy

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    1. The weather here is doing similarly, very confusing.

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  15. I am impressed by her tree series - beautiful! And who doesn't need a puppy picture to brighten their day?!

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