Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured Melissa Weaver Dunning, weaver specializing in historic weave structures, tartans, Acadian (Cajun) weaves and vintage looms. See her blog spot blog for more. She's also a folk singer, a lot of YouTube videos to check. Though she's a spinner, it's the weaving she really plunges into.
She gave a brief account of (originally) Arcadian, then Acadian, then, with moving from Canada to Louisiana, Cajun, weave forms. Using two harness looms, the weavers created many inventive variations on weave structure.
She's knowledgeable about tartan and its political and clan identities and significance, and loves working with the designs, mixing color as they do, alternating with pure color sections.
Definitely look her up on YouTube, for her Mount Vernon weaving demos in costume, to her unaccompanied folk singing.
Back to today, here's my current audio book while I knit and stitch and, soon, weave.
Written and narrated by Rachel Maddow, it's about the history and politics of fossil fuels and a lot more dramatic than I'd expected. It's adding to my education about the current turmoil in the world.
A peaceful note to end on -- do you remember I mentioned I was processing yogurt using insulated coolpack bags, with containers of hot water with the glass jar of yogurt?
It makes the best texture yet. I think it's because the cooling is slowed down to a very gradual decrease. So yesterday's batch I made in one bag inside another. After 24 hours, there was still warmth, and another good batch.
This is the fourth generation from the original yogurt, and I'll soon buy another, because I think it loses vital potency after a few iterations. Anyone with experience on this issue, please let me know your opinion on how many generations you go for. Chris, looking at you!
Then with the new supply of oatmeal expected from misfits tomorrow, there will be more granola, this time with walnuts, dried apricots, cranberries and maybe caraway seeds.
Then I'll definitely be flying my hippie flag!
Happy day everyone, let's hope and pray our President can help avert worse conflict with today's Israel visit.
Photo AC
Being of Scottish descent I'm always interested in tartans. As for last-minute knitting, definitely am familiar with that as I'm currently facing down 'that' day in December with a list that's far too long.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had you in mind there!
DeleteThe weaver does beautiful work. It's beyond my scope how this is done. I've made yogurt but am no expert. Fly your hippie flag high!
ReplyDeleteI repeated the part about harnesses for the benefit of weavers reading, without much comprehension!
DeleteBut is your granola crunchy?
ReplyDeleteCertainly!!
DeleteI have switched to eating Icelandic skyr yogurt. It has the highest protein content of any yogurt I know of.
ReplyDeleteI've tried it and I'm not a big fan of the texture. Or the price, ow!
DeleteMany Acadians were sent away from Canada in that war with France if they refused to pledge allegiance to the crown. So some stayed and some returned.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have a long history of being displaced and having to start over.
DeleteDunning's work is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTrying to leave comment on a different browser because Chrome doesn't work.
This one seems to. Can you identify yourself in the body of your comment, please?
DeleteI made granola when the grandkids were young and spending time out here. haven't made any in ages.
ReplyDeleteI just started recently and it's become an immediate staple. With milk as a cereal is really good.
DeleteI haven't read Blowout but I'm looking forward to her book Prequel, which I think is brand new. She's such a smart woman.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Blowout while I wait for Prequel.
DeleteI don’t eat enough yogurt to warrant making it. It’s a treat for me. Not a staple
ReplyDeleteBut i love reading about your adventures in making them.
One of the reasons I like working with yarn is that it connects us with our ancestors. Women all down the generations working with the natural fibres to clothe and keep warm their families.
I agree with you about the history of fibers and women working with them.
ReplyDeleteRachel has a new book is fascism. Should be good too.
ReplyDeleteShe's such an engaging reader, it makes even dry material dramatic.
DeleteDunning works on an amazing variety of looms. I see plain weave that is from two harness looms, but enhanced by color variations. The twill is four harness, though it can be made on as few as three harnesses. In fact, the denim that won the west in the California gold rush was three harness twill, even more substantial than four harness. And then many of her patterns are on multiple harness looms, eight, ten, twelve...
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd get a lot out of this episode! Thanks for adding to our education.
DeleteReading comments above... My first experience with skyr was with the Icelandic Provisions' brand. The first time I experienced it, It was thick and creamy and a little milder than Greek yogurt. Somewhere along the way, they changed their packaging, it became harder to find, and when I did locate some, they seemed to have changed their formula. Tried it a couple more times, but the experience of it now seems like every other Greek yogurt I've ever had. Not bad, but not special. Ah well... since it was a little more expensive, I decided to be thankful to save a little money. Over the years, I've come to look at plain yogurt is an ingredient, mostly as a healthier option for sour cream. Even when I had a little Salton yogurt maker in the late 70's/early 80's, I told myself I liked it far more than I actually did. I wish I had a palate for it, I've tried so many times over the years...
ReplyDeleteI love yogurt with honey and maybe a bit of granola, as a dessert. But, body chemistry being so variable, it may be that some people can't come to enjoy it.
DeleteI've read all the comments waiting for the answer to your question on yoghurt and still none the wiser. Somewhere in our history they must have simply gone on using it or had a reliable plant or animal source for a new starter. Studies of kefir for instance suggest that it was probably started originally by keeping milk in a cleaned out (but not thoroughly cleaned out) sheep's stomach.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. I plan to keep using it as its own starter indefinitely, unless otherwise advised.
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