Goldwork from Putnam Museum,Iowa, Wool, and other marvels

Written on what I've designated Fiber Friday, some great stuff crossed my path, to share.

Here's a stunning nineteenth century embroidered silk kimono, in the collection of the Putnam Museum, Davenport, Iowa

Worth a trip to Iowa if you're near enough. One of the earliest museums west of the Mississippi River. Edited for correction, thank you, Rose!

And, other end of the fabric spectrum, back to the beginnings of another fiber, here's a short and great documentary on wool, sheep to wearing. I was surprised to find that wool is only a tiny fraction of the fibers currently in use. 

You see and hear from shepherds, processors, spinners, knitters, by hand and production, with a great incidental song about tending sheep on a UK farm in winter.

Hand shearing

Nearer home, I got out for a walk, Helen Hip cooperating today. In fact I did

it instead of going to Friday knitting group, because I thought walking in the sunshine would be better for her than scrunching into a library chair, which is not really designed for sitting in, more for stacking.

The new long coat is proving itself, warm and light and windproof against today's sharp blast.  So this is good. I don't want any excuses not to walk, that would be so easy, because walking is so good for your spirits, getting out in the sun and (bitter) wind. Then getting home to a pot of tea and a little something, today a poptart.

There was crocheting, both kinds, I find I need to switch around between projects, or my fingers start to lock up annoyingly. It doesn't hurt, they just won't move on request.

And regular crochet, granny squares. Or, as I would rather call them, Senior Squares! Granny indeed.

In other good news, finally the medication I've been fighting to get finally arrived this afternoon. First they didn't believe it, then my doctor had to attest personally that she'd ordered it, then they delayed then they gave me an arrival date, then they changed it, quite a saga. 

It's cheap stuff, not a big expense, but I wonder if they're tapdancing while the supply chain stutters along. Anyway for now it's okay. Irony abounds -- this stress was all about, what else, my blood pressure meds!

If you're shopping for holiday gifts, remember

Happy day everyone! Keep warm. Make things. Eat poptarts. Why does predictive text try to tell me to eat polystyrene?? 

 

Blinken is currently arranging to release billions to Ukraine, from seized Russian assets, yay!