Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

. . . barn stories: plant dyeing wool

Eleven years ago we moved out to the country to raise sheep and make fairies, a path that has led us in many directions, one of them, plant dyeing our felt to just the right colors. This time of year, just after the Christmas season, all the felt is used up and it is time to start dyeing. It's too cold outside to dye in our large pot, so it's the kitchen stove in small batches. Just as much fun if you do not mind a hint of sulfur in the air.

Dyeing with Logwood, using alum as a mordant, goes quickly:

• Dissolve 2.5 tablespoons of alum per pound of felt in boiling water first (you can find alum in the spice isle of your grocery store).  Then add enough warm water to the pot to cover up all of your goods.

• Pre-wash the felt in warm water letting it sit for 30 minutes (scouring), rinse, then place in the mordant.

• Rotate the felt in the pot and let it sit for 45 minutes keeping the temperature warm. 

• Turn off the heat and let it sit and cool before rinsing. It can sit over night. I keep the mordant and place it in a plastic tub with a top. I then will let scoured felt sit in the mordant without using heat for several days and pull the sheet out, rinse and place in the dye pot, when I get the chance to dye. Always keep the wool wet after the mordant process, do not let it dry out before dyeing.

• Dyeing with Logwood is almost the same process as creating the mordant.  Fill a pot with enough water to cover your goods and bring it to 110 degrees.  For a rich purple use 1 rounded tablespoon of Logwood dissolved in a bit of warm water then bring it to a boil, once it has boiled add it to your dye pot. The color takes immediately, rich and deep, you can leave your felt in till you get the color you are looking for. The felt is like a honey comb and when removing from the dye pot use two tongs, one for each corner, the felt will steam as you remove it from the pot. Hold it up and let it drip over the pot turning it upside down once or twice before it quits dripping. Then rinse and hang to dry. This time I tried something new, letting some of the felt dry before rinsing to see how it affected the color. It required two drying cycles but was worth it. The felt maintained a richer hue barely letting go of any of its color during the rinse.  Letting the dye settle on the felt also provides natural color variations.

All the better to make the first Lavender House of the year with a little fairy to alight inside.

Botanically correct right down to the shape of the petals and leaves, bringing a bit of spring before it's time.

It's still cold and snowy outside. . .

~ Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Like Mother, Like Son

... barn stories: like mother, like son

I have had the great pleasure of knowing and caring for Abigail since she became my daughter's horse somewhere in her pre-teens, many years ago. A few years back, Abby had a son, our dear Ignacius. He is now approaching four and the start of his working life. He is still a stallion and a bit of a character, just like his mom. You see, Abby has always been a character. In fact, I was just discussing this with my daughter, commenting on how all her animals are this way. Her answer to me was... "They are all just like me!"

Over the years Abby has learned many tricks (one of my favorites is smiling like Mr. Ed). Recently, she has learned a new trick that is a bit more subtle, but sweet and funny all the same.  When I say blink, she does.

Then, just last night, when I was closing down the barn for the evening, Iggy did it too.  I asked Abby to blink and then turned to him and said "Blink Iggy" and he did, just like his goofy mom.

To Moms and their little ones.

 

~ Deb

* Last time in Barn Stories: Snowy Morning

... barn stories: snowy morning

It seems like a lot of us are experiencing winter at this moment. I am always astounded by the beauty a fresh coat of snow brings to the land. The structure of the native garden, which without the snow is looking a little ragged, is transformed. The snow brings the garden to life in a different way with new colors coming into play. Seeing it this way also gives me ideas of where to plant in the spring, which I can not see in the usual crumble of leaves.

How the snow lands is another event to notice. The wind and temperature playing with the moisture as it travels toward the ground landing each time in such different ways. This time the snow collected onto just the ends of the branches, like little tufts.

It was very cold when the snow fell, so it made crystalline snow, sparkling in the sunlight. The whole landscaped glittered, highlighting where my dear wild hares were hopping to.

The colors though muted are a palette all on there own, the Yucca has turned into a moss green from a vibrant green in the summer. 

While the gold of the dried sunflowers brings a warmth to the land, even when the sun is nowhere to be seen.

 

Happy Winter, and stay warm!

 

~ Deb

 

* Last time in Barn Stories: So Many Eggs!

. . . barn stories: so many eggs!

I'm in love with the Buckeye Chicken. I now have been working with them going on three years, first came the hatch of just roosters, then the hunt for hens, two years in length, but the reward has arrived. . .

. . . eggs, eggs, and more eggs!

This breed it truly an american breed, created by Mrs. Nellie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, the only woman to create and develop a breed in the US. What I fell in love with was not only the friendliness of the fowl, their love of free ranging, and the flock interaction, but their hardiness to cold and hot weather. It was Mrs. Metcalf's sensibility, she wanted eggs all year round in extreme heat and extreme cold.

The hens are just now coming onto their first birthday. They started laying eggs in the fall, 17 hens producing 6 to eight eggs a day, very manageable for our family. I have left the light natural and had fun feeding them different vegetables and watching the color of the shell to see if any changes occurred.

Kale and carrots definitely produce a darker shell and brighter yoke. It's been an easy adventure, until solstice passed and the light started to increase. I just do not know what happened, except I think Mother Nature has entered in and I  am now getting a dozen eggs or more each morning, oh my, in the extreme cold none the less. I will need to line up a few more families for the eggs this spring and develop a more extensive eggs recipe list to go to if this abundance continues.

New recipes wanted. . .

~ Deb

 

. . . barn stories: hello, goodbye

Vic was my partner for almost 13 years. She arrived on our farm with our sheep at age three. She was already a working border collie, was pregnant, and had 10 puppies shortly thereafter. What an adventure that was!

Her main job was to round up the sheep after a day of grazing and herd them back to the barn. When a storm arrived too quickly, into it she would charge and bring the sheep to safety. She continued to work right up to the end of her life. When not working she was watching over me. . .

Her time here ended mid December, it was graceful, just a slow fading, and then she was off. Thankfully I had just been with her telling her how I loved her and what gratitude I had of our time together.

The grief process is one I have traveled before. I know its pathways, and the gentle time it takes to go on the journey. There was no immediate thought about another dog except about how I was going to manage the sheep this summer. Then, around the beginning of January, I started looking. A puppy would not be old enough to help out this summer, rescue borders were available but with no working history, and so many said they could not go to a home with cats (we have cats). Then a picture appeared in an advertisement, it was his eyes that caught me, last dog available in a litter born July 19, 2013. Raised on a farm around livestock, training has started.

I e-mailed the breeder and asked if he got along with cats, and if he was showing herding instincts. Her reply was yes, his best friend was a Maine Coon Cat (we have a Maine Coon cat!) and he was herding the cattle away from the water trough.  I figured, if he can herd cattle, sheep would be the next step.

So today I would like to introduce you to Arthur, he is by my feet as I write, just like Vic would have been. The Border Collie bonds quickly and is devoted. They have worked with man longer than other breeds, and in doing so, are extremely sensitive and watch our every move. He is making the grieving process a kind one, we talk of Vic as we talk of Arthur. With each conversation Vic moves just a little more from grief and loss to being with us once again, just in a different way.

To our dear friends. . .

~ Deb