This past weekend my family and I went to Bernheim forest, to join in their autumn leaves festivities. My father and mother-in-law joined us there, and we had a marvelous time hiking through the trails, and visiting the craftspeople who were demonstrating and selling their wares. Perchance, we stumbled across a group of women spinning and weaving. This group happened to be the fiber guild I planned to join in the Spring, before my husband's mother passed away, which prevented my attendance. Happily, I was able to reconnect with them.
While watching them weave and spin, I explained the basic mechanics to my in-laws, who were very impressed by the amount of energy a single article of clothing takes to create the "old-fashioned" way. My mother-in-law made a very astute comment: "People these days get into trouble because they don't have enough to do". I think she might have a very good point. In my other life, where I work as a psychologist, I see a great number of people who are experiencing a loss of purpose. They complete their daily routine, including hours of empty time filled by television, and feel ennui over their lack of generativity. Though I do believe that before the industrial revolution people had a great deal of stress regarding the sheer amount they needed to accomplish in a day; today so many things are automated that we have 'freed' ourselves into melancholia. Discouraging idleness is something I 'prescribe' for this. It's important to find peace in the rhythm of the day's somewhat mundane activities. I find when I do this, and fill up the scraps of time with knitting, or other small activities, I feel restless and strange when I try to wile time away. It makes me appreciate the lull of the inactivity so much more.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
I have a feeling...
Today I took the boys to the Southern Indiana Fiber Festival, once their school day let out. We exited with a spinning wheel, and several bags full of roving. I have a feeling that my dear husband will not allow me to attend these events anymore, unsupervised.
The weather here is absolutely stunning. It was fairly blustery today, and we delighted in the leaves swirling around us as we walked around the fairgrounds. The sky was a crisp blue, and the golds and oranges of the trees are really starting to show their glory.
I happened across a treasure trove of black walnuts along the highway coming home, so we pulled over and gathered a bag full. Black walnuts only bear every other year, and my friends with these trees are all on the off year. Hopefully, this will provide me with some nice rich dye to last until next season!
The weather here is absolutely stunning. It was fairly blustery today, and we delighted in the leaves swirling around us as we walked around the fairgrounds. The sky was a crisp blue, and the golds and oranges of the trees are really starting to show their glory.
I happened across a treasure trove of black walnuts along the highway coming home, so we pulled over and gathered a bag full. Black walnuts only bear every other year, and my friends with these trees are all on the off year. Hopefully, this will provide me with some nice rich dye to last until next season!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Should your glance on mornings lovely
Lift to drink the heaven's blue
Or when sun, veiled by sirocco,
Royal red sinks out of view –
Give to Nature praise and honor.
Blithe of heart and sound of eye,
Knowing for the world of colour
Where its broad foundations lie.
— Goethe
Rudolf Steiner's color theory was based upon the semi-scientific work of the poet Goethe's. I've been doing some reading on the matter recently, which has been interesting. My opinion remains somewhat uninformed at this time, so I might discuss this in greater detail at a future point when I have slightly more knowledge than reactive emotion.
I have had an interest in plant based dyeing for some while now. I maintain a garden in the summer, which brings me a lot of purpose and joy. My children enjoy helping with the garden, and my husband enjoys eating from it. Ultimately, I would like to add more plants that I can use for dye.
Feeling inspired, I dyed a playsilk using the marigolds from my African Marigold (which helped protect my tomatoes this summer from insects) and vinegar. I wanted a what Steiner would have considered a pure yellow, so I removed the stamens from the flowers before boiling them in a soup pot to extract the color. According to Steiner, yellow is a Spirit color. It doesn't take much to change it's color completely, when mixed with other shades. Yellow is both warm and joyous, words which describe well how my children will enjoy it.
Lift to drink the heaven's blue
Or when sun, veiled by sirocco,
Royal red sinks out of view –
Give to Nature praise and honor.
Blithe of heart and sound of eye,
Knowing for the world of colour
Where its broad foundations lie.
— Goethe
Rudolf Steiner's color theory was based upon the semi-scientific work of the poet Goethe's. I've been doing some reading on the matter recently, which has been interesting. My opinion remains somewhat uninformed at this time, so I might discuss this in greater detail at a future point when I have slightly more knowledge than reactive emotion.
I have had an interest in plant based dyeing for some while now. I maintain a garden in the summer, which brings me a lot of purpose and joy. My children enjoy helping with the garden, and my husband enjoys eating from it. Ultimately, I would like to add more plants that I can use for dye.
Feeling inspired, I dyed a playsilk using the marigolds from my African Marigold (which helped protect my tomatoes this summer from insects) and vinegar. I wanted a what Steiner would have considered a pure yellow, so I removed the stamens from the flowers before boiling them in a soup pot to extract the color. According to Steiner, yellow is a Spirit color. It doesn't take much to change it's color completely, when mixed with other shades. Yellow is both warm and joyous, words which describe well how my children will enjoy it.
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