Spring Gardens and projects

Look what I found in the garden while I was digging yesterday! The miniature tulips are early, blooming even before the daffodils. As well, the lone Siberian Iris came up. I should really plant more. Before I put in raised beds, there were many of these but I think the squirrels found the bulbs in the garden beds. It looks forlorn and lonely :) I've got one bed of woad seeds planted directly into the garden. I'll be started some seeds in a few days to plant into a second bed as seedlings to see which ones grow the best and produce the most woad leaves.

Yesterday I finished weaving another inkle band. Interestingly enough, I looked at that pattern and said, UGH - at least I can hide it as a belt or something. My DH looked at it and said, Wow! Nice, finally one with some colour! I am constantly amazed at the differences in perception. I also warped up the inkle loom with a tablet weaving project, which required making some make shift cardboard weaving cards. The whole project was a disaster and is now off the loom. The cardboard was too soft and bent too easily, while the threads just tangled everytime the tension was released. So I cut off the double weave tablet weaving project and I put on a new inkle pickup weave project this morning. I was up and at it really early. The blue and white is the pick up pattern while the grey, white and red is the one that is "colourful" :) This is a very fast and fun way to use up my small amounts of handspun, naturally dyed yarn.

I'm also giving the Ashford Traveller a tune up today. Saturday is the Alpaca Ontario Show where the Guelph Handweavers and Spinners will be doing an Alpaca fleece to shawl demo all day. It's lots of fun and the Alpaca are just the sweetest and somewhat goofy looking animals. This is a rather relaxed fleece to shawl as it isn't a competition and we have lots of time to answer questions and talk with the public.

Finally, if I'm not exhausted and needing a nap, I've been winding off some leftover cotolin thread into small skeins. I'm going to do a quick wash with them in soda ash and then mordant them with alum. Then I'll see what colours they might take up. I've got some dried weld, woad and madder left from last year. If it works there will be enough for a few inkle or tablet woven bands but nothing big, but at least the thread will get used up.