Leigh Tate

Kena, you really need to stick to the requirements as written. The picture doesn't have to include face, head, or upper body. Nor do you have to tell us who it is. The BB reviewer just has to see the fit.

For this BB, I'm spinning the rolags I prepared for the prepare 8 oz of wool BB. (https://permies.com/wiki/148266/pep-textiles/prepare-wool-spinning-PEP-BB#2501416)

8-ounces of rolags, ready to spin

spinning the rolags long draw

I like to ply from a center-pull ball, which I made right off the bobbin.

making a center pull ball with a nostepinne

plying from a center-pull ball

washing the plyed yarn

my 6 skeins hanging to dry

Next, I needed to measure the yardage.

winding a tape measure around the skein, it's 42 inches for one complete loop

counting the loops in each skein to calculate yardage

    Skein 1, 78 yards
    Skein 2, 81 yards
    Skein 3, 96 yards
    Skein 4, 68 yards
    Skein 5, 77 yards
    Skein 6, 95 yards

The total yardage for my 8 ounces was 495 yards of yarn.

For this BB I experimented with plants I could forage myself. I'd never tried any of them before, so each was a surprise.

My fleece is a previously scoured Dorset fleece. I divided my two pounds into four, 8-ounce sections.

1. Pokeberries



For dyeing with pokeberries, I used vinegar diluted in water for the mordant.



While the fiber soaked in the mordant, I prepared the dyebath.



Then I added the wet fiber to the dyepot. I read that to get red, I needed to keep the temp under simmering.



I also read that freshly dyed pokeberries are pH sensitive, so I used soap nuts for washing the fiber.



Here are my results after rinsing and drying.



Mordanting the rest of the fiber

For my other three experiments, I mordanted with alum and cream of tartar. I did the remaining pound-and-a-half of fiber all together in one mordant pot, then rinsed, and dried.



2. Black-eyed Susans

Preparing the dyebath.



Dyeing and washing the fiber.



For this one, I used Ecos "Free & Clear" dishsoap.

Results after rinsing and drying.



3.  Pear leaves

Preparing the dyebath



Dyeing and the washing the fiber



I used Ecos "Free & Clear" dishsoap for this one too.

Results after rinsing and drying



4. Hardy hibiscus flowers

Preparing the dyebath



Dyeing the fiber



This one is also pH sensitive, so to wash the fiber, I used soap berries.

https://permies.com/t/148347/a/247599/3.hibiscus-washing.jpg

Results after rinsing and drying.

Those are all my concerns too. When I harvest white oak bark for herbal tinctures, I take bark off of trees my husband has thinned out of the woods for firewood. The pear tree is different because we don't have very many of them. But pear bark is said to dye fiber pinkish and pinkish purple. I'd really like to try that.

After reading the comments here, I went to take a closer look at it. The tree about 14 years old. And it appears like the outer bark is peeling off naturally anyway. I'm thinking I could carefully removed some of this. It looks like if I could do that, it wouldn't harm the tree.

Outer bark is sometimes used for natural medicines and natural dyeing. I have a pear tree that I want to harvest some outer bark from, but want to do it in a way so as to not cause problems. There must be a way. Suggestions?

I've never seen one of these before and am intrigued. I learned how to spin on a spindle, but later gave it up because of shoulder problems. But a spindle is wonderfully portable, which is really useful for mobile spinning.  A Spurtzleur would be just as portable, and solve the shoulder pain problem.

I found my "lost" cast iron skillet stuck under my wood cookstove. Yuk! Our southern humidity hadn't been kind to it.

cast iron skillet before restarting

bottom also in bad shape

First step was to clean off all the rust and mildew.

I scoured it with hot, hot water and a chain mail scrubber.

Then I wiped it out and let it air dry.

Conditioning was next. I read that flax seed oil is a good choice, so that's what I used.

I wiped it with a thin layer of flax seed oil

Then baked it in a very hot oven

Now it's ready to use again!

cast iron skillet after

cast iron skillet after

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in Textiles.

In this Badge Bit, you will knit or crochet a blanket for a twin-size or larger bed.  Make it simple with garter or stockinette stitch or show off your skills in cabling, colorwork, or other fancy stitches (if knit).



Minimum requirements:
- Knit or crochet a blanket from start to finish
- Must be made from natural fibers, such as wool, alpaca, silk, cotton, linen
- Must be at least 65" by 90"

To document completion of the BB, provide proof of the following as pics or video (<2 minutes):
-  Materials and tools you used to make the blanket including your ball or skein of yarn (if it is store-bought, show or link to the label)
-  Your blanket in progress with needle(s)
-  Your finished blanket next to a tape measure

Here are some related threads, articles, and videos:

 
Simple crochet blanket

 
Knitted small blanket

 
Crochet Granny Squares

 
Ways to join Granny Squares for a blanket