Grow Your Own Clothes: Flax and Nettles

 

In 2022 I attended a nettle fiber workshop at the Weald and Downland Living Museum.

It filled my head with ideas, but I hadn't really had a chance to do anything about them, although I had foraged my own nettles from the woods behind the house.  So when I saw the 3 day course at West Dean (right next door to the Weald and Downland) covering both flax and nettles and taken by Allan, the chap who made The Nettle Dress, I had to sign up. 

Flax

 

Over the three days we followed the process of growing flax and foraging nettles, before extracting the fiber from them and spinning it ready to use in making fabric.

We started with flax.  It is grown for 100 days then pulled up and left to ret - this can take up to 7 weeks!  You can then break the storks to release the fibers before scutching, hackling, carding and spinning.  As we were only working with big handfuls we were able to complete the processing in a day.

Spinning flax

 It was hard, dusty work but satisfying when you end up with this lovely soft yarn.

I've not really done any spinning before and it came out lumpy and rough.  But under Allan's tutorage and having had a break for dinner, when I came back to it, I started to get a thinner more consistance yarn.

Spinning flax - getting better

 

On day 2 we started on nettles.  First we went out into the West Dean grounds to forage some nettles, before coming back to work on some that Allan had already retted and dried.

I already knew this would be harder work than the flax from the workshop in 2022, and I was right.  While the flax broke apart quite easily, the nettles didn't want to help us in any way.

 

Interestingly, Allan had us roll the nettle fiber between our hands before we scraped them, and I did find this made them less prone to giving me splinters which was welcome.

By the end of the day I had a small roll of nettle fibers ready to spin, but wanted to practice my spinning a little more on easier fibers before doing the nettle.

Day three was a little more chilled as we practiced our spinning.  While most of us were using drop spindles a couple of ladies had bought spinning machines with them.  It was facinating to learn more about how these machines work.

Spinning nettle

 

By lunchtime I had spun some of my flax, some wool and my nettle fibers.  Still lumpy in places, mostly where the line had broken and I'd had to rejoin, but getting better and better.

So after lunch I tried weaving my nettle yarn.  I started with a plain pattern then added a twill.  This was fun as you could get into a rhythum and just crack on.  But I have to say I was surprised.  I didn't think that in 3 days I would be able to process nettles and make it into fabric, even if it's quite a small piece.

This was a super learning experience.  Allan was so friendly and pactient and ready to share all his knowledge.  The other ladies were lovely too and everyone was happy to roll their sleeves up and get hands on.

Nettle ready for weaving

 

But I did find three days a bit full on and I'm glad to have a weekend to recover.  There was so much to take in and learn and it was a bit more physical than some of the other courses I've done. 

I enjoyed the spinning and the weaving but processing the fibers was hard work.  I do think that everyone should have to have a go at this before they are allowed to buy fabric of any kind, to get a real understanding of what goes into it and why we shouldn't be so quick to just discard things.  If I knew I would have to do all of this again to replace something I was thinking of throwing out, I would be having second thoughs.

Hackling flax

Tins With Lids

 

 

You might have seen that I've been learning how to blow hollow beads recently.

Sometimes they go well, sometimes not so much.  And having had a whole batch crack I decided something needed to be done and bought myself some cooling bubbles.

 

The idea of cooling beads is you can immerse your hollow bead in the cooling bubbles and it will cool slowly without cracking.  Hollow beads don't have to sit in the kiln like my solid beads as you're not trying to bring the centre and outer of your bead to the same temperture before cooling.  

But once my cooling bubbles arrived I realised I had nothing to put them in.  Doh!

 

The website suggests a metal sweet tin, which would be perfect, but all the 'tins' we had were plastic (not so good with very hot glass).  I did ask my parents and my in-laws if they had any, but they only had shallow biscuit tins.  No good to get good coverage.

So I went into town after pottery class, and had a look in the charity shops.

The British Heart Foundation had a set of 3 odd shaped cake tins - perfect!  And a steal at only £5.

 

Then I started wondering if I needed some lids.  I asked 'im outdoors if he could make me some very simple wooden lids to stop dust and dirt getting in.  And just look at what he made me out of scrap.

So this is just a reminder, that you don't have to buy brand new to get the things you need.  

 

 

I have used them and they were prefect. 

8 Week Pottery Course - loam.

 

I’ve spent the last 8 weeks learning how to throw pots on a Friday afternoon.
It’s been a lovely way to finish the week and something I look forward to all week!
 
I’d never been that bothered about clay.  Did some hand building at school, but I don’t remember anything very good coming out of that.  My neighbour is a potter and I’ve enjoyed nosing in her studio a couple of times and was thinking about asking for a class with her.  Then I came across loam. which is a 10 min drive away and offered a range of classes.  Maybe I’d try that.
Except they are super popular so they were always sold out when I looked.  A year later I finally made it onto the waiting list and then a few months later got the email – a space had come available.  I was in.

Over the 8 weeks we learnt to throw, turn and glaze out work.  We started with mugs, then bowls, plates and ended with vases.

I wasn’t that impressed after week 1.  We were taught how to centre the clay on the wheel and then make it into a cylinder.  I managed 4, but they looked untidy and nothing like mugs.

 

Week 2 was where the magic happened.  With a week to dry out a bit the clay was now leather dry and we could do more work.  First we pulled handles for our mugs so they would have a little time to dry before using them, then we learnt how to turn our pots.
This meant turning them upside down on the wheel, securing with clay and then cutting away the excess to give the mug a nice foot.
We then stuck on handles.  Suddenly I actually had some things that looked like actual mugs!  Wow!

Week 3 and we learnt to throw bowls.  Similar to mugs but not as tall.

 

Week 4 and I turned the bottom of my bowls to give them nice feet.  My mugs had now had a first fire and were ready to glaze.  I dipped my mugs, each one a different colour and set them to one size.  At this point they didn’t look much different and although there were samples of what the glaze might do, there are no guarantees in the world of pottery.
 

 

Week 5 and we learnt to throw plates.  This was a bit tricky as we were going out rather than up.  It was also very messy and I’m glad I had no errands to do after class and could go straight home for a wash!
My mugs had had a second fire and were now beautiful colours!  I took them home and set them up in the kitchen where I could see them each time I walked in.  I couldn’t believe I’d made them!  I still can’t decide which is my favourate.

 
Week 6 I turned the feet of my plates and then glazed my bowls.  I had made 5 bowls and they had all been fired now.  I didn’t want to just dip them.  I wanted to play.  I started by using some thin masking tape on the outside of one and all over on another.  They were dipped and the tape removed.  Two I dipped so there was an overlap.  One I dipped completely black, then dipped half in white.  One I dipped half in white and half in green so there was an overlap in the middle.
The last I used a brush on glaze to see what would happen.  This had layers of different colours.
 

Week 7 we learnt how to throw vases.  The first couple were quite big, but I’ve been learning to make glass flowers so I started throwing smaller to try and make a suitable vase for them.  I think they were all still too big.
Two bowls had come back from being fired.  They were both lovely and joined the mugs in the kitchen.
 

Week 8 and I found that gravity had acted on one of my vases and crushed it!  I turned the feet of the ones which were left.  I then had a go adding some coloured lines to one of the vases - this has to be done before it's first fire otherwise the colour won't stick.  So far so good.  I look forward to seeing it glazed in transparent and finished.  Nothing to take home this week as the kiln has a bit of a back log!

 

I have really enjoyed the past 8 weeks.  Its been a lovely distraction from other life stuff at the moment.  That couple of hours at the wheel fly’s by and I have no time to think about other things.  As soon as you do your pot will crumple.

In fact I’ve enjoyed it so much I’ve signed up for the 6 week summer term.  Hopefully the rest of my bowls will have been fired and finished and my plates and vases will be ready to glaze.  This time I’ll be able to bring my own projects, but still with the helping hands of Jack and Annabel.

And I do think it’s mostly down to them that I’ve enjoyed it so much.  Every week they start with a demo of what we’re aiming for.  They are there to keep an eye as I try to do it and if it’s going wrong they are happy to step in and help.  But they aren’t too hands on.  I can just get on with it and if I mess up, the clay just goes into the recycling bin and I start again.  There is no judgement, and they have been happy to answer so many of my questions.  It just feels like a really lovely safe environment to learn in.
 
So pop back at the end of July to see how term 2 went and what I managed to create this time.

Powdermill Cardigan

 

 Last September I got started knitting the Powdermill cardigan by Kate Davies.

It had been on my list for a while and I thought I'd have it done by Christmas.  Previous cardigans and jumpers have taken 3-4 months.

Today (May) I finally added the buttons (glass buttons made in my studio)!  That's only 8 months in the making!!

I knew it might take a little longer than normal, after all it's got quite a detailed pattern and is only using a DK yarn.

However, it is knitted in the round which speeds things up a bit, but did mean I had three steek's to deal with (one down the front and one for each arm hole) which then slowed me down.  

Then when you think you've finished, you need to add a neck band and two bands down the front, and I sewed ribbon into the front bands too to stop the steek from unraveling!  And all the sewing in ends - as you can imagine there were a few.  And there might have been pauses for other projects along the way, but they weren't very long.

 

I used Stylecraft Special DK and love the colours!  Lipstick, Royal, Citron (one ball of each) and Graphite and A Hint of Silver (two balls of each).  That blue and red remind me of the drawings of princesses I used to draw as a kid, for some reason a colour combination I loved. 

The only slight annoyance is the right front button band which has the button holes in it.  I was using a 2 stitch icord, but the holes were too small so I made them bigger, but I should have made the icord bigger too.  This means the edge is slightly distorted which is annoying. 

 

As I was working on it last week, I didn't think I'd get to wear it any time soon as we enjoyed a mini heatwave, but the wind has turned so maybe I will.  It is a bit thicker than some of my other cardigans.

I'm not sure I'd wear it into the office.  It is very in your face, but I think it will work well round the house or maybe walking the dog?

 

I'm glad to see the back of the making of it and move on to something else.  But I have a confession.  While making it I couldn't help wondering what it would be like if I made it in a different colour way, and didn't keep to the strict colour pattern.  I've got a bag of left over yarn from making a crochet blanket a couple of years ago and think the colours would work so well.  So this evening I may well be casting that on.  But I know it will take a lot longer than this one, as there are too many other projects on hold right now!

Antwerp Pullover

 

I can't remember the last time I bought a jumper.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

However, I am always on the look out for a cosy, interesting jumper.  So when I found the Antwerp Pullover pattern on a website, while looking for something completely different, I had to add it to my basket.

Unfortunately the material I chose to make it from, while a lovely colour wasn't really thick enough (I think I'll make it into a dress maybe?) and so I put it to one side while I decided what to do.

 

With a week off booked for Easter I decided to try again and so ordered some needlecord fabric in a stunning ochre (yellow) colour.  Still not as thick as I'd hoped, but I decided to try it out anyway.

I started by working out what size I wanted and cutting out all the pieces, before following the instructions and carefully putting it all together.  I've made a few clothing items before so I had an understanding of how it would go together but I didn't think the instructions were as clear as they could be.

I also found that the needlecord would stick to itself, which wasn't very helpful.  And it left lots of little yellow bits of fluff everywhere.  As I don't have a good way of finishing edges I assume I'll have little bits of yellow fluff with me for some time to come. 

 

I haven't decided if I like the end result or not.  I love the colour and the feel of the needlecord.  But it's quite a light weight jumper and not very snuggly.  It might be good for the week of warm weather we might get if we're lucky.  However the fit is pretty good and I could probably have gone down a size if I'd wanted something a bit more fitted.

I'm thinking about making it again in a thicker material.  The design also came with a collar option instead of a hood, which might be better with a thicker material too. 

I need to live with it for a bit first I think.

Blown Hollow Glass Beads with Ikuyo Yamanaka

For the last couple of months or so I have been following along with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers - online learning for making blown hollow glass beads.  

 

With 7 different modules it covered how to blow a glass bead then different ways to decorate and shape them.

I've been fascinated by hollow beads forever, but have struggled to improve mine with no real guidance.

 

The online course has meant I can watch the videos in my own time before attempting my own beads.  I also have the option to ask Ikuyo questions too. 

 

While I have found some techniques quite hard, for instance stretching or twisting the beads, it has definitely improved my glass handling skills, and I finally know how to add an additional hole to my beads, something I struggled with for ages.

 

And while my twisted beads didn't come out all lovely and round like her's, some of them have a lovely sculptural quaility to them that I really like. 

 

I've really enjoyed the course and learning new techniques which I'm sure I will incorporate into other projects.  It's also been really nice to have a focus for going down to the studio each week, even if I only made a couple of beads each time.  

 

Maybe if I keep practicing I'll end up with something as beautiful as Ikuyo's beads.

 

Small Sculpture in Flameworked Glass

 This weekend I was back at West Dean.

The weather was so nice it was nearly a shame to be stuck inside all weekend, however what we'd be learning was too exciting to worry too much about the sunshine.

 

As you might have seen, I do some lampworking (flamework) in my spare time in the studio 'im outdoors built me.  I work in soft glass which is pretty easy to make into beads but has to be kept hot until you are done then straight into the kiln to anneal.  If you don't keep it warm it can crack and break and be a pain in the ass.

This weekend I learnt how to work with hard glass - borosilicate, which is much more forgiving.  It's less likely to explode than the soft glass and you can put it down and cool it while working on a project before annealling it when you are done.  It makes it very good for creating sculptures.

 

The class was taken by Andrea Spencer a very talented glass maker who came all the way from Northern Ireland for the class! 

I was the only person in the group with any hot glass experience, but while some things were similar, like the tools and how the glass moves, it was also quite different, with it being stiffer than the glass I normally use and there being no need for mandrals (or bead release! Yay!).

 

I was quite happy to watch and listen and learn everything about this 'new' type of glass.

We started by making some leaves, which suited me just fine.

Then we learnt how to make the leaves into a 3D sculpture by using a framework of glass to hold things in place while we melted them together.  Then we learnt how to make a little bird.

 While waiting between things while Andrea helped others, I manage to create a pair of sycamore seeds, based on Andrea's demo from Friday night.

On the second day we learnt how to make flowers and I embraced this and managed to make 3.

 

It was all so different from the other things I've done with glass and I loved it!

It was very satisfing to come home with a handful of lovely glass things, that I made and I could make again if I bought the right glass.  I just need to stick them all in my kiln tonight and set them to anneal and they should be pretty robust. 

Definitely worth missing the sunshine for...

Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug

 

 A couple of years ago I knitted the Portland Cardigan, and while I liked the stitch used, I didn't enjoy wearing it - it was too bulky under the arms.

Seeing as I wasn't wearing it and it was taking up room in the waldrobe, I unravelled it and balled it up and kept my eye's open for a new project which might have a better outcome.

It took a while but then I came across the pattern for the Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug by Brome Fields on Esty.

 

I've been working on a very detailed knitting project since September so at the beginning of the year I decided to give myself a break to make something that would knit up quickly.

As my yarn wasn't as bulky as the pattern and I didn't have big enough needles (although they were perfect for my yarn) I made some slight changes to the pattern based on guesses and a rough sizing square and got going.

 

I wasn't sure how much yarn I'd need but decided to use up what I had and then buy some more if needed.

I used up all my yarn and thought I'd finished.  I sewed up the arms and started to sew in ends, but in my heart I knew it was too big and I wouldn't use it as a shrug in this format.  It would either need to be a blanket or I would have to start again.

 

Much to 'im outdoors horror I undid it all, and set it aside for a bit before trying again.

This time I kept much closer to the pattern, just going up one size.  And ended up with something much more suitable, although I think I could have probably gone up one more size.  Don't worry I'm not going to undo it all again!  

 

Because I was using recyled wool I had a few more ends to sew in than I'd have liked, but better to reuse the wool into a nice new project.  All gave me joy to make, hopefully this one will also be joyful to wear.

I think it's going to be perfect for this spring weather where it can be so lovely and warm and then cloud goes over the sun and it's cold again.  Something to just slip over the shoulders to keep me warm.

 

I've still got a few balls left so will have to think of something to do with them too.