I found something interesting on Wikipedia. Miraculin - a fruit that changes your taste buds so that for a while, everything acidic tastes sweet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculin
I had to laugh when I read the part about how this fruit was prevented from coming to market. Such skullduggery! Wow, it's criminal that somehow they got away with it. I should be outraged, but unfortunately I'm not much of a cook so I don't care. Maybe somebody else will get mad about this:
[Copied from the Wikipedia page about this fruit.]
"Miraculin was never approved for use as a sweetener by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the 1970s the Miralin Company planned on bringing miraculin to market and was founded with investments by Reynolds Metals, Barclays, and Prudential. Legal advice and contact with the FDA indicated that miraculin would be approved as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as the berries had been eaten for centuries in Africa with no reports of adverse reactions (substances used in food prior to January 1, 1958, through either scientific procedures or through experience based on common use in food can be designated GRAS). However, on the eve of the product's launch in 1974 the FDA determined that miraculin would be considered a food additive and thus require years of further testing. At that point the company's investment capital could not sustain it and Miralin folded. Afterward, Miralin requested the FDA documents under the freedom of information act. The documents were nearly completely blacked out, and the rationale for the sudden change in regulation was not revealed.[17][18][19]"
Monday, July 27, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Firfletting - is it sprang?
Firfletting is a rare textile technique from Norway. I found this when Katherine Johnson sent me a link to a video from the Norsk Folkemuseum. It is so exciting to find something new that I can do with my huge stash of yarn and string.
I am writing about firfletting without much knowledge. I have only just found it this week. I think it is a kind of braiding, but it looks a lot like sprang. Looks like bobbin lace, too. Somebody defined sprang as braiding on stretched warp threads. But firfletting appears to be sprang worked with loose ends - the warp threads not stretched nor secured... I wish Peter Collingwood were alive. He would be able to say whether firfletting is a kind of sprang or not.
I saw a Wikipedia enrty (which one? Maybe it was the page about sprang?) that gave a definition of braiding. It pointed out the difference between braiding and weaving... I think it said that weaving needs separate warp and weft threads, but in braiding, the threads can... I forget.
I started collecting pictures of firfletting on my Pinterest page. There is an old magazine article from the 1980's - maybe my library could get it for me. The title was something like, "Firfletting - Fringe Braiding From Norway." Many of the examples of firfletting that I found on Pinterest are complex fringed linen towels. They could have been woven in pairs so that the fringe might be worked as sprang. But, in the video, there is a woman doing firfletting on one towel -so not sprang...?
There are a bunch of really old movies from the Norsk Folkemuseum. I'm hoping to find more lost arts in those videos.
I am writing about firfletting without much knowledge. I have only just found it this week. I think it is a kind of braiding, but it looks a lot like sprang. Looks like bobbin lace, too. Somebody defined sprang as braiding on stretched warp threads. But firfletting appears to be sprang worked with loose ends - the warp threads not stretched nor secured... I wish Peter Collingwood were alive. He would be able to say whether firfletting is a kind of sprang or not.
I saw a Wikipedia enrty (which one? Maybe it was the page about sprang?) that gave a definition of braiding. It pointed out the difference between braiding and weaving... I think it said that weaving needs separate warp and weft threads, but in braiding, the threads can... I forget.
I started collecting pictures of firfletting on my Pinterest page. There is an old magazine article from the 1980's - maybe my library could get it for me. The title was something like, "Firfletting - Fringe Braiding From Norway." Many of the examples of firfletting that I found on Pinterest are complex fringed linen towels. They could have been woven in pairs so that the fringe might be worked as sprang. But, in the video, there is a woman doing firfletting on one towel -so not sprang...?
There are a bunch of really old movies from the Norsk Folkemuseum. I'm hoping to find more lost arts in those videos.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Poison Ivy
I feel ichy. I have a big bad poison ivy rash. The rash would be gone if I stopped scratching. Surely it will end soon since it started about a month ago. I don't need sympathy, it's fine really.
I got into the poison ivy because I wanted to remove it from my daughter's school. The ball field is surrounded by poison ivy. I'm thinking of buying a goat. The goat will eat the poison ivy, and the children will not get itchy when their soccer balls roll off the field.
So, yesterday I went to work in a beautiful new garden beside the lake. Brand new,,freshly set out garden, fabulous view of lake and mountains, fine new house AND poison ivy. I felt the need to remove the weeds. But this time, I'm going to try coating the plant with something to contain the poison oil.
Last time, I coated my skin with a heavy grease. It worked. Except that I did not coat my knees since I thought my pants sufficient protection. Poison ivy must have a volatile oil because it went right through my pants, leaving nice black spots. I am quite proud of those jeans now. The poison washed away with only one laundering. But the black ink spots remained. I would so love to meet India Flint and tell her about this. I bet there is a way to use poison ivy to make fantastic textile art.
The missing information is how to use the poison ivy without suffering from the contact dermatitis. We know how to make black ink from poison ivy, but not how to get rid of the poison oil. I'm going to try pressing fabric and poison ivy in a flower press. Should be possible to use the leaves to print on Yemeni fabric for scarves.
Just suppose they boiled away the poison in the old days...? It could carried away by the steam, if it really is volatile. You would start a camp fire, and stand way back when the water.eventually starts to boil. Maybe that would explain why they use steam to process lacquer made from a poison ivy relative in Asia. I tried to find information about this lacquer but I can not read the Japanese web sites. But I have seen the lacquer and it is excellent. I would like to be brave and reinvent the lacquer. Everyone thinks I am crazy and obsessed with something dangerous.
I got into the poison ivy because I wanted to remove it from my daughter's school. The ball field is surrounded by poison ivy. I'm thinking of buying a goat. The goat will eat the poison ivy, and the children will not get itchy when their soccer balls roll off the field.
So, yesterday I went to work in a beautiful new garden beside the lake. Brand new,,freshly set out garden, fabulous view of lake and mountains, fine new house AND poison ivy. I felt the need to remove the weeds. But this time, I'm going to try coating the plant with something to contain the poison oil.
Last time, I coated my skin with a heavy grease. It worked. Except that I did not coat my knees since I thought my pants sufficient protection. Poison ivy must have a volatile oil because it went right through my pants, leaving nice black spots. I am quite proud of those jeans now. The poison washed away with only one laundering. But the black ink spots remained. I would so love to meet India Flint and tell her about this. I bet there is a way to use poison ivy to make fantastic textile art.
The missing information is how to use the poison ivy without suffering from the contact dermatitis. We know how to make black ink from poison ivy, but not how to get rid of the poison oil. I'm going to try pressing fabric and poison ivy in a flower press. Should be possible to use the leaves to print on Yemeni fabric for scarves.
Just suppose they boiled away the poison in the old days...? It could carried away by the steam, if it really is volatile. You would start a camp fire, and stand way back when the water.eventually starts to boil. Maybe that would explain why they use steam to process lacquer made from a poison ivy relative in Asia. I tried to find information about this lacquer but I can not read the Japanese web sites. But I have seen the lacquer and it is excellent. I would like to be brave and reinvent the lacquer. Everyone thinks I am crazy and obsessed with something dangerous.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Nalbinding
I taught nalbinding at the Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair, 23 - 24 May 2015. Here is the video that I recommend to all who learn nalbinding with me: http://www.vajanto.net/gradu/
The video of Suomeksi Stitch helped me when I learned nalbinding. I teach people this stitch because it is easier to see what to do next -this one holds his shape and does not turn into a tangled spaghetti readily. I tell people that they can learn the simpler stitches from YouTube videos, but I do not teach York stitch, Oslo stitch, etc. because they do not hold their shape well.
And here is the phrase I repeated while teaching Suomeksi Stitch: "Oldest loop from the front, next older loop from the back, turn left, and go under everything." After saying this a million times, I shortened it to: "One from the front, one from the back, turn left, and go under everything."
I felt that I was a fairly successful teacher (but there's room for improvement.). One person needed to learn left-handed which was very difficult for me. I was surprised how much better I understood it when I figured out how to do it in the opposite way to what I was used to doing. Hurray for left-handed people!
Friday, April 17, 2015
Knitted flower fabric
I am still trying to figure out how they knit it without buying the pattern. I think I've figured out how "Tensfield" hat pattern works. It was a three day struggle. I really must buy a pattern from Martina Behm -so much knitting innovation.
I am currently trying to figure out how to knit that garter stitch fabric with square holes throughout. It seems to be done without cutting the yarn. I think there's something about dropping down and knitting back up while covering a trailing yarn...
Light bulb: I just had an idea. What if I knit a long narrow tape, loop it around in a circle, and then pass the end stitches through the beginning stitches...? I could do this in the middle of a plain knit fabric. Afterwards, I could draw up one side of the tape: knitted flower fabric. I love draw-strings. I've used them in everything I make.
I am currently trying to figure out how to knit that garter stitch fabric with square holes throughout. It seems to be done without cutting the yarn. I think there's something about dropping down and knitting back up while covering a trailing yarn...
Light bulb: I just had an idea. What if I knit a long narrow tape, loop it around in a circle, and then pass the end stitches through the beginning stitches...? I could do this in the middle of a plain knit fabric. Afterwards, I could draw up one side of the tape: knitted flower fabric. I love draw-strings. I've used them in everything I make.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Chigirsky Tea, on Wikipedia
https://ru.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Бадан_толстолистный
This is the source of the information about the tea.
This is the source of the information about the tea.
Bergenia makes excellent tea. Photo by Abeer Al Zahrani, 5 May 2015.
Chigirsky Tea from Bergenia
Bergenia cordifolia, known to gardeners as Pig Squeek makes a great tea.
Here is what I found on Wikipedia (in Russian, translated with Google Translate):
"used for landscaping in stone gardens, shrubs and trees arrays. Gardeners brought several forms of flowers of different colors. The plant prefers partial shade and shady places with moderately dry, fertile soil. Propagated by dividing the bush in autumn.
The plant is in the first row of the world tannins (content tanidov 2 times greater than willow or spruce bark, and 4 times greater than in oak bark), it is used for the sole tannage and yufti and nets and tarps impregnation.
Gives a black and brown paint.
Soaked in water and washed from tannins rhizomes are edible, and overwintered, blackened leaves are used to flavor tea - Mongolian tea [5], or chigirsky tea."
I received a jar of tea from the botanical garden on Solenetsky Island in the region of Archangelisk, Russia. I have been wondering what's in it for years. But it's really good tea, and I suspected it might be Bergenia because of the photo on the tea box. Finally today, I thought to look up the plant on Wikipedia. I was surprised to find more information on the Russian language version of the page about this plant. Maybe Google Translate can help me learn more Russian herbal knowledge.
I am so excited to discover the high tannin content of this plant! I hope to start printing on fabric using homemade ink. This is going to be so wonderful! India Flint - here's to you! I need to buy her book of natural dyes and art projects.
The Bergenia tea tastes like orange pekoe black tea but without the caffeine. I bet that I can find a nice big patch of Pig Squeak, and gather some leaves today.
Here is what I found on Wikipedia (in Russian, translated with Google Translate):
"used for landscaping in stone gardens, shrubs and trees arrays. Gardeners brought several forms of flowers of different colors. The plant prefers partial shade and shady places with moderately dry, fertile soil. Propagated by dividing the bush in autumn.
The plant is in the first row of the world tannins (content tanidov 2 times greater than willow or spruce bark, and 4 times greater than in oak bark), it is used for the sole tannage and yufti and nets and tarps impregnation.
Gives a black and brown paint.
Soaked in water and washed from tannins rhizomes are edible, and overwintered, blackened leaves are used to flavor tea - Mongolian tea [5], or chigirsky tea."
I received a jar of tea from the botanical garden on Solenetsky Island in the region of Archangelisk, Russia. I have been wondering what's in it for years. But it's really good tea, and I suspected it might be Bergenia because of the photo on the tea box. Finally today, I thought to look up the plant on Wikipedia. I was surprised to find more information on the Russian language version of the page about this plant. Maybe Google Translate can help me learn more Russian herbal knowledge.
I am so excited to discover the high tannin content of this plant! I hope to start printing on fabric using homemade ink. This is going to be so wonderful! India Flint - here's to you! I need to buy her book of natural dyes and art projects.
The Bergenia tea tastes like orange pekoe black tea but without the caffeine. I bet that I can find a nice big patch of Pig Squeak, and gather some leaves today.
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