Happy February!

New patterns at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Woodsandwoolknitting

I gave myself a full year to figure out the ins and outs of putting my patterns up for sale... and here we are, just a few months in, and I have seven patterns, sampled and photographed! One little step in front of another. With an Instagram in high gear: 

https://www.instagram.com/creativturtle/

and a new knitting facebook page here:

 https://www.facebook.com/woodsandwoolknitting

I feel certain that the ball of yarn is rolling for this little design company. Now on to the next one!

Traditional Tartan

Fall 2020 seemed to be a long and drawn out celebration of colors without end here in Vermont - but now, as the first serious snow storm covers the land with several inches of white, we know it is over. Looking back, I am so grateful for all the little things. The pipes and drains that serve our homes, the hot and cold water on demand, the safe streets and local bakeries, and local farms. For good friends and family, and a hard working community with compassion for those less fortunate. I am grateful for so many things - every day. My heart is full. Here is a pattern I worked on this Fall. A nod to the intricate art of weaving, this plaid hat is made up of five colors. Like the complicated weaving of agreements, with care and consideration, that make up our communities, there is a lovely harmony in the fabric made of diverse and colorful individual aspects, working together. As I write this, both the pattern, and the matching samples I knit for it, are available at the Etsy shop. Stay safe, everyone, and be kind to those around you! 

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/Woodsandwoolknitting

 

 A Sailor's Hat

The weather will turn soon, so every chance they get, people are out on the waters of Lake Champlain. I think a hat is in order for all those sailors, fisherfolk, and the "mermen" among us. Here is a fishing-net inspired design, with warm aqua colors to set it off. 

October, 2020 is here - the pumpkins are ripe and Fall colors fill the trees. My first three patterns have been test-knit in two sizes, and are almost ready to launch on Etsy. Here is the first one - an homage to the need for cheerful safety colors in the Winter. 

 

 

Turkey Feather Hat

Many months have past since my last post, and life has brought me back around to this blog. With a fresh look, and a name change, I am turning over a new leaf in my passion for making cloth!  From finishing woven textiles, with a beautiful, local provenance, I have moved into designing knitting patterns.  I started with a baby hat pattern, made for a co-worker at my local bakery.  When the pandemic hit, I found myself at home - a bit stunned from the state of affairs. For therapy, I used Stitchfiddle to make some colorwork patterns. In fact, I got carried away and had over 40 designs, when I realized that I had better knit some samples. I asked friends if they might be willing to do the same. So - I am well on the path toward offering some of these patterns to the world. I have been knitting samples, reworking patterns, and getting advise from dear friends in the pattern-making world. Here is a toddler-sized sample of one of my designs. There will be four sizes in each pattern.  I will post links to a new Etsy shop and website when I get my first pattern finalized. 

February is here, and it has been a month since the colorful, earth-toned fabric came off the loom.  Here is a bit about my process:

I had the weaver make different color cloths using only one set of warp (long) yarns.  She changed the weft, or crossing yarn's color every few yards.  

My first step was to separate these different colored fabrics.  

The loose weave makes the fabric impossible to cut without immediate fraying, so the first thing I did was to sew a zig-zag stitch on either side of the transition between colors.

Then I cut between the rows of stitching, without causing any fraying. 

Fulling is the term for shrinking down a fabric - bringing  the fibers more tightly together. This makes a stronger, smoother fabric that will last longer, and repel dirt and water better. Once fulled, the cloth can be cut without fraying. 

In earlier posts I have shown pictures of old fashioned wooden hammers doing this job.  Now, many people experiment with their washing machines.  I like to process a few yards at a time by hand, using a natural soap solution, so that I can measure the shrinkage as I go. 

It took about 30 minutes to full these goods by18%. 

After rinsing in tap water, the cloth is dried - then teased and shorn, before being placed in a bath of hot water for a period of time. 

The hot, wet cloth is then pressed to finalize the finishing process I use.  Ideally I would have a calender  that both presses and wrings out the water from the hot cloth. As it is, I used a hot iron, linens and towels to do the job. 

The fabric is then hung once more to dry. No harsh chemicals were used in any stage of the process, so the wet fabric smells a bit of Alpaca and Sheep. 

Below, you can see the softer, smoother finished fabric. Because we used "knitting yarn" for this weaving project, the final result is more lofty, and bouncy than if we had used round yarns. Items made from this cloth will be very warm and cozy.

Finished Indigo Alpaca and Sheep Cloth

Unfinished cloth - Four colors from one warp. Only one dye was used: Vermont grown Indigo!

We are moving towards cloth again! 

The Vermont indigo crop matured a bit late this year, but we now have two blues to work with. The 3 lbs. of yarn took 25 lbs. of dye plant material.  The blue yarns were dried out and added to the earth tones.  I then hand cranked all 82 skeins (180 yards each) into balls. 

You can see the beautiful colors all together here.  Last week we delivered them to the weaver.  Here are some pictures, including one of the loom on which the cloth will be woven.  

We are now entering the busiest time of year for weavers in New England, who market their own work. Each state has a wool festival coming up shortly, and then the holiday craft fairs begin. Even so, our weaver may have the 15 yards woven for us by the end of October.  Here is to a productive, safe and happy Fall.

Our Kickstarter campaign fell flat, but we have gained support to continue, on a smaller scale. The yarn has arrived for a new cloth.

The natural alpaca colors are just stunning, and we are excited to see what Vermont grown indigo will look like over the creamy yellow-white yarns. 

We included some paint chips when we gave our dyer the yarn, but those chips began as pure white, and no bleach will be used on this yarn to make it a bright white. The resulting color may be more of a teal blue.

Jennifer Johnson has studied natural dye plant cultivation and processing as well as dyeing processes with diverse fibers. Her studies, both here and abroad, add a rich wisdom to her work as an organic farmer in Vermont. She produced the madder red yarns for Winter Moose in 2015.  Below are some results of her work with Vermont grown plants. We are excited to see what our yarns will look like in August!

We Have News! We have Launched an All or Nothing Fundraiser: Click here to see the video:
 "Winter Moose: Vermont Sustainable Fashion"
Come have a look at the Kickstarter video and all the amazing fabric and fashion items we hope to make for those who contribute to our success. With so much going on in the world right now, we need all the help we can muster to get the word out to those who believe in our work. Thank you in advance for being a part of positive change, and spreading the word about our mission to strengthen Vermont's sustainable textile supply chain.

The year is flying by. Over the Summer, I spent a month driving to California and back, making beautiful memories with friends and family on the West Coast. Since then, my time has been split between creating ceramic pieces and developing prototypes and photographs for Winter Moose.
We had a beautiful sample woven for us at the Marshfield School of Weaving, and chose to showcase it as a scarf - adding a fringe.  This spiraling vine motif is my favorite crepe pattern weave so far.

We continue working with local models, to show our prototypes to advantage. A big "Thank You" to these wonderful community members who enjoy presenting the work of local craftsmen and women - appreciating the values behind all that we do. 

Now we are ready for the next step. To move Winter Moose out of  R & D and into the world of wholesale and retail, we are planning to launch a new Kickstarter. 

Our hope is to raise enough capital to secure our Winter Moose brand name, and create a small line for retail, featuring 100% Vermont alpaca cloth. We are designing some men's slacks, women's skirts, and button down shirts and scarves for all. A vest and soft caps will also be available. We are very excited about having more fabric woven, more pieces made, and connecting these unique items with future owners.

Earlier this month, a friend offered to help us get started on the Kickstarter, with some video footage. Right before the shoot, my new Black and Decker iron died. It was less than 6 months old! I had to get the job done - and I had these old fashioned irons...  I had even cleaned them up a little, not imagining that they would come in handy. They worked perfectly! After using them, I am almost ready to keep doing so. 

We will keep you all posted regarding our Kickstarter Launch Date. 

Happy Fall!

A quick update: 

We were recently asked, by a fashion blogger, for an interview.  Here is a link to the resulting article; our Winter Moose story.

 http://clothingfish.com/web/winter-moose-story/

A Year Complete

It has been a full year, this month, since our Kickstarter fundraiser was successful. We were able to complete our testing goals on two fabric styles, with a few yards to spare. Over the past few months we have made patterns and prototypes, some of which worked, and some of which resulted in humorous references to muppets and Sesame Street.  Through trial and error, we have solidified three hat patterns, and a fine glove pattern, all drawn out by hand, in several sizes, the old fashioned way.

It took some time to locate an American grown and processed cotton, with no synthetic dyes, fine enough to be a lining for our hats. Our buttons were made to order by a local craftsman, using reclaimed, Vermont grown wood.  That took time as well. Slowly, enough items were finished to document and share with the world. 

I enjoyed capturing our work with photos, as our first two models had fun striking poses against the Burlington architecture.  I still have two more hats to finish and photograph, and we will also have another pair of gloves, before we formally announce our presence to the world.

As we keep detailed notes on materials, time and processes used, the real cost of producing these items, from the fiber in the fields through to the finished garment, makes itself evident. In Vermont, we do not have the kind of poorly paid labor pools that are available in the larger cities of America, and of course we do not have the vast numbers of forced laborers, or servile casts that some foreign textile businesses rely on. Hence, our prices will seem, to some, to be on the high end. The other side of the price is our happy conscience, knowing that every sale goes to support small businesses and expert craftspeople in our community. The creation of Winter Moose fashion protects the environment from toxic dyes, and supports healthy people by avoiding all synthetic insecticides and preservatives. 

Something I have been pondering is the source of power used to create a modern, sustainable fabric. What energy are we using to power the looms, rollers, teasers, stretchers etc. in a mechanized facility? It is true that giant looms have recently returned to the USA - weaving cotton in the South and wool in the North. When these industries thrived here, in the past, economically, water was the main power source. Though the power source was free, the human price was great at the mills. Child labor, injuries, long hours, toxic dyes polluting rivers, health issues from bad air quality, etc. were common. Growing an industry in a way that keeps both environmental and cultural sustainability at the heart while succeeding economically is our challenge. Will we be bringing the water wheels back?

In the fall, I took this picture of the old Winooski Woolen Mill that used water as it's power source. This mill is close to my home, but similar buildings dot the landscape of New England. 

The vast majority of weavers in Vermont use old wooden looms, now. The same kind of weaving that was prevalent in the sixteenth century. 

We have much to ponder as we move forward.

Our first tests are finished, and I think we have succeeded in creating some amazing fabric. We put away our thermometers, ph testers and odd hand powered and small electric tools. The recipe for two beautiful and practical fabrics, from each of our greige goods, is now in hand. In light of my original inspiration, to make cloth that reflects the flora and fauna of Vermont, we are giving these fabrics animal names.

"Turkey Feather Twill" - Raw goods & two sample finishes.

"Chipping Sparrow Crepe" - Raw goods & two sample finishes.

The lower left fabric in each image is the raw textile, off the loom. The other two are fulled to 16 and 30 percent of the original size. The final product is softer to the touch, and more durable than the greige goods fresh off the loom.

A New Look for the Winter Moose Website

We have finalized the first line of products, so that we can move forward with pattern making. Mika has made a few new illustrations, both painted and drawn, on the Winter Moose website. They reflect the vest, bag, hat and glove patterns that I am creating. 

See the new look: click here

 Last week, we payed a visit to the Green Mountain Spinnery. Nestled in the trees near Highway 5 in Putney, "GMS" is the oldest working fiber mill in Vermont. The owners are also environmentally conscious, so we can be assured of a non-toxic product.

Farmers send animal fibers to the mill in burlap, plastic, and cotton sacks, or in large cardboard boxes. The mill also purchases fiber pre-scoured, and dyed, in compressed bales.

For local fibers, GMS has a small scouring operation. Here, you see the wool soaking, before it goes through rinsing and drying processes. The ancient "spin-dry" (right) pulls out most of the moisture.

After the fiber has been dried, color mixing and "de-clumping" is done by hand feeding the fiber into a picker. The same fiber mix may be processed several times this way. When the mixing and de-clumping is finished, armloads of the mixture are carefully added to the carding machine. This tricky job starts a series of very fine tuned movements. The picture below shows the fiber entering the carder, and what it looks like at the halfway point. The smooth "batting" will be further divided into over 90 sections of "pencil roving". The weight and thickness of each must be exact, and differs for each yarn made. See the video below.

The carder is almost 100 years old. It is such a complex machine that, even after 30 years of working with it, the owners continue to rely on  experts with more, and longer experience. Here is a video we made of the carder in action, as well as a glimpse of the spinning machine. 

Large spools of pencil roving lean against a wall waiting their turn on the spinning machine. Meanwhile, the spinning machine takes many delicate ribbons of fiber and twists them into a fine yarn, called a "single". These will be plied back on themselves on a plying machine, and wound into measured skeins, or onto cones.

Every skein is tied together, and hand twisted into it's final form, ready for shipment to knitters all over the world.

After our lovely tour, Mika agreed to teach Doran how to knit. We bought a beautiful, deep teal yarn; a cotton and wool mix. There is just something special about getting yarn at the mill. Meeting the people who made it, and knowing where it all came from, was a wonderful treat. The needles passed from front seat to back, to front again, as the lessons continued on the drive home. Sort of like knitting and purling.  :  )