Garden Thyme-Tomato Sunrise

Even with the drought, because of his irrigation, Michael is hauling in the tomatoes.  One of our favorite summer morning drinks is a Tomato Sunrise.
Our last tomato juice was made from a beautiful Heirloom tomato named Cherokee Purple. 

Recipe

For every 1/2 cup fresh tomato juice add:

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

7-10 drops of Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)

salt to taste

thin piece of celery to stir

Look familiar? It is just a Bloody Mary without the Vodka.

Day Tripping To Fiber "U"

Saturday was Day-Tripping time again.

Michael and I headed South to Lebanon, Missouri to visit a fiber event that has started to become a July tradition-Fiber "U".

A selection of Whirlwind Alpaca yarn from Liz's herd.

Fiber U is the brainchild of Liz Mitchko of Whirlwind Alpacas, which is the largest and most colorful Alpaca herd in Missouri. While the event is Alpaca-centric, there is a cornucopia of classes and a variety of vendors to satisfy every fiber need (and just have to have?). So let the tour begin..........................

Visiting with Lux Felt.  Why Needle Felt with just one needle when you can have over 1.000?

Carol Leigh of Hillcreek Fiber Studio leading a workshop using Hillcreek's Mini-Mod looms.

Carol Leigh's husband Denny, minding the shop and helping me decide if I wanted
a walnut or cherry Mini-Mod.  I took home the cherry.

Darlene Megli, who with Judy Crouch has A  Twist In Time Fiber Shop.
We were asking Darlene about her newest  entrepreneurial venture, Megli Fish Fibers-alpaca fibers for fly fishing lures.  

Leslie Carol on the left teaching rigid heddle weaving and Janet Wray on the right, demonstrating an electric spinner. They are the creative duo behind Jwrayco.  Check out their gorgeous colorways for  sock yarn on ETSY

So many pictures and so little space.  My favorite photographer took quite a few good pics, so the here is a collage of of Fiber U, 2012.

Fiber "U"  for 2013 is July 13 & 14th. Come join the fun and learn something new.

Dying With The Purpura Pansa-A True Lost Art

Purple-stained fingers and nails are signs of a Purpura hunter and dyer

On the Oaxaca coast of Mexico, a small band of sixteen men carry on an ancient tradition.  They coax a thimbleful of ink (really a narcotic to paralyze prey) from the mollusk Purpura Pansa.  For centuries, this beautiful purple yarn has been woven into posahuancos, a traditional sarong like skirt.

The red line marks the traditional habitat of the Purpura Pansa. The red star is the approximate location of Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxca, home of the dye hunters. Note that the men live far inland and must make a five hour journey to the coast.

The dye season lasts October through March. Only large mollusks are milked. After milking, the shell is returned to a protected crevice unharmed so the mollusk will regenerate its ink.

A photo of the little guy, mollusk Purpura Pansa.

 

It takes about 300-400 Purpuras to dye one 12 oz. skein of yarn and the dyers can only work for about three hours a day.  The white ink is dabbed onto a skein of cotton thread that the dyers carry wrapped around their forearms.  Purpura then becomes a yellow green, but with oxygen, it turns purple.  Fixatives are not needed. A true Purpura yarn will carry a briny-ocean smell, a way of checking the yarn's authenticity.

With only sixteen men gathering a dwindling mollusk population, this is an art truly endangered of being lost.

Fives hours from home, a dyer on the hunt.

 

There is a lovely website devoted to this tradition, which you might find interesting here.

I first learned about this tradition from the Spring 2012 emag “Colorways”, which can be downloaded (for a reasonable fee) for PC, MAC, or IPad.

Traditional cloth woven with the Purpura Pansa dyed cotton. The skirts have bands of purpura, indigo and red (dyed with cochineal) on hand-spun silk. These lengths are woven on back-strap looms. 

Poodle Time!-Notables Who Hung Out With Poodles

Time for a Poodle themed article again.  Today's feature is a few of the famous who liked Poodles.

Elizabeth Taylor was a known animal lover and Poodles were included in this passion

A  Poodle named Oliver was the bridal gift to Grace Kelly from her  friend and co-star Cary Grant. (To Catch A Thief)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wit her poodle Gaulie-early 50s

Cary Grant discussing a scrip with a friend

Winston Churchill was a Poodle man. He owned two brown miniature Poodles, both called Rufus. They were treated like members of his family. 

And finally, how can I have the famous and Poodles without one of Audrey Hepburn's iconic shots for Sabrina

Sophia and Niko hope you enjoyed some of our  favorite notables.

Lucienne Day-The Orange Lookbook

Apollo, (detail), late 1950s. Lucienne Day. Manufactured by Heal Fabrics. At the Textile Museum, Washington, D.C  Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III Collection of British Textiles. Courtesy the Textile Museum.

I was thinking about Pantone's color of the year Tangerine Tango and decided I wanted to feature fabric designs by Lucienne Day using orange tones.  I am
just a bit enthusiastic about Day's fabric designs.

Trio-not sure of the date

Foreshore, 1952-this probably leans a bit towards the red orange, but I decided to put it in anyway.

"Springboard furnishing fabric, for Heal's. Screen-printed linen. UK, 1954. "

My first article on Lucienne Day--I hope a decent introduction to her work--can be read here.


A small video clip featuring a recorded conversation with Lucienne Day by Wallpaper magazine can be watched here.

Helix - Manufactured by Thomas Somerset, 1970.

Poodle Time!-First Edition And-Some Of My Favorite Photos

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Poodle!, one of my Pinterest boards has been the most fun to organize. It has also been a board with quite a few repins.  So today, I am taking a slight deviation from the usual and featuring some of my favorite pins on my Poodle! board. 

Vintage Knitting Ad-Knit For You And Your Poodle!

1952-Dori Day With Technicolor Poodles-A Promo Shot For a Picture She Was Starring In, "April In Paris" 

We Must Be Coordinated!

Vintage Poodle Print

This Lady Is Stylin'

And Of Course, Every Group Needs A Diva

Sophia and Niko hope you enjoyed the selection

Summer July Haiku