Dyeing for Midsummer
I don’t have a lot of experience with spinning or dyeing yarn and such. But every now and then I get the chance to spend time with a friend who does. My stitching group headed out to a member’s homestead this weekend and we got to play with both natural and not-so natural dyes.
I brought some yarn I spun myself, one was organic merino wool and the other angora and lambs wool (which was terribly over spun out of fear of sucking at spinning).
I also brought the skein of the very first yarn I spun with my drop spindle, which is made of organic bamboo. I have been using the bamboo mostly for offerings, first of fruits and all that. I intended to dye it, packed it and brought it along and everything, but somehow it didn’t come out of the bag.
I also brought some roving (un-spun fibres) and a piece of cloth. The cloth is linen and it was cut into strips and then woven together, it’s very cool. I had originally bought it years ago for the purpose of building a Horned God effigy in my grove. It was going to be His… Continue reading
Gah!
This last month or two has been nothing but two steps forward, one step back. Feels like I’ll never get anything done! Gah!
Protected Birds
For those who are wondering, here is the list of protected birds in Canada. Note that Corvids are not on the list.
Now in some parts of the world you can’t even touch roadkill … in others you can safely gather found dead animals and do as you please, so long as you don’t sell the parts. In other parts of the world you can sell the parts or use them for religious purpose etc. I once found a dead owl on the side of the road at a truck stop, and a RCMP officer helped me remove some feathers and carry it into the woods and say a prayer over the body.
So please, don’t write to me screaming about how I broke laws with my dead neighbour the crow. I know what I’m doing folks.
To Answer a Question
Perform bird-y funeral as best as you can. Blessings, smoke, offerings etc.
Receive permission from the animal’s spirit before you cut.
Cut at the joint. I used a combo of quality wire cutters and good scissors.
You will want to purchase mite/flea spray and use it.
Once dry from the mite spray, you will want to cut open the fleshy parts at the joint. Turn it onto it’s back and make a slit from behind. This makes the flesh dry quicker and better. You might have to do a little trimming
Make sure there is no rot or maggots!
Place in a tupperware in the position you want the wing to stay in.
Gently bury in a mixture of one part sea salt, one part baking soda and two parts borax (just straight cornmeal is also traditional but it takes longer). Have a bit of the mixture at the bottom as well. And place in a safe, dry not too bright or warm place.
Make appropriate offerings to the spirit of the bird while you wait. I like to pop open the container now and then so the air in there doesn’t get stagnate but that might just be my… Continue reading
An Unexpected Funeral
I got home from work at about 9:30 pm, hot and hungry. Opened up a nice cold beer and sat down. As we chatted about our day, the usual “And how was you day dear?” type stuff Brendan informed me of a death. He had been sitting in his office (writing of course) when he heard a terrible commotion, the sounds of birds fighting he thought. Then a thump followed by crows going nuts. He went outside to see what the heck was going on.
One of the crows in our neighbourhood murder had died somehow, possibly in a territorial dispute. The large dark bird lay in the middle of the street with a broken neck. The members of his murder were on rooftops, treetops and telephone wires absolutely carrying on. They were making such a racket that it brought one of the neighbours out of her house to see what was going on as well. Did you know that crows grieve for their dead? Well, they do. It’s rather noisy too, like a jazz funeral.
Brendan was concerned that a local pet or child might get a hold of it, or that the poor thing might be… Continue reading
To Fly By Night
Hoofprints in the Wildwood
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