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Post by chookie2 on Apr 26, 2016 23:24:45 GMT
Most non native weeds in Australia spread to here with the early settlers when they brought their gardens with them/food plants/rabbits etc. Now they are endemic but with a few we have bonuses like dye or food(dandelions) medicine etc.Rabbits are now the bane of farmers everywhere and even the Akubra hat industry has disappeared where before they used to make hats from rabbit skins, now it is not viable to even hunt them for skins or meat which is a real pity.Can you tell I am a country girl ? LOL
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Apr 27, 2016 20:27:02 GMT
Sue B--it’s always interesting to hear about the plants and animals of other countries and continents. I can tell you are a country girl because I didn’t understand what you were talking about--rabbits and dandelions and Akubra? Can you tell I am a city girl? ;-)) Just kidding, we get dandelions, too.
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Post by koffipot on Apr 27, 2016 21:01:04 GMT
Dandelions are beautiful and make useful remedies and gorgeous dyes - but not in my lawn thank you! Rabbits are a pest here as well - too few natural predators left.
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Post by Pandagirl on Apr 27, 2016 21:58:57 GMT
I'm with you Judith about the dandelions. We have rabbits, but also coyotes and Hawks.
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Post by chookie2 on Apr 28, 2016 0:45:16 GMT
yes we have have plenty of predator birds that are natural to us but rabbits and foxes and the dreaded cane toad were all imported as "fixes" of some kind at the early stages of settlement- the mistakes we make as humans! Many weeds were imported on early sailing ships as either garden plants or accidentally in their pot plants.
Australia being an Island country has very strict quarantine laws now and we do not allow importation of seeds, plants or animals without strict supervision and guidelines plus long expensive quarantine so sadly no seed swaps online for me.I wonder about fleece but see nothing on the AQIS site about it, but it would have to be clean I expect as no dirt is allowed in either. Though we have plenty of Australian and cross bred sheep to keep us felters happy. Some people do import animals for breeding but they go through expensive and long term quarantine first.
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Post by chookie2 on Apr 28, 2016 0:50:04 GMT
To get back on topic my daily dose of fibre, today sees me finish laying out the vest.I am using a layer of printed silk on one side - a gift from my daughter at Christmas when she was in Malaysia, she brought me several lengths of lovely printed silks. Here's a pic of some of them.This is the colourway I will use on my vest, the fleece shows more blue in the pic but it is really jade-ish. I have laid out the silk first as I want it to be on one side of the reversible vest.
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Post by chookie2 on Apr 28, 2016 2:51:25 GMT
Cathy, Akubra is an Australian brand of rabbitskin fur hat - much like a Stetson only Aussie style. It has now become a fashion and both men and women wear them now where once they were only worn by Outback cattlemen, but sadly no more to be made in Australia - offshore now to get enough skins they said. Probably more like cheaper costs.
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Post by Shepherdess on Apr 28, 2016 14:03:29 GMT
Leave your dandelions in the lawn. They are what the bees use in early spring. Think of them as lovely yellow highlights in a sea of green. Never understand the obsession with vast amounts of grass. You just have to cut it. My front yard is pretty much all violets.
What part of the dandelion do you use for dyeing? and do you just get earthy yellow and green?
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Post by koffipot on Apr 28, 2016 16:20:36 GMT
Leave your dandelions in the lawn. They are what the bees use in early spring. Think of them as lovely yellow highlights in a sea of green. Never understand the obsession with vast amounts of grass. You just have to cut it. My front yard is pretty much all violets. What part of the dandelion do you use for dyeing? and do you just get earthy yellow and green? I have plenty of flowers for the bees without having them in the lawn. Ours is a small garden, so only have small lawns and the grass cutting is my husband's job - I'm the tree and shrub pruner, weeder and flower person. As for dyes; both the flowers and leaves can be used, the leaves going more to the green side of yellow. Earthy or very bright hues can be achieved. An Alum mordant gives a really bright sunny yellow, whilst copper and iron give the more earthy tones.
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Post by elizabeth on Apr 28, 2016 18:41:05 GMT
Koffipot - I have the same duties as you -- weeder, pruner, planter. We have a small yard. We took up the grass in front because it's so shady that grass would not grow. I'm slowly transplanting various shady volunteers that I like from the back to the front - violets, horseherb, and an interesting clumpy grassy thing. I think it's a sedge; my hubby says it's buffalo grass because he spread seed there. Buffalo grass grows in hot TX sun, not shade. I let him have his fantasy. Ann, I envy your yard full of violets.
While I'm waiting for my room to be finished, my dose is trying to turn the heel on a knitted sock. After the 5th try I found the correct combination of wine and Grantchester to get it done. Now for the second one.
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Post by Shepherdess on Apr 28, 2016 22:01:07 GMT
Judith I love dandelions. What's not to love about yellow flowers that look after themselves. LOL Now thistles you can have and they are tenacious.
Elizabeth I have a shady front yard to I have 3 dwarf apple trees so violets are just about it. They do have to be mowed about twice a year. I don't know horseherb I will have to look it up.
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Post by chookie2 on Apr 28, 2016 22:58:47 GMT
GRRR am sooo disappointed, my vest doesn't fit me..length is fine (3/4 coat length) but a few sizes too small around the bust and hips to fit.It looks lovely and felted well but the shrinkage was so much more in one direction that it will now fit my daughter who is a skinny one.LOL Oh well maybe I can sell it for more wool. I will have to change the pattern to a more generous width now. Here it is still wet without shoulders sewn. I admit to abandoning it one the table once I saw how it had shrunk. Will get back to it today and finish and dry it.This is the layout before wetting down. It more jade than blue but for some reason the camera makes it look more blue. There is also the same jade in the silk.
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Post by Pandagirl on Apr 28, 2016 23:06:16 GMT
Sue, the vest is beautiful. I'm sorry it shrunk too much. I'm sure your daughter will treasure it.
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Post by chookie2 on Apr 28, 2016 23:31:19 GMT
Thanks Marilyn, Glad it looks good,not sure it is my daughter's style, but will see what she thinks if she comes here later in the year.She lives 3000 klm away. I can always sell it anyway I guess. Was just loving the colours and planned to wear it to a 5 day Fibre fest in September. Still time to fix the pattern and make another ( but no more of that lovely silk colour so will have to go with other colors). Shrinkage still gets me almost every time I make a garment darn it. Still lots to learn.
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Post by MTRuth on Apr 28, 2016 23:46:08 GMT
Sue your vest turned out great. Sorry the sizing didn't work out. Did you do a sample first? How did you lay out the wool? I mean in what directions? Does it have a base of silk? Most of the time when I do nuno, it shrinks almost 50% or more. One of the reasons I don't do much clothing is the sizes are so large to start and I don't have a table big enough for layout. I hate working on the floor But it sounds like you're learning a lot so I'm sure you'll get one that fits next time.
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