Continuing my series about the demo with the above silly name, here’s a status report on that very ambitious list I posted yesterday.  Remember that for now, I’m assuming 2007= Season 1.

Fiber source – Local animal (alpaca/Gulf Coast sheep) vs local plant (flax/pina/cotton)
    Season 1 – Make contact with sources; start cultivation of flax/pina/cotton.
Status: Have a pound of espresso alpaca, and sources for more and other colors.  Am pampering pineapple plants in garden, and starting flax seeds.

Fiber preparation – Carding / retting
    Season 1 – Acquire working carding paddles and learn to card wool.  Try harvesting fiber from pina.  Illustrate sources.
Status: Got paddles resurfaced.  Waiting on pineapples to stop sulking from winter.  Suspect harvest come September. (marking calendar) Am working on illustrations now.

Color addition – What plants make what dyes, where do we get them?
    Season 1 – Get dye books, acquire a few dye materials.  Try dying fiber.  Cultivate likely dye plants in garden.
Status: Have Buchanan’s books.  Have indigo powder, and dried purple basil.  Planting coreopsis now.

Spinning – Drop spindle / spindle wheel / flyer-treadle wheel
    Season 1 – Learn to spin alpaca, flax, and cotton.  Get distaff made. Start teaching drop spindling classes.  Create visuals of each activity for tent illustrations.
Status: I can spin alpaca.  I have flax and cotton to play with, but find I need a distaff.  I’m in conversations with a spoon guy for a nice distaff, but I should rig up a practice one.  I’ve taught one dropspindling class – my homemade spindles need more weight.  Working on visuals now.

Cloth creation – Tablet weaving / rigid heddle loom / harness loom
    Season 1 – Learn basics of tablet weaving.  Start work on linsey-woolsey gown.  Illustrate harness loom.
Status: Have ordered Crockett’s book.  Have started weaving on linsey-woolsey fabric.  Looking for illustration now.