Great Bowerbird Bath

During the Dry Season, Jerry keeps the birdbath brimming full for the daily stream of bird visitors. As soon as the Wet Season gets underway, the rains tend to keep the birdbath topped up even as the numbers of bird visitors decline as they gain access to water in heaps more places.

This year the rains have been patchy – concentrated for a few days or a week, then followed by no rain for a spell. Thus it has become more important to make daily checks on the bird bath and refill as necessary.

A sleek and serious young male great bowerbird arrived for a bath. 

He couldn't believe how low the water was.

He settled for a sponge bath.

There's something refreshing about looking ridiculous.

What's ridiculous is letting the water get that low!

Post by M in JaM

Pix by J in JaM

Color Development with Natural Brown Cotton

Two skeins of darkened Brown Pima cotton handspun yarn;
atop the skein on the right are a few strands of the original Brown Pima handspun

Starting with Easy To Spin Brown Pima cotton sliver, I produced my first two handspun skeins of naturally colored brown Pima cotton yarn to be used in weaving.

I have learned that, over time, naturally colored brown cotton gradually darkens when subjected to repeated washing with detergents and heating in a dryer, that is, when subjected to moisture, especially in a basic pH environment, and to heat. I decided to do some Color Development, as Sally Fox describes this process for intentionally darkening naturally coloured cotton.

Following one of her suggestions, I added 2T of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to a gallon of water and added those two skeins of handspun brown Pima cotton. As the pot came to a boil, I kept pushing the yarn beneath the surface of the water until it was completely saturated and stayed immersed. I boiled the pot for 30 minutes.

Not only did the brown color darken, but on drying, the yarn has lost some of its sheen and has a matt appearance. I like my transformed skeins of dark brown cotton. I find a growing interest in the history of colored cotton, as described by James M. Vreeland, Jr. in the linked article published in the Scientific American in 1999. Equally fascinating is the Sally Fox story: Innovation in the Field.

No matter how interesting it is to learn new things, nothing beats the pleasure of a simple head scratch.

Post by M in JaM

Pix by JaM