Past the solstice

The solstice came and went. Although the days are now getting shorter, thankfully this isn’t yet noticeable, and those long light evenings are the very best time to be at the allotment. The heat wave we’ve had this last week is hopefully shifting, returning to the temperatures we’d expect at this time of year. Expectations must change though, as these extremes are becoming more normal. I’ve found my attic studio too hot to work in this week. I’ve therefore transferred my making focus from the weaving frame up in the studio to more portable activity that I can do in whichever downstairs room is the coolest at different parts of the day.

I’ve been working on a new woven flax piece, which will join the rest of my Flaxen work at the Knit and Stitch Shows later in the year. I have ticket discount codes for the show, which I’ll share at the bottom of this post. The piece I’m making is hand twisted flax fibre, woven on a long pin loom. This is a single piece of cordage (image above), forming warp and weft, and beginning and ending at the same point. There is a wonderful simplicity to this structure that I return to repeatedly. I also love the purity of using just one material for the whole piece – no difference between warp and weft.

I made a similar piece (detail above) as part of the original Flaxen show at Kestle Barton (I have lovely memories of this time last year when the show opened on the solstice). The original piece was partially dyed using ink made from apple wood from the orchard at Kestle Barton. The ombré effect of dipping the weave into the ink referenced tide lines left by the tidal creeks around the Helford River, staining from the mud when the tide dropped.

The new piece is still on the pins (small nails hammered into a piece of wood – the simplest of technology!) and I don’t know yet whether this one will be dyed or left raw. But I’ve nearly completed the to-and-fro of twisting a section of cordage then weaving that into the structure, repeating this until the woven surface is complete and the end meets the beginning.

I’ve also been working on a new batch of wooden needles, which I like to use with my cordage for looping or weaving. This batch is made from hazel that I coppiced on the plot early in the year. Previous needles were made from apple wood and damson wood from the allotment. Each has its own properties and I’m slowly learning more about the wood with each batch and each set of tasks. The splitting and axing gives me a set of rough blanks. This time I borrowed a shave horse and draw knife to refine these blanks down to faceted cylinders. I then drilled and filed the holes and then I work on each one with a carving knife to get to the final needle shape. They’re all different and they’ll all feel good in the hand. The hazel wood is pale and creamy looking. Some of the needles will end up in my workshop kit for the teaching I’ve got over the next few weeks, which means they’ll get tested nicely by several different hands. Some will be available on the shop.

It’s been so hot this week that I’ve only visited the allotment to water the polytunnel and greenhouse, going there in the evening when the light is beautiful. The flax has grown significantly in the warm weather and the first few flowers appeared during the week. The nettles are good and high, and I’ve started harvesting them for fibre. Over the coming weeks I’ll strip a few each time I visit. Last year my son Joe filmed me processing some plant fibres and we put together a few little films. I never got round to sharing them at the time, but I’ve just uploaded them onto Youtube in case they’re of interest to anyone.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be showing Flaxen at the Knit and Stitch Shows at Alexandra Palace, London 8 – 11 October. If you’d like to come along I have a discount code for tickets below. I also have a pair of free tickets to give away and I’ll be doing a giveaway for those on my Instagram next weekend.

Your unique Discount Ticket Code: ALICEFOX

This code offers visitors a £2 discount on their ticket purchase for adult/concession tickets.

K+S London Discount codes T&Cs: £2 off standard adult / concession tickets only. Offer not valid on VIP, Two-day, Child or Group tickets, or on Saturday 10th October. Transaction fee of £4.25 applies per order.

Instructions for using discount/comp codes

Visit https://www.knitandstitchshow.co.uk/london/

Go to Book Tickets, select Admission Tickets, choose One Day Tickets, then Standard Tickets, and choose the preferred day for your visit. Submit the code in the promotional code box at the top of the page, then select the number of adult / concession tickets.

Flaxen will then show at Knit and Stitch Show, Harrogate 19 – 22 November and there’ll be a new set of discounts etc to come for that show in due course.