check in

Its been sixteen days since our initial paper gathering. Erin has been very meticulous with pulling the outer bark off our paper pulp. Sacrificing her hands to the clingy stench of the rotting materials. Its not quite ready, we'll wait a bit longer.

The darker material is dried out. Some of our bast fibers were greener (literally) than the others and thus broke down much quicker than some of our older more stubborn specimens. Supposedly you can dry them out and then rehydrate them when you're ready to use. We'll see how that works out.

episode II: the artist and the botanist strike back

You may recall this sort of shenanigans happening before. Last year, Erin and I embarked on a paper making adventure. I can happily report that the artist and the botanist are at it again. You may revisit our efforts here, here and here.

We planned out the expedition a bit better this year. We borrowed a friend's pick-'em-up truck for easier hauling, grabbed a saw and some good clippers and went to a location I'd been eye balling for several months. We also cut off all the leaves before transporting. It made the entire collection process easier not to mention, less itchy.

Venturing into the unknown in search of treasure.

Our booty.

A bundle.

Peeling is beyond satisfying.

The artist (left) and the botanist (right).

Tommy took pictures. Notice the shiny shoes.

The concoction is brewing... well, rotting in a 5 gallon bucket near Erin's compost. She has reported that its good and smelly. Which I approve of. We're trying to figure out how to properly do the paper making. We're currently in search of a large enough tub and debating on how large to make our screens/frames. I'm voting for a kiddie pool and hula hoops. We'll probably end up doing something smaller and more practical, not to mention a better shape for storage. But, come on. How awesome would a kiddie pool filled with Broussonetia papyrifera goodness be? I can answer that for you: Wicked cool.

career day

Let me first say, the thought that I have enough of a career to be qualified to participate in career day is mind blowing. I don't want to be mistaken for a real adult... ew.

I have a small phobia of teaching/facilitating groups with youth under 10. I'm afraid I'm going to scar them for life, or damage their sweet innocent little brains or they'll eat my soul. Although, I sold that long ago, so this fear is possibly invalid and the most irrational. To top it all off, I don't really know how to talk to them. I don't speak their language. This fun fact about me came out during a staff meeting last month as we were discussing my slow (and not so successful) development of a violence prevention curriculum for Elementary aged youth. Da boss, and da BIG boss decided that all I needed to get over my fear was more practice. Hence the signing up for career day at M.K. Rawlings Elementary School in Gainesville. I've also been permitted to 'borrow' some coworker's 5 year olds. Oh, joy!

The panic didn't really set in until I received an email from the coordinator giving me some ideas for talking points. The big one being "What education did you need to prepare you for your career?" The degree I used for acquiring me job was my B.A. in Women's Studies. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN WOMEN'S STUDIES TO EIGHT YEAR OLDS?! Many college students can't seem to wrap their heads around what this is. How in the world could I break this down into kid friendly speak? I called Mom in a frenzy. We decided to explain it like this:

"You all have learned about the founding fathers, right? Well, do you know anything about the founding mothers? I studied the work and lives of the founding mothers. Not just in our country, but in other countries around the world. I learned their special stories and about why they're often hidden from the histories that we all learn in school. Pretty cool, huh?!"

This explanation went very smoothly. There was no glossy look in their eyes. I even heard a couple of them whisper "cool". We did several activities that we'd do with our groups (made age appropriate of course. No talk of dating relationships, instead of friendships). We played telephone to explore a new big word, communication, and talked about why being clear with our messages is so important. I had one student tell us she could read minds. Which, she failed to read mine, so I think she might have been being silly.

On a whole, the entire experience went VERY well. Thanks to Mom for helping me prep and Da Boss for bailing me out when I ran out of ideas on how to simplify my language and froze. The interns observed and reported that I did fairly well. With only a minor sense of panic and terror in my eyes. I only slipped up and used words that were too advanced a few times, but we turned that into a vocab lesson. We learned 'communication', 'confidential', 'parental figure', and 'compromise'. The kids used them in sentences when they were telling us about their experiences. Go team!

Kids can be cool and aren't really anything to be afraid of, I'd just rather stick to talking to teens. I can use big words and be cool for occasionally saying 'shit'.

discovery

I can fit a penny in my right nostril.


Ok... back to work.

weekend weaving

Over Halloween weekend, Erin and I signed up to take a Beginning Weaving workshop with the Gainesville Handweavers Guild.  It was a two day intensive class where we learned the basics of the loom, how to read patterns, and most importantly (and also the most difficult part) how to 'warp' or 'dress' the loom.  

The first day, I used a table loom which belonged to the GHG.  However, on the second day, Erin lent me one of her extra table looms so I could continue to work on my project at home after the class finished.  I'll post more pictures of my current project soon.  Until then, check out some shots from the workshop.

experiments of the delicious kind

Through Ravelry I stumbled across an AMAZING cooking blog called smitten kitchen.  I am absolutely in love with the photography and have been wanting to make a bunch of the things featured.  I don't really know what came over me, but I had this hankering for marsh mellows after seeing this.  So, after some encouragement from Ms. Erin, an experiment was conducted.  Below are the results:  

the artist and the botanist, part 2

Erin and I finished our paper making experiment today.  It was fun and VERY smelly.

Draining and rinsing the fibers

And then...

... there was paper.

article published!

I talked a week or so ago about being asked to write an article for some friend's budding publication The Fine Print.  Well, here is the final product:

http://thefineprintuf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38:women-and-water-in-india&catid=1:art-a-culture&Itemid=2

While I'm nervous about how I'll react upon receiving criticism, it's something I a) need to come to terms with and b) am really proud of myself for simply doing.  It took me quite some time to actually write the article.  I'm also forever indebted to Hanners and Kite for allowing me to use some of their amazing pictures from the trip.  I didn't know exactly how to deliver what the editors had asked for, mostly because I couldn't articulate what I wanted to.  I'm still having a difficult time discussing and truly explaining my experiences.  Yet I feel that this article is probably the most real and accessible I've been in terms of explaining it.  It's odd, I can talk to people from the trip very easily mostly because I don't have to really explain anything, but get me with someone who knows limited things about India and I get overwhelmed and don't know where to start.  I suppose I don't really care what people have to say about it.  A classmate of mine, a graduate student from India, said she really enjoyed the piece and found it rather accurate.  Greatest compliment I could have received and all I needed.

Also, if you acquire a print copy of the publication, be sure to read Losing Grace by Matthew Clark.  It's not online for some reason.  I wish it was so I could post a link for it.  It's a short column, but I honestly feel it's the best written and most interesting piece in the 24 page publication.  I'm not just saying that because Matthew is a dear friend of mine, but because it is what I truly believe.  He's a wonderful writer and I, for one, look forward to reading more of his work.

garden fun

Playing in Erin's garden.

projects and tinkering

Below are photos of fun time playing with old jeans with Erin, camera practice, and my felted bowl project still on the needles.  Enjoy!

quandary

Sometimes people surprise me in the most interesting ways.  Yesterday was one such case.  I wish I could fully describe it and explain why yesterday was such a lovely day.  It felt like it wasn't one day, but several.  So much can happen and change in a day.  People can surprise you, while others can remain highly predictable and frustrating.  Yet they exist in the same space.

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I'm slowly working on a few felting projects.  I'm knitting the piece first, then turning the beautiful wool into felt.  There is one skein of  yarn that I'm in love with as is.  I'll post a picture of it very soon.  I'm currently trying to figure out what to do with it to keep the properties I love so much, but make it a practical and functional piece.  I love the yarn unknitted for its colors and soft feather-like texture.  A melting of sage green, soft grey and hits of light browns and egg shell.  I knitted it into a swatch and was disappointed with the outcome.  I felted the swatch, and was only slightly satisfied.  I shall solider on.  Any suggestions as to what to do with it would be lovely.

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There has been a lack of beautiful found metal in my life lately.  Perhaps I've just been too busy and not paying attention to the ground around me, but nothing glittery has really caught my eye.  I have refound several bits while cleaning up my desk, apartment, and emptying out bags.  Its almost as if I foresaw this slight lull and created a treasure hunt for my future self.  Which would be rad if I had purposely done that.  Perhaps I need to devise surprises for future Liz.  I think she'd like that.

beach day pictures

Through much encouragement from various sources, I'm working on developing my camera skills.  Below are some of my gems from our Sunday evening/afternoon beach adventure.  It was overcast and dreary, yet strangely blissful.

experiments: front yard finds

I  love natural fibers.  I find them fascinating and wondrous.  A shiny pebble in my world of mysteries!  

Yesterday as we were getting ready to go out, I stood in the front yard waiting... and thinking.  I was curious if the African Iris (Dietes iridioides) leaves would make good cordage.  

The plant from the Iridaceae (Iris family) and is also called fortnight lily, and morea iris.  It's native range is from Kenya to the southern tip of Africa along the eastern coast.  In efforts to figure out if it would make decent cordage I clipped some brown/dead leaves and placed them in a bucket of water for about 2 hours.  I was hoping the results would be similar to the daylily cordage I had made previously with Erin.  No such luck.  After much effort and several attempts, I was unable to make the cordage using the methods I know.  But I will not be defeated that easily.  I'm going to take some back to Gainesville with me for Erin.  Perhaps she'll succeed where I fell short.  She's also much more knowledgeable than I am on this sort of thing, not to mention she's much more creative than I.

Today wasn't completely wasted however.  I started on a project I've been plotting for some time.  Today I began making my army of dish towels.  Hooray for sustainable alternatives to wasteful paper towels!

experiments: physical and abstract

I've spent my previous two evenings with Erin, Tturtle, and Colin. We've been congregating in Erin and Tturle's kitchen to discuss, laugh and share our days' adventures. One of Erin's latest art endeavors has been spinning natural fibers into thread.  She's acquired several sheep fleeces from various sources, which she then cleans, brushes, and spins using a drop spindle.  She's mainly been working with wool, but has tried her hand at cotton and has bags of flax and silk to experiment with in the very near future.  I love exploring the wonders of the natural world with Erin.  She excitedly calls me to share her discoveries and results.  When I can, I hurry over and we drool over the creation and materials like dogs over a dropped piece of cake.    After creating some thread with Erin last week, I took the gem home and knitted a small swatch to experiment with some of the different properties.  Upon finishing I reported back to Erin, who was as delighted as I about the results.  We're going to felt with the swatch and experiment with that process and outcome of the particular fleece we used.  Not only does each individual medium have its own unique texture, each has it's own scent; the completely unprocessed fleeces smell like happiness, the cotton like a cool fall breeze, the flax like freshly cut wood.  The color palate is also something I'm particularly drawn to.  I feel strangely at home and soothed by the creams, browns, toffees, eggshells, moss green (of spanish moss we made cordage out of yesterday), and even the pure sterile white of the cotton.  I'm honored that Erin shares the knowledge and techniques she's learned with me.  I find it fascinating and thrilling to make something from the rawest of raw materials.  I can't get enough of it.  Learning the origins of processes we reap the benefits from every single day leaves me in absolute awe.  Even more so since I would never have had the courage to venture this direction on my own.  Erin encourages me to jump right in and not be afraid.  Strangely enough, things I find to be mistakes happen to be beautiful with a little more work.  

Happy Earth Day!

Hug a tree... it's Earth DAY!  I really love earth day, mostly because I love the things on earth.

Today was a last lab.  Well... more like a last lecture that took place in the lab room.  Weird? Yes.  Fun?  Hells yeahs.  For my ethnobotany class the last lecture was a "Food lab"  aka party.  We ate at least one thing from every (edible) plant family we learned about over the course of the semester.  Most things were delicious... one thing was not.  It smelled like vomit, but no self respecting botanist, or botanist-to-be, can approach any edible fruit and pass judgement without trying it at least once.  Apparently this is the rule... or so my TA told me.  Sounds like a good rule.  How can you fully study and understand something unless you give it the benefit of the doubt?

The fruit I sampled was Durian (Durio zibetninus).  The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits," the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique (insert repulsive) odor, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb).  Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the color of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species.  The hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns while the edible flesh within emits a distinctive odor.  This odor is regarded as either fragrant or overpowering and offensive. The odor of the ripe fruit is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact.  Due to the unusual odor, the durian is forbidden from certain establishments such as hotels and public transportations in Southeast Asia (because it'll make you want to die). The odor has prompted many people to formulate evocative descriptions with views ranging from those of deep appreciation (I'd really like to meet this person) to intense disgust (general response).  

Upon my challenge to eat this 'delightful' specimen I promptly plugged my nose, swallowed my pride and ate it.  Immediately I gagged on the warm custard like consistency and repulsive flavor.  But I swallowed it, bringing tears to my eyes.  The taste was somewhere between rotten meat and vomit mixed with a hint of death.  It had to be the most disgusting thing I've ever placed in my mouth, let alone eaten.  I've licked some gross shit in my days... but never have I ever felt like I was going to throw up my intestines as a gag response to something.  If ever I had to design an initiation for someone, this would be it.  Perhaps that's why I was challenged... in that case, I suppose I've been hazed into the botany family of flowerly love.  Hell yeah.  Today I'm a bad ass.