Sunday 26 October 2014

Learning to weave

Part of trying to live more sustainably involves learning how to do things.  Learning useful skills gives us greater control over how we choose to live. It also demonstrates what is involved in making many of the things we take for granted.

The role of textile crafts in making useful items that are also beautiful has always appealed to me. Over the years I've become a reasonable knitter and I've learnt to sew basic clothes, as well as have a go at repairing damaged ones.  An interest in sewing then sparked an interest in quilting - in particular 'scrap quilting' - the process of making patchwork quilts using fabric scraps left over from other sewing projects. That definitely pushes my sustainability button!  I have a long way to go to get the hang of quilting ......... but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

One skill that has always interested and intrigued me is weaving.  Woven fabric is so integral to the way we live that we take it for granted.  So in the interests of wanting to know a bit more about making woven cloth, a couple of friends and I attended a Saori weaving workshop at Art Weaver Studio.  

Saori is a form of hand weaving, founded 40 years ago in Japan by a lady called Misao Jo. According to Misao Jo, ""SA" of SAORI has the same meaning as the first syllable of the word "SAI" which is found in Zen vocabulary. It means everything has its own individual dignity. And the "ORI" means weaving". The difference between Saori weaving and other types of hand weaving is that it is a free-form, creative weaving style where the weaver is not trying to replicate the uniformity and precision that would be produced by a machine.  No previous weaving experience is required in order to weave using this method and there are no strict rules to follow. Sounded perfect for me.

Art Weaver Studio is located in Box Hill and is run by Heather and Greg Walters. As well as being an accomplished weaver and teacher, Heather trained with Misao Jo's son, Kenzo Jo, at SAORINOMORI studio in Osaka, Japan.

When we arrived at the Art Weaver studio the compact Saori looms were set up ready for us to start weaving. Heather had beautiful garments and other woven pieces on display to help fuel our creative spirit. Once she had demonstrated the basics of how to use the loom we were free to choose some yarns for our project and get weaving.  You can see part of the studio's extensive range of yarns and two of the looms in the picture below. 



Once we had chosen our yarns the next step was to blend them together onto a bobbin to create even more colour combinations. I chose a range of blues, blending them with some other yarns to add interest. Here's a picture of my piece in progress:





Projects in progress

I have to say, learning to weave in this way was a lot of fun.  As we were weaving, Heather  coached us in ways to add interest to our pieces. She also explained some of the techniques used to create the beautiful pieces displayed in the studio.

We had a break for a delicious Japanese lunch prepared by Greg: 




Then it was back to the studio to complete our projects. The creativity of a bunch of people who had never woven before was quite amazing.  Our completed pieces at the end of the day are shown below. Unfortunately my picture doesn't do them justice - viewed in the flesh the pieces were far more beautiful than my photo suggests. 




 
My piece (second from right) was far from perfect but I was pretty pleased with my efforts, given it was my first go at weaving.  It was surprising how much fabric we were able to create in a day.

I had a great time and highly recommend Art Weaver studio if you are interested in learning this type of weaving.  I would love to go back and do another class.








Monday 20 October 2014

Do the shake


We're doing the shake....................the sugar shake, that is.

DEPI Varroa surveillance sugar shake kit
  
As you may be aware, Australia is the only country that does not have the dreaded varroa mite and we're trying to keep it that way. The Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) is running several surveillance programs for early detection of an incursion of varroa at, and near, shipping ports.  At a recent bee club meeting, Daniel Martin, the DEPI Apiary Inspector from Bendigo gave us a presentation on the department's programs.
 
In addition to the port surveillance programs, DEPI also runs a sugar shake detection program. This is where we urban beekeepers can do our bit to help with varroa detection. The program encourages beekeepers to test their own hives for varroa using the simple sugar shake (or roll) test. This test works as follows - when varroa mites are dusted with pure icing sugar, the fine granules stick to their pads (feet) and they are no longer able to grip the surface on which they cling. The dusting of adult bees with icing sugar causes mites to fall off the bee into the white sugar where they are more easily seen. This process does not harm the bees.

Beekeepers who volunteer to join the DEPI sugar shake program receive a kit, along with a letter explaining the requirements of the program.  Participants will receive 3 requests from DEPI during the year to test their hives using the equipment supplied.  It seemed like a good thing to do so we signed up.  A few weeks later the kit came in the mail. 

The kit consisted of:
  • a 500g plastic container with a screw-top mesh lid. Instructions on how to perform the test were stuck to the side of the container.


  • a 100 ml plastic measuring vessel


  • a bag of pure icing sugar


In addition to the supplied kit, the following equipment is also required:
  • tablespoon for measuring icing sugar
  • sheets of newspaper
  • light coloured bucket (white or other light colour)
  • fine close-weaved household cleaning cloth or coffee filter paper
  • bee smoker, hive tool and protective clothing
  • magnifying lens (if available)
  • water-proof felt marking pen.

The actual test and reporting proces is described below. This information and the  accompanying photos have been taken from the DEPI website. Check out the website for further information on varroa and beekeeping in general.

Method

  • half fill the bucket with clean water
  • place a heaped tablespoon of icing sugar into the jar after removing lid
  • light a smoker and open a hive to be tested
  • shake some bees from three combs containing honey bee brood onto a double thickness of newspaper or upturned hive lid placed on the ground. If brood is not present, shake bees from one comb taken from the centre of the cluster of bees. If you find the queen on these combs, place her back into the hive
  • scoop or pour about 300 bees (half a cup) into the jar. Place the lid on the jar to prevent bees from escaping
  • gently rotate the jar for 2 minutes ensuring all bees are dusted with sugar. Wait 2-3 minutes, and rotate the jar a second time for 2 minutes. Be careful not to lose any sugar. (The hive may be reassembled during this waiting period)
  • gently shake the icing sugar (and any mites) through the holes in the lid into the bucket half filled with water. The sugar will dissolve and any mites will float on the surface of the water. Do the shaking in a sheltered position protected from strong wind that could blow mites away
  • release the bees from the jar onto the ground close to the hive entrance in case the queen is present.

Photo 2. Shake some bees from 3 combs on to newspaper

Photo 3. Pour about half a cup of bees into the jar

Looking for varroa and collection of specimens

Photo 4. Gently shake the sugar into the bucket containing water

  • examine the empty shaker jar and lid for varroa. If you wear glasses to read, wear them while looking for varroa. The mites are reddish-brown; 1.1 mm long and 1.7 mm broad
  • inspect the water surface for varroa, other mites and insects. If you find any, carefully place them into a small jar with methylated spirits and place the jar in a cool position away from sunlight
  • alternatively, pour the water through a piece of light coloured fine close-weaved household cleaning cloth, or coffee filter paper. Inspect the cloth or filter paper for varroa, other mites and insects. If any of these are present or suspected to be present, place and seal the filter cloth or filter paper in a small zip-lock plastic bag or other sealable container
  • use a water-proof pen, label the specimen jar and/or ziplock bag and the hive tested with the same number for later identification.


Steps if you find or suspect presence of varroa in your apiary

It is important that when varroa is found or even suspected to be present in an apiary that it is not spread to another apiary. The following steps will help to reduce the risk of spreading it:
  • don't mail or forward any varroa (and other mites and insects), until advised by a Department of Primary Industries apiary officer. Never take live specimens from the apiary as this may help to spread the parasite or pest
  • don't remove bees or any hive components from this apiary as this could help spread the mite
  • place overalls, veil, gloves (and guantlets) and hat in a plastic bag and leave them at the apiary site until advised by a DPI apiary officer
  • before leaving the apiary, inspect your vehicle to make sure that there are no bees trapped inside or on the radiator. Spray and remove any bees that could be carried from the apiary. Check the tray of the truck, ute or trailer as well. Boxes of combs and other hive material on your vehicle which bees might have entered must be left at the apiary
  • thoroughly wash hands, hive tool, smoker and any other equipment to ensure varroa is not carried from the apiary
  • use a fine toothed comb or brush to remove any mites that may have lodged in hair or beards
  • check clothing for any 'passenger' bees that could be carried by you when leaving the apiary. If another person is with you, have them check your clothing for passenger bees.
 

Notifiable disease

If you see or suspect varroa is present in your apiary, you must notify an Inspector of Livestock (DPI apiary officer, animal health officer or veterinary officer) without delay and by the quickest means possible. The easiest way to do this is to ring the Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675 888 (24 hours a day, every day of the year).

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The test instructions seem fairly straightforward. Still, I think it might be a good idea for us to have a practise run before getting the call to do it for real....



Saturday 18 October 2014

Busy as a .....

Busy as a ............yep, you guessed it.......... bee.

Here are some photos taken in our garden last weekend.

bee on sage


bee on rose geranium


bee visiting a stone fruit tree


a beautiful callistemon flower



Friday 3 October 2014

Current reading list

Here's a snapshot of some of the books we're reading at the moment.

Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture by Ross Conrad. As the spring beekeeping season kicks off I'm revisiting this book.  It's full of useful information for those who want to keep their hive healthy.  In the book Conrad details a holistic, sensible alternative to conventional chemical practices with a program of natural hive management. While we are yet to get varroa here in Australia, we do have plenty of other pests and diseases, and we'd be well advised to be prepared for the arrival of varroa and what that will entail.  Conrad outlines 'do no harm' strategies for keeping honey bees healthy and productive with non-toxic methods of controlling mites, selective breeding for naturally resistant bees, as well as plenty of other tips and tricks.  Chapters include:
  • Why Organic Beekeeping?
  • Working the Hive
  • Hive Management
  • Genetics and Breeding
  • Parasitic Mites
  • Insect Pests
  • Environmental and Human Threats
  • The Honey Harvest
  • Organics and the Evolution of Beekeeping
It's a book aimed at beekeepers of all experience levels and well worth a read.



Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl. We have David and Luise's first book, The Green Kitchen, and I think this new book is even better. Ninety healthy vegetarian recipes, many of them vegan, with drop-dead gorgeous photography.  For me a picture speaks a thousand words and the pictures make me want to cook everything in this book.



Made by Hand by Lena Corwin.  I'd been following Lena's blog for quite some time and was looking forward to getting my hands on this book.  Being a crafty sort of gal, the projects in this book appeal to me and it is beautifully photographed. 




I definitely want to try making the beeswax candles with all the wax I've been purifying from our hive....and would love to have a go at some of the dyeing projects.  In fact there are a lot of projects in the book I'd like to tackle.




Any good books you've been reading lately?