"She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands."
~Proverbs 31:13~
"And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair."
~Exodus 35:25-26~
Bessie and Her Spinning Wheel Robert Burns, 1792 O Leeze me on my spinnin' wheel, And leeze me on my rock and reel; Frae tap to tae that cleeds me bien, And haps me biel and warm at e'en; I'll set me down and sing and spin, While laigh descends the simmer sun, Blest wi' content, and milk and meal, O leeze me on my spinnin' wheel. On ilka hand the burnies trot, And meet below my theekit cot; The scented birk and hawthorn white, Across the pool their arms unite, Alike to screen the birdie's nest, And little fishes' caller rest; The sun blinks kindly in the beil', Where blythe I turn my spinnin' wheel. On lofty aiks the cushats wail, And Echo cons the doolfu' tale; The lintwhites in the hazel braes, Delighted, rival ither's lays; The craik amang the claver hay, The pairtrick whirring o'er the ley, The swallow jinkin' round my shiel, Amuse me at my spinnin' wheel. Wi' sma' to sell, and less to buy, Aboon distress, below envy, O wha wad leave this humble state, For a' the pride of a' the great? Amid their flairing, idle toys, Amid their cumbrous, dinsome joys, Can they the peace and pleasure feel Of Bessy at her spinnin' wheel?Housewifery Edward Thomas (1642-1729) Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning-wheel complete. Thy holy Word my distaff make for me; Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat; And make my soul Thy holy spool to be; My conversation make to by Thy reel, And reel the yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel. Make me Thy loom, then; knit therein this twine; And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills. Then weave the web Thyself. The yarn is fine. Thine ordinances make my fulling mills. Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice, All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise. Then clothe therewith mine understanding will, Affections, judgement, conscience, memory, My words and actions, that their shine may fill My ways with glory and Thee glorify. Then mine apparel shall display before Ye That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.
THE CONSECRATION OF THE CLOTH Descending with the glen; One rune, Two runes, Three runes, Four runes, Five runes, Six runes. Seven runes, Seven and a half runes, Seven and a half runes. May the man of this clothing never be wounded, May torn he never be; What time he goes into battle or combat, May the sanctuary shield of the Lord be his. What time he goes into battle or combat, May the sanctuary shield of the Lord be his. This is not second clothing and it is not thigged, Nor is it the right of sacristan or of priest. Cresses green culled beneath a stone, And given to a woman in secret. The shank of the deer in the head of the herring, And in the slender tail of the speckled salmon.
Scottish LOOM BLESSING My loom and everything a-near me, Bless me in my every action, Make Thou me safe while I live. From every brownie and fairy woman, From every evil wish and sorrow, Help me, O Thou helping Being, As long as I shall be in the land of the living. In name of Mary, mild of deeds, In name of Columba, just and potent, Consecrate the four posts of my loom., Till I begin on Monday. Her pedaIs, her sleay, and her shuttle, Her reeds, her warp, and her cogs, Her cloth-beam, and her thread-beam, Thrums and the thread of the plies. Every web, black, white, and fair, Roan, dun, checked, and red, Give Thy blessing everywhere, On every shuttle passing under the thread. Thus will my loom be unharmed, Till I shall arise on Monday; Beauteous Mary will give me of her love, And there shall be no obstruction I shall not overcome.
The Work of the Weavers Robert Burns We're all met t'gither Here t'sit an' t'crack Wi' our glasses in our hands And our wark upon our back An' there's nae trade amang 'em That can eithermend or mak' If it wasna' for the wark of the weavers! Chorus: If it wasna' for the weavers, What would y'do? Y'wouldna' hae your cloth That's made of wool Y'wouldna' hae your cloak Of the black or the blue If it wasna' for the wark of the weavers! The hireman chiels they mock us And they crack aye aboot's They say that we are thin-faced An' bleached like cloots But yet, for a' their mockery They canna dae wi'oots Na! They canna want the wark of the weavers! Chorus: There's oor wrichts and oor slaters And glaziers and a' Oor doctors and oor ministers, And them what live by law And oor friends in Sooth Ameriky, Tho them we never saw But we ken they wear the work of the weavers! Chorus: There's oor sailor and oor sodgers, We ken they're a'bauld But if they hadna' claes, faith, They couldna fecht for cauld The high and low, the rich and puir, A'body yound and auld They winna want the work of the weavers! Chorus: There's folk that independent Of other trademen's wark The women need nae barber, And the dykers need nae clark, But none of 'em can dae Wi'oot a coat or a sark Na! They canna want the work of the weavers! Chorus: The weavin' is a trade That niver can fail As lang as we need clothes For t'keep anither hale Sae let us all be merry Wi' a beaker of guid ale And we'll drink tae the health of the weavers!
The Spinning Wheel Irish Folksong Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning Close by the window young Eileen is spinning Bent o'er the fire her blind grandmother sitting Crooning and moaning and drowsily knitting. Merrily cheerily noiselessly whirring Spins the wheel, rings the wheel while the foot's stirring Sprightly and lightly and merrily ringing Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing. Eileen, a chara, I hear someone tapping 'Tis the ivy dear mother against the glass flapping Eileen, I surely hear somebody sighing 'Tis the sound mother dear of the autumn winds dying. What's the noise I hear at the window I wonder? 'Tis the little birds chirping, the holly-bush under What makes you shoving and moving your stool on And singing all wrong the old song of the "Coolin"? There's a form at the casement, the form of her true love And he whispers with face bent, I'm waiting for you love Get up from the stool, through the lattice step lightly And we'll rove in the grove while the moon's shining brightly. The maid shakes her head, on her lips lays her fingers Steps up from the stool, longs to go and yet lingers A frightened glance turns to her drowsy grandmother Puts her foot on the stool spins the wheel with the other. Lazily, easily, now swings the wheel round Slowly and lowly is heard now the reel's sound Noiseless and light to the lattice above her The maid steps, then leaps to the arms of her lover. Slower... and slower... and slower the wheel swings Lower... and lower... and lower the reel rings Ere the reel and the wheel stop their ringing and moving Through the grove the young lovers by moonlight are roving.
The Cardin O't, The Spinnin O't Robert Burns, 1795 I coft a stane o' haslock woo', To mak a wab to Johnie o't; For Johnie is my only jo, I loe him best of onie yet. Chorus: The cardin' o't, the spinnin' o't, The warpin' o't, the winnin' o't; When ilka ell cost me a groat, The tailor staw the lynin' o't. For tho' his locks be lyart grey, And tho' his brow be beld aboon, Yet I hae seen him on a day, The pride of a' the parishen. Chorus:
Pop! Goes the Weasel All around the mulberry bush The monkey chased the weasel, The monkey thought 'twas all in fun. Pop! Goes the weasel! A penny for a spool of thread, A penny for a needle. That's the way the money goes, Pop! Goes the weasel! Up and down the City Road. In and out of the Eagle. That's the way the money goes, Pop! Goes the weasel! Half a pound of tupenney rice, Half a pound of treacle, Mix it up amd make it nice, Pop! Goes the weasel!
It is said that this song may refer to the silk weavers descended from Protestant Hugenot refugees who fled France during the late 17th century. They then settled in an eastern suburb of London. Being silk weavers they cultivated mulberry bushes because the leaves are a dietary source for the silkworm.When people spun their own wool for weaving they used a yarn winder to measure the yarn into a skein. When the wheel went around enough to wind the length of the skein the yarn winder was geared to make a "popping" sound. This let the person know that the skein was finished winding. The name of the winder was "weasel." This song was possibly sang while waiting for the "pop."
The page The Pioneer Story by Max Bertola agrees that rhyme originated with spinning yarn. He further adds that when the yarn was finished winding into skeins a clock-like device--called the "weasel"--inside of the reel would pop after 40 turns.
Being of Scottish heritage (my father was from Glasgow) I just had to add one of my favorite Scottish Folk songs that has absolutely nothing to do with Spinning or Weaving. Enjoy.
The Wild Mountain Thyme The Blooming Heather Will Ye Go, Lassie? (Right click below to hear the melody)
 Nanook was found wandering the road obviously abandoned. This is an all to common practice, throwing dogs away as if they were trash to litter the highways. Nanook was a very loving dog and brought much joy into our lives. She was a part of our family for 14 years, passed away from congestive heart failure some time ago. Nanook was a very loving dog and brought much joy into our lives.A year before she died I noted that whenever she over exerted herself she would black out for a few seconds then was back up seemingly no worse for the experience. I took her to a vet that specialized in cardiac ailments and he told us that she was suffering from congestive heart failure. The symptoms worsened no matter what medicine we would try and eventually she passed away. It broke my heart, and though my husband, like most men, does not show his emotions I know he grieved also. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to bring another dog into the family because I felt as if I would somehow be trying to replace Nanook, but since I have always had pets, the house soon seemed very empty. My husband and I wanted to visit some of the animal shelters here but this became very hard for me. I would cry and could not choose just one when I wanted to take them all home. I told him to go by himself and choose one since previous experience had shown us that we cannot save them all and I did not feel that we could take care of more than one dog adequately. He brought home Mika.
Mika is a very smart dog, yes I know everyone says that about their pets I had my husband bring her home on a Friday so we could work with her all weekend long before having to leave her home alone when we would have to return to work on Monday. I would take her outside every 15 minutes while she was awake and so she would know that this was the place to relieve herself and not in the house. I made sure whenever she finished eating that she went straight out. She caught on quickly and only messed up once the first week while we were at work. The next step was obedience classes. Obedience classes are most important in teaching humans how to make their furbabies understand what we want from them. I was most concerned about being able to control her in public since I wanted to include her in all activities. We all learned quickly.
Mika will stand at the front which reminds me of those figureheads at the bow of old ships, and when with a group she wants to be the lead canoe. She learned very quickly what "duck" means after getting knocked on the back of the head by low hanging tree limbs while looking back behind us. She has been a Godsend and gives us great joy and comfort as so many pets do. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience what pets can give.
We had to ferret proof the house since I do not use cages for any of our furbabies. I first tried using child proof locks on my cabinets but found it allowed just enough room for him to slip through so for now we have to bar the cabinets closed. I have had to put pine cones in all my house plants so he won't dig in them and have had to block underneath the stove so he wont climb under. I have also had to stuff the opening to the woofer for our stereo with a skein of yarn so he won’t climb inside. I thought I had all the bases covered until one day I came home and noted the refrigerator door was open. I thought that perhaps we had not closed it well and didn't give it a second thought until the next morning when I was in the kitchen and he came in took his two front paws and pried the door open and went for the box of raisins I keep in there for his treat. Now I have to set a stool in front of the frig before leaving for work everyday. Polaris slept in the drawer of my bedside table. I placed several old flannel nightgowns, which he loved to wrap up in and snooze for about 18 hours a day. Seems this is quite normal for ferrets but when he is awake he is hell on wheels. He would climb into bed with us at night and wake Mika up or one of us to play. But once he started nibbling on toes I would have to put him back into his drawer and he would usually just fall back to sleep without getting back up. He also loved my husband's housecoat and would lie in wait to ambush him when he walks by. Jumping about a foot off the floor with claws out, he grabbed on to the housecoat and goes for a ride. Addendum 10/00: Polaris passed away after developing an adrenal tumor that was inoperable due to its location. These tumors are fairly common in ferrets and if located on the right side can be removed rather successfully but if on the left side they are usually wrapped around the vena cava and can not be removed totally. I did not have the heart to put him through another surgery after the first one showed no real benefit. He was 8 years old and even toward the end when he lost all his hair and began loosing strength in his back legs you could still see the sparkle of life so brilliant in his eyes. He would not let anything slow him down. He passed away with me stroking him and telling him it was ok for him to go. I will miss his courage, playfulness and love of life very much.
I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian and will only eat unfertilized eggs from free range chickens. Since these are very hard to obtain at the local grocers, and when you can find them the price is outrageous, we decided to raise a few laying hens of our own. We purchased 2 buffs and a black australorp. I was a little hesitant to get chickens. I remembered as a young teen feeding my friends chickens she would make a game of throwing feed at my bare feet to get them to run and peck at me. I wondered how well I would be able to bond to these animals and yet the day I picked them up at our local feed store (a day old) I fell in love with them. Each has their own personality and are quite playful, they love to ride on the backs of my goats. I will have to add pictures of them and the coop we ended up building along with some adventures we have experienced with them soon.
Many of the squirrels I have raised over the years remain quite friendly. Precious who has been on her own for several years now still bangs on the front door to let us know she wants some pecans. Through the years we have also enjoyed the company of quite a few house rabbits. They make wonderful pets, but as with any animal you bring into your home, they have special needs and considerations. I cannot stress how important it is to learn all you can before bringing a potential companion home. For instance rabbits can be trained to use the litter box just like cats. Though I have had a few that will not use it all the time. Rabbits, because their front teeth grow continuously, tend to chew on everything including walls, and seem to have a great attraction to electrical cords. Left unsupervised can be electrocuted or cause fires.
Your Path  © 1996-2004  |
Mika was a member of a litter someone found in the woods. They were huddled around their mother who had been dead for some days. When we brought her home she had lice and GI distress. We had to put her on white rice and low fat cottage cheese until her digestive track straightened out. 
Mika lives to canoe. She enjoys camping and
hiking but I think her favorite is canoe trips She is the first one up every morning and will open the tent door at first light. You can hear her
splashing in the water long before anyone is up. This means I get up before anyone else also to watch for alligators. Dogs are their favorite snack. 
Polaris originally lived with a family of many small children. It became quite clear to his original owners that did not make for a good mix. When we first took him in he was very skittish. Frightened of any quick movement. He has been with us for approximately 6 months now and has warmed up quite well.
I recently embarked on a new adventure in the world of fiber. Once I learned how to spin the next logical step was to raise my own fiber animals....well it was a good excuse to bring home some new furbabies :-) Here are our new girls, not quite a year old when this picture was taken 1/14/00, Belle, Chloe and Harmony. A friend who raises and breeds Angora goats rescued them from another breeder who wanted to put them down. She offered them to me knowing I was looking for fiber animals and her goats picked on them so. I was happy to be able to give them a new home.
This is a picture of felix who we rescued after loosing his home during hurricane Felix. He is one of the many squirrels I have raised and released on our land. Some were orphaned when mothers were shot for chewing Christmas lights, some are were found by pets or children and we are called often to "come and get" these orphans.
Harry, like so many rabbits, was purchased at the state fair for my sister's little boy. As most children do, he soon lost interest and though he was well taken care of, my sister thought he would have a better life with us rather than spending it in a hutch outside.
