APOLOGIES TO MRS. PEACOCK

 

 

WARM WHEN WET

There is a reason that wool is the chosen fabric for fishermen and sailors.  The unusual structure of the wool fibre allows a sweater to absorb 30% of its weight in moisture before feeling wet.  The epicuticle actually breaks the hydrogen and oxygen bond of water, creating heat.  What's more, the fuzzy surface repels water and the natural kinks create pockets of insulating air.  Fishermen in Ireland added to these protections by wearing sweaters made from unwashed wool, thus retaining the waterproof lanolin oil.  

To retain the beauty and longevity of your sweaters, here are a few cleaning tips.  Remember to always wash your sweaters using a soap instead of a detergent.  Wool is made from protein fibres which detergent is designed to break down.  If you don't have a product like Woolite on hand you can substitute by using shampoo (your hair is also a protein fibre).  Always use cold water and minimize wringing and agitation otherwise you'll begin to felt the fabric.  If you have a washing machine, you can hand wash and spin to dry on the slowest setting.  Always lay your sweaters flat when drying to avoid misshaping.  I like to roll a wet sweater in a towel, applying pressure to remove the water.

Pilling is a major sweater issue.  Nothing makes a cashmere sweater look more trashy than unsightly pills.  There are electric de-pillers available but I prefer a hand held comb.  Rest assured that most sweaters only have so many pills to aggravate you with and after several rounds with the comb you can lead a relatively pill free existence.

 

BOTANICAL SKETCHES

We'll never know who painted these floral studies but I imagine it was a man in his early forties, working as schoolmaster in England in the early 1900's.  With an eye to the Bloomsbury set and an easy talent, he delighted his young pupils with the beauty of nature.

BACK TO WORK

The holiday season is lovely, but as the chocolate turns saccharine and the visiting becomes tedious, you know it's time to get back to work.  Pictured here are workers past and present from the Gladstone potteries in Stoke-on-Trent.  Once a thriving factory, the potteries have been preserved as a museum complete with artisans demonstrating the skills once used there.  

 

YEAR IN REVIEW

An early morning estate sale is one of our favourite activities.  I have to admit that it is not so much the deals, but the opportunity to enter someone else's home and rummage through their stuff and glean their story that appeals to us.  Voyeuristic, morbid, sometimes sad, the estate sale offers a good perspective on material objects.  I now consider myself the current caretaker of the objects I collect, as like the owners of the many houses we have entered, I won't be able to take them with me.  Here is a smattering of photos taken from local contents sale websites from the past year.