This scarf is a gift for my uncle, inspired by quartz clusters we saw together backpacking in Cottonwood Canyon in Death Valley. From what I've been reading I think they were formed by intrusive igneous rock forming around xenoliths, and by cooling very slowly forming the incredible quartz crystals we saw, which looked like rings around the darker xenoliths in the weathered rock face we saw. I'm not trained as a geologist though and would love to find more information about the geology of Cottonwood Canyon from someone with some real expertise!

The wool is targhee roving I got at the nor cal ren faire. I spun it on my small cross arm spindle and wove it on a loom I've been borrowing from a friend. It's plain weave set at 8epi. It looked very open on the loom, but fulled into a wonderfully bouncy and dense fabric.

After fulling I scoured the fabric, then used rubber bands to do this shibori inspired dye process. After putting on the rubber bands I gave it a bath in tannins I extracted from an oak gall, then in a bath of cool water with just a tiny bit of dissolved ferrous sulfate. It was so exciting to see the fabric turn grey in a a matter of just a few minutes when I put it in the iron bath!

#handweaving
#weaving
#handspinning
#naturaldyes
#dyes
#textiles
#handwoven
#handspun
#tiedye
#shibori
#oakgalls
#ferroussulfate
#naturaldye
#targhee
#wool
#geology
#xenolith
#quartz
#deathvalley

From a walk around the block earlier. Hops growing on the farm shop shed and what I believe is an old artichoke gall on an oak tree in my hedge. I think galls are quite niche so happy to get an expert view!

#BloomScrolling #OakGalls

Honeydew Gall Wasps (Disholcaspis eldoradensis) form stem galls on several oak species. While the larvae feed, the galls exude a sweet sap that attracts ants and yellow jackets—providing an important late-summer honeydew source when other foods are scarce.

#Nature #Wildlife #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverGalls #GallWasps #CynipidWasps #OakGalls

Spined Turban Gall Wasps (Cynips douglasii) induce distinctive galls on valley, blue, and scrub oaks—home to developing larvae. Adult females emerge from these galls in winter.

#OakGalls #InsectLifeCycle #wildlife #nature #california

04/07/2025 - Evening walk to start the weekend. Round and back over the hill. My head needed a few hours of outside to shake the working week away.

Photo is a top gall I've not seen before. Red-pea Gall on the underneath of an oak leaf. It's a wasp gall. Lots of green aphid like things too.

#EveningWalk #OakGalls #Galls #Insects