Fiber Arts Friday: 1st Textile Patent

If you happen to follow me on Twitter or Facebook you’ll know that I usually toss out a “today in history” blurb.  I was inspired by one of these for today’s FAF post.

Monday might have been Valentine’s Day but it is also another exciting day in US fiber history.  In 1974 the first US Textile Patent went to James Davenport of Philadelphia.  His first mechanical invention was used for carding and spinning wool followed closely on February 24th for another patent for weaving and beating sail duck. 

I found an advertisement for the invention and was floored by the use of boys for the labor.  Obviously this was way before labor laws.

The following was from h-net.org

Advertisement in Massachusetts Mercury, Aug. 24, 1798, in William R. Bagnall, Textile Industries of the United States, I (Cambridge, Mass., 1893), 225.

James Davenport received the first patent issued in the United States for his spinning machinery in Philadelphia (1794). He set up his machinery for spinning and weaving by water power at the Globe Mills, Philadelphia. The labor was chiefly performed by boys, one of whom was able to spin 292,000 feet of flax or hempen thread in a day of ten hours.

Spinning by Machinery

Into Thread and Twine

James Davenport proposes to sell or erect his Machine for spinning Hemp, Flax and Tow; he will complete it, and let it to work, and instruct any person inclined to purchase. These who have seen the machine at work will allow that the subjoined statement is strictly correct.

Thread. Two boys and one man can spin from 20 to 60 lb. per day; according to the fineness, regular and even.

Twine, Seine, or Sewing. This Machine will double twist, and finish from 50 to 60 lbs. per day, with 3 boys from 10 to 12 years old, which for regularity and excellence cannot be surpassed by the twisting by hand of the best workmen.

Any person willing to treat for the purchase of this invaluable invention, may hear the terms by applying to J. Davenport, at John Baker’s Hotel, Water-street.

Wanted, A Partner, who will find it advantageous.

While reading away on Mr. Davenport I couldn’t help but notice how his inventions on spinning and carding wool helped our struggling young nation.  Because England was taxing the begeezus out of the colonies the Americans revolted as we all know.  During this time England practically cut off textile imports and the Americans boycotted anything from England anyway making Davenports textile inventions quite the news in its day. 

That was until the greatest textile related patent on March,14th 1794. 
Any guesses as to what it was?

Let’s make it fun…  For anyone who comments below with the correct answer I’ll put your name in a drawing for a surprise handmade goody.  Drawing will be held on Saturday 2-19-2011

******************************************

Naturally the ultimate question is what have I been up to this FAF?  Well things have settled down finally and I’ve been hard at work on my shawl which has turned into a shawlette since I ran out of yarn (drat!).  I wasn’t happy with any of the patterns I found so I ended up winging it.  Thankfully I wrote everything down so I’ll eventually have the pattern posted sometime next week.

Here’s a photo of the shawlette finished yet un blocked. 

70% SW Merino 30% Tencel

New on my needles now a funky sock yarn shawl.  Being sock yarn I expect I’ll be at this one quite a while even with #6 needles.

Sock Yarn Shawl

Check out the folks below for more for fiber goodies.

Photobucket

Barn Fire Planning and Prevention

Barn Fire
We’ve all seen it in the news or even know someone who had their barn burn down.  Thankfully many times without loss of life to human or livestock but sometimes with disastrous consequences. So what should you do to help prevent fires and how to prep should one happen to you?

Planning:

–       Fire Department – Get to know your fire department.  Stop over and talk with them about what you can do to make your barn fire safe or what you may need to help them do their job better.  For much of the information in this post I interviewed a wonderful Rochester Fire Fighter named …. Elvis.

–       Space – Your little ½ ton pickup and bumper pull trailer can make it down your driveway and maneuver just fine but can a fire truck?  How about multiple fire trucks?  Keep in mind they are pretty big so keep driving lanes and turn arounds clear of vehicles and overhead branches.

–       Water – Always a problem on farms that have wells.  My well tank holds only 100 gallons at a given time and takes about 30 min to refresh.  Way too slow to put out a fire.  Swimming pools and ponds are a good thing to have within a short distance to your barn should you need them.  Another reason for visiting your local fire house is to let them know what your water situation is and to find out if they have pumper trucks or not.

–       Smoke Detectors – when the fireman I interviewed mentioned this ,my reply back was “but my animals don’t know what that means and I can’t hear it from the house.”  He told me that it’s best to put them in any way.  There’s always the potential you can hear it if outside.  The animals may even act up at the sound and if you’re like me (watching from the kitchen window) you know when your animals are not in their normal “happy” state even if they are showing only passive signs.

–       Fire Extinguishers – Keep one by every entrance to your barn and to the feed room.

  • Extinguishers have expiration dates on them.  They typically will last just a few years.  If your extinguisher has expired replace it.  Your old one may still work but you don’t want to find out if it does or not when you need it.
  • Dry CO2 Extinguishers can fail due to inactivity.  Once a month or so take time to beat your extinguisher.  Pound it on the ground or better yet tip it upside-down and beat it with a rubber mallet. This will aggravate the dry contents so they don’t turn into cement on you.

–       Halters and Leads – You should have enough halters and leads that fit every single animal in your barn and on your property.  Keep them tidy and in easy to find areas.  Not only is this good for fires but for any time you may need to evacuate your farm.

–       Lightning Rods – Self explanatory

–       Emergency numbers – Keep them not only in your barn but also in every single other building on your property.  No good having them I the barn if it’s on fire.  My friendly interviewed fire fighter also suggests knowing the local number to your fire house not just 911.  It could mean getting help to you even faster if calling from a cell phone which is forced to use E911.

–       Evacuation Plan – If you manage to get your livestock out the barn where are you going to put them? On my farm animals all have free access to the barn and are never locked in.  Should the barn catch fire I can easily herd animals away from the barn and into the fields keeping them 100ft away from the barn.

Prevention:Barn Fire

–       Clean barn – Keep your barn free of cobwebs and loose hay or straw.  Dust buildup on electrical outlets could cause shorts too.  We all know rodents will eat through electrical wire so keep a cat around to keep those pests out too. Keep weeds and brush away from yoru barn.  Round-up or string trim everything back.

–       Hay storage – ideally you’ll want to store your hay in another building NOT attached to your livestock area.  However, in WNY many barns have lofts so keep these tips in mind:

  • Most hay fires occur within 6 weeks of bailing.  For the first few months of having new hay in your barn check it daily to see if there is any suspicious heat coming from them.  You will know a bad bale when you feel it.  It will be extremely hot to the touch and steam will come out of it if you cut the bale open.  Use caution and don’t burn yourself when removing bad bales.
  • Air flow – It drives me crazy to see hay lofts shut up tight.  Hay needs to breath… keep the loft doors open.  When stacking hay do NOT stack it right up against the wall.  Instead leave it 2-3 feet away from the wall so that air can move around the bales.  Also, stack the bales up on pallets so air can flow underneath.  More airflow = dry hay which will be less likely to ignite on its own.
  • Clean your hay storage area at the end of every season.  Sweep out old hay and dirt before you put the next year’s hay in.

–       Bedding storage – bedding can burn just as easily as hay… Hello wood pellet stoves! Keep only enough bedding in the barn to do that day’s chores.  If you need an extra out-building to store extra bedding/hay/feed pick up a Garage-in-a-box at Tractor Supply.  $250 for a 12x8x20 holds a lot of stuff and will keep it away from your livestock.

–       Mulch – I would have never of thought of this.  Elvis told me a story about how last year he had to put out a fire because the landscape mulch spontaneously combusted.  I guess I’ll be decorating with rocks from now on.

–       Electrical – In an old barn or even a new one there are a lot of electrical issues that can occur.

  • Cleaning – we already covered this but keep your barn clean!
  • Extension cords – They are meant for one time uses not semi-permanent or permanent solutions.  If you find an area where you are constantly running an extension cord for a heated bucket or light then spend the time and $ to put a proper outlet there.
  • Plug Strips – Same goes for plugging multiple things into 1 outlet.  It is nice to have a plug strip but plugging too many things into 1 outlet can overload the wire which in turn heats up, catches a cobweb or hay on fire and poof, your place goes up like a match stick again.
  • Appliances – When possible unplug your appliances such as radios or coffee pots.  If using heated buckets, fans or portable heaters check them frequently.  Don’t let dust build up on fan blades or dirt get worked into the plug of your water bucket.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Alpaca Farmer

Head Lamp
 Head Lamp  Head Lamp – Perfect hands fee light when you need to illuminate your way around on dark winter nights.
 Yaktrak  Yaktraks – Slip right on over muck boots to give a secure grip on even the most icy surfaces.  No more falls!
   Carabineers or Safety Snaps – I can never have enough of these around.  Help hold gates open, close hay nets, Water buckets, mineral buckets, and a million other uses.  They do break, rust and get lost and is always a “needed” farm item
 Hitch Ring  Hitch Rings – What good would a snap be if you didn’t have something to attach it to? These rings work great for everything including your improvised homemade “paca trapper.”
 AFCNA-Extreme-Alpaca-Sock  Alpaca Socks – Yes we may breed the animals and sell the socks but we too would love to keep warm with them!
 barn knife  Barn knife, scissors, or snips – Ok alpaca folks, how many times have you gone to go get a bale of hay and can’t find your trusty utensil to cut the twine or snip the wire?!  I must have 4-5 hanging around the barn in various locations and always want more.
 Bucket Brush  Scrub brush – Hang one next to each and every water bucket you have! Keep your hands dry when doing a dump and scrub in the winter.
 Alpaca Halter and Lead  Halters and leashes – Technically you should have enough halters and leads hanging next to each stall to accommodate every single animal in that area in case of a fire or emergency.  How many of you actually have that many?
   Ear Plugs – another useful tool that constantly gets lost or is grungy.  You should always be using these when operating any machinery or when pounding t-posts.
 Gift Card  Gift Cards! – Not sure what to get? A gift card to Tractor Supply, Home Depot or Lowe’s is always perfect!

Fiber Arts Friday – Loom and Skein

Hi Fiber Arts Friday and Crafty Friday folks.

Ugh, the “day job” has had me very busy this week leaving me little time to enjoy my farm and all the animals let alone fiber arts.

So, here are some teaser photos of the project I have on the “secret loom.”  Ok, now that you have a photo of the loom do you have any idea what it is? 

Rug Loom

Rug Loom

The “rug yarn” I’m using on this loom I made from a fingering weight alpaca yarn using an “Embellish Knit.” I knew those As Seen On TV things would come in handy every now and again.

Lastly, I did manage to finish a skein of yarn.  The colored part is a merino/bamboo dyed in what I call “wine” colors.  Purples, reds, golds and the black is 100% alpaca.   I managed to work up 250 yards of this yarn and now I just need a project for it.

Alpaca Merino Yarn

2010 Section 179 Alpaca Tax Incentive Con’t

Are you looking to get into alpacas but are still waiting for the “right time.”  Well the best time to buy is at the end of the calendar year!  Why? Thanks to the economic stimulus plan, the Section 179 tax incentive has been extended until 12/31/10!  Which means you can purchase your alpacas now and write them off in full the first year! 

No farm no problem!  Check out our post on Agsting alpacas vs owning your own farm.

Want to know what your immediate return on investment will be using Section 179?  Use this calculator.

We have great alpacas to start you out right.