[HNW] needlework in summer heat

[Sue Clemenger]

Summers can be pretty hot in  western Montana, too.  Not as brutal as 
some places--we don't get quite the heat that they do in the 
southwestern states, and we *definitely* don't have the humidity that 
much of the USA gets to put up with, though.  This summer is not so 
bad--it's in the 90s, most days, but cools off into the 50s at night. 
And bliss-above-bliss, we're not having (so far) a bad Fire Season this 
year, so we're not breathing smoke and ash like past summers.
I've got a lot of different projects (some historical, some not) going 
throughout the year, so in the hot summer months, I just switch to ones 
that are smaller and more easy to clean.  I don't mess with the 
beautiful silks and such that Bjarne does, though, so basic sanitation 
generally serves just fine.  That, and remembering NOT to spill iced tea 
on anything!  I don't have air conditioning, so I tend to spend evenings 
out on the front porch, spinning or knitting (small things like socks) 
or working on my blackwork.  I hadn't thought of using handwipes--Lynn, 
that's just pure genius! ;o) (make note to self: put wipes on shopping 
list....)
In the winter, I move to larger, warmer things--the knitting becomes 
larger items, like sweaters, or I work on a quilt.  Most of my 
garb/historical clothing gets made in the cold months as well, although 
if I'm doing anything in the summer, it's apt to be something like hand 
hemming a veil, or something light and small.
It occured to me that one of my projects-in-waiting (learning to spin 
flax) would be perfect for this weather, as I'd need to be getting the 
fibers wet! hmmmm......
--sue

Lynn Carpenter wrote:

> "Bjarne og Leif Drews" <drewscph at post12.tele.dk> wrote:
> 
> 
>>We have a heatwawe in Denmark right now, and this gives me the earge to ask 
>>you all : How do you compete with the heat and oily fingers all the time. 
>>Does this make you stop your needlework or what?
> 
> 
> If I have to tat outside, sometimes the heat will make me stop.  My fingers
> sweat enough that the thread will swell and tatted rings won't close.
> Michigan heat often comes with high humidity, 75 to 100 percent, and even
> if my fingers did not sweat a lot, the moisture does not evaporate very
> quickly in the humidity.
> 
> Another moisture danger is that if you have a cold drink on a hot humid
> day, the cup or glass sweats so much that when you take a drink your hands
> get too wet to tat!
> 
> When I do outdoor demonstrations in August, I take along alcohol wipes to
> dry and clean my hands.