Stewartia Neckwarmer

The second piece I completed last month was inspired by Korean Stewartia. Stewartia is known for its smooth brown or grey bark that peels in flakes showing orange, yellow, brown, or tan new bark underneath. The bark of Korean Stewartia is one of the most outstanding, with orange patches showing through the flaking, grey bark. The genus was named in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus to honor John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. Owing to a transcription error, Linnaeus was given the name as “Stewart,” and consequently spelled the name “Stewartia.” The misspelling does not diminish the beautiful nature of the stewartia bark.

 

Aspen Muff

Last month was a tough one for me so I only finished two more pieces for the Identitatum Arborum project. The first is a panel and muff inspired by my favorite tree, quaking aspens (see the previous post about Pando!). The Stonehedge yarn I am using felts up very nicely so I decided to felt this piece to give the impression of the smooth aspen bark. This one is really fun to knit up and the lining gives a lot of warmth to the piece.

Here is some info about aspens: Aspen trees are clones originating from a single seedling: the colony grows by sending up root suckers to form new trees. Although a single tree can live from 40-150 years, the root system can live thousands of years. The oldest known colony is named Pando and is estimated to be 80,000 years old. Because the bark is rich in a substance similar to aspirin, it was brewed into a tea by American Indians and European Settlers to provide pain relief, soothe arthritis, and reduce fever.

Utah Women’s Exhibition 2016

While I furiously knitted tree bark this past month, I also entered the 2016 Utah Women’s exhibition and got two pieces in the show, Rozel Point Cowl and Pando Scarf. In addition, my Rozel Point Cowl won the Beatrice Carroll Award of Merit! Thanks to the organizers for such a beautiful exhibition. It will be up for a few more weeks at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. It’s worth seeing!