Next?

What are we going to do next?

More Small Weaving

Here is another small weaving and yes, I do get obsessed with things. I hardly ever make just ONE!

Don't you like my loom?

Believe it or not, I used to have a beautiful floor loom with four harnesses and six pedals. I gave it to the Hospice store last year, along with a commercial sewing machine and two knitting machines. Sigh. But that part of my life is behind me and although it was tempting to keep the stuff, it was mostly getting in my way. I still like to weave but I totally dislike warping the loom. It seems like it would take all day to thread it up and then only a couple of hours to weave it off. Something was wrong with that picture--for me at least. I want to spend the majority of my time, doing something I enjoy.

So, now when I want to weave something, I just make a loom (or use my Inkle). This one is made out of a left over piece of presentation board about 5x7. I had map pins spaced along the top to hold the warp, but that didn't work all that well (works fine on a really small piece), so I cut slits with an exacto knife every quarter of an inch. After I warped it (maybe it took five minutes!) I remembered something about putting in some sticks, I hunted down a dowel that had broken in two on the trip from my house to the studio (can you believe I almost threw it away?) and it was just the right size. My other important tools, include a comb and a yarn needle.  

And so here is another weaving. It shows off the handspun yarn nicely and it takes only a small amount. I finished it last night. Will I do another today? 

Small Weaving

Something to do with an ounce of handspun yarn!

One Ounce

Before I obtained a Spinning Wheel, I was messing about with Spindles.
At the thrift store, I found several bags of fiber, so I bought them to use while
 learning how to spin.
One bag was full of this grey looking roving that turned out to have lots of subtle color.
When I want to experiment, or when I am trying to learn and practise,
I usually use this wool.
Yesterday, I carded a small batt using this wool and a number of other things.
 I then spun it on the wheel into what I guess you would call a thick and thin.
But
There is only an ounce.
That got me thinking.
What can you do with an ounce of yarn?
No, combining it with other yarns is nice but obvious.
I want to make it a real challenge.
so no small animals etc.
What do you think?
What would you make?

The Answer To The Question

Did you really scan a bug?

Think Pink

and
ORANGE
and
YELLOW
I've been spinning again
not the plain thin ones
just the fat ones

Time For Fawns

The Strawberry Thief

Lock your doors and bolt your windows. There is a Strawberry Thief abroad. A very generous friend of mine shared some beautiful chocolate covered strawberries with me. There were three of them, one for each person in the household. I put the giant strawberries in the refrigerator tucked toward the back in an opaque plastic bag. I didn't mention them to anyone. We were going out to eat and I thought we might have them later. But, as fate would have it, we were all complaining on the way home about too much to eat, so I still didn't say anything about the strawberries. We all retired to our rooms for the night. This morning, after I returned from my exercise class, I was preparing to go out to my studio and thought I would show them to my Mom's caregiver, they might like one for lunch. There were no strawberries to be found! All three of the huge strawberries had disappeared. I looked everywhere in disbelief. I guess my Mom ate them for a midnight snack, a tasty breakfast or perhaps both? If you are a follower of my blog, you know that this is not uncommon. She of course denied knowledge of any strawberries and said that someone must have taken them. So, bar your doors and seal your windows.

There is a Strawberry Thief about!

Indigo

This was a plain pink and blue silk scarf from the thrift store. First I stitched the circles and dyed it with some natural dye. You can see that here. But it was too subtle and didn't show all the stitching. I have been meaning to re-stitch it and dye it with indigo and I finally did that a couple of days ago. I think I should have pulled the stitches up tighter? The grid showing up underneath is from the lawn chair it is draped on. I should have been more careful. That is a little confusing and then I didn't iron out the new folds. Of well. But, you get the idea.

More Containers

Crocheted containers (nests?) made from my handspun yarn.

They are still

IN WORK.

No, It Is Not Easter

OK
Bunnies in a basket and
NOT EASTER!
I couldn't resist making some of these

Patchwork Container

                                             This is what I decided to do with with my

"Crumb Blocks"

which you can see here.

I had several of them put together and quilted

along with a few other unpieced squares in solid colors.

They hung out on the design wall until I decided that I didn't like it.

Really, it was just too boring.

So, yesterday, I took it apart and sewed it up into this soft container.

Now this is fun. I think I will make some more of these with interfacing in the middle

instead of batting to make the container a bit more rigid.

Remember When

Remember when it used to

RAIN?

Catch Up

Here is what I have been working on this week.

From left to right:

A new stitched piece with gelatin monoprints, titled,
 Diary
The new house getting framed (no I personally did not work on this!)

A piece of knitting done with the Black and White yarns that I spun

A little book made from the box of a herbal eye pillow

Handspun yarn made from my first ever drum carded batt

Finally finished this stitched piece that I started way back when,
In the Evening I Went Walking

In The Country

I finally found a person to help me with my Mom.

She comes four days a week and keeps my Mom company!

What a relief.

Now I can work at my new studio in the country.

I am just getting used to it and carry some things back and forth

 (what if I want to work on this here at the house? What if I need this out at the studio?).

 Eventually, I will probably wind up with two of everything,

but then that is something I do anyway.

I am a Gemini!

 I have a computer at the studio, but it is not on the Internet as yet.

 I will just have to learn to write and read blogs in the evening or on the weekend.

 I will figure it all out eventually.

 Right now I am just so happy to have the time to work and not worry about my Mom.

I did a lot this week and I am looking forward to sharing!

Black and White

 

Yesterday I thought I would spin some fibers that coordinated with each other.Since I normally spin small amounts (I don't have a big stash of fiber), it makes sense to have some that can be used together. So, from the left:

Brown, grey, black and white wool--core spun

Black and off white wool singles, plied with silk fabric bows

Black novelty yarn (fiber unknown), coil spun

Silk shirt strips spun with bits of wool 

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I am a new spinner and have not had any instruction. It is just trial and error all the way. I read a lot and watch videos to help me figure out what to do. I have made the yarn with fabric bows before and thought I had that one down, but I didn't. After the yarn was soaked and dried, I saw that the fabric bows were not locked in and would just pull right out! Good thing I left the bow strips long and that the yardage was short. I went back and tied a knot in all the bows. Oh good. More reasons to practise. I want to say that I owe my ability to spin at all to

 http://www.shopneauveau.com/ 

and all the related books and videos. After watching a couple of these videos, I stopped being nervous about trying stuff and just jumped in!

One of Life's Big Mysteries

You will have to picture this without a photo. I have no idea how I would illustrate this. If something occurs to me, I will add a photo later. This may be the only time I have posted something without a photograph.

Today, I was making a large batch of Granola, eight cups of oatmeal. I also mixed in nuts and coconut as usual. When I got into the canister where we keep the dried fruit, I found something strange nestled among the packages of raisins and cranberries. It was orange and slimy. It was a

 Buffalo Chicken Wing

The kind of chicken wing that comes pre-seasoned and frozen. Only this one was not frozen of course and who knows how long it has been hanging out with the raisins! It didn't smell bad, but it had slimmed all the packages. I picked it up carefully and threw it away before I thought to take a picture. Probably a good thing! The only person that could have done this of course, is my Mom. She  expressed astonishment and wonder at how that could have happened. The mythical home invaders were referred to. What possessed her to put a frozen chicken wing in the canister?

One of Life's big mysteries.