Variety show

I’ve been remiss in posting this month – sorry about that!  A variety of fiber projects have been keeping me busy:

– Spinning for a contest project for Schacht Spindle’s 40th anniversary. Started out doing four different colors of wool on Navajo spindles (which are Schacht-made) and have since switched to a Louet wheel once I learned that any spinning to be submitted as Schacht-spun needed to be done on one of  their WHEELS – which I don’t own. Oh, well. The wheel does goes faster than the thigh spindle. Plus my hand and thigh were starting to feel the effects.  I can at least do the weaving on a Schacht loom – my Baby Wolf.

– Taught two library-for-kids programs and had all the accompanying prep for them. The morning downtown program was mudcloth – prepped for 60 kids and 5 showed up!  The afternoon Westwood program was gut masks for teens – teens and summer don’t mix well for adhering to schedules and/or commitments although we did have two show up.

– Did a bit of sewing on a bicycle project for my love – he wanted a waterproof pouch for his Garmin that could easily attach to the handlebars and be visible while riding. He supplied the waterproof map case and I modified it. He is all set now for RAGBRAI.

– Had a friend over to do some gut play – was supposed to have two friends show up but the one who had been after me the longest to do this passed away unexpectedly last week. I’m hoping Sharon can play to her heart’s content now.

– Using up the leftover soy and mud mixtures from the kids’ class and the extra silk scarves I have had on hand. Trying to duplicate an effect I got on some scarves this past winter, but so far no luck. Of course, I did not make notes on what I did the first time through and my memory of events is obviously not on the mark. Either that or it was only a fluke that will never happen again in the universe.  (Or as my mom would say, I didn’t hold my mouth right.) Anticipating these scarves will find their way to either the Weavers Guild Fall Sale or up the Indianapolis Art Center’s gift shop.

– Working on using up some yarns for the Weavers Guild. Two scarves down and a hat in process. Diagonal knitting on the scarves. I expect these will be in their Fall Sale in November.

– Visited the Cincinnati Book Arts Society’s exhibit BOOKWORKS 10 at the main library. My “Gourd Book” is in the exhibit. Nice to have a piece in such good company!

– Submitted – and was accepted – several outdoor installation ideas for the “Earth” exhibit coming up at the Kennedy Heights Art Center. I’ll be creating random woven orbs on site this coming week and installing in time for the opening on Saturday, July 18. Maybe even have a bit of hands-on orb-making during the reception.

And I’ve started to think about a redesign for my website. Will need lots more thought…….and then the effort……..

Lots of fibery things …

… happening lately that have been keeping me busy.

After I finished working with the pampas grass pulp (didn’t pull it all but I’m saving some in the freezer) I finally got around to the asparagus stems I’ve been saving all spring. We took advantage of all the store sales and really enjoyed eating asparagus a lot. So, the stems were cooked up and waiting. Just did a bit of whizzing in the blender. The pulp drained really slowly which allowed for a very thin sheet. It turned out really crisp with nice fibers throughout.  And very green.  Quite happy with it!

Some members of our local weavers Guild created a yarn bombing project for the side of our shed which turned out great! It was on display in time for our end of year yard sale and picnic meeting.

And then, over the weekend some of the guild members headed off to Oldenburg, IN to hold a fiber retreat at the Franciscan Center of the nuns there. I went on Saturday, took several projects that I HAD to do (compile the kits for a mudcloth workshop, cut out felts from two woolen blankets for papermaking, write my poem on some of the pampas grass papers) as well as some that I WANTED to do (knitting a scarf, scrumbling, and starting the spinning for a contest entry on Navajo spindles – will tell more about this later). Felt good to get so much accomplished.

It was great having a full day to just do fiber work.  Actually I have those days a lot when I’m home, but sharing it with others was the great part! Lots of banter, snacks and creative ideas.

This week I’m doing the rest of the prep needed for teaching next week in Sewanee, TN at Shakerag. I’ve heard it is a lovely place and a fun time – will report back afterwards.

Still need to mail off my poem/paper this week – I joined a swap for original poems on handmade paper through the papermaking list on Yahoo. I imagine the others will have much better paper than mine, but I’m hoping for some constructive feedback.

Okay, back to prepping……

Ides of February

I keep thinking I’ll post a note here as soon as I get some pictures of current projects, but at the rate the pictures are coming, I’ll never get to posting! So……….

It’s been great lately as the feeling of wanting to create has emerged again. Must’ve been the anesthetic dampening that. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Hiding all the ends of the scrumbled vest is taking HOURS! Getting close now to having them all tucked in – except for the ones I’ll hang beads on. It’s a good activity for listening to an audio book. The current title is Monsters or Monsters of Templeton (the book is downstairs right now and I am not) but I can’t remember the author. All about relationships and family trees and those ubiquitous skeletons in the closet.

The string bag continues to grow and I’ve started another yarn in it – multicolored this time which I am barber-poling with a dusty purple. The original colors that I started with (brilliant gold, orange and dark purple) are not the current colors out there – the bag will have an interesting look by the time it gets done!

I picked up a rayon/flax blend of fabric yesterday and hope to do some mudwork on it this week. I’ve had rayon on my mind lately, just to see how it holds the color. Mudded up some silk scarves last week (the week before?) that are getting the wait-and-see treatment.

And thoughts are turning to the beater in the garage…….. Still too cold to work outside, but I’m starting to cast about for plant materials or anything I could beat up to use as paper pulp. We threw away an old cotton flannel sheet last week before it dawned on me that it could’ve been used – drat.

Snow day

It was a beautiful snow day here. (Beautiful as long  as you didn’t have to go out in it!)

I’ve been putting off getting some mudcloth work done… so I used the day to play with the mud.  A variety of silk scarves were waiting patiently, having been washed earlier, and became the canvasses for today.  Used some orange, black and a mix of the two for a nice brown.

black and brown mud on silk
black and brown mud on silk

Now to let them sit and ‘cure’.  These may become items for the Guild’s Fall Sale.

Penny, I haven’t forgotten your request for a larger view of the red scrumbled vest.  I’m in a mulling over stage on the vest – what I really need is to see it on someone other than me in the mirror to see how it is fitting.  I have a feeling it will need a bigger person to wear it well.

As the vest sits, I pulled out the large billum (string bag) that I started in PNG. The tummy muscles don’t mind my spinning and plying now so I’ve been making a bit of progress on that.  Little bit by little bit.

And, I finally got around to ‘patching’ the holes in a couple pairs of handknit socks.  One pair had their heels reknit and the other pair got a ‘sole’ of felt to cover over the holes.  We’ll see how well they each hold up.

Scrumbling in the red

Sorry about being so quiet lately, but I’ve been busy putting a scad of ‘patches’ together into a scrumbled vest.  Spent last year during intermittent TV time making the patches – in shades of reds and blues and everything in between. Mostly knitted, but there was some crocheting thrown in. And very little of the knitting was regular.

Well, actually, all of the knitting was  regular.  It just wasn’t necessarily done in a regular way. The knits and the purls are as they should be as well as the single and double crochets. They just happen to go in every-which-way direction.

scrumbled patch for a vest
scrumbled patch for a vest

So now I’ve been putting all the patches together to resemble a vest.  This is where the knits and purls and single/double crochets can get a bit weird as there are very few straight lines and lots of nooks and crannies to fill in.  I think this is the part I like the most – absolutely no limits to what it takes to get it together!  There would be no way I could tell anyone how to do it, other than “do whatever it takes to get your desired result”.

It’s  looking pretty decent at the moment.  Lots of yarn tails to tuck in from all the stops and starts.  Hoping to have it finished by the end of the week – including a lining for it plus a pocket.  Will get a picture up of the finished product eventually.