Studio finished this week?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Natural Dyeing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I hear the rumor that my carpenters might be back this week now that all the parts have arrived. Although I'd like the last of the trim done and the doors back on, I'm perfectly content as is with the studio.  I do have a complaint about blogging, however.  I do not have a complete friendship with my camera or my photo editing software.  The camera and software work fine, but the operator is unsure and makes lots of mistakes.  So although I like documenting my fiber art, I hate this picture stuff.  It took me 2 hours to take pictures of studio and various yarns I've dyed and then get them on computer and cropped etc.  I'd so much rather be dyeing, spinning, washing wool, knitting or even doing accounting work (gracious I'm sinking low) than messing with these photos.  I did it, but I'm complaining.

My studio is marvelous, I have this great area plus 2 cleaned-off tables that I use to either do fiber things or my "paying job".  It is great.  An artist friend of mine says my fiber art will change now that I have this studio.  We'll have to wait and see.  It certainly was nice this weekend when friend came by for yarn she wanted to buy for a weaving project and I knew immediately where it was.  To get everything somewhat organized, I have had to buy a zillion see through containers, but it is nice now that is done.     Linda 

Knitting as a metaphor for turning chaos into order
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Knitting

"Knitting seems to be a metaphor for turning chaos into order--one long thread into a useable garment. " from Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy. 

I must need some knitting badly because I'm feeling chaotic.  Working away at cleaning off that last table in my studio.  Linda

Fiber friendly week
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Weaving

Fiber activities in the last 8 days include Montana Fibercrafters meeting where we started working on a punch needle rug (or in my case a 11" mat).  I have a sunflower design, enlarged it and have it ready to transfer to the back of the monks cloth.  I've already washed and zigzagged the monk's cloth to prevent fraying.

I dyed some sumac , cutch, and cherry tree bark on various yarns and a scarf.  I also dyed a graduated yarn fin blue greens from chemical dyes to  use in my next version of Almost Lace.  It is a very pretty alpaca lace weight blend from Big Sky Quality Wool in Broadus.  I have batteries in my camera now so I can take pictures of things to post.

Then I spent 2 full days cleaning up my office and studio from the combination of studio remodel and a huge accumulation of stuff put here and there.  I can see the top of that table where I dropped off all the little things for the last 2 years.  I still have some more to put away so I bought some more see through boxes today, but this is a lot better than I've seen in that area in about 1 year at least.  It took me an amazing amount of time to deal with all those little dibs and dabs so I know why I hate that part.

I have read quite a few articles about studios and really want to try keeping my new wonderful area a little more organized.  Just "having" to clean up the one corner for the dye area had made it so much more fun to work down there.

Today Sarah Pilgrim came from Wilsall, MT, to teach the Billings Weavers Guild about designing stripes in weaving, but it also applies to knitting, dyeing self striping yarn etc.  Sarah and I are going to try a collaboration of sorts, she wants me to custom dye some yarn for an afghan she is weaving.  I'm am very excited about that because she makes beautiful things. 

And I even knit a little this week.  So a busy week (because I had to do a lot of non-fiber stuff too), but lots accomplished.  Linda

Knitting during Tax Practitioner Institute
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Knitting
I finished my newest scarf today.  It is called faux lace and I knit it in a pink multicolored yarn I dyed as a class sample this fall.  I had started it right after it I dyed it, but then lost some interest.  I liked the pattern I knitted alright, but somehow it didn't speak to me.  Last night, I needed some  yarn to take to a 16 hour continuing legal education class. I am required to do continuing education every year to keep my license. These classes don't keep me on the edge of my seat, so I take some easy knitting along.  I finished up the scarf and then knit a swatch with the rest of the yarn and saw how I liked it in some different stitches.  I think if I had knit the swatch first, I might have knit it in a different pattern.  But that would be playing by the rules.  I knit that scarf in a dk weight wool yarn.  Tomorrow I'm taking along a fingering weight baby alpaca, silk, cotton yarn I bought at a silent Auction at Olds College this summer and going to use the same pattern.  It is a very subtle camel color and soft yarn.  I'll be interested how different the yarn will look.  Linda

Overdying
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Chemical Dyeing

Faux Lace Shawlette

Faroese  style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This shawl is the same pattern as the triangle shawl and starts at the neck just like the triangle shawl.  This one is the Faroese shape which many people feel fits the shoulders and stay on better. This shawl is knit from the top down as developed by Myrna Stahman in her book Stahman's Shawls & Scarves.  Traditional Faroese-shaped shawls start with the bottom and hundreds of cast on stitches.  Casting on lots of stitches is a bummer, so I much prefer Myrna's method.   

This is a handspun alpaca/silk blend.  Interestingly this is overdyed natural color alpaca.  The monitor makes it look a brighter red than it is.  It is closer to a burgundy.   I had spun quite a bit of this yarn and previously knit this seaman scarf.  I didn't want to knit it in brown so overdyed it with a fuschia.  Because the yarn is comprised on two colors brown alpaca and white silk, it took the color differently which add additional interest.  When I show people the two items, everyone is amazed they are the same yarn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coincidently these items were knit a long time from each other, but this scarf is also in Myrna Stahman's book and is based on Old Shale.

I am busy dyeing right now, listening to election coverage.  I'm starting another version of the faux lace shawl to test the pattern and am dyeing the yarn right now.  More later.  Linda

Faux Lace Shawlette
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Natural Dyeing

Faux Lace Shawlette

Triangle Version

Fingering weight dyed with indigo and osage orange

 

 

 

 

 

I finished knitting this shawlette this summer and have worn it a lot, but yesterday I blocked it better and dh photographed.  This shawlette and shawl pattern is not really lace, but looks like it and is easy and mindless--my favorite kind of knitting.  I dyed it first with osage orange and then overdyed it with indigo.

Sorting fleece in 70 degree weather
Mood:  happy
Topic: Spinning

On October 30, we had drop dead gorgeous weather.  Diana G and I were out on my driveway sorting through fleece before our guild meeting on Saturday.  It was warm, we had a table, lots of fleece--mostly white, but some gray and a very dark one.  It was great fun.  The fleeces had been stuffed in bags for many years, so it wasn't that easy to put them back out in a way that we could identify all the different parts.  We did our best, sorted them heavily and had a great time trying to guess the different breeds etc.  What a great way to spend a few hours.  Dog had a great time too, stealing a tag or two.  Linda

Selling natural dyed fleece
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Natural Dyeing

I taught a beginning spinning class last week and one of my students came all the way from Boulder, MT to take it which was quite an ego boost.  In my chemical dyeing class last week too a woman drove from Stanford, MT to take it.  But anyway, one of my students was quite interested in natural dyeing.  She came to my house and bought some fleece I had natural dyed.  It wasn't carded, but in the class I had shown them the dog brush method of combing.  I really hadn't thought people would buy natural dyed fleece that wasn't processed.  I just don't have the patience to card or comb fleece for sale.  But selling natural dyed fleece for them to process that is a different story.  I love fleece and I love dyeing.  So I guess I sell natural dyed fleece now.  Linda with a crab apple natural dye pot going right now.

I love to wash fleece
Mood:  happy
Topic: Spinning

Today I picked up a whole pickup full of fleece from a former spinner who wanted to donate them to our Prairie Handspinners Guild.  The fleeces are about 10 years old, but the three I sorted through are very nice.  I skirted one pretty heavily and brought it downstairs to start washing.  It is not a very fine fleece--perhaps a Columbia and not super greasy.  I used my normal method.  I filled up my nice new studio sink with hot as water as I can out of tap.  Then I poured a hot teapot full of boiling water to heat it more.  I used dawn hand dishwashing liquid until the water felt slippery.  I added about a pound of fleece and let it sit for about half an hour.  Then I pulled the fleece aside and let the water run out.  Then I refilled again and let it rinse.  Then I refilled a third time.

I love the smell of wet fleece.  Okay I may be wierd but I AM A SPINNER.  Linda

Okay I admit I'm a class junky
Topic: Weaving
I love to learn more about the fiber arts and some related arts.  This Saturday I'm taking an all levels drawing class at the Yellowstone Art Museum http://yellowstone.artmuseum.org/ from Julie Atkins-Pederson.  I just tried drawing for the first time a couple of  years ago when I took a design class from a famous quilter Katie Pasquini Masopust.  I wanted to learn to draw for my punch needle designs.  It is not as impossible as I perceived and my family now recognizes my drawings for what they are.  It is nice to make a cat look like a cat.  Of course like any art form if I did it every day, I'd get a lot better.  But I still work away at drawing fitting it in here and there.  It takes a lot of concentration, but it is fun.  I JUST HAVE WAY TOO MANY INTERESTS.  I'm only planning to take 2 classes in November but I'll tell you about that later.    Linda