Spinning and Weaving Week

Spinning and Weaving Week: The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. is dedicated to promoting the textile arts. It provides a forum for handweavers, handspinners, and related fiber artists.

Maine Sept 2012

Maine Sept 2012, a set on Flickr.

We spent the evening of September 16 at The Salty Ewe Farm. Accommodations in the converted barn were convenient and cozy. In the morning, the view out our windows onto the sheep pasture was stunning. The flock -- Olde English Babydoll Southdown -- are very very wooly and shorter than most fleece sheep. A bit like teddy bears, honestly. After walking our dogs, I grabbed a camera and a grocery bag and headed down to the sheep barn and vegetable garden. The host/shepherd was long gone off to work, so I spent some quiet time with the animals and the scenery. It was a GREAT start to our trip up to Spruce Head.

HogIslandSlippers

HogIslandSlippers, a photo by pattiknit on Flickr.

Aren't these cute?! My lovely customer (she bought the yarn through my etsy store) knitted these up and just sent the photo. So sweet.

Fun in September with Washing and Dyeing

Has been so satisfying washing up white Navajo Churro fleece (from Cape Cod; natural white, and dyed in a recycled bath of marigold and goldenrod), dyeing commercially spun wool yarn with pokeberry (in pot) and several stages of a Jewelweed dye pot, rewashing Rambouillet lamb (pale fleece with combs) and Finn X Dorset dyed with Jewelweed in cast iron (black!). So much fun. Next up . . . Black Walnuts from a stash harvested in Hillsdale several years ago, Madder plant stems, and if possible still, some Queen Anne's Lace (too late in the season?).

Sunny Days . . .Beautiful new design from Alyson Lee

sunny days: sunny days yellow and white bracelet. beautiful beaded bracelet a toggle clasp and sweet beaded charms dangling from it. made with rare German glass, crystal and very old yellow bell bead with a tiny white flower inside; vintage lucite silver beads; swarovski crystals, French satin beads and more!

Wow, I want to spin en plein air like this!

http://www.spinartiste.com/featured-artist-michelle-snowdon-of-wooldancer-50th-featured-artist-interview?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SpinArtiste+%28Spin+Artiste%29#

Wooly Bangles and More

Jewelry! Who doesn't love it?!

Walking Wool has launched a new line of felted bead designs for arms, ears, and soon, necks. I'm trying to incorporate exotic fibers (alpaca, llama, heritage breed sheep) and small trinkets featuring Walking Wool photos, plus vintage and other sweet beads made of glass, ceramic, metal or wood. The felted beads are all hand (wet) felted by me, some are of hand dyed fleece using natural dye sources (Goldenrod, Indigo, etc.) also by me, and include Icelandic, Suffolk X Finn, Mohair, Finn, Border Leicester and other breeds. Thinking I need to name them (give them a story/identity, etc.). The tiny photo is the Barre Ewe, a popular shot I took here in Central MA that is also available in my etsy store as an 8 x 10" print, or larger.

Would love some feedback.

Mona Yarn

I knit up a special stash recently for my friend Gretchen. Her beloved Mona Dog passed away some time ago, and I'd had this bag of her fluff for a while. It was time to transform it into something easy to hold and love. Here is the photo Gretchen took of it.

Hand Dyed Fiber for Sale

Well, I'm trying to turn a little profit. Finally put together some products to show online and elsewhere. Love the rainbow of colors now clearly evident from my years of experimenting with natural dye sources. The past few summers and falls have been exciting, magical times filled with growing plants, foraging for wild materials, and cooking up the dyepots. As early as June this year I started up the process again, experimenting with Jewelweed, Tickseed, and Tansy. More plans in the coming weeks for Dock, Borage, Elderberry, Comfrey, and Madder Root if precious time allows. Need to collect more Birchbark (from a neighbor?) and schrooms to get really crazy (not what you about those schrooms . . . they can produce some amazing colors . . er . . . in the dyepots. Better stop while I'm ahead here.)

Hope to check out Old Sturbridge Village's herb and dye gardens soon to see the Woad in full bloom. That source of blue dye I know will grow in these parts.

Definitely to be continued . . .

Betsy in Sandwich with Lambs

Dear Fiber Friend Betsy visited some  Gulf Coast lambs in Sandwich MA recently. I think she had a terrible time, don't you?!

Summer Spinning with Alpacas

Thanks to Debbie and Keith at Plain View Farm in Hubbardston for inviting me to spin and show my wares at their summer Open House. It was lovely to see the alpacas they raise cavorting in the pastures, and meet some nice new people.

Designer Alyson Lee

Love great design? Love beaded jewelry, frogs, and supporting good causes? Check out my friend's web site http://alysonleedesign.com/index.html and learn about her generous and beautiful work made for SAVE THE FROGS.

Too much fun skirting fleece . . .

Huh, you ask? Is that possible? In what way do you mean? Are you suggesting . . . "It's not possible to have fun skirting fleece." Or, conversely, are you of the mindset, "It's not possible to have TOO much fun skirting fleece!" I am definitely in the latter category, and I documented all the fun had this past week at The Salty Ewe Farm in Kennebunkport ME. Thirteen some fleeces later, I was in lanolin heaven.