Knit Crochet Weave Spin Dye

Diversified Plain Weave Experiment #1

2012-01-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some results from my first experience with Diversified Plain Weave. I am beginning to understand the basics of this weave structure. It turns out to be a series of thin-fat-thin yarn sandwiches in both warp and weft. The threading is 1, Pattern,1, 2, Pattern, 2, etc with skinny threads on 1 and 2, fat threads on all the pattern shafts. On an 8 harness loom you will have 6 pattern blocks to play with.

Weaving is Tabby 1, pattern, Tabby 1, Tabby 2, pattern, Tabby 2. Now a key rule is that an ODD tabby shot must be followed by a pattern shot that is tied up to a 2 plus the pattern. Every EVEN tabby must be followed by a pattern shaft that is tied to a 1 plus the pattern. If you follow this rule, then you have a thin thread tabby base supporting the fat yarn pattern.

There are also color rules for maximum effect. If your thin warp is dark, your fat warp should be light, your fat weft should be dark and your thin weft should be light.

So, the very first thing I did was break one of the rules. I usually like to know what I am doing before I play fast and loose with the rules, but learning can happen either way. The picture with the shallow zig zags is a sample of an even tabby followed by an even pattern and odd tabby followed by odd pattern.

I changed the treadling order for the next sample to the correct version of odd tabby followed by even pattern, and even tabby followed by odd pattern. Makes a big difference. This is the one with the steeper zig zags. There was never a problem with the weft catching the selvedge threads. The fabric is less stiff. But visually, I like them both. I might even like the "wrong" one a little better. Is it just because it is "wrong"?

The one with the diamonds is another treadling on the same sample warp. The diamonds are more elongated than I expected them to be. Could be that it is a challenge to weave this structure to square. I will have to do a little more sampling with that question in mind.

I think I shall hem these and turn them into a hostess gift, along with a bar of handmade soap from Sleeping Frog Farm.

Now, who wants to have me over for dinner?

P.S. For some reason (sunspots?) I can't put the text where I want in relation to the pictures, so You have to use your head a bit.

P.P.S

I included a picture from my trip to Arizona just for fun, and as a reward to the non-weavers out there.1 Should this be my Christmas Card next year?

2012-01-16T19:20:00.000-05:00

Second week of Studio Time, and I logged 15 hours. I am impressed with myself. Thank you, everyone in my life who allows me to cut loose and play in my studio. I learned quite a few things.

1) Studio Time makes me happy. There is a satisfaction, a release from anxiety, that I didn't expect. I have a great life. Fab hubby, nice house, great kids. I own a business that I am very proud of. But there is always a little itch. Always the question about when I will chase down the nagging technical question about... whatever. Just like any itch, it quiets down a bit if I scratch it.

2) Plying yarn is exciting - mostly because it means I will soon be finished with this one yarn project and will be able to start something new. It is still a very slow way to get yarn.

3) Diversified Plain Weave is just a bunch of fat warp and fat weft sandwiches, with the bread being skinny warp and weft. Skinny, Fat, Skinny, both ways. Color play is important. It might help to have a floating selvedge with this one - because you repeat each tabby (skinny) thread two times before moving on. The treadling ( and threading) is Skinny#1, Fat #2, Skinny #1, Skinny #2, Fat #1, Skinny #2.
I know this isn't actually helpful to someone who wants to try this. I am about 7 inches into a weaving sample. It is a stiff little piece of fabric. It might end up being OK for the towels I was hoping for. But it might be better suited to table runner, pillow or handbag. It's an experiment, and I am learning a lot. And, it is attractive. Pictures coming, once I find my camera.

4) Tunisian Entrelac is begging for more attention. The rule in Tunisian Crochet is to NEVER TURN YOUR WORK. The rule is Tunisian Entrelac is that you turn your work at the end of your series of beautiful tilty blocks. So, you get an interweaving of two "sides" of the fabric. I have been preparing for a Tunisian Entrelac class - (Friday at Woven Art, still room! And at Knit Michigan, Feb 4 - still room!), and started a blanket. I asked myself - what would happen if you did not turn your work at the end of a series of tilty blocks? I mostly asked that question because I was WAY off on my gauge calculations, and my blanket would have been great for a baby - but not what I intended. What I intend is a cozy blanket that an entire family can cuddle under while watching TV.
I was off on my gauge because I wanted a jagged edge all the way around this blanket, instead of a smooth one - so I didn't start with base triangles. I started with squares, which take up twice as much of the chain as I had calculated for.
Blah, Blah Blah. Anyway - it all leads to me trying out something new. It is very interesting. It might be worthy of writing a pattern. It would be so much better in an ombre yarn, but it is pretty damn intriguing in the short variegation I am using.

I might be easily intrigued.

Woodland Weaver's Guild

2012-01-10T15:20:00.001-05:00

I enjoyed a lovely evening last night with the Woodland Weaver's Guild in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The topic was Rigid Heddle Weaving. We demonstrated the speed and ease of direct warping, had a lengthy show and tell of fabrics my students and I have woven using these nifty looms, and a great question and answer period. If you are a weaver in the Grand Rapids area who is not yet associated with this guild, look them up!
The drive to and from Lansing was easy and uneventful, but I did get home rather late last night. I am dragging a bit today. I would love an excuse to curl up in a quilt with a good book and a cup of tea. And, this arrives at the shop.

The only questions now are: what flavor tea, and does this count as studio time?

Studio Time

2012-01-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

I have a plan. I am calling it studio time. I will have studio time as often as I can.

Studio time is more a state of mind than it is a place. I anticipate that most of my studio time will be happily spent in one of my studios. I am lucky enough to have two designated spaces in my home. One is wet (basement) for painting and dyeing. One is dry (grown child's former bedroom) for spinning and any form of yarn play. The dry studio is also where I keep books, magazines and a computer.

Studio time can be spent on anything that causes me to grow as an artist and craftsperson. Knitting, crocheting, weaving other people's designs does not count. I will still be doing that, because it is fun, and there are tons of great designs out there that are calling to me. I learn something from every project. But still, I won't count it.

Studio time can be research. This could include reading about a technique, or taking photos, or gathering inspiration where ever I can find it.
Studio time should be experimental.
Studio time can be productive, as in making real things, so long as they are of my own design. I am allowed to use someone else's ideas as a jumping off point. I hope to return that favor to some other artist or designer down the road.
Studio time might make me a better shopowner/teacher.
and most important: Studio time just makes me happy.

I was chatting with Kathy (works at Woven Art) about Studio time, as we agreed that when you make space in your life,to be creative, the ideas flood in.

I don't think I will set any goals regarding how much studio time to require of myself. If I aim for ten hours and only get 9, it will make me grumpy and feel like a failure. I know this from past experience. Instead, I will see Studio Time as a gift to myself. One that is really good for me, like exercise and farm fresh veggies.

I gave myself two hours of studio time today. I spun some yarn, worked on a Theo Moorman tapestry, and read a little about diversified plain weave. And, I feel great.

New Resolutions

2011-12-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

Oh, I have the usual suspects down. You know, lose weight, be nice to my husband, work harder and smarter. I trust my friends not to really hold me to these. But I also have a creative resolution list.
It's a fluid thing, changing with my interests, energy level, and time constraints. New ideas tend to derail current ideas-in-progress, making it hard to fully accomplish things sometimes.
I accept this fluidity as an important part of my creative process. But I worry about some of the better ideas getting away if I don't capture them somehow. A new idea actually causes me anxiety, because as much as I want to chase down "new idea", I am worried about dropping and losing the ones I already have brewing.
Did you see Ice Age? With the squirrel needing to keep track of his acorn? That cracks me up every time I see it. That is exactly how I feel about my fiber to do list. Ironically, just like with the squirrel and his nut, the harder I try to grasp an idea, the more likely I am to either have it slip through my fingers, or squeeze the life out of it.
The coming of a New Year is a great excuse to give a little solidity to ephemeral ideas. I am about to start a list of creative objectives to accomplish in the next year. This list will be a fluid thing, with a few rules. Starting today I will publish a list here of some of the things I really want to do. I am allowed to add more, and maybe even subtract some until and including January 1. On January 2 I will have a final list. And, friends, I expect you to hold me to them.
Here goes:
1. Start an Etsy Shop.
   Weavings I think. But what should I start with? Little Theo Moorman tapestries? Kitchen Towels? Fabulous scarves and shawls? Results from weaving experiments?
2. Experiment with Weaving techniques. Collapse weave with handspun yarn for starters.
3. Write and publish 3 patterns. By publish I mean any public format. It could be in my Ravelry Shop, it could be in a magazine ( in which case I will allow for actual print in 2013), it could be for shop hop. It could be free on my blog. These patterns should be:
        A knitting pattern - first one might be based on something second daughter wants - a 70's style puffy vest.
        A crochet pattern - thinking about either Tunisian bathroom rugs, or Ipad cover
        A weaving pattern - maybe the result of some weaving experiments.
4. Refine my spinning. I can be pretty specific about this one. I want to make a novelty yarn based on instructions in a recent "The Wheel", a publication put out by Ashford. And I want to try this.

OK there it is. Publicly announced, and therefore more embarrassing if I flake out. And, I still have the opportunity to refine, add or subtract for the next 4 days.

Note that this list does not include any ongoing, current, or about to be started projects. I should list them here so that they don't get dropped!
Knit, Swirl
Technika
A tunisian entrelac blanket for my couch. Haven't started it yet, but the yarns have been picked out and are on my to do shelf in my studio. That makes it a committment
Mitered Crosses Blanket. I swear I will finish at least one square. It will make a cute, if impossibly tiny pillow.

And, now it's your turn? Do you have any creative resolutions for 2012? Put them in the comment box - I would love to have some company.

By the way...

2011-12-20T22:24:00.001-05:00

F.O.stands for Finished Object. Just in case you thought... You know.
I am trying to be nice here.

F.O. Santa!

2011-12-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

I am so excited that I have finished two projects in the "Nick" of time! I just wanted to share the news with Santa, in case he didn't get the message of what a very good girl I have been.
Our family fun starts tomorrow evening when everyone arrives. I will have very little time for anything but the most mindless of knitting for the next several days. I am ready!

Kristin's Christmas Stocking - finished a year ahead of time! My tradition is to knit one per year until everyone in my family has their own fancy stocking. I am using the kits from Judy's Colors. I love how the patterns are sort of traditional, but not really. I finished Kathryn's about a month ago, so I was on schedule already for this year. But, hey, what is the holiday season without some unreasonable knitting deadline? I cast on for Kristin's stocking, thinking that at least I would have a head start on next year. But I finished! Watched "The Help" while putting in the green toe.
Next year I will knit one for Kelly. Really honey! And the year after that, Ryan, my SIL. Then I will be all caught up - unless someone new joins our family in the next two years. What are the odds of that?

I felt so on top of things that I pulled out a "marinating" project. Last Christmas, my oldest gave me a ball of handspun that she had made just for me. So sweet! Then 3 months later, she gave me the other ball. I started knitting myself a hat way back in February, and stopped when I ran out of yarn. Knowing that she is coming tomorrow I decided it would show my appreciation for her gift if I actually finished my hat.
I like to knit hats from the top down. Especially with mystery yarn. Didn't know the gauge, didn't know how much I had. Turns out I had enough yarn to make a slouchy! I made the top roomy, and when I got to the headband part, I went down two needles sizes, and began the ribbing. I have about three inches of ribbing there - so the top part hangs nicely off the back of my head. It is super warm, and looks super cute on me. Thanks again honey!

Holiday deadline knitting now completely done. I have cast on for Peiga Cowl, using O'Paca from Fleece artist, held with some hand dyed silk I had in my stash. The O'Paca has the look of a fine mohair yarn, but with the ultimate softness of alpaca. It knits at a gauge of about 5 stitches to the inch on size 7 needles. Fleece Artist does genius color work with their dyes. There is a swatch now in the shop, and maybe the cowl soon - depends on how many holiday movies we watch, and who is mixing the drinks.

It's a tradition

2011-12-15T17:54:00.001-05:00

I can be pretty sentimental. Traditions are very important to me. So important that I keep creating new ones. Most of these traditions are connected to holidays. In addition to our extended family Christmas traditions (opening presents on Christmas morning, followed by big breakfast of egg bake and sticky buns, for instance), I seem to need traditions that have been created by our nuclear family, for our nuclear family.
Maybe, more accurately by me, for me.
It is for me that I purchase identical tree ornaments for each of my daughters. It gives me so much comfort to think that when they decorate their own trees in their own homes, they will have a similar set of ornaments, and will think of each other, and of me.

It is for me that I am making a set of Judy's Colors Christmas stockings, one per person and in the order in which they joined the family. Not only are they very beautiful on my mantle - but also a reminder of home, should they be taken to another house some year. It happens.

Last year I added another tradition of weaving a set of 4 kitchen towels, one for each daughter's house, and one for mine.

Only problem is choosing who gets which towel. I think I might wrap them in identical boxes, and let it be random. I might be keeping the white one for myself. I am not worried about blowing the "surprise". It is a new tradition - but they are expecting towels. And, they never read my blog.

For the technically curious: these towels are woven with an "M's and W's" threading. Louet linen warp, cottolin weft.

Americana

2011-10-18T16:10:00.000-05:00

I knit a hat for the Wall Street Occupiers while riding on the City of New Orleans, with Arlo Guthrie's song of the same title stuck in my head. It was a proud moment.

When I returned home, I found a huge pile of hats waiting for me! Thank you Cyndi, Kathy, Luann, Tamsyn, and others who sneeked the hats in without me knowing who. I am still collecting hats until November 20, but I may send off a batch sooner than that so that these wonderful hats can start their jobs sooner.

We have 23 so far! Way to go knitters!

Occupy our needles update

2011-10-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

I have found that there are many efforts to knit hats and warm items for the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Such as Jessica Rainbow and her Knitters for the 99%.

So, as it should be, Woven Art is just a small part of a greater effort to support those who are standing up against corporate greed.

Three more hats have come in:

Total so far: 5 and counting

Ladies Night in East Lansing

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-05:00

Woven Art garments on the first three models in this pretty line up.
East Lansing's Ladies Night October 8

Occupy Your Needles

2011-10-07T11:06:00.001-05:00

IMAG0183.jpg, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

The first two hats for the Occupy Wall Street protesters have just come in. Thank you Cyndi! I better get my needles going.

Occupy Our Needles - Lansing

2011-10-07T10:15:00.001-05:00

Wouldn't it be lovely to have knitters present and knitting at the Capitol on Oct. 15? Unfortunately, I will be out of town on that day. I won't be able to attend, but Woven Art is committed to collecting and sending hand knit or crocheted hats, scarves and mittens as a show of support and gratitude for the Occupy Wall street protesters.

Here is some information about what is happening locally:

-A Rally and General Assembly is scheduled to take place on October 15th at 10am on the Capitol Steps. This event is in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. A occupation may take place by individuals who choose to do so.

This is a peaceful movement. Like Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Michigan is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that we Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We plan to use the revolutionary tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants.

We are a grassroots, leaderless movement. This is not a hiearchy. This is a horizontal movement. Everyone is equal. Everyone is a leader. We are the 99%.

Occupy Our Needles

2011-10-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

I am impressed by the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and I want to do something to show my support and gratitude. You may not have heard about it yet. It is a loosely organized group of people who have set up camp near Wall Street. The gathering is peaceful now, if a bit disruptive for the day to day business in the neighborhood. If you would like to find out more, I have a couple of links for you to try:
www.Occupytogether.org
www.adbusters.org/campaign/occupywallstreet

It is starting to get cold in New York, Chicago and Boston. Wouldn't it be nice for us to send them some hats? Can you think of a more personal way to say "Thank you"? I hope to collect 99 hats and send them off before Thanksgiving. It would be really grand if I could get 98 more yarn shops to join in.

If you would like to help with this effort, you can send or bring a handknit hat, pair of mittens or a scarf to
Woven Art
325B Grove St
East Lansing, MI 48823

If you have a favorite LYS near you, please feel free to encourage them to participate in this effort. I have started a thread on the LYS group on Ravelry.

This information will also be posted on the Woven Art wesite: www.yarnandfiberart.com

Blanket for a baby goddess

2011-09-20T15:31:00.000-05:00

A good friend recently had a baby girl, so I made a stroller blanket. Luck me - I have access to great yarn all the time. Most of the warp was found in my stash, and it turned out that the perfect weft was Madeline Tosh DK in the color called Wren.
While planning this project I accidentally wound enough warp for 3 stroller size blankets. So, 2 more will be woven. There will always be new babies.

Warp

2011-09-13T10:56:00.001-05:00

IMAG0159.jpg, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

Soon to be a stroller blanket for a soon to be baby girl

Clock work in progress

2011-09-13T10:55:00.001-05:00

IMAG0161.jpg, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

So, no posts for a very long time, and then four in a row? I was kidnapped by the knitting needles, and the yarnies. These posts might be a cry for help.

This one is Stephen Wests Clockwork, in Punta Merisock and shibui sock. I bought a shirt to go with it, I love it that much.

For Kelly

2011-09-13T10:52:00.001-05:00

IMAG0162.jpg, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

Sock for Kelly. Zauberball Crazy with Gems fingering toe and heel. This is the first sock, and I sort of hope I can make the second sock sort of match.

Christmas stocking

2011-09-13T10:50:00.001-05:00

IMAG0164.jpg, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

Started this years Christmas Stocking kit from Judy's Colors. Must say, these are fun to knit. This one is for Kathryn. My goal is one per year until I have made one for every member of my family. Starting with Gary and I, and in order of when they join. After Kathryn I need to knit for Kristin, Kelly and Ryan. Kind of hoping I never get all the way caught up.

American Brilliant

2011-08-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

Our Guest Blogger today is Sharon Winsauer. Welcome Sharon!

Sharon will be teaching at class at Woven Art how how to knit this magnificent blanket. The real thing is at the shop for a few weeks. You must see this in person. Details about the class are on the WovenArt website.

Connections & Coincidences

Pat Richie has a beautiful collection of American Cut Glass. Several months ago, she approached me with an idea; wouldn’t it be neat if we could replicate some of the cut glass motifs in knitting? The result was the throw, American Brilliant, with each block design based on a glass motif.

American Brilliant is a convergence of two time honored, creative skills, knitting and cutting glass.

The art of cutting glass appears to have originated in Egypt as early as 1500 B.C. It slowly moved into Europe, appearing in the British Isles in the early 1700s. From there, it traveled to the colonies, with the first American Glass appearing around 1771. Knitting followed a very similar path. The earliest known examples were found in Egypt and ad moved to Europe by the 14th century. By the 17th & 18th Centuries, knitting involved whole families in areas like Ireland. Knitting, likewise, traveled to North America with the colonists.

To commemorate the 1910 appearance of Halley’s Comet, several cutting firms designed swirling, spiraling patterns and named them “Comet.” It is fitting that the very center of this knitting pattern, American Brilliant, forms a similar large “comet” swirl as 1910 was also the year of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s birth. Her influence continues to spiral outward and touch knitters all over the world today.

Perhaps it is more than coincidence that the fusion of cut glass and knitting took place in the Lansing, Michigan area. The designers of the pattern, Pat Richie and Sharon Winsauer, are both from the Lansing Area, and one of the greatest designers of cut glass patterns, William Anderson, established his cutting house, back in 1902, on Kalamazoo St in Lansing,

Sharon Winsauer

Ravelry’s CrazyLaceLady

Startitis

2011-08-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

I need some rules. I really want to start a new project, but I have a few that are very close to completion. I love FO's. The sense of accomplishment, the fun of showing off, the garment in my closet, or to give as a gift. But mostly I love that a finished project frees me up to start something new.

Starting something new is kind of like new love. Choosing the yarn, determining which pattern, swatching and casting on is all foreplay. Then there are several days of progress when I can thin of little else. I dream about it at night. But then, it becomes routine and familiar. I still love my projects, but I crave a new thrill.

Don't think for a minute that I am monogamous. I just try to have one project of each of several types going at once.
Currently I have a sock that is 2 inches away from being finished. Then I can start a new pair of socks. I have been working on this pair for over a year. If I don't finish them before starting new ones, I never will.

I also have what I call a long knit, and that would be Volt. She is a beautiful shawl designed by Grace Anna Farrow. I have been working on this for several months. I am now working on the I-cord edging. When that is done I can start my Knit, Swirl sweater.

My loom at home was empty, so I could justify a new weaving project. Hand towels for the bathroom at Woven art
I just started a new crochet project, and have ten more in my head. None of them are small. Most are experimental.

I have two shop projects that I mostly work on while at the shop. They are definitely shop models, made in my size. But they don't count as projects.

Time to stop rambling, and start some finishing.

Sketching with Yarn

2011-08-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

I took my rigid heddle loom on a recent lake vacation. I threaded two heddles to be able to do the Theo Moorman technique. Ms. Moorman developed her technique as a quicker way to do tapestry like images in weaving. However, she soon discovered that her technique also allows for other possibilities. Because you have a ground cloth under the image providing structure, your images do not have to create the plain weave cloth, as is true in tapestry. The image is superficial.
Using Mountain Meadows fingering wool for the fat warp, and moriah merino lace weight wool for the skinny weft, I threaded the loom about 12 inches wide. My though was to create a sketching surface that would allow me to capture my scenery in an intuitive way. What you see here is my first attempt.
I plan to return to Elk Lake, East side this time, and do s few more sketches. Get a series going.

Big Sale! Huge!

2011-07-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

At Woven Art

325B Grove st

East Lansing, MI 48823

July 14-16, 2011

Big, big Sale. Huge!

1/2 n 1/2-20%

Art Yarns Silk Rhapsody 30%

Buffalo Gold - 30%

Chesapeake - 20%

Creative Focus Linen - 25%

Denim - 30%

Frog Tree sport weight Alapca - 25%

Frog Tree Pico Boo - 30%

Fiesta Yarns - all - 30%

Luscious - 40%

Imperial Stock Ranch bulky roving cakes - 25%

Misti Alpaca Chunky - 25%

Plymouth Tweed 25%

Tilli Tomas - all - 25%

Yarns On Stage - 30%

Bargain Tower Yarns - an additional 25%

Undyed Spinning Fiber - 25%

50% Table

Greener Shades Dyes and assists - 50%

Kollage Kits - all - 50%

Culinary Colors - 50%

Lantern Moon Cross Body Denim bags- 50%

Louet Hand dyeing kit - 50%

Dollar Table

Back Issues - $1

Hemp Twine

Hemp Spinning Fiber

Free Lace Sheets

Art Felt DVD’s

Selected single sheet patterns

Selected books

Selected yarns

More of Mom's wisdom

2011-07-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

There were two pieces of newsprint taped to the wall of my Mom's studio. My last blog post recounted one of them. Here is the other:

Golden Rules for Living
1) If you open it, close it.
2) If you turn it on, turn it off.
3) If you unlock it, lock it up.
4) If you break it, admit it.
5) If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
6) If you borrow it, return it.
7) If you value it, take care of it.
8) If you make a mess, clean it up.
9)If you move it, put it back.
10) If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
11) If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12) If it is none of your business, don't ask questions.

I love these.

Wisdom from Mom

2011-07-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

I spent some time this past weekend on Old Mission Peninsula with some of my family. I was inspecting Mom and Dad's long deserted house. In their joint studio I found a couple of newspaper clippings taped to the wall. My guess is that Mom put them there. I so carefully peeled the crumbling yellow papers and put them in my wallet. Still, they are falling apart. So I am putting them here.

The first one:
An English newspaper asked its readers this question: "Who are the happiest people on earth?" These were the four prize winning answers:
- A craftman or artist whistling over a job well done.

- A little child building sand castles.

- A mother, after a busy day, bathing her baby.

_ A doctor who has finished a difficult and dangerous operation and saved a human life.

No millionaires among these, one notices. No kings or tycoons. Wealth and position, no matter how the world strives for them are not the things most people --in their wisdom, we might add-- consider the essential quality of happiness.

Onnie's Birthday Shawl

2011-06-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

My MIL, Onnie, will be turning 94 in July. I promised I would make her a shawl. She lives in Texas, but the air conditioning is often too cold for her. I wanted something light weight, but warming, without becoming too hot. I chose 2/17 tsumugi silk for the warp, and cotton gima for the weft. Both yarns from Habu Textiles. The weave structure is turned Atwater Bronson Lace. The draft can be found on page 186 in A Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns. It is design # 618 by Mary Smith.

The warp was threaded 18 inches wide in the reed, set at 20 ends per inch. I wound a 3.5 yard warp, and wove to 78" long. Not much warp was left! After washing and pressing, the final shawl dimensions, without fringe, are 16" wide by 72" long. Perfect! The fabric turned out to be exactly what I wanted for Onnie. The colors I chose to remind me, and maybe her, of her Florida home.

Happy Birthday Onnie!

Why Stitching is PERMAnent

2011-06-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

I recently read a fascinating article in the Whole Living magazine (May 2011) about the psychology of happiness and well being. Martin Seligman has a new book out: Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being, (Simon and Schuster). It is on my list of books to read, but the article had some tantalizing tidbits that I can share with you here. In his book Seligman focuses on 5 aspects of well being, the initials of which spell out PERMA. I am going to tell you why I believe knitting, crocheting, weaving and other crafts ( but these especially) are a key path to happiness and satisfaction. The following ideas are my own interpretation, and I fully disclose that I haven't read the book yet.

Positive Emotion: For many of us, just walking into a yarn shop, or touching soft yarn, or losing ourselves in color is enough to make us happy.

Engagement: "When we're truly engrossed in a task that demands our attention, our sense of self recedes and time feels as if it has slowed or even stopped" direct quote. Ever get lost in your knitting?

Relationships: This yarn biz is very different from most retail in that relationships are at the very core of a successful shop. People make new friends in classes, or they simply plop themselves down on a couch and stitch away until someone tells them their whole life story. Then there are the guilds, knitting groups, and other clubs that are offshoots. There are the on-line communities as well. Try bringing out your project at a festival sometime. Instant friends.

Meaning: So many knitters and crocheters donate their products as a matter of course. Sometimes it is a hat or a toy for a local child, sometimes it is to help raise funds for tragedies that happen on the other side of the world. Stitchers are always ready to help someone else, while still engaged in a favorite activity.

Accomplishment: Yes - occasionally you get to finish things. Then you get to show your yarn shop friends and post it on Ravelry, You might even get to wear it and receive compliments, or gift it and receive heartfelt thanks. Whether you have made a cowl, or a blanket, you get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

There you have it. I am really looking forward to reading the book, and getting more in depth information about all of these areas, but I am here to say: Stitching is here to stay - or rather permanent!

Knitting in the Rain

2011-06-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night was pretty wet, and windy. But the Stitch 'n Pitch organized by Yarn Garden's Lindsay Potter and WovenArt's yours truly was full of warm fuzzies.

I was truly amazed at how many lovely people came out to the ball park on a really rainy evening. There was a $2 cosmo special going on. And the food was worthy of the Ball Park rule ( I only eat brats and wonder bread buns at a ball park). The goody bags were super cute, stuffed with baseball themed treats. Special thanks to Lindsay for designing a twisted stitch baseball sock - it is so awesome I am going to have to knit two. Unless she let's me keep the shop model she sent. Then I only have to knit one semi matching one.

Here are a couple of Oakland shawls in process with the wonderful Kauni yarn.

At least one of these knitters is trying to master Judy's Magic cast on.

The game was a little slow.

Most folks stayed until around 9:30 - just in time to hear the National Anthem. A big thank you to everyone who came, and enjoyed! Knitters are the best people.

Cross on a Hill

2011-06-15T14:38:00.001-05:00

IMAG0119, a photo by nancymcray on Flickr.

I presented the final 8 panel project to the Church last night, only to discover that the whole piece was way too big. Somehow, when looking at the blueprints I had it in my head that the space I was to be working with had a top height of 16 feet. Forgot about the doors, I really had only about 7 feet to work with.

That's a big problem.

We agreed to a bit of rearranging. Later, as I tried to go to sleep, I literally prayed, Oh God, please help me solve this problem. A good answer came to me pretty quickly, and involved removing some purple strands of yarn, and cutting a couple of the panels in half. The picture here is of what are now the center four panels. These will be flanked with a 4 foot panel on each side. On the other side of the gathering hall will be the two longest pieces, facing each other like a valley, instead of like a hill.

After I started breathing again, I decided I like this version even more.

Market Report

2011-06-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

I just returned from The National Needlework Association (TNNA) trade show in Columbus Ohio. This blog post is about what trends I identified and what I bought.
Handmade sweaters are still going to classics with some interest. By this I mean that you will be seeing designs that you can make now and wear forever, but will have some interesting detail to make them stand apart. There is also a lot of emphasis on accessories - and that is also where some real fun is to be had! Fair Isle and intarsia mitts and fingerless gloves, cowls will be very present everywhere (yeah for that - think quick but special presents!), and the accessories also will allow you to play with luxury yarns without breaking the bank. Crochet continues to grow as more and more people are interested in learning, and more life long crocheters are able to find patterns written for pretty garments and in pretty yarns. Rowan has been on top of this trend for a few years now.

So, that's what I saw, trend wise. Wanna know what I bought? Look very soon for a wonderful wool and peace silk blend yarn from Frabjous Fibers. Peace silk is made from cocoons that have already released their worm. These cocoons can't be reeled, so the fibers are shorter. This yarn is not smooth and shiney, but has other wonderful silk qualities such as loft and warmth.
We spent a lot of time at Deep South - a pattern distributor that carries most of my favorite designers. I picked up a few new pattern lines; Tot Toppers, Grace Akhrem and others.
Then we went on to Rowan. Had tea with Martin Storey and Nicki Epstein! Rowan has several new yarns that I am super excited about. Colorspun has a soft, slightly textured spin on it, and long color repeats that are very subtle and rich. Plus, of course, great patterns. Then there is a yarn I am calling Lima Bulky. That's not it's real name, it is really called Alpaca Chunky - but it has that same tube construction that I love so much about Lima. Another new Rowan Yarn is called Fine Rowan Tweed. It is similar to Scottish Tweed 4 ply from long ago. I cannot wait to make the little kitty hand warmers from Tiny Owl Knits. And then finally, they showed me Kid Silk Stripe. This is a giant ball of Kid Silk Haze in a long color stripe, in colors by Kaffe Fasset. I have been fantasizing projects for this yarn ever since.

At Classic Elite I picked up a new to us line - Jill Eaton's Minnow Merino. This is a machine washable wool, with a gauge that is very close to Mission Falls 18/24 wool. It also comes in lovely kid and adult friendly colors.

At Skacel I got us some Crochet interchangeable sets to go with your Addi Clicks. This will be perfect for Tunisian Crochet, as well as some Portuguese knitting techniques. They come in a smart brown case, or you could keep them in your new Della Que case!

Here's some big news! We are bringing in Fleece Artist/Handmaiden. These yarns are very unusual, luxurious and heartbreakingly beautiful. In about 3 to 6 weeks we will have the Blue Face Leicester sock yarn, a wool and linen blend, a silk and kid mohair yarn they call Maiden head, and O'paca. This one reminds me a little of a lovely mohair, with the super soft feel of alpaca.

I made a stop at Habu, and got more metals! Copper and bamboo, steel and linen, and new colors of wool/stainless and silk/stainless.
I also stopped at Unicorn and got several new crochet books, the Fleece and Fiber source book, Knit Swirl!, some new weaving books and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at Home. Now I need an ice cream maker. And some new running shoes.
I am pretty sure I am forgetting something - the last few days were a whirl for sure.

Name dropping

2011-06-11T05:51:00.000-05:00

I am in Columbus Ohio, attending TNNA. Sitting in an open area, knitting Volt with Sarah and Meg, a tall, beautiful woman approached me and said: I am Grace Anna Farrow, and I designed that shawl. I was speechless! Sarah got a picture that I might figure out how to share later. I hope I run into her again when I have my wits about me. Later got to hug Melissa Leapman by sneaking up on her from behind. Had dinner and drinks with Carrie and Sherrie from Knit A Round, saw Erica and Suzy crossing the street. Met Iris Shirer and also her latest project. Told Doris Chan in the elevator that I appreciate what she has done for crochet with her wonderful designs.
This morning I have a crochet class with Mary Beth Temple, and then into the market to see all the newest yarns, books, patterns and tools.

Ho Hem

2011-04-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

I am still waiting for yarn to come in, so I can finish weaving panels 7 and 8. In the meantime I am hemming. And hawing. And sewing on velcro to the top borders. This part is tedious and nerve racking. I must measure exactly right for these hangings to be all the correct sizes. Plus, I really, really want them to hang straight. I have found that it takes about two hours to hem and sew velcro on to one end. And, remember, I have 8 ends to do this too. The other ends are just finishing hems, so probably will only take 45 minutes each. The bright side is that I will be SUPER excited to get back to weaving!

Stand still

2011-04-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am half way through the weaving part of the seventh panel of the big commission. This and the eight panel are the smallest at 4' by 4' finished. So, really not much longer before they are done! Saddly, I have run out of an important color. More is on the way - but in the meantime, can't weave.

To console myself, I decided, at long last, to purchase a spinning wheel from WovenArt. I decided on the Matchless from Schacht Spindle. I feel like a teenager driving a Jaguar. Not yet worthy. But this wheel will take me from beginner to where ever I want to go. So, I love it. I have a sample of PMS from Rivers Edge to try out, and I have to say, it is like playing with kittens and yarn at the same time! But kittens with no claws or litter box to clean up. The color is a yellow to green that somehow reminds me of melons and spring time.

This weekend I will begin the process of hemming the panels and finishing them for installation. This is a daunting task, really has to be done just right. Nice to know I'll have a soft reward when I get them finished!

Two very different shawls

2011-04-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

Here is my St. Lucia shawl - so named for the vacation spot I was going to after sending this off. The warp is a Mulberry Silk from LeiLani fiber arts - one skein was dyed in an orange to red varigation, and the other in a cool blue to purple colorway. These two were put together in a "clasped" warp - so all the cool colors are on one end of the scarf, all the warm colors on the other. The Mulberry silk was so easy to dye - just sucked the color right up. I used Greener Shades dyes from Stillwater Mill. This process is so easy, you really could do it in your kitchen, using a pot with a rack in it for steaming, one that is dedicated to that purpose.
The weft is sari silk ribbon -also from Leilani Fiberarts. The weaver is Kathy Popoff - she was testing out the pattern for me, and I think she did a lovely job. She graciously said it was a really fun project to do. The first and last several inches are in a 4 over 4 leno lace, and the center section is a form of basket weave. Very loosely woven to preserve some softness and drape. There can be some migration of the warp threads, but you just tug them back into shape.

Just pulled this project off the loom yesterday. My excuse for making this was to try out the new David loom from Louet that has recently become part of the WovenArt studio family. My other excuse was to do something with Cotton Gima, a slender tape yarn from Habu. This yarn stayed absolutely flat during the weaving process. It felt like a very interesting sheet of paper while under tension on the loom. I also couldn't see the lace pattern at all. I was using the Lace Net with Plain Weave Ovals from Donna Muller's book HandWoven Laces. The draft was written by Marion Andrews. Once off tension the lace pattern shows up very well. Better than the picture below would indicate. The fabric has a nice stiffness to it - lending it a but of drama and sophistication. I am going to love wearing this shawl.

Inappropriate use of Addi clicks

2011-04-12T09:07:00.000-05:00

We moved the last of our stuff out of our former condo shed and garage last weekend. This included two kayaks, a small sailboat, and about a dozen inflated floaty toys. The floaty toys were too big, of course, to get into our car. And, you know, new ones wouldn't cost very much. But we have some lovely memories of these toys.

As Gary was figuring out how to lash three boats to one very small trailer, I was deflating. Broke three fingernails getting the little valve things unplugged. Then I rolled around on the floating tubes and mattresses, while hugging the life out of the smaller rings and pillows. But, nothing happened. They would not deflate! Urg! It was pretty cold, and there I was wallowing in the parking lot in my black wool coat and my winter boots, on top of floaty toys. It took me too long to figure out that there is an INNER flap on all those valves. I said to Gary - I need a stick. But I can't find one strong enough. He offered up his keys, but no, I said. I need something long, and pointy, and strong, like a... like a knitting needle!

I had needles with me - but they were in a project. Volt, from a few posts back. Desperate now, I took Volt out of the project bag, and wadded it up, exposing one needle. Poked it into a valve, and it worked! But, only as long as the needle was in there. This was going to take too long - and expose Volt to too much dirt. If only I could take the tip off the cord. Hey! Wait! These were Addi Clicks! They saved the day. I took off both tips, and we got those floaty toys deflated in no time. I am pretty sure this is not an approved use of this high tech tool - but I didn't care. I saved the toys.

And, Volt is in progress again.

Kelly's Autumn Rose

2011-04-04T20:48:00.000-05:00

She picked the sweater. Autumn Rose by Eunny Yang. She picked the colors of Elemental Affects Shetland fingering. And then she waited, oh so patiently, while I knit it for her. Other projects distracted at times. Holidays got in the way. Business stuff got in the way too. Finally it was finished, and then it was my turn to wait to see it on her. First, Autumn Rose needed to put in some time as a shop model. Then, she and I both kept forgetting to put it on her when she came home for a visit. But, last week, she put it on.

It fits!

Schefflera Cozy

2011-03-29T11:10:00.000-05:00

Many of you have seen me working on my Coco Knits Felted Bucket. It is the perfect pick-up, put down, pick up again project. It has been my shop project for the last few months. I finally threw it in the washing machine a couple of weeks ago. My intent was to line it, and have it filled with yarn. But after it came out of the washer, the mid section looked so much like a terra cotta pot that I just had to put a plant in it. Brilliant. There are so many reasons I like this! A felt pot won't scratch your table. If you happen to over water your plant, the wool will absorb most of the extra moisture. I want to knit cozies for all my plants now!

I only made a couple of modifications to the original pattern. I used Punta Merisoft for the yarn. I love how it felts and how pretty it is. I didn't feel like making i-cord handles and attaching them to the sides. Dunno why - just didn't wanna. Instead, I picked up and knit around the top edge, knit one row, bound off for a handle space, casting on again at the same spot on the next round. Then a few more rows of reverse stockingette. After binding off, I tacked the roll over the edge, all this before felting of course. Now I have two handles at the top, to aid in carrying my plant around.

My Comfort Bear

2011-03-26T16:23:00.000-05:00

Should I call him Levi? Because he is made of Riveting, a new yarn from Kollage made from 100% post consumer recycled blue jeans. I started him on our vacation - the perfect beach knit! Not hot, the yarn didn't stick to me, and the pattern was pretty easy - but not boring!

I made the bear for two reasons. I wanted to try out Riveting, (love it!) and I wanted to make a bear for the Lansing Police Department Comfort Bear project. Kristi Garcia has been coordinating this ongoing project in our community for many months now. All area yarn shops are collection points, with the next pick up in June. "Levi" (still not sure that is his name) has one friend at WovenArt (Thank You! Sarah!), but they would like more company. Don't you want to knit a smile?

Progress on Calvary Commission

2011-03-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

Five of eight panels have now been completed for Calvary Lutheran. They are pictured here on my living room floor. I needed to get an idea of how the pieces would work together. I believe they will be much more effective on the wall, with the proper spacing in between.

I am in the process of threading the loom for panel number six. Panel number 7 has been dyed. There is more work to be done, but I feel that I am "over the hill". I am beginning to really anticipate installing these hangings in their future home.

Welcome David!

2011-03-19T14:10:00.000-05:00

WovenArt has a new member in it's studio family. David (from Louet) arrived Friday afternoon, in a great big box.

There were a lot of pieces to put together.

And a LOT of screws.

The instructions were clearly written and illustrated, and in just four hours of labor, David was sitting up in his new spot. This loom is a bit different from my other looms. This is our first "boy". He doesn't take up very much floor space, but he is very powerful. 8 harnesses means he can tackle complex patterns. Sturdy design and construction means he will be able to make rugs. He has a sinking shed instead of a rising one, and an overhead beater. I think I had better try him out before any students get to him, don't you? You know, a test drive.

Shamrock for you

2011-03-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Knit what you wear, Wear what you knit

2011-03-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

WovenArt was privileged to host the most amazing Sally Melville last weekend. A talented designer, technician and wonderful teacher, I walked away with lots of food for thought, and some new resolutions. Would those be St Patrick's Day resolutions?

Sally's mantra through the weekend was "Knit what you wear, and wear what you knit." I am a yarn shop owner. I knit all the time - but mostly it is for the shop. So, I tend not to wear what I knit. Two things wrong with that. One: I am missing out on the fun of wearing some great sweaters, and two - I should be a better role model.

Sally also spoke extensively about how to choose the garment shapes that will flatter each individual the most, and what to pair these shapes with. This was most eye opening. My shopping and knitting in the past has been a haphazard adventure in choosing what is trendy, or a pretty color, or intriguing, or would get the sales person to leave me alone. I have never considered how flattering a shape might be, or what outfits are best together. The result is that I have a closet full of things I liked well enough to buy, but not well enough to wear. Armed with new knowledge of flattering proportions, I have a much better idea of how to put together outfits that I will feel comfortable in, and that will make me look good. Don't you always feel more comfortable when you know you look good? Saddly I am pretty sure I recently threw away a beautiful long, full, silver skirt, because I never wore it. I never wore it because I couldn't figure out what I should be wearing it with.

Many thanks to "The closet knitter", who I enjoyed for many reasons. I am looking forward to her return - which could be September!

Vacation Knitting part two

2011-03-07T17:33:00.000-05:00

After two days of skiing, we went here. See the beautiful beach? What do you think the perfect project would be?


A Teddy Bear out of Riveting by Kollage! This recyled cotton was the perfect thing to be knitting with on a hot, steamy beach. The bear is for the Lansing Police Department's Comfort Bear program.

Vacation Knitting part one

2011-03-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Gary and I took a Winter break over the last two weeks. We started our vacation by going NORTH to Stokely Creek for a cross country ski adventure. Along with us went a group of Gary's running friends. A nice surprise was to also run into some people we knew as neighbors years ago.

The lodge is cozy, has a fire place, and really great food. The trails are groomed, and suitable for a wide range of skill levels. My skill level is " do I have to?" Our friend, Dick, has an obsession with cross country skiing - so his level is a frightening race to the tops of mountains, followed by shooting down the other side. I didn't ski with Dick. I enjoyed myself more than I expected to, on lovely gentle slopes, each morning. Each afternoon I settled in by the fire with a book and my knitting. To my delight, there were other knitters there as well.

It turned out to be a delightful Winter Break. And the perfect project pairing?
Volt from The Fine Line in Isager 100% Wool. In addition to being easy enough for conversation and wine by the fire, the light weight wool kept my knees toasty.

Threading Heddles

2011-02-17T18:15:00.000-05:00

More progress on my Cross on a Hill project for Calvary Lutheran Church. Here is a close up threads going through heddles. There are 490 cotton threads and 245 silk threads for each panel. There are 8 panels total. That's a lot of threads going through lots of heddle eyes!

Handspun Eggs in Raku nest

2011-02-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Modified cliche for the day: Artwork is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Recently I declared that I am more interested in product development than in manufacturing. In other words, I am more excited about having ideas than in bringing them to world. Doing the work. That isn't a great formula for success. Unless I can get other people to bring forth my ideas for me.

In the fiber arts, which I know the most about, most ideas require repeated motions, by the thousands, to come to fruition. This might be true of other media as well, but I can't think of any good examples. It takes some will power to sit down at a loom, knowing that you are going to throw the shuttle and beat thousands of times before you can cut off your towel, or scarf. It takes inner strength to cast on several hundred stitches for a shawl that you might not finish for several months.

Though I complain and procrastinate, I return time and again to knitting, weaving, crochet, and spinning. The individual motion of putting spin on a spindle, results in almost nothing. It is the repetition of that motion, followed by many, many more repetitive steps that can finally add up to something beautiful and of value.

Somehow, the thing that I complain about the most, is the very thing that also attracts and compels me: the tiny incremental steps required to add up to anything of substance.

These three little balls of handspun singles were begun last August, from BFL roving dyed by Miss Babs, on a dyaKraft drop spindle. They are really nothing yet. Many more steps will be required.

They are nestled in a raku bowl made by a woman named Janka. She was my Mother's ceramics teacher. This tiny bowl must be 40 years old. My mother treasured it, and I treasure it. Janka must have thrown a thousand bowls before she developed the skills to make this one. I am grateful she did.

Great Weekend ahead!

2010-11-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

It is so much fun to have Melissa Leapman here again for a weekend of workshops! This fabulous teacher, and friend, will be presenting 4 workshops: Cable Confidence, Celtic Cables, Mosaic Knitting and Two Color double Knitting at Woven Art on Saturday and Sunday (call 517-203-4467 if you want in on this! If you are reading this on Friday 11/12 it is not too late).

As an added bonus we also have Ken Wing of Leilani Arts with a trunk show of really beautiful yarns. The prices are also unbelievably good.
Here are a few eye dazzlers:

Handspun Angora

Mulberry Silk

Cashmere

Recylced Sari Silk

And Melissa playing hide and seek in the yummy yarn

You can see this trunk show this weekend, 11/13 and 11/14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Woven Art is located at 325B Grove St
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-203-4467

2010-11-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

The warp is nearly wound on, and I have discovered a problem. I measured off the warp in two inch increments to facilitate the painting of the warp. The last bundle on the right was measured off at 8 yards instead of 6 yards. How did that happen? No matter. What to do?
Option 1: Re-paint this section. Pro: it would maybe be a close match. Con: Very messy, and complicated, plus need to add drying time.
Option 2: Pull that section back further, and weight it. Con:This could potentially mess with the tension on that side, making for uneven weaving, and constant fussing. Pro: If it works, it would match perfectly.
Option 3: Take that section out entirely, and make all the panels 2 inches narrower. Pro: No problem with the color and look, and it would be a bit more manageable. The warp is currently at the full width of the loom, which can be difficult to maintain over long yardage. Con: all the pieces would be 2 inches narrower. I am not sure how that works with the over all space that we are trying to fill. I really think it would be fine. Another problem is that this warp would no longer be centered. That is maybe not such a big deal.
Option 4: Just let it be, and call it a design element.

I am torn between options 3 and 4. Gotta decide. Need to start weaving!

Waterfall of Warp

2010-11-01T15:47:00.000-05:00

I love the way the warp looks, cascading over the beam of the loom, like water.

I have begun threading the heddles. This morning I dyed the right center two panels. I want to get all the warps dyed as soon as possible. Somehow I think that dyeing them all at nearly the same time will make them turn out to be more nearly the same color. So, my routine is measure and wind warp, thread, dye, repeat. I have four more panels to measure off and dye. I might be able to start weaving by mid-November.

My knitting projects in the meantime include Cocoknits Buckets, the wrap called Volt from a Fine Line, Diamond Lucy socks from Chrissy Gardener's book Toe-Up!, and a Christmas Stocking from Judy's Colors. Four knitting projects. That means I have to finish one before I can cast on for another. My money says the bucket will be finished first.

Slow progress

2010-10-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

But, still, progress!

There is a lot involved to setting up a weaving. This project will be huge. 8 panels, each four feet wide, and of varying heights. Last post I showed you the left center panels getting painted. Here is a picture of the right center panels as they are measured on a warping mill. To facilitate painting the background image, I am winding off the warp in two inch increments - 25 of them.

I have begun to thread the loom for the left center panels. I discovered a mistake in calculations. I measured the warp off at 12 ends per inch. The reed in the loom, that was used to make the sample, is a 10 dent reed. This means that I have to drop 3 or 4 threads off from each two inch segment of warp. I don't believe this will disrupt the image in any significant way. It does mean I have about 90 extra painted warp threads. Maybe some beautiful scarves for the committee? I think I have enough for about three scarves.

I expect to be threading the loom for a week, or maybe two. Then, I can get to the weaving!

Wonderful Project

2010-10-18T18:21:00.000-05:00

I am honored to have the opportunity to make a large series of wall hangings for a local church. The 8 panels will describe a Cross on a Hill, and will hang over the entrance to the Sanctuary. I will be documenting the progress of this project here.

This photo is of the warp chains, cotton and silk, before dyeing. These chains are for the left half of the center panels.

here, the warps threads spread out, in order, ready for painting

And here they are, painted, earth, ground, sky.

Warm and Fuzzy

2010-10-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

Our final numbers for this year's Charity Knit off are:

95 hats
23 scarves
2 pairs of mittens

Congratulations! Woven Art knitters are the best!
I'll be taking these gifts to the Black Child and Family Institute next week (after I finish one more hat). If you would like to contribute one or two more items, you have a few more days.

Thank you all for your amazing generosity

Random Chatter

2010-10-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Go Green!

I can't find my phone. My Android. I have "functioned" for four days without it - but I was on a mini-vacation, at a wedding, at the beach. Even so, every time we needed to go somewhere, or find something, I would think; "if I had my phone..."

Yarns on Stage this Saturday! This is a nationwide launch of ten limited edition sock yarns. I have ten skeins of each, 20 of some. So, we're going to have a party! And you are invited. Yarns on Stage Coming out Party will be Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As this coincides with the Spartan homecoming game, there will be celebratory food and drink. There will also be a drawing held at the end of every quarter. At the end of the First quarter one lucky knitter will win a free pattern from the YOS collection. At Half time, some lucky winner will go home with a skein of YOS yarn! Third quarter - pattern, end of game - yarn. You will be entered into the drawing once for every $10 you spend at Woven Art that day. You will also be entered one time just for telling me that you plan to come. You will be eligible to win more than once! So, come early, buy lots and enter often.

Now, if I could find my smartypants phone I could set alerts, so that I'll know when to do the drawings. Sigh.
Meg, I know you don't like the GPS function on my phone. Do you know anything about this?

Hats off to Spartan Knitters!

2010-10-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

Every year Woven Art (in Spartan Country) competes with Knit-A-Round Yarn Shop in Wolverine Land to see which group of knitters can make more hats, mittens and scarves to keep our communities warm this Winter. Unfortunately the Knit-A-Round Quarterback is out of the game, and the Wolverines forfeited for this year. Personally I think they are resting their fingers, and will be back with a vengeance next year!

But, hey! - look at this mountain of warm and fuzzy hats and scarves! And we can make it bigger! Woven Art will be accepting hats until closing on Saturday. You can knit while you watch great football! I am still knitting! One more hat on the needles.

I will be very proud to deliver these to the Black Child and Family Institute next week. Thank you all for your generosity and caring spirits.

Go Green!

Eat Play Knit

2010-10-04T18:24:00.000-05:00

Thank you Sharon
for coming up with the perfect title for Woven Art's First ever retreat. 25 fiber-lous folks gathered together on the shores of Lake Macatawa, at Rosewood Pointe Resort this past weekend.
I didn't take any pictures worth putting up on line - my paparazzi skills not being up to snuff. But I know that Meg did, and Erica did. Maybe they'll put some pics up soon.

I wish I could tell you how much I enjoyed this trip. I love to entertain, and rarely get to do so. I spent most of Saturday morning cooking (breakfast was enabled by Michelle ) two kinds of Chili. It was my intention to present new food about every three to four hours. Home made banana bread, blueberry breakfast cake (thanks Meg!), Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal scotchies, and beverages a'plenty. It really wasn't much work at all - every one pitched in. We enjoyed the royal treatment at Boatwerks Restaurant on Saturday night. The food and staff were stellar.

Sarah taught an eye opening workshop on Gauge Friday night, and she was back at it Saturday morning with Double Knitting. Jill Bigelow Suttell taught two workshops: From flat to round - how to convert flat knitting patterns to knitting in the round, and Knitting shapes. Both of these workshops pulled heavily from the genius of Barbara Walker. In fact Barbara Walker shared the spotlight this weekend with Elizabeth Zimmerman. Each knitter received a really, seriously, cute goody bag with supplies for many of the workshops (Thank you Erica and Kollage for the Fantastic yarn and the Square needles!!), and a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's The Knitter's Almanac. Meg led a workshop on mitered mittens, including the scary part where you clip out some threads for the thumb. On Sunday morning, when everyone was truly filled up with information, I led a short introduction to EZ's Ganomy hat. I do hope to see my friends kept warm this winter in their hats and mittens.
When we weren't knitting or eating we played Bananagrams, or Apples to Apples. I laughed til I hurt.
And today I plunked down the deposit for next year. Sept 30/Oct 1-2. I am so excited!

So Proud!

2010-10-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

I am very happy and proud to say that I will be writing a check for $305 to The Greater Lansing Food Bank this morning, in honor of all the people who purchased Shop Hop Passports from Woven Art. Thank you all for being part of the Woven Art community.

Milk goes better

2010-09-29T19:38:00.000-05:00

I just discovered that milk goes better with oatmeal scotchies cookie dough than red wine. Darn.
That means I have to postpone either eating cookie dough, or drinking wine, and I rather want both, right now.

I am baking cookies for our first ever Woven Art retreat this upcoming weekend. Also, planning the rest of the eats. Given the mood I am in, I fear we will be low on nutrition and high on gratifying snack-y food. Oh well, how much can one weekend hurt us all? Never mind the dress I must fit into for the following weekend's wedding festivities.

Today I also purchased some silly board games for our retreat. The porch and living room at Rosewood Pointe resort just begs for game playing and knitting. Perfect! I needed my own Bananagrams for sure - but did I really need my own Munchkins game? Or my own Apples to Apples? I love to play games, and I am pretty competitive. I know at least one other pretty competitive person is going to be there. All in good fun.

Lastly, in preparation for a weekend focused on knitting, I started a new project ;"Volt" from The Fine Line, in 100% wool by Isager. I want to get to the point where the markers are doing all the work for me, so I can converse, and drink. I am considering beginning a new sock as well, for when Volt seems too demanding. I have been working hard for months - a weekend at a lake is just what I need. Can't wait!

Winners!

2010-09-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

We have two lucky winners of our Woven Art Shop Hop 2010 prizes.

Tracy Woodhams is the winner of "The Big Fat" scarf kit. The kit consists of 9 carefully selected balls of premium sock yarns and the book "Crochet in Color". This is a very easy but dramatic pattern. I completed mine during a week of travel, and even wore it to dinner every night along the way. Congratulations Tracy!

Sharon Rett won the Grand Prize drawing of the Surprise Jacket and handbag from Kollage Yarns. The show stopping cardigan is made with Glisten and 1/2 and 1/2 - two fabulous yarns. Glisten is an alpaca/silk blend with a tiny subtle sparkle. It is very soft - the nicest sparkle yarn I have ever knit with. Many thanks to Suzie and Mark at Kollage for this great prize, and congratulations to Sharon! I know you'll enjoy knitting it, as well as wearing it!

In other news; I have finished my Origami Cardigan from Frog Tree Alpaca sport melange. Mine is bright blue. Now that the weather has turned colder, you will be seeing it on me at the shop. This sweater is so cozy and easy to wear, I am pretty sure I'll be saving on utility bills this Winter.

Shop Hop 2010

2010-09-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

The Capital Area Shop Hop 2010 was a blast! We were so busy all four days I barely sat down, and neither did Deidra, Jenn, Meg, Jessy or Luann. My brand new POS system was put to the test - but everybody was very patient and a good sport about it. Kzoo Erica stopped by and later posted this report.
I am sure that everyone wants to know who won our Grand Prize (a beautiful cardigan and purse project from Kollage), and our second prize(a Big Fat Scarf kit including yarn and the book Crochet in Color).

The winners will be announced in my newsletter, and on our Ravelry and Face book page tomorrow. Maybe even here - if I can get myself to write a blog blurb two days in a row! Now that would be news.

Day Brightener

2010-07-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

I had just dumped my coffee on my "first time on me" dress. I was washing the entire front of my dress in the sink, when Jenn said there was someone there to see me named Faun. Oh - dang- I thought that appointment was for tomorrow!!
Faun is a local spinner. She has her own company: hands and notions fiber goods. You can find her on etsy at handsandnotions.etsy.com. Faun makes fabulous yarn. Her work reminds me of handspinner I saw at our trade show, but richer colors, more in keeping with Michigan preferences. Still, super soft, bulky yarn with a wonderful mix of fibers and colors with a bit of glitter and mix-ins. She is very talented. She also sells batts. Of course I ordered some. For you my friends. We should have some in the shop within a few weeks. Here is a sneak peek:

Tie up your shoes

2010-06-21T13:05:00.003-05:00

Here's a fun run, and a great cause:
http://www.maxsrace.com/

Anybody out there want to join me?

What did I buy, and why?

2010-06-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

Those of you who follow the world of yarn closely, or know a yarn shop owner intimately know that this past weekend was one of our industry trade shows. It was the big one. If you attend as a retailer, you get to take classes, and visit vendors. I enjoy the opportunity to strengthen my relationships with my current vendors, and discover new ones. Here is a rundown of what I am bringing home, to you:

Kollage Yarns:
Lots of colors of Solace, Glisten and Luscious. Also 1/2 and 1/2. I became interested in this company because of a yarn rep named Erica. She facilitated great generosity from the owners of the company. I also love the yarns. Visit their website and you'll see why.

Habu Textiles: Have you seen the book Ori-ami Knits? It is a lovely book of unusual but beautiful patterns, using only Habu Yarns. I needed to bring in some cotton gima for many of the patterns.

Frog Tree - Alpaca Sport. Origami Sweater. Of course.

Namaste - Monroe, Hermosa, Hip Holster

Ecobutterfly:
We got the natural sport weight yarn in all the colors, even green! Fiber too for my spinners.

Punta: More colors of my favorite three: Merisoft, mericash and merisock. I love this yarn.

Shibui: I am really intrigued by this new-to-me company. I "met" them when I was asked to design a vest for Handwoven Fall issue. They generously sent me a box full of several different types of yarns. This time around I bought Sock, Baby Alpaca dk, and H'Land wool alpaca.

Mission Falls: This is a yarn I can count on for color, value and great feel. They also have excellent pattern support. We stock 1824 cotton and 1824 wool.

Frabjous Fibers: I love the silk ribbon yarns, the felted notions bags, and assorted other goodies.

Imperial Stock Ranch: This is yarn that you want to sink your fingers into. It is springy and delicious. Then when you hear their story you just fall in love. That's what happened to me anyway. Always had a weakness for western romance.

So there you have it - a sampling of what I fell for over the weekend. I hope you enjoy the links.

Where you shop

2010-06-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

http://www.hulu.com/watch/105821/independent-america

You make decisions everyday that can make your town a stronger and better place. Watch this video and understand that where you shop makes a direct impact on where you live.
And, thank you.

My local yarn shop is growing thanks to loyal and regular customers who have become my community. It is a rich and rewarding experience that I am grateful for everyday.

Frozen goodies for a hot Summer day

2010-06-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Luann and I were hanging around the old ball and skein the other day, when a young woman hefting a freezer box came in and offered us a free frozen yogurt. Free? Why yes, she was introducing the downtown worker bees to Swirlberry Frozen yogurt. It is good stuff, let me tell you. And, it is right on the corner of Abbot and Albert here in East Lansing. That is literally right around the corner from me. Next time I need an indulgence, that is where I'm gonna go.

And way to go Sharon! You have a great KIP story ( see previous post). Will no one give Sharon a run for the money? She set the bar high to be sure, but you could at least give it a shot. Share your KIP stories here, the best one ( by June 15) wins a $10 gift certificate to WovenArt!

Happy Anniversary

2010-05-20T14:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you Gary! I love you 32 times as much as I did on the day I said "I do".

KIP story of the week

2010-05-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

Ralph stopped by yesterday to show me his new creation. Ralph is an accomplished knitter, and has been knitting for many years. He often knits for his grandkids; sweaters, mittens and hats. He often knits in restaurants while waiting for one of his kids to finish up with school. Sometimes he'll knit hats or mittens for the waitresses.

One day, he was knitting at Hooter's. The waitress said that she had seen him knit hats and mittens. Could he knit a bathing suit?

He sure could!

New couch needs pillows

2010-04-06T11:38:00.002-05:00

Thought train number one:
I have a huge, new, charcoal gray couch. The fabric has a subtle twill stripe. It needs colorful pillows. On the wall we have hung a woven saddle bag. The kind you might put on a camel. It is very tribal looking, with a complex pattern and lots of fringe.

Thought train number two: Somewhere in the back of my head I have been curious about the visual similarity between Fair Isle knitting patterns, and woven patterns, particularly point twill diamonds. It might be interesting to chart a weaving draw down, and then both weave and knit the same pattern in the same yarns. This thought has been bouncing around inside my head for at least a year. Probably more.

Do you see where I am headed with this? Pillows!
I might even do a 3rd pillow in tapestry crochet.
I think weaving would be faster, knitting might offer more flexible design opportunities. But I won't know for sure until I compare. Hey Handwoven! Hey Interweave Knits! Want an article?

But first:
1. Finish silk curtains for kids bathroom on rigid heddle loom
2. Finish Kitchen towels (the first in my sourdough towel series, where I incorporate leftover yarns into the next set of towels.)
3. Design and weave a tunic style faux-ikat vest
4. Finish proposal for Church commission.
5. Spin! spinspinspin..

Yeah baby. Knitcrochetweavespindye...happy me.

Pangrams in Fiber

2010-03-23T11:19:00.003-05:00

"Change is unavoidable - expect it and skillfully enjoy the squeeze of it's wild embrace"
- Linda Hendrickson

Listening to Weavecast on my daily walk yesterday I was introduced to the concept of "pangrams" which are sentences or phrases that include every letter of the alphabet, such as the one above. Linda Hendrickson weaves these phrases into ribbons, in card or tablet weaving. Want to see this for yourself? Visit Linda's website to see this and other phrases beautifully woven. She even employs different fonts to carry her expressions. Linda is the author of the book "Please Weave a Message". I am trying really hard to contain my interests. I made the mistake of counting up my projects in process right now. At least 8. And how many processes? Four, if you make the categories broad, like "knitting". If I were to break it down, like Fair Isle or lace, I guess I'd have about 8 different processes going on too. I should add the commission I am supposed to be working on.

So I need card weaving like... well, like I need another interest. Imagine my dismay when she began to talk about "Split Ply Braiding".
From Linda's Website: "Ply-split braiding comes to us from the desert between India and Pakistan, where men spin goat hair, ply the yarn into sturdy cords, and ply-split the cords into girths and necklaces for their camels. They also create several types of ply-split bags and holders which are hung up to keep pots and bowls out of the reach of children and animals."

It is just too much. Go, see for yourself. If you want to explore these techniques or idea, I bet you could talk me into exploring with you. Would that be enabling?

Sign of Spring

2010-03-17T08:56:00.002-05:00

Saw a game of Beer Pong on my walk this morning - at 9:30.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Bears need Friends

2010-02-22T14:24:00.002-05:00

These cute little guys are so happy that they are going to be "Comfort Bears". They were made by Jackie Hagan and Jill Bigelow-Suttle to donate to the Lansing Police Department. But they want some more friends to go along with them. Can you help?

Lansing Comfort Bear is an on-going project. Individuals can knit, crochet, or sew bears for the Lansing Police Department to provide children during house calls, raids, interviews, etc. We ask that materials be washer and dryer friendly. Jill Bigelow Suttle is offering a couple of Bear Making workshops. You can find that information under classes at www.yarnandfiberart.com

Founder and Contact: Kristi Garcia lansingcomfortbear@gmail.com

Police Contact: Noel Garcia ngarcia@lansingmi.gov

Find us on Raverly – free to join - http://www.ravelry.com/groups/lansing-comfort-bear-project

DROP OFF DEADLINES FOR 2010

JUNE 12, 2010

DECEMBER 11, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T17:11:00.005-05:00

My Valentine treat for you is this picture of a Valentine Cactus! Prickly but cute!

I took the picture while hiking in the Saguaro National Park with Kristin and Gary, while on vacation in the Southwest last week. Tucson was getting a lot of rain, while we were there, and just before. This lead to a very unusual site: a river in the desert:
The colors were most amazing!

Naturally I took a trip project with me; The Big Fat Scarf from Crochet in Color.
I made the first stripe on the plane to Tucson.
The second stripe in between visits to the Gem Show.
I made the third stripe on the way to Tombstone (crazy town- everybody dresses up like cowboys or bar maids, and gets paid to have fake gun fights on the hour).
I started the fourth stripe before breakfast at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas, where legend claims Pocho Villa rode his horse up the marble stair case in the lobby. Really the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen.
I made the fifth and sixth stripes on the way to Santa Fe. We did a lot of walking and looked at a lot of art. And ate a lot of really great food.
The seventh, was created on the way to and from Taos. While in Taos I got to finally, finally see, in person, La Lana Wools and Weaving Southwest. My trip was now complete.
But, my big fat scarf wasn't. So, I worked on the eighth and ninth stripes all the way home.
I think it is gorgeous. The colors will always remind me of my Southwest road trip. The yarns are Merisock, Madeline Tosh sock, and Woven Art's hand dyed treadsoft. I hope to have it in the shop later on this week for you to see.

Farmer's Market Soap Bag

2010-01-19T12:18:00.003-05:00

I love to buy handmade soaps at my local farmer's market. The bars I buy have luscious smells. The guy selling them advises that you keep them in your drawer for a few months, so that they get good and hard and dry. They will last longer and they will make your undies smell very nice.

I crocheted a little bag to hold my soap last night:

This one is made from allhemp3. I designed this as a proto-type for a beginning crochet class. It is super easy, and took me less than an hour, including writing down the pattern, rethinking and editing as I went. I think I will need at least three of these for myself. One for a drawer, and one to hang in my closet while drying (and wafting good smells). The 3rd one will hang in my shower and become my scrubby. I am going to test this one out for a week or so - and if it passes my shower test, I'll put it on my class list.

In other news, I have warped up a "Flip" loom for curtains for a bathroom window. I love how my warp glows! The yarn is 2/17 tsumugi from Habu, sett at 20 e.p.i. The plan, so far, is to do mostly plain weave, with a few rows of texture at the bottom of each panel.

New Year, New Post, New Resolve!

2010-01-08T13:01:00.004-05:00

I love the blog-o-sphere. I think Blogging is a great way to communicate, share your creativity, or whatever else you love. It is a fabulous way to keep in touch with what others are up to.

I am just lousy at it.

So, New Year, New Resolutions - one of which is:

New Posts!

I will share with you two Christmas presents.
The one pictured just above is a blanket made for my friend Sharon. This friend crochets something for me every year. This year she made a rug for my shop You'll see it the next time you are in. I have been wanting to make her an afghan for quite a few years, but this year I did it! The warp is hand dyed Montana. The weft is Mochi plus from Crystal Palace. Both are 100% worsted weight wool . With an e.p.i of 8, this pattern was of a pretty large scale. The pattern is
four block "Primose and Diamonds" adapted for 8 harnesses by Leslie K. Alperin. It can be found in A Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns. The finished blanket is about 50' by 70". Warm and squishy.
In the meantime, my eldest daughter has been asking for mittens. Both fingerless for office work, and substantial for walking around Chicago. Pictured here are her brand new fingerless mitts, designed by me, knit out of Mericash. I have put the design on Ravelry as a free download, if you are interested! They are soft and warm, and I have already seen her wearing them quite a bit. I also made her Jarod Flood's "Grove" mittens, with a twisted stitch design, to go over these. Now, my baby's warm.

Fair Isle Frenzy

2009-11-30T14:07:00.005-05:00

Suddenly, everyone at the shop seems to be knee deep in a color work project. Jenn is working on an intarsia bag out of 1824 wool - chosen because of the wonderful, rich, color range. Sorry, I don't have a picture of that one, you'll just have to come in to see it. The rest of us have been working on Fair Isle, or Stranded color projects. It is freakishly fun and addictive. Yeah, knitting is addictive anyway - but somehow this is grabbing my attention extra hard at the moment.

Here I am beginning one of Judy's Colors Christmas stockings. I plan to hang it this year - and make one for every family member, at the rate of one per year. This one is probably going to be mine.

Kelly picked out "Autumn Rose" by Eunny Yang. She then picked out all the colors from the big basket of Elemental Affects hand dyed shetland. The colors she chose are turing out a little cooler and richer. It is going to be lovely. As this is not a Christmas present, I am working on it as a reward in between other projects. It is that much fun.

Luann is knitting "Little Sven" by Cottage Creations - out of Heilo from Dale of Norway. Isn't that going to be adorable? It will be a child's pullover, worked from the bottom up.
Meg designed the "Traverse" hat and mitten set shown here. I love these! We had kits available during the shop hop last September, and there are just a few left - but you can also buy the pattern and yarn separately. The yarn used is Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Fibermill, a Michigan company.

If you've been thinking trying a stranded color work project, dive right in! We're here to help you.

Spinning Guru dispenses wisdom at Woven Art

2009-11-16T19:24:00.004-05:00

Patsy Zawitoski, the Spinning Guru, gave us two workshops this past weekend. Saturday we focused on woolen and worsted spinning. These are spinning techniques that result in very different yarns. A woolen yarn is lofty and fuzzy, where a worsted yarn is smoother. An important aspect of this is how the fiber is prepared. Worsted yarns are made from combed fibers, where woolen yarns are better made from fiber that has been carded. I learned how to use combs (you should see my knuckles), and hand cards. I learned how to doff, meaning, I learned how to take the fiber off the cards. I tried using a longer draw, because, even though the fibers are often short for woolen yarn, you use a long draw, allowing quite a distance between the fiber hand and the one letting in the twist. This, I can see, will take some practice. I reverted immediately back to thick and thin yarn. Partly lofty with areas of string.

On Sunday we learned more about fiber preparation, and moved quickly to exotic blends. Yes, we used exotic fibers, like Yak, silk and bamboo. We also cut up some thrums from my latest weaving project, threw in a little angelina, and combined some colors you might not normally put together. I made twelve inches of an amazing yarn with cut tussah silk, yak and cut up warp threads.

We broke into teams. Each team was given a prepared bag of 4 ounces of stuff. My stuff was called "potluck" - literally some fibers left from previous projects, plus some handpainted silk and some angelina flash. Another team had an all white mix of silk, wool, linen and again with the angelina. All the blends made beautiful batts. Everybody got to take home about half an ounce of everyone else's blend. The proof will be in the spinning - which I plan to do this week.

Here are some pictures:

Michelle and Helen making their blend, called Autumn Sunset.

Jenn and Faina carefully planning their all white blend. This one is so elegant.
These are Rhonda's hands - carding some wool.

This is Pat and Patsy - what a pair! They are blending black mohair with soy silk and purple merino. The mohair and soysilk don't like each other at all, but they were tamed, and co-exist in one roving. I wonder what will happen when it is spun?

And finally, Patsy Z herself, unfurling some wool for us to learn with.

It was a great weekend. I got so much out of it. I improved my spinning knowledge so much, but more importantly, I got to spend a lot of time with wonderful people. Really, really fun.

2009-11-10T12:09:00.003-05:00

We had a full weekend of workshops at WovenArt! Andrea Wong was here on Saturday, to teach us the ins and outs (over and arounds?) of Portuguese style knitting. I personally really enjoyed learning a new way to knit. This is the easiest and fastest way to purl, for sure. While I am not sure that "fast" is an ideal goal for all knitters, it sure will be great for me. Because of the shop, I am constantly knitting shop models, class samples, and, natch, presents! So, for me, fast is good. For others, learning a new way to knit might be beneficial as a way to prevent knitting fatigue, or a way to tease the brain a bit. I love brain work! There are all kinds of studies that prove that new challenges are good for your brain.
This is Andrea, showing two students how to get the correct angle. See the pin? Well, see the yarn, tensioned from the shoulder? It is around a pin.
Here is the pin! A nice view of the knitting pin on Jennifer. What a pretty smile! Thanks for posing, Jennifer!

On Sunday, I taught a full day workshop on Rigid Heddle weaving with two heddles. It took the morning to set up the looms, and the afternoon was devoted playing around with different color and weave variations. I was teaching, and didn't have a chance to take pictures, but if you pop over to Carol's Blog, you can find out more.

Up North Table Runner

2009-09-05T13:15:00.007-05:00

I would like to share with you a project I recently completed on a 15" Flip rigid heddle loom. We have a condo in northern Michigan on Crooked Lake. We are trying to sell the condo. I had this idea that the dining room table needed a little dressing up - to impress prospective buyers. The look I wanted was to have an up-north, rustic feel, with out being too Summery.

I decided on the stripe sequence, and hem stitching instead of a knotted fringe:

Notice in the picture above how open the weave is. Pictured below is the same thing, after washing. It closed up and softened up. Before washing the texture was like a very stiff, thick canvas. After washing it had the perfect floppiness for table runner. Certainly not flimsy - but not the least bit stiff either.

Finally, above is a picture of how it looks on our table. The runner distracts very well from the gouges, crayon marks, and other tragedies of the table's long membership in our clan.

Here are my notes:

Up North Table Runner
Warp and weft yarns: Euroflax light worsted from Louet
Planned Finished length: 96”
Planned Finished Width: 13”

Width in Reed 14.5”
length of warp: 110”

8 e.p.i

total warp ends: 112

Warp color order: (12N 2B2T2b2T2B) repeat four times, end with 12 N
N= Navy
B - brown
T= Tan
b= light blue

Weave an inch or two in plain weave, secure ends with an overhand hem stitch. Continue weaving to the end. End with hemstitching.

Notes: Lost tension while moving loom around. Plus, found it very hard to create an even tension with linen on a rigid heddle loom. Hole threads always tight, slot threads always loose. Still managed to weave through - and the finished product looks mostly even - a little bit of a problem on the edges - where the threads were much looser.

Cut off. Wash in washing machine on hot, dry in dryer. Hold breath. Remove from dryer, and admire lovely "hand". Trim fringe to length.

Finished dimensions:
Before washing 12.5” x 100”
After washing 11.25” x 83” not including fringe

This turned out to be narrower and shorter than I had planned - but I still think it looks right on the table.

Charity Knitting Contest

2009-09-01T07:03:00.001-05:00

The Spartans team of Woven Art in East Lansing hereby challenge the Wolverine team of Knit A-round in Ann Arbor to a charity knitting contest. As everybody knows, this year has been a tough one for many families in Michigan. It has been especially hard on the families of auto workers in Genessee county. Let's pull together and warm up our fellow Michiganians with hats, scarves and mittens! The kick off of the knit off is NOW! We'll knit and crochet and weave until the end of the U of M vs Spartan football game. The winner takes the honors - but the real winners will be Michigan Families!

New handpainted sock yarn

2009-08-27T12:39:00.004-05:00

I have added a new sock blank to my stable. This one is called Treadsoft. 100% superwash merino, it has a nice, firm twist. A real bonus is that I have it wound in 4 ounces skeins - each with 490 yards. Enough for a generously sized pair of socks. My camera and my monitor have conspired to gray out the top one - which is a rich burgundy/brown blend. I am tempted to scoop one up and cast on for Damson . Be sure to scroll down one page.

It's not Fall yet

2009-08-20T14:15:00.002-05:00

But I can't resist the Fall colors. From left to right: Merino, Soy and Merino blend, Merino Superwash.
8 ounces of each. All available for sale. Call me! 517-203-4467

Surface Design and other projects

2009-08-13T13:24:00.001-05:00

I just received the Summer 2009 issue of Surface Design - and the focus this month is on knitting! Grab a copy, or browse mine when you are in the shop next. Find out how sculptors are using knitting both for it's structure and for it's metaphoric power. It also address collaborative knit projects, such as the Gas Station cover we helped with a couple of years ago with the International Fiber Collaborative. Have you heard about the Canada based Revolutionary knitting circle? Be sure to google this. Their motto: "Building Community, and speeding forward the revolution, through knitting. I love this.

I have been quiet (at least in the blogosphere), but I've been knitting, and weaving, and spinning, and dyeing. Below are a few "starts".

Eyelet cap from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009, knit in Mericash handpaint from Duchess Yarns.

Shop hop tease - do I see a toe?

Shop hop tease number two - a long, open cardigan designed by Nancy McRay (why that's me!), in hand dyed Monty 3/9's. What do I mean "Shop hop tease"? This is the pattern you will get when you visit my shop during the CAYSC shop hop this coming September 17 to 20. The other tease is the pattern you'll get once you visit two of the four shops - can you imagine what you'll get if you visit all four?

New Bags!

2009-07-28T14:38:00.003-05:00

I am so excited about the Timeless Totes that just came in. The smaller bag on the left is the Accessory bag - it has pocket pages inside that are perfect for holding circular needles. Plus other small items like needle gauges and stitch markers.

Now I have to decide which will become mine!

Mother/Daughter spins

2009-07-13T09:25:00.002-05:00

Spinning at Blissfest - Kathryn and me.

Ripped!

2009-06-30T07:40:00.003-05:00

I was making excellent progress on my second sweater design. I am designing this garment for a special event later on this year. I have a generous test knitter, who is just one step behind me. I made it all the way to the sleeves. At this point I needed to check my math again to figure out sleeve decreases. Checking my math meant checking my gauge. Checking my gauge I found I was getting 6 stitches to the inch. That just didn't sound right. The pattern says 5.25 stitches to the inch. Huh!?

I got a peek at test knitter's sweater. She is getting specified gauge. It looks great. Mine looked fine too- but certainly a tighter knit. I see no choice but to start again. Here I rip!

Why today is insane

2009-06-18T14:55:00.002-05:00

Woven Art has been evacuated for this afternoon and evening because of a gas leak. BWL was doing some sort of routine maintenance on the gas line. they told us about it in advance, and there seemed to be no reason for alarm.

I was in my office, doing major battle with my new operating system on my computer ( it ate my accounting files), when Meg, my co-worker, looking very concerned, opens the back door. The gas smells from the front of the store were getting pretty intense. Next thing I know, she was tell me we had to leave the building. The reading in the basement was pretty high.

Anyway - please don't come visit Woven Art today. I am sure all will be back to our normal level of yarny lovliness by tomorrow.

TNNA Highlights

2009-06-17T11:07:00.003-05:00

My five days at The National Needlework Association conference and trade show were a total blur of classes, vendors, meetings, greetings, and excellent food and beverage. I took a class with Sally Melville called "First Choices" on how to make sweaters that are flattering. Most of the information is in her new book "Mother Daughter Knits". After seeing the real garments, in person, I ran right out and got several copies. I must, must knit the white blouse. And never drink red wine in it.

I also took a class from Cat Bordhi. It was a free form moebius knitting class. I have knit several of these clever items before. I have taught the class several times as well, and I have even found a favorite cast on, that is a little different from hers. Still, I found the class to be very liberating, and I learned many new tricks. She is great, great, great. Do not pass up an opportunity to take a class from Cat.

I taught a class in Rigid Heddle weaving - essentially the same class I offer frequently at Woven Art. I had 8 students. They all completed a scarf in under 6 hours. I even saw a couple of handwoven scarves on the show floor the next day.

I met Liz Gipson, author of "Weaving made Easy", a great new book for Rigid Heddle weaving. I had sent her a vest that I had designed for the Cricket loom.

There is much more to tell, but I will save that for a saner day

Big Hairy Spider

2009-06-16T10:36:00.002-05:00

This morning I opened the dishwasher. It had just finished - the dishes were still hot - and there was a SPIDER inside. It was about the size of a dime - but chunky. He, or She was jet black, with a white spot on the butt. Anyone out there know what kind of spider that could be? I couldn't kill it. This is not because of any sympathy toward spiders, but because it was very scary looking, and I was barefoot. I trapped it under a glass bowl, slide a Comcast advertisement under it, and tossed it all into the yard. The bowl is still out there.

I'll tell you about TNNA tomorrow.

Now for some knitting

2009-06-08T16:01:00.005-05:00

Did you think that in my enthusiasm for weaving, I had stopped knitting? Au contraire!

Recently I took a little trip, and wanted a little project to take along. Not something I had to knit for a class, or for a shop model, or for a present. But just for fun. There was this yarn, a fingering weight kona superwash that I've loved since the day I rinsed it out. I knew it needed to become socks. I waited for someone else to scoop it up (well, a couple of days anyway). No one did! So, it became mine. Then I searched high and low for the *perfect* pattern. After many books, and much searching I concluded that Grumerina's Jaywalker was the exact right fit. But, because of the size of the yarn, I changed needle size to 0. You might be able to tell from the picture that I am using two circular needles instead of the suggested double points. I had to fiddle with the pattern a bit, because Grumperina specifies how many stitches there would be on each double point, like many sock patterns do. About 30 seconds of thinking, and the translation to circs was complete.

Don'tcha love how the color works with the pattern? That little flash of white seems to fall at just the right spot.

My other project on needles (hmm that implies only two. Maybe I am falling off a bit*) is cardigan pattern I am writing. Pictured below are the bottom and front edges. It is knit from the top down, and I am almost done with the body. Soon, I can go on to the sleeves. I have one test knitter knitting along, so I need to stay ahead of her. But I am still a newbie at this pattern writing business, and I need to knit it myself to see how it works out, before I can let others at it. I am in awe of the knitwear designers who work it all out on paper, and send it off to the test knitters, confident ( and right about it too!) that a sweater will result. Maybe someday, sigh.
In case you are wondering, the cardigan yarn is hand dyed (Woven Art) Monty 3/9's. Delicious!

The rain today caused me to drop everything, including dinner plans, to go to Woven Art to move looms, and cover drains. One more storm is expected tonight - but at the moment the sun is shining, and the sky is blue, making me feel a little silly.

*Not true. I just remembered another pair of socks.

Souvenirs from Tucson

2009-06-06T12:20:00.002-05:00

Souvenir: a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place or event.

I recently spent four days hanging out with my middle daughter and her friends in her town of Tucson. As a mom, I needed to see her in her place. I found her deeply embedded in a community of like minded, hard working, healthy organic farmers, and bike mechanics. She indulged me by taking me to every yarn store in Tucson. Grandma's Spinning Wheel is closed on Mondays (WHAT?), but we picked up a couple of drop-spindles and some fiber at the delightful Kiwi Knitting near the U of A campus. At a pot-luck at the Farm later that day, I pulled out the spindles and the fiber, and let 'em at it. Several people gave it a try, and one or two went off into "spindle-space", where they couldn't hear us trying to bring them back to earth. They made beautiful yarn together.

Wanting to bring a bit of the Tucson experience back home with me, I visited my own local farm market this morning. I found a hanging plant, some cilantro, some berries that I will put on my Torte di Limone that will be tonight's dessert. The torte was our contribution to the pot luck, and the recipe can be found at Italian Food Forever.

Happy Birthday Jessy!

2009-05-22T11:22:00.003-05:00

And Happy Baby Jenn! Lots to celebrate around Woven Art this week. A new baby, Ezra Hughes born to Scott and Jenn Hughes May 16. The 31st anniversary of my marriage to Gary - come see the 31 long stem red roses that are all over the shop!
And, today, Friday, is Jessy's birthday. For her birthday surprise, I am spilling the beans on the present I promised to make her in a blog post awhile back.

This will be, someday, a runner for Jessy's table.

Sock Yarn!

2009-05-06T12:51:00.002-05:00

Experiments in Collapse

2009-05-04T13:42:00.006-05:00

One of my (many) current goals is to learn more about weaving fabric that has dimension through controlled shrinkage in one or more direction ( warp, weft or both). Pictured above is a collapse weave using a monk's belt pattern with a high twist wool crepe yarn weft and a silk warp. Both yarns from Habu Textiles. The ending is "picked up and knit" with the same yarn as the warp.

In my latest experiment I attempted to add a warp wise collapse. That's not what happened.
What did happen is pretty cool:

I used 10/2 bamboo (Xie from Southwest Trading Company) in three colors, and a cobweb weight merino wool hand dyed in orange. My guess was that the bamboo wouldn't shrink, and the merino wool would shrink a lot. While winding on, the wool was held at a tighter tension, while the bamboo was allowed to beam on naturally. Each stripe was 20 threads wide, and 20 ends per inch.
The total width in the reed was 24 inches. I alternated the wool stripes with the bamboo stripes.

The threading was 1-2-3-4 for the wool stripes, and 5-6-7-8 for the bamboo stripes.
Tie up:
treadle 1: 1-5-6-7
treadle 2: 2-6-7-8
treadle 3: 3-5-7-8
treadle 4: 4-5-6-8
treadle 5: 1-2-3-8
treadle 6: 1-2-4-7
treadle 7: 1-3-4-6
treadle 8: 2-3-4-5

Scarf number one was woven with high twist wool crepe from Habu Textiles as weft.
Treadling pattern:
1-2-3-4 for 14"
5-6-7-8 for 1"
1-2-3-4 for 10"
5-6-7-8 for 1 "
*1-2-3-4 for 5"
5-6-7-8 for 1" *
repeat from * to * 3 times more
1-2-3-4 for 10"
5-6-7-8 for 1 "
1-2-3-4 for 14"

This created stripes of 3/1 and 1/3 twill, interrupted by opposing squares of 1/3 and 3/1 twill in one inch sections. You can see these in the photo above - little squares of color poking through. The finished dimenions of the scarf before washing were 19" wide by 73" long. The finished dimensions after collapsing in water are 7" by 70"

I wove a second shawl on the same warp, using Harmony from Jojoland for weft. This yarn is a cobweb weight merino wool in a very long, subtle gradation of color.
Keeping the tie up the same, my treadling pattern was
1-2-3-4, for the entire length of the shawl.
This one didn't collapse at all. I was very surprised! Before washing the shawl measured 18.5 inches by 85.5. After washing the dimensions are 16" by 79". The drape became a bit softer, but the shawl itself is still pretty flat. There is a slight color difference from one side to the other - but not nearly as dramatic as the first scarf.

Just for fun- here is a picture of the fabric wrapped around model Kelly. Picture is taken before cutting the fabric into two peices, and before washing. Kelly is also wearing a sampler headband that was woven in Jane Patrick's workshop on Rigid Heddle weaving. I would take better pictures of it - but she refuses to take it off.

Weaving and Dyeing

2009-04-27T13:09:00.002-05:00

I am having too much fun with my rigid heddle weaving classes. About once a month I get a new crop of enthusiastic weavers, and then I get to see what they do. Everyone comes up with something unique.

Here we have Sue, Sandy and Sharon modeling their scarves. Woven on their very own rigid heddle looms.

A few posts back I issued an invitation. The first five respondents were to get a reward. Something I made just for them. Below is the first. It is a custom dyed skein of super wash merino, for Obsidian Kitten.

Jane Patrick Workshop

2009-04-22T16:28:00.003-05:00

We had the great pleasure of hosting Jane Patrick for a workshop on 2 heddle weaving this past Sunday. We learned how to use two heddles in a rigid heddle loom to increase the numbers of warp ends we can have in an inch - allowing for a finer cloth. We used 10/2 cotton sett at 20 ends per inch, in two ten dent reeds. Since the looms were warped with a pattern of two light colored warp threads followed by two dark colored warp threads we also were able to explore color and weave patterns. We played around with two heddle patterning. We added in the fun of pick up sticks. And just when our brains were full to bursting, we tried double weave. That's two layers of cloth, woven at the same time. Double weave can be two separate layers, or linked on one or both sides, making tubes.

Monday afternoon - I needed a nap.

Below are some pictures:

Jane Patrick on the left, showing Barb a cool trick. Barb is standing, and Michelle (in pink) is concentrating.
A room full of weavers! See the beautiful art quilts on the walls? They were made by Marilyn Prucka, who is the weaver closest to the front of the picture. It was so wonderful to have this art work on the walls during this workshop - they bring such a sense of calm.
Stan and Lyn Marie, weaving away. Stan is a woodworker, and brought in several lovely stick shuttles. I only got to see them for a minute before they were all claimed.
This Pink warp belongs to Beth Smith. She likes pink! Isn't it pretty?
And finally, here is Beth, on the left, next to Pam.

Rigid Heddle Weaving's got my blog

2009-04-16T11:13:00.006-05:00

I am drumming up interest for my "Scarf in a Day" workshop that I am scheduled to teach at TNNA in June. For those of you who don't know, TNNA stands for The National Needlework Association, and it has a big convention in Columbus, Ohio at the beginning of every Summer. This is where shop owner's go to buy much of their yarn, take business and technique classes, and network. It is a lot of fun, and a lot of work.

Here is a picture of Meg modeling the project I plan to teach to other shop owners. The scarf really can be made, start to finish, warp to fringe, in under 6 hours. Weaving has brought my customers lots of excitement. I have been teaching weaving for about 20 years, and never have I seen the interest this strong.

For those of you who are not TNNA members, but would like to learn Rigid Heddle weaving anyway, I will have another class beginning in May. Check here for details.

In related news, Woven Art will be hosting Jane Patrick this weekend for a workshop on weaving with 2 heddles on the Rigid Heddle loom. Get to know Jane by visiting her blog.
My head is already spinning with the possibilities. There is so much out there now specifically related to rigid heddle weaving. For fun visit askthebellwether , and search for rigid heddle weaving, right after you ramble around her blog for awhile - there is a lot there to see.

Not all weaving is done with a Rigid Heddle, but in all weaving comes a moment of truth. Truly a frightening moment for even the most experienced weaver. It is the time when the proof of hours of work will be seen. The moment when you know if it is good, or not so good. That is the moment of cutting off.

And, it's good!
Pictured above you see a detail of Brenda's beautiful shawl. It is made with hand dyed, and natural Kona Sport. The weave structure is a complex twill from the 8 Harness Book of Patterns. The shawl is about 20 inches wide, and 72 inches long, not including fringe. Brenda is tall, and wrapped in this shawl she looks royal.

I love Licorice

2009-04-09T11:40:00.001-05:00

Look what the Yarnharlot is knitting with! I call it Licorice Twist, and can make it any color you want!

Mama's Proud

2009-04-07T10:38:00.003-05:00

Look at Liz! Liz started taking classes at Woven Art as a freshman. She graduated recently, but luckily is still in the area on a teaching internship. But look what she made! It is double weave, with a purple (purple!) silk warp and weft, with strategically placed strands of Glisten, a ribbon yarn with tiny spots of glitter, from Louisa Harding. But, as if that didn't make it beautiful enough, she went and made little pockets, and inserted sequins. Can you see them:

The original plan was to make fabric for pillows for her couch. And that may still happen, but I think the Woven Art tribunal convinced her it needs to be worn for a Summer first.

Look who else is weaving! Sharon, for one (though she's not blogging about it yet), and Wendy!
Makes me want to weep with joy.

Mayhem!

2009-03-29T11:08:00.002-05:00

Oh, wait - it's just Thursday night at Woven Art.

College Town Living has it's perks

2009-03-25T10:30:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, Julie Baker, a reporter from the State News interviewed me at the shop for a Faces and Places article in the State News. (Click on headline above: College Town) On Tuesday, she came back for some follow up questions, and brought along Jason, a photographer. I love the article the two of them put together. I think Julie really captured the feel of what I want Woven Art to be, and Jason did a great job with the pictures. He was pretty intrigued with the notion that some of the yarn we have is locally spun, so he came to the Flock University Spinning Guild meeting that happened to be last night. Not only did he come, ask some questions of our fiber folk, but then, get this - he learned how to spin. He left with a decent bit of real yarn wrapped around his wrist.

Plus - last night we learned all about how to spin flax. Thanks you Angie! I had never spun flax before - just a few turns of hemp - but it is really not the same. I love it's stiffness, and body. I don't love that the best results are from putting water on it. And, supposedly from spinning it counter clock wise. I tried both directions. I got a smoother spin going clockwise, but the resulting little skein fell instantly into a figure 8 twist. The second tiny skein was spun counterclockwise, and fell into a perfect little circle - but oddly, not quite as smooth a yarn. I need to investigate further. I'm going to need some plastic bobbins.