WeaveThings

Sleep And Energy / Coming To Life

2011-10-06T20:06:00.002-04:00

Three nights on CPAP and I can honestly say that I'm feeling a lot better already. I don't go through the day feeling like a beached whale. I was actually awake yesterday morning 10 minutes before the alarm went off and I didn't hit the snooze button for an hour. Actually, I didn't hit the snooze button at all. I got up and did a load of laundry, played with the cats, fixed breakfast... Wow, what a difference!

I've even had DREAMS!!! Yes, I have not had dreams that I can remember in years. During my first sleep study, I didn't even reach REM sleep. Not fun. Oh, but now I guess I'll have to deal with nightmares too - now that was ever a problem before.

The sleep department at the hospital has a good program too. I was able to take 2 masks home with me to try. I can return and exchange at any time if I don't like them. One of them does kinda give me a fit. I'm laying in bed and then the air pressure ramps up and then the leaks around the seal start. Ugh.

This is the one I prefer:

The Two Little 'Buds' Are Called Pillows - They Go In Your Nostrils :)
Great Seal

This is the one I don't prefer:

I'm An Active Sleeper - It Doesn't Like That

Good Intentions, I Do / Alive Again

2011-10-01T03:46:00.000-04:00

Everyday at work, I tell myself that when I get home, I'm going to sley that reed, thread those heddles, start the weaving. And? When I do get home I'm often too tired to even think about it. I usually curl up on the sofa and watch a few episodes of Brothers & Sisters. I never saw any of the shows when it was airing on TV so I'm in catch-up mode with Netflix streaming. Then I fall asleep on the sofa and wake up a few hours later and drag myself up to bed. Not good.

There is something good that I recently found out though. I am tired a lot (even before these bad sleeping habits on the sofa). Way too much for someone of 45. I also have high blood pressure and didn't want to take medication for it. I wanted to get it down by cutting out sodium, eating healthier and getting good amounts of exercise. I started losing weight, and feeling good, but I was still tired a lot and the blood pressure was holding fast.

So I decided to check out other possibilities for my symptoms. Long story short - I found out that I have Sleep Apnea. Severe Sleep Apnea - a major factor with high blood pressure AND weight gain. Ugh.

Then I heard about the horrors of having to sleep with a mask on to force me to breath. And of waking up with marks on my face from the mask. I wasn't too worried about these things I heard though. I figured if it was going to help me then, so be it.

I just had no idea how much it would help. I did one of those sleep studies. That is how I confirmed that I had Sleep Apnea. The second time I had to do it, I slept with one of the masks on, attached to a machine. You know what? I was able to sleep with it on! Even better, I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and alert.

I saw the Dr. on Tuesday and he went over my sleep study results. Scary stuff. Really scary. I need a pretty high flow rate of air to keep me from snoring and having apneas. Apneas are when you stop breathing during sleep due to a number of reasons. My upper airway collapses when my body relaxes. So, basically, when I'm asleep, I'm suffocating. Way not good.

So, the great news is, on Monday, I go to pick up a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Air Pressure). The machine will pump room air into a hose attached to a mask that's fitted to my face that will keep my airway open while I sleep - so I can breathe.

I'm really excited about it because I want to feel alive again!

I Think These Two Will Be Excited About It As Well!

Pumpkin or Blueberry?

2011-09-13T21:34:00.000-04:00

How about both?

The Glaze Was A Little Runny

Pumpkin Blueberry Pound Cake - Right Out Of The Oven

I got this recipe from a fellow weaver who lives in upstate New York. Hilary, of Crazy As A Loom. I just found the recipe today and swore that I'd hit the store and get the ingredients that I didn't already have. And, I did!

Waiting For It To "Cool Completely" Before Topping With Glaze!

I'll post more pics once it's cool and has a coating of glaze.

Hilary was right. It's Yummy!

It's the next morning and the cake is cool and glazed.

Thank you, Hilary :)

A link to the recipe post is here.
A link to it's previous post with a tempting photo is here.

Strips and Stripes

2011-09-12T19:08:00.000-04:00

…for a rag rug.

Easy Cuts With A Nice Sharp Blade

I’m finally able to work onthe rag rug that will sit in front of the fireplace. I have my material all sewntogether and cut into ½ inch strips - now it’s time to dress the loom. Ihave four colors for the warp and I think I will thread them in the following order:

DB = Dark Brown

GR = Green

MB = Med Brown

BL = Aqua

DB-4/GR-2/MB-6/BL-4 // DB-2/GR-6/MB-4/BL-2 // DB-6/GR-4/MB-2/BL-6

The Warp Colors

The way the different colorsof material (5 colors/patterns) are sewn together, the length of the repeat, and the overall width of the rugitself, should lend to a very interesting pattern when the rug is finished.Fingers crossed, fingers crossed!

On The Shuttles

The End of Summer Hibernation

2011-09-02T20:11:00.000-04:00

May? It was May? Really?

My summer hibernation is coming to a halt. And what a mess I've made of the studio over the summer. Cleaning, cleaning - it won't be long...

But in the meantime, here is something new. Something else I love to do is cook. Here is some "Pain a l'Ancienne" - from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice - Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread" by Peter Reinhart.

Yummy!

A Very Wet Dough

Shaping / Stretching

These Look Happy

Another View

This Came Out Wonderful

With Butter and Jam

Oops!

2011-05-26T10:38:00.001-04:00

Red & White Bamboo

The original title was "Shawl In Red & White". But then months later, I realized that I had taken the photos and posted them here, but never hit the publish button. Oops!

But here it is. This was for a friend of Dr S.
20" wide x almost 72" long.

Nice!

The Recipient Was Very Happy

Now this weekend I'm off to the beach. And then we'll get back to this party. I have indigo seeds to plant, rugs to weave and then some...

Pattern Detail

Crammed Heddles = Broken Warp Threads

2011-03-19T15:03:00.000-04:00

Tencel Cross

Yi-kiddy yikes! I started threading heddles from the back of the loom - from the right hand side. There's a definite center mark where the heddles cannot cross. When I got to the center of the draft, there were still a lot of heddles that were on that side. I know I should have moved them, but, I didn't

I started threading from the center onwards to the left - leaving a jumble of heddles just to the right of the center line. Big, AWEsome, HUGE mistake!

What Was I Thinking?

Once I started weaving, the tencel thread rubbed against those heddles and snap! I usually start from the middle of my draft and thread in each direction so there is never this issue.

So, I wonder! What do you do when you're threading heddles? Do you count from the center out in both directions? Do you count the number of heddles you need on each shaft and move the extras out of the way?

Pattern Coming Into View

Now I'm going to unweave and rethread that side and start over.

When I see these two little munchkins asleep on the bed, it makes it all okay :)

Maxwell and Fjola

That's My Little Girl! Fjola: Icelandic for Violet

Nice And Clean

2011-03-10T22:06:00.002-05:00

Material, All Sewn Together

So last night I set the sewing machine up - got it threaded, bobbin wound etc. Started playing.

I love it! :)

I usually keep my eyes on Consumer Reports for a lot of my purchases. I prefer to purchase something that I know is going to be good quality. This sewing machine was a hot purchase from Overstock.com - it's a refurbished machine, but it looks like new. Just one little scratch on a plastic part - no big deal. I've had my eye on them for a bit and I finally decided to go with it. Recommended by Consumer Reports - and only $110.00 (instead of the reg new price of $400.00 ) - no brainer!

Nice Clean Line

Started piecing material together for my next rag rug AND the warp has been wound.

Colorful Warp

Look What I Got!

2011-03-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

My very first. My very own. Sewing machine!

The Big Brother!

I guess it's sort of a self-bought birthday present. It arrived yesterday and 'the day' is today. Now I can get started on my next rug without having to borrow a machine or lug materials over to my parents, or my sisters house. I can do it right here, at home, when I want/need to. Feels good!

What Am I Going To Do
With 50 Stitches???

What's the magic b-day number?

45

Ugh :-|

How It Flu

2011-03-09T12:47:00.002-05:00

Who enjoys being sick? Well, sometimes, if you're able to stay home and get a few things done :) But other than that, if you're just home and can't do anything - what's the point? Get better fast!

I just got better from the flu - I guess. It hit me Friday evening like a brick on the head. And now it's Wednesday - my first day back in the office. I was able to do some work from home, thank God. But the feeling of being sick and achy and feverish and all. Ugh.

Glad I'm feeling better.

Gotta get back on the blogging track - not much has happened lately. Work is keeping me busy and by the time I get home in the evenings, I just want to relax.

Slowly Coming Together

2011-01-12T18:09:00.001-05:00

New Shelving - nice!

I'm loving the shelving unit, but I want/need more shelves. I think 5 more should do it. They stained up nice and fast. One coat was enough.

Next, the light tan paint for the other walls - and then the closet doors.

Slow process, but it's processing.

Organizing The Studio

2010-11-21T11:45:00.000-05:00

It is high time to organize the studio. Most of the paper mess has been shredded and either added to the backyard composter, or sent for recycling.

What A Mess!

The shelving unit for the closet area is Ivar from IKEA. The closet doors will be coming from The Home Depot. I'm staining the shelving unit in a deep rich red mahagony - even though it will be hiding behind closet doors. But that's alright. It will look nice when the doors are opened...

I had originally decided to paint the whole room a medium blue, but, ah! I changed my mind. I went with a few walls in Ralph Lauren - Regent Metallics. Color: Duchess Blue. The other walls I'll paint with 'regular' paint in a light neutral color. Maybe something like this. The trim is in classic white!

I still need to create a little door for access to the plumbing and bathtub that are located in the next room. There was a smaller opening when I bought the house but I opened it up more for easier access. It was just drywall though so I want to build a 'real' door out of wood. It'll need a knob too, to keep the cats out. They love to get in there and play hide and seek, but I'm worried that someone may get stuck back there one day. Right now it's sealed off with a board and weights :)

The shelving unit in this little cubby-hole is LACK, from IKEA. It came in a shiny white laminate and it's going to stay that way. This is where I'll keep some of my soap making supplies. Right now SweetGeorgia has populated this space.

The Colors of Fall

2010-11-15T21:33:00.001-05:00

Azalea Bonsai

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather and the smell in the air. And of course I love the colors of fall. I'm not so bonkers about the time change though.

A lot of the leaves on the trees have already fallen, but here is some color from the potted plants on the deck.

Enjoy!

Hosta Turns Pumpkin

Azalea Buds for Next Year's Bloom

Thread-leaf Maple

Basket Weaving Workshop

2010-11-14T09:06:00.007-05:00

Chain Motif on Basket

Yesterday (Nov 13) was an exciting day. The Guild had a workshop with Margaret Trussel of Vulcan's Rest Fibers - a basket weaving lesson for beginners.

We met bright and early at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Margaret brought a lot of materials with her. She even brought a huge amount of woven baskets for us to admire. Me? I brought some supplies too (coffee, tea, hot water heater, pumpkin pie and lunch for Margaret). What I didn't bring? My camera :(

Originally the idea was that we'd be weaving a tote basket with straps. I skipped the part about adding straps. I just wanted a basket to sit on the floor in the studio - filled with yarn, or a cat or two.


Basket Base

Lashings

One of the great things about this workshop is that Margaret brought supplies in many different colors and sizes so everyone finished up with a different looking basket at the end of the day. Mine is rather understated, simple, clean. I also tried my best to get tight edges from the beginning. As I worked my way up the basket, I continued to kept it tight so that I'd get some draw-in. This way the base of the basket is slightly larger than the top. Closer to the top I started letting things relax a bit so the top part would have straight sides. I really like how it turned out...

Ta dah!

Fjola, Caught In The Act! :)

The Harvest: Japanese Indigo Seeds

2010-10-20T22:43:00.000-04:00

I left a few of the Japanese Indigo plants in the ground so their flowers would have a chance to mature and produce some fresh seed for next year. Now it's time to harvest.

Fresh Japanese Indigo Seeds from the Garden

One thing I found interesting: the stubs (down to the ground) of the harvested plants sprouted back up and they too have produced flowers. Already! I was going to dig up a few to bring inside to mature, but after picking through, I think I have plenty. I understand that is one way to get seeds when the weather outside starts getting chilly. I guess they do a decent job of self-pollinating in the warmth of home.

Now they need to dry for a day or so and then I'll store them in a paper bag until time to plant in late winter.

So much fun :)

Full of Seeds

The Indigo Forest

PJ's in Blue

2010-09-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

Japanese Indigo In Flower

Wow! Today was awesome! I harvested the Japanese Indigo this morning (The woad and weld didn't quite make it). It hit me not long ago that summer was fading. August had come and gone and the nights are getting cooler (yes!). I was hoping that it wasn't too late to use the leaves to dye a pair of my pajamas (PJ's), better known by me as loungers. I should have done this a few weeks ago...

The indigo had been growing in the side yard all summer long. It did very well even though the plants never got really full. They branched out and got nice and tall, but they never seemed to fill in the space that I gave them.

Plucking off the leaves didn't take me long at all. I was just worried that I wouldn't have enough to do much with. The book, A Dyer's Garden, by Rita Buchanan, suggested 8oz of leaves to dye 2 - 4 oz of fiber/yarn. I crammed them into a glass jar, hurried them into the house, weighed them in another container and ta dah! I had 7.9 oz.

Stop! There's No More Room!

I followed the directions in the book with the exception that I used Rit Color Remover (from the grocery store) instead of Spectralite. My supply was old and I feared that it wouldn't work. I used .5oz of Rit in a cup of warm water and then added that to the pot and slowly stirred.

Cooking Down

While the pot was 'doing its thing' I took my jammies and gave them a quick wash and spin. Then I took some rubber washers and pulled some of the material though them in random places for a tie-dye look. In a few spots I used large washers with smaller ones over the area to give a 'circle in a circle' look when the dyeing was done.

Indigo "White"

Spots of Blue - And The Usual Coppery Scum

The bottoms were dyed after the top had used up some of the dye, so they were a bit lighter. I gave them a second dip. They too had rubber washers on them. Still a bit lighter, but it was time to wrap things up for the day.

And now - more pictures!

Indigo On Cotton

Drip! Here You Can See Some Of The Indigo Is Still In It's 'White' State

Shirt: Front

Shirt: Back w/"Circle In Circle"

Bottoms: Front

My Little Lillstina

2010-07-27T11:09:00.006-04:00

Lillstina Counter-balance Loom - Sweden

Well, not so 'my' is my Lillstina! It belongs to my friend, Maria, who lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. Since she couldn't move it with her, due to lack of space, I'm the current foster parent. I'm saving up for when the day comes and I have to purchase my own. Eek!

And not so little is 'my' Lillstina! It measures a wide 46" across! The widest piece I have ever woven on the loom so far has been my rug, at 24".

A few of you have asked about pictures of my loom, which is something that I never thought of, and I don't know why. I'll take more at a later date, once the studio has been cleaned up. I'm trying to decide on a shelving unit and paint colors.

And that horrible green scarf. Ugh - since you can see the warp on these pictures I think it fitting to show you the disaster. The colors were just awful together and my beating wasn't right on.

I played a bit with another color yarn, treadling for the Earl's Canvas - getting ready to weave my scarf. Back to the loom to tie on the new warp...

The Dye & Fiber Garden

2010-07-25T14:18:00.002-04:00

Japanese Indigo Growing In The Garden

Of the 72+ indigo seeds I planted this spring, I got a whopping 17 plants that actually grew. Something tells me this isn't nearly enough to do anything with, but I'll tend to them anyway and see what happens. Maybe I can dye a finger or two.

What happened? I was not paying attention is what happened. I thought I was purchasing one packet of fresh seeds. When the box arrived, I was wondering why it was so large - I mean I thought I had ordered a small packet of seeds. But when I opened up the box - there was one lonely indigo plant. Ugh. I went back to the supplier's website and sure enough - it was one plant that I had ordered. They didn't even have seeds for this year. So where did I get my seeds from? From the same supplier, but it was the previous year. From what I understand, Indigo seeds (Japanese Indigo seeds at least), must be fresh in order for them to germinate. I found out the hard way.

The cotton is growing nicely - one plant is huge, one plant is medium, one plant is small and one plant is dead - LOL

Cotton Flower Bud Forming

They are certainly getting enough heat and sun. I recently had a tree removed from the other side of the fence because it had been so badly damaged from the monster snow storms we had this past winter. Now the garden gets so much light. The plants love it. I just noticed the other day that the large cotton plant has flower buds forming.

I'm growing the ~~four~~ three cotton plants just for fun, and to see how they fare in this part of the country.

Acid Green Disaster!!! :(

2010-07-09T10:29:00.001-04:00

Ugh! What have I done? The scarf for Melissa was turning out horribly hideous so I stopped! Perhaps a picture or two in a later post.

I'm seeing her for dinner tonight and again tomorrow for a picnic lunch with the (former & present) gang from Icelandair.

I have recently joined an online study group for crackle weave and I will talk with her about a different design using this technique. I'll see what she thinks about getting rid of the royal blue and red and picking up orange and purple.

I do still have the one scarf for myself to complete, which is the same threading as what is on the loom now, so I'll bust that out and then get on with the crackle.

So, more on that, later...

Melissa Acid Green

2010-06-04T14:27:00.000-04:00

I recently found out that my good friend and former manager, Melissa Andretta, will be in town from cheery ol' London. She asked me for an acid green scarf, with blue and red stripes, a long time ago. A long time ago, I purchased the yarn and wound the warp. It's been sitting on the shelf ever since.

I'll be meeting with her on 9 July 2010, with a gift!

Must... weave... scarf...

All wound on the warping board

Playing With The... Stand Mixer?

2010-05-19T22:59:00.003-04:00

Yes, that's right! I have been playing with the KitchenAid mixer. Making butter! Cindy and I were talking at work about making 'things', and I got to wondering, if you could make butter with a KitchenAid mixer. Well, you can! It can be a little messy mind you, but you can make butter - yummy home made butter. Now, making butter is a rather expensive thing to do, unless you live near a farm (or have your own), because the cost of heavy cream is generally more than purchasing butter out right. But what the hey? I wanted to try it. So, I did.

Once again, I didn't take pictures of the process. I was not planning on posting it. WeaveThings / Butter? Hmm, but I say again, what the hey?

I did do a little test. I purchased 3 pints of organic heavy cream. Let them sit out to reach close to room temperature. Then one I poured into the Black & Decker food processor with the plastic blade. It fluffed up super quick and then just stopped. I had to keep taking off the top and scraping the foam down. It wasn't too much fun, but I did produce butter!

The other two pints I poured into the stand mixer with the metal whip. I started it off on medium speed (so it would not make such a mess) and then turned up the power once the cream started to froth up. While the mixer was going I used a rubber spatula to push down the sides. When the stiff peaks form, just let the mixer keep going. The whipped cream will eventually break down and you will see it start to turn a light yellow. Then it will start to look like what I call 'hotel-style scrambled eggs'. At this point, I switched out the metal whip for the paddle attachment, and turned the power down to low.

Shortly after, it happened! Liquid separated from the 'scrambled eggs' and then the paddle started to get caked with butter! I poured off the liquid (buttermilk) and then added water to the bowl to 'wash' the butter - you need to make sure you don't forget this step, otherwise it will go bad if you leave buttermilk in with the butter. I wrapped the bowl with a heavy towel and turn the mixed on low and let it slosh for a bit. Then I poured off the water and did it again, about 5 - 6 times, until the water ran clear. Then I pressed out the water and placed the butter back into the mixer bowl and added a touch of salt and whipped it on high for a few seconds to incorporate the salt. Nice and tasty. Next I scooped some of the butter into a glass container, and the rest I wrapped up in plastic wrap. Then, into the refrigerator to firm up. The bowl of liquid in the photos is the buttermilk!

Next, some yummy buttermilk waffles from the new issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine that just arrived yesterday!

WeightWatchers, you'll just have to weight! Ugh :)

3N1: The Spinning Monster

2010-05-18T20:20:00.001-04:00

Last night the spinning monster hit me so I went downstairs where the wheel was hiding and started to play with some fiber.

Spinning Singles:
First I decided to spin up some hand-dyed Panda fiber that I had dyed a bit ago. I wanted to see how it would handle if I spun a 'kinda' thick singles and then finish it the way Judith MacKenzie McCuin suggests in the Spring 2010 issue of Spin-Off Magazine - "Spinning Pleasantly Plump and Silky Singles" (her lustrous yarn on the front cover was 50/50 wool/silk).

The spinning was fun and fast. The skein was just like a scrunchie when I slid it off from the niddy noddy - just like Judith said. The finishing was a bit messy, as I used Judith's method of sloshing the skein around in hot soapy water with a plunger (brand new of course and just for yarn), and then into cold water and then hot, cold... a good squeeze in a towel and up to dry.

I'm sorry I didn't think to take pictures of the process, but here is the outcome.

The 'Perfect' Skein:
... next up was some Bluefaced Leicester that I had purchased from my friend Felicia Lo of SweetGeorgia Yarns. I dyed up a small lot a few weeks ago and this was some 'extra' that I wanted to play with. It's dyed in purples, blues and grays and felt so soft to spin and ply.

Usually when I take my skeins off from the niddy noddy, I usually get some, to a lot, of twist. This time? The skein hung nice and straight. Perhaps watching Judith spin on her new DVD's, The Gentle Art of Plying helped.

I decided not to wet-finish it just yet. Just in case I do use it in a weaving project. It's best to wet-finish the cloth after weaving, instead of the yarn before. Just more advise I've received from Judith. She is such a joy to work with.

The Coil:
I confess, this didn't really happen last night. It was about a week ago, shortly after MD Sheep & Wool.

The inspiration this time came from the Winter 2009 issue of Spin-Off Magazine - "Coils: Adding To Your Art Yarn Repertoire", by Jacey Boggs. I had read the article over many times and found it very easy to understand. Just takes a bit of patience and practice to get it right when you're actually doing it.

I certainly need to keep up and practice at it. Some of the coils have no definition, others somehow just got lost, some slid a bit before I could anchor them, but some, a wee few, turned out quite nice.

Dyeing With Marigold

2010-04-20T19:25:00.002-04:00

Last years Marigold Garden yielded quite a bit of flowers. I did, however, forget to harvest the plant tops as I did in the previous year (they're still in the freezer). I harvested the fully open flowers at least once a week. My mom also assisted and picked marigolds from her yard and saved them in her freezer for me. After each harvest, I weighed, bagged, labeled and froze the flower heads. I have enough for quite a bit of yarn/fiber.

I used alum to mordant just one skein of a nice silk/bamboo (51/49) yarn from Dharma Trading Company. While the yarn was simmering in the solution, I started up another pot with the flowers, complete with their sepals. I did an experiment and found that without the sepals, the solution was yellow, and with them, a brilliant orange. The yarn weighed in at 100g, so I used 100g of flowers as well (100% of weight).

I let both pots cool overnight.

The next morning I removed the yarn from the mordant solution. With gloved hands I gently squeezed the yarn to extract as much of the alum solution as I could. Then I rinsed it in plain water a few times and into the dye pot it went (strained of the flower heads). I slowly raised the temperature up between 165-170 degrees (not quite simmering point due to the silk). I let the yarn 'simmer' at this temp for about 40 minutes. Then I turned off the heat and let the whole thing cool overnight - again.

The next day I washed and rinsed the yarn and hung it up to dry.

The color didn't turn out as expected. I was hoping for more of a golden-orange. But I have to admit, I love the clear gold that was produced. I can't complain about that.

Navy Blue Bamboo (and Alpaca Silk Too)

2010-04-13T23:08:00.004-04:00

Is it obvious? Can you tell? Can't figure it out?

I love bamboo!

I have a silk scarf in mind, but before I venture on to that, I wanted to take advantage of the cut warp threads that are still hanging and tied on the loom from the previous scarf. I love the pattern so much that I want a scarf for myself. This one will be a little different though. Instead of 100% bamboo, I've decided to use Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk for the weft. Color: Fawn. I think this will look great with a warp of navy blue. The alpaca/silk (80/20) blend will add an extra sheen and also a lot of warmth and fuzziness.

I'm all done with my taxes so now it's time to play.

Tonight I've wound & chained the warp. Later in the week I'll tie each of the 175 ends to the previous warp, then beam and weave. No reed to sley, no heddles to thread - no heddles to thread. That is what I love about tying on to a previous warp - no heddles to thread. Just slowly advance the knotted warp carefully through the reed and heddles, finish beaming and you're done. I once wove 6 scarves using the same threading. It all went so fast!

Woad, Weeds & Indigo

2010-04-09T09:40:00.002-04:00

This summer I've decided to grow two types of temperate indigo-producing plants. Specifically Woad (Isatis tinctoria) and Dyer's Knotweed (Polygonum tinctorum), also known as Japanese Indigo and Chinese Indigo.

The first Woad seedling growing in an egg carton ~ Yay! Recycle!

Woad is a biennial plant - meaning that each plant only lives for 2 years before it dies completely. In it's first season of growth, this plant will form a rosette of leaves that lay close to the ground. They will usually overwinter without dying down. It's in this first season that you want to harvest the leaves for indigo, since in the second season, the amount of indigo is usually low.

In the second growing season, in addition to the lower growing mound of leaves, the plant will send up several flower stalks. I have read that these flowering stalks can sometimes grow as tall as five to six feet! Leave them be and they will produce seeds. Lots of seeds.

Woad seedling

I'm going to let one plant overwinter (okay, maybe two) so I can see the flower spikes next season. I don't think I'll let them set seed or even plant it again because Woad does not produce a decent amount of indigo to make it worth my while. I have a small yard! I also don't want a lot of seeds to 'get away' as the plant can be invasive if you're not careful.

Dyer's Knotweed, on the other hand, contains a lot more indigo than Woad. Although not as much as it's tropical counterpart, the 'true' Indigo plant (Indigofera tinctoria), you can still get deep rich color. I also think it's an attractive plant, growing on upright stalks that resemble (to me anyway) the common annual Vinca, just without the flowers on the tips. Dyer's Knotweed does flower but to me the flowers are quite insignificant.

With Dyer's Knotweed, you can cut the stalks down close to the ground and strip off the leaves to obtain the dye. The plant will then send up a new shoot - sometimes you can get up to three harvests a year, but I think two is more typical. This plant usually grows from one to two feet in height.

Cotton Sprout

2010-04-07T22:47:00.006-04:00

April 7, 2010

A few weeks ago I placed an order with Cotton Clouds. I had ordered some carbonized bamboo spinning fiber, along with some Pima Cotton seeds. I planted a few of the seeds Easter Sunday, April 4. Today is April 7 and I already have a little cotton sprout. I can tell a few more are about to break through the soil surface - most likely tomorrow. I had no idea they would germinate so quickly. Nice head start on their long growing season.

April 8, 2010

I have never attempted to spin cotton, yet. Just a matter of time. I certainly don't plan to have enough from 3-5 plants to do much with. I'm really just growing them this year out of interest. They have attractive flowers and are easy to care for. I figured, why not? I can save whatever bolls they produce until I'm ready to give spinning cotton a try.

The other reason why I'm only growing a few cotton plants is because I want the rest of the garden free, to plant Indigo! More on that later, I promise!

Undressed, And Out The Door

2010-04-03T20:54:00.004-04:00

Completion!

The scarf has been cut from the loom. The fringe has been trimmed and twisted. A slosh in the washer and laid flat to dry, it's due to be delivered Sunday early evening. Happy Easter.

Some better 'natural light' photos

Time To Get Dressed

2010-03-16T19:05:00.014-04:00

The loom, that is! It's really embarrassing to say, but I still have a Christmas present to weave. I keep putting it off, telling my friend 'Oh, it's almost done'. Hmmm. I have decided that I'm going to finish and deliver it by this coming Sunday! Here is the proposed schedule:

Last evening I finished winding the warp
This evening is the reed and maybe some of the heddles
Tomorrow I'll finish the heddles, test my threading and beam the warp
Thursday start weaving

Bambu 7 warp - color 'Ash'

The yarn is 100% bamboo from Cotton Clouds - their thicker Bambu 7. EPI will be set at 20. The pattern and colors will be the exact same as for my brother's Christmas scarf in the "Earl's Canvas" pattern by Marjie Thompson from "Twill Thrills: The Best of Weaver's". I love this pattern. I may have to weave it for myself one day.

Off I go...

10:20pm, Mar 16, and the reed is sleyed

10:16pm, Mar 17, and the heddles are (partially) threaded
7:48pm, Mar 20, and the heddles are threaded

What can I say, other than I have always disliked threading heddles. So hard on the back. Gotta find another way! Any ideas?

I have to stop now. Won't make the deadline, but at least I know I'll have it done by midweek. Right now I need to get away from the loom. I think I'm going to play for a while on the wheel.

Sixty Scarves For 60 Years

2010-02-02T22:55:00.013-05:00

As a member of the Weavers' Guild of Greater Baltimore, I'm very proud to announce that I have 2 scarf patterns published in a book that the guild has published! You may remember the post about "The Great Scarf Exchange". I wove 2 scarves for this event and both scarves are now featured in the book Sixty Scarves for 60 Years.

Very exciting, indeed!

Read the wonderful review by Claudia of Weavolution.

In our January meeting, those of us who participated and wove scarves for the exchange/book were assigned a number (or two numbers) and we each in turn received a scarf that was featured in the book. We were to open the boxed scarves right then and there just in case anyone received a scarf that they wove - they could give it back in exchange for another scarf. The two scarves that I received were woven by two fascinating women, Monica Kelly and Mary Pflueger.

The scarf by Monica Kelly is simply called "Deflected Double Weave". It's on page 32 of the book and is an 8-shaft weave in 18/2 Jaggerspun Wool/Silk. The colors are cream and a light steel green. Monica weaves wonderful scarves, but considers herself a tapestry weaver. Her work is amazing! She was also featured in the March/April issue of Handwoven in the Designing Women series.

The scarf by Mary Pflueger, called "Kaleidoscope", is on page 74 and is a Shadow Weave that requires 10 shafts. The fiber for this lovely scarf is 60/2 Silk in vibrant blues! Mary also wove a scarf that was featured in the gallery show at the Howard County Center for the Arts - it won first place for scarves!

I should also mention that the rag rug that I wove won third place in the gallery show in the rug category.

SweetGeorgia Yarns: The Fiber Club

2010-02-01T08:30:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite 'little yarn shops' is SweetGeorgia Yarns, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I had the great fortune of being able to take a long weekend trip to visit there in October of '08 for the shops first-year anniversary.

Since then, and perhaps even before then, Felicia, the shop owner, has introduced a Fiber Club. When you sign up, what you pay for is 3 shipments of spinning fiber (one arrives each month for 3 months). You have no idea what you're going to get and you sort of forget about it until you arrive home and there is this package laying at your doorstep. The one for December arrived in plenty of time to be wrapped up and placed under the Christmas tree :)

What you get for your money is so worth it! We're not talking spinning samples here - you get a full sized braid/twist/chunk of fiber.

The November mailing was a trio of fiber: one each of Superwash Bluefaced Leicester, Superwash Merino, and Wensleydale, all dyed up in a new colorway called "Sea to Sky". The description said "...the colour of crisp sky blues, frostbitten forests and icy cool waters." Nice!

November '09 Fiber Club

December was a nice surprise of Falkland wool. Dyed up in the colorway "Winter Spice", Felicia describes the colorway as "all the things that get me through the cold days of winter. Chai tea. Gingerbread lattes. Cardamom-scented sugar cookies. Mulled apple cider."

December '09 Fiber Club

The mailing for January contained a super purple blend of Superwash Merino and Tencel (50/50). Presented in the colorway "Frozen Crocus", the fiber was described as "...delicate, frosty coloured purples and lavenders. Chilly mornings and plenty of Westcoast rain."

January '10 Fiber Club

In each package you also receive a card with information about that months mailing. Included is a description of the fiber itself, the colorway, the inspiration and some very helpful spinning thoughts.

November '09 Fiber Club 'Info Card'

All in all, I think SweetGeorgia Yarns' Fiber Club is an awesome deal. As a matter of fact, I just purchased my second subscription last evening (which was the deadline for the Feb/Mar/Apr '10 lots).

Can't wait to see what Felicia cooks up this go-round!

Awaken!

2010-01-31T11:37:00.009-05:00

The holidays are well over but my Christmas tree still stands. The plan is to take it down over the course of this coming week - after work. Yes, I have a new full-time job. Tell you about it later.

This year for Christmas gifts I wove scarves for everyone in my immediate family. Dad got the gray alpaca scarf that you see in the last October '09 entry, "Weaving With Alpaca" - (hmm, the last entry, period!). I wove lace for the first time for mom, brother got a dashing bamboo scarf in the "Earl's Canvas" pattern by Marjie Thompson from "Twill Thrills: The Best of Weaver's" and my nephew got a snazzy blue/gray scarf in a pattern that I created. I was planning to weave a (-------) for my sister, but she told me that she wanted an iPod for Christmas - so I got her that. I really wouldn't have had the time to do the weaving anyway, since I totally forgot to purchase the yarn for the project! Now that would have been embarrassing. Thank you Apple :) Her scarf from '07 is the black one above with the white stripes. I have the yarn now for the project for my sister. I'm going to start it soon, after I complete a scarf on order for a friend of mine.

Weaving With Alpaca

2009-10-21T18:53:00.012-04:00

I love alpaca! And at this year's Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I purchased some alpaca yarn with the intention of weaving a scarf for my father for Christmas. I was a bit leery about weaving with it because I've heard many stories of how difficult alpaca can be - it has no memory, so you must be careful otherwise it won't bounce back - it will stay stretched. Also if you stretch it too much you could pull the yarn to shreds.

I had luck. Well, some luck.

I used just enough tension to be able to weave the scarf off and not one broken warp thread! Whew!!! But, it did stretch. One would think the whole warp would stretch the same, right? I guess my tension was not 100% perfect as the left side of the warp stretched to the point of being loose while the rest of the warp was just right. How to fix this issue? Weights? I guess not. The problem was this loose side just kept stretching under the tension of the weights. The solution? Stop weaving - finish the scarf - call it a day!

The scarf itself is quite attractive. Not as long as I had planned, but not bad either. I think dad will enjoy the fact that he won't have to wrap it around his neck 5 times (alpaca is so, so warm)! Off the loom it measures 55" x 10 7/8", not including fringe.

I used an 8 dent reed, sleyed at 16epi.

On my way now to finish the fringe and then pop it into a cool Eucalan bath (I think I'll skip the washer for this one).

New Colors / New Yarns

2009-10-15T12:20:00.017-04:00

This is very exciting to me! Being able to create wonderful colors for yarn and fiber. I'm in the mental process of hunkering down and creating a few permanent colors that I'll keep on offer in my Esty Shop: Fjola Maxwell Yarns - named after my two cats!

Two of my favorite colorways so far are FINCH and SEA GARDEN. I'll have to get some roving/top dyed up in these really soon. In the meantime, it's back to the loom for a few more scarves.

Knit Sock 101

2009-10-15T12:03:00.000-04:00

So many others things have come up, but I did manage to get one sock knit. Instead of the long sock it was supposed to be, it wound up being a sockette - for running around the house. When I finish the second one I think I'll give them to my sister - they are a bit small for me. Haha.

Sock It 2 Me

2009-09-14T18:06:00.004-04:00

What can I say? Once again there is something in Fiber World that I've wanted to do for so long.

Post it here for inspiration.

Sock knitting, a craze? Yes, I think so. But who could resist wearing a fancy pair of hand-knit socks? This first pair that I'll attempt (I admit, I took a sock class a few months ago. I was not impressed with, well, I won't say) is very basic. Using size 7 needles and Aran weight yarn they should knit up in a breeze (or maybe a small thunderstorm).

The sock pattern is called Irish Wellington Socks, by Aileen Cahill. Her site can be found at knittingneels.com. I found the pattern at Ravelry.

The yarn is from my stash. I've had these 3 skeins of Rowanspun Aran for years now. I don't think they even make it anymore. Perhaps not the total best choice for socks, but they can be hand-washed. I think of these as 'around the house' socks. I doubt I'll ever put them into a pair of boots. But who knows?

Playing With Yarn and Color

2009-09-12T17:51:00.002-04:00

It was time to get some more stock listed on my Etsy site. I had two orders of undyed yarns that needed attention - so I got started - and this was the final outcome:

Final Soak In Eucalan Wool Wash

The way the yarns absorb the color right from the dye bath, leaving the water crystal clear is so amazing! But if you think about it, it makes total sense.

Colors Drying On The Rack

FALL IN LOVE

MAPLE LEAF

Rag Rugging II

2009-09-11T01:10:00.003-04:00

Here it is. My very first handwoven rag rug. I put a lot of work into this one. The next one I make, in browns, greens and blues, will be a bit less tiresome. I do not plan on binding the edges like I did with this one. It'll be a true 'Rag Rug' :)

I had extra material so I just kept on stripping/sewing until it was all gone. Then I continued to weave until I ran out of warp. The width came out at 22.75 inches. The length finished out at 44.25 inches. Nice!

The 5 Pieces Of Fabric For The Next Rug

Rag Rugging

2009-09-10T14:08:00.005-04:00

My back is feeling better - good enough to weave - maybe not good enough for the hard beating that's required to weave a sturdy rug, but I'm doing it anyway. I've wanted to do this for a long time and I finally got down to it. I think the fact that my Chiropractor asked if I could weave him a rug had something to do with it...

I used a warp of burnt orange and burgundy 8/4 cotton carpet warp. I also have orange and white, but they were a bit too bright for the material I was using.

Carpet Warp, Wound and Ready

I purchased the material at the JoAnn Fabric store in Bowie, MD - they were having a going out of business sale :(

When I started to cut the fabric into 1 1/2 inch strips, the fraying was way too much so I decided to roll each strip and sew the edges inside. This way I get a nice clean rug without the frayed edges sticking out. Yes, I know, it's a rag rug, but hey, it's for me and I wanted it 'clean & neat'.

Fabric and Rolled Weft Detail

This little baby, 24 x 36, will sit in the upstairs bathroom right in front of the sink. Something to dig my toes into while I'm brushing my pearly whites (Eh Pearl). It's nice and firm, well, it's still on the loom, but it feels awesome. I'll shoot another image once it's on the floor in it's final resting place :)

High & Dry

2009-08-08T08:49:00.008-04:00

I called a different Chiropractor from the one I was waiting to hear from, on the referral of my natural doctor. I got an appointment for the same day (Aug 7) - and, it was free, X-rays and all!

One of my concerns since hurting my back was that I started having massive night sweats. Sheets soaked to the max. Nasty! My doctor said that it sounds like I could have a pinched nerve. See a Chiropractor!

Went for my initial consultation: I got an electric treatment with cold packs, then a warm back roll. After that the doctor got me on the table and cracked this and cracked that. Weird. He then readjusted my hips and asked me to walk down the hall. I felt light.

I'd say just from the initial visit that 60% + of the pain in my arms and legs was gone. It wasn't painful driving home. The radiating spasms in my back that would pulse into my arms and legs had been diminished to just the area in my upper back. By the time I got home, my hands were warm and dry. I could move more like 'normal'.

I went to sleep.

I woke up, dry.

No, Not Knots Of Yarn

2009-08-07T10:34:00.006-04:00

Sunday, August 2, I threw out my back. Not into the garbage or anything like that. Although that is sometimes how it feels. On Tuesday, I was able to get a quick 5 minute massage from a good friend who knows what she's doing. She was able to find the kinks in my back and smudge them away. Been drinking plenty of water all week, pray I don't float away.

Wednesday night I was not able to sleep much - had a coughing spell that messed up my back, again.

I'm waiting to hear back (hehe) from the Chiropractor to see what can be done. I'm not much for taking synthetic meds created 'en masse', but I'll say this - I did break down and took some Bayer: Back & Body (Dr. Sullivan would not approve). I only took 1 tab at a time instead of the recommended 2 and I only consumed a total of 4 over a 16-hour period and they still made me a bit loopy and hazy in the head so I decided to stop taking them.

I usually use a product made from Arnica gel to ease away muscle pains/sprains, but this time I think things were too deep in my back for it to reach.

Patiently waiting, by the phone.

Back On Track II

2009-07-22T22:45:00.011-04:00

Things have been a little rough:

Cash has been tight and then I find out that I'm being laid off at the end of August, but there are sunny skies:

Kay emailed me yesterday for 4 scarves for the holidays
I received another order from SweetGeorgia Yarns
I have a whole list of things I wanted to do even before Kay and SweetGeorgia

So time to get off the bum and get back to work. Summer is not my favorite fiber season but the inspiration will follow - it always does.

The Marigold Garden

2009-04-08T14:10:00.014-04:00

The little marigold seedlings with moonflower in the background

I have a growing interest in dyeing fiber and natural dyes interest me a lot! I'm all about natural. I even take natural remedies for my allergies. So this year I decided I was going to grow as many marigold plants as I could (along with an indigo plant or two, just for the fun of it).

I plan to harvest the flowers all season long, weigh them and then either freeze or dry them, and then have a marigold dyeing party in the fall. I think I may even ask my parents and sister if I can plant some marigolds in their yards too.

I love the orange and yellow tones that can be extracted from the marigold plant - and not just from the flowers, but from the green leaves and stems as well. I'm not so sure about the roots. They can stay in the ground as compost for next years garden.

On the left:: A pack of marigold seeds
On the right: Indigo plant (in front of an orchid)

Superwash Merino From SweetGeorgia Yarns

2009-03-12T13:30:00.005-04:00

Last April, yes, that's April '08, I ordered some hand-dyed fiber from SweetGeorgia Yarns, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SweetGeorgia Yarns is all about color, and more color, and then, add some color. I'm totally amazed each time Felicia, the owner, posts new yarns or fiber in the online shop. The colors explode on the screen. My camera is very old so these photos do not do it justice.

Fiber: Superwash Merino

Colorway: Spring Rain

Anyway, I must admit, I just got around to spinnng it last week. It was just one package that I purchased since I wasn't too up on my spinning. I'm quite pleased how it turned out (now that I've taken a spinning class with the approval of my instructor ;)). And it's of a high quality fiber - after spinning and setting the twist, the yarn has a squishy-springy feel to it. Just how it should be.

Color-twist

Post From Canada

2009-03-10T00:19:00.005-04:00

I love receiving packages in the mail. Especially when I know there is fiber inside!

CashSilk Lace

My SweetGeorgia Yarns order arrived today. Just in time for my birthday! There is plenty of fiber to spin and two nice skeins of CashSilk Lace yarn to play with. CashSilk is a super soft blend of 55% silk / 45% cashmere. I'm thinking a nice soft slinky scarf. I ordered the Logwood and Gunmetal colorways. I think they'll go nice together.

Also in the box - 3 packages of dyed spinning fiber. Two in a 50/50 merino/silk blend - colorway, Saffron. The other is a wonderful blend of 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo and 10% nylon, known as Panda. The colorway is Tulip - a mix of greens, pinks, browns and white. It's already a hit just sitting there in it's braided coil. Just wait until it's spun into yarn. I also have 2 other coils of Panda in another colorway from my trip to Vancouver in October. Spring is my spinning season - they'll be yarn very soon.

And then there's the undyed Panda. Pure white like snow. When dyed the bamboo doesn't take up the color, so it leaves shiny white streaks in the fiber. I'm not exactly sure what colors I'll use, but in the morning I leave for East Berlin, PA for my first spinning class at The Mannings Handweaving School. I'll look into the dyes while I'm there.

Dyeing With Henna

2009-03-07T15:34:00.011-05:00

I'm back on the natural dye trail. This time, with henna.

I just recently dyed two skeins, 50gm each, of alpaca yarn (from Blue Sky Alpacas) and one skein, 100gm, of wool yarn (from Lorna's Laces Hand-Dyed Yarns). All of the fibers are so lightly dyed to begin with that they didn't looked dyed at all, so I took it upon myself to change their look. I was hoping that since they had already been dyed that they would have already been premordanted as well. Only time will tell.

Henna powder in the pot - - & - - Simmering on the stove to extract the color

Henna-dyed alpaca yarn

I love the color of the alpaca - it almost has a gray hue to it. Nice! The wool looks a little brassy to me, so I'm going to over-dye it with something else. I'm thinking of playing with indigo ;)

More Mohair For Kay

2009-01-23T16:40:00.019-05:00

Fuzzy Mohair Meets Loopy Mohair

Here is the last mohair scarf for Kay. This one belongs to her! The warp is the same blue/purple mix as on these here, but she requested that the weft be black. I used Webs Stirling Mohair which is a loop-type mohair. At 500 yards per 8oz skein at $20, well, you can't beat that!

I love how the loops peek out from the colorful warp threads. It gives the scarf an extra fuzzy feel and look. When Kay walked around the corner to my desk she just stopped and said wow! She threw it around her neck and proceeded to sport it around the office. I was able to seize her for a quick photo shoot in the front lobby:

... and this is Kay.

This time around I had no issues with the weaving. No broken warp threads, minimal shedding (even though the reed I'm using is still a narrow 12 dent - I really need to get that 5 dent soon).

-----

Something For Me

2009-01-15T10:01:00.023-05:00

I have been weaving for almost 2 years now and finally decided to take the time and weave something for myself. And here it is:

It was based on the design from this scarf, so again, the warp is mainly 50% bamboo (black) / 50% cotton (black/brown 2 ply) and the weft is 100% bamboo (black). But in the warp I added a few threads of lemongrass and pompeii bamboo with some tweeded silk.

After twisting the fringe, I tossed it in the washing machine, on the hand-wash cycle, and spun the water out. Then I dried it, laying it out flat on some towels. Finished and dry, it's about 82" long :)

Don't Forget To Sample

2009-01-13T22:36:00.018-05:00

This scarf is so long. I meant to weave a few samples, but I started weaving and just never stopped until I ran out of warp. When it came from the loom, the fabric was like cardboard. I couldn't wait to see if it would soften up after finishing so I didn't even bother with twisting the fringe. I washed it in cool water and rinsed with a bit of fabric softner - still stiff. A few minutes in the dryer and it started to relax. Then I hit it with the iron and then left it to dry overnight. It's a very dense fabric. Most of it is a silk tweed - pretty nubby - the rest is an acid green bamboo yarn - both from Webs.

I took it to work today and Corina kept it snug around her neck most of the day. I found it back on my desk about 4pm. She may wind up taking it - I promised I wouldn't let anyone else have it until she made up her mind :)

This was one of those 'let me see how this will work out' projects. I should have done a sample first, but everyone seems to like it. I was thinking I'd cut it up and piece it back together for a shabby-chic pillow cover, but I guess today was it's lucky day. The peeps at work convinced me it's a nice scarf worthy of someones neck!

Now I'll start on that fringe. . .

Mohair For Kay

2008-12-09T09:45:00.016-05:00

Here are the mohair scarves/shawls for Kay. They're quite huge. The blue ones are 21 inches wide - by 72' long. The pink/yellow ones were both supposed to be 18' wide by 72' long, but one came out being closer to 90' long. I know how it happened though, so I promise, it won't happen ever

again!

This project was quite a challenge. I have never used mohair before. It's quite messy - it loves to grab hold of itself and does not like to let go. I had a few broken warp ends, but thank God they were just inches from the fell. I pinned them in place and when I took the scarves off of the loom I just took the long end and threaded it next to the short end and then took the short end (fringe side) out. Voila! No one will ever know. shhh...

I'm supposed to deliver them to her on Tuesday Dec 16th, along with three bamboo scarves for her husband. The warp is wound for the bamboo and I'm heading downstairs now to dress the loom and start weaving.

_____________________

And here are a few pics of the bamboo scarves - they are all the same.

They're Bugs, They're Dye, They're Gross!

2008-12-08T15:13:00.019-05:00

They're Cochineal, a type of sap-sucking bug (actually a scale insect) from Central America, and other warm regions of the world. They are a parasite - and their host is a type of cactus. Interesting, huh? Well, I do feel a 'little' sorry for the buggers, but I gave it a try, and... I love it! Beautiful reds and oranges. I used a method which does not require a mordant - a small amount of white vinegar in the dye bath to bring the color to an intense orange/red. As I was heating the fibers in the bath the smell from the cochineal was roaming through the house - not a horrible smell mind you, but different.

The fibers in the dye pot are a yarn of 80/20 Alpaca/wool and some silk roving. The instructions in the book said this method was for animal fibers so the silk should be able to take the dye as well.

I'm loving this. The yarn and silk are now 'resting' in the pot. I'm leaving them overnight and will rinse/wash/rinse them in the morning...

____________________________

Here are the results of the dye bath:

The Alpaca/Wool blend is a deep burgundy/wine color.
The silk absorbed more purple. I like them both!

The Great Scarf Exchange

2008-12-02T00:03:00.013-05:00

I am a proud member of the Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore (WGGB). This year is the guilds 60th anniversary and we're hosting an "inside" scarf exchange at tomorrow evenings meeting. Basically we've had a year to work on at least two scarves each (they want to receive at least 60) and we have to turn them in tomorrow night along with the paperwork with all of the details (yarn requirements and sources, patterns, warp length, shrinkage etc.)

After we turn them in, they will be photographed and the top 60 will be featured in a book. Then the scarves will be on exhibit at the Howard County Center for the Arts. I'm not sure how long they will be there, but after that (Jan 2010, whew!) we'll then get the scarves back - but the scarf I get won't be the scarf I wove - scarf exchange! Exciting, huh?

The first scarf here is a bamboo warp (crocus purple) and rayon weft (natural). I came up with the pattern using a demo version of a weaving pattern program. It looks rather complicated, but the threading and treadling were pretty easy. I was able to divide the treadling into 8 sections per repeat and then weave from that. After each 'section' I would check my work for mistakes. I had to unweave a few times, but not too often. It took about 2 nights to weave it off.

The second scarf is a warp of Jojoland Superwash Wool and Bambu 7 for the weft. You may remember the Colorful Warp posting... And here is the finished scarf:

sweetgeorgia - sweetsuccess

2008-11-20T12:38:00.009-05:00

Felicia of SweetGeorgia Yarns and Me

The weekend of November 15, 2008 I had the fortunate opportunity to visit one of my favorite fiber artists - Felicia Lo, of SweetGeorgia Yarns. She was having an open house for her recently opened weaving, dyeing, spinning, all-around-fiber studio in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The space is open and full of light and, well, see for yourself...

I purchased my fare share of yarn and spinning fiber - oh so exciting - and I can't wait for the holidays to be over so I can start playing. In the meantime, the work on scarves for friends and family continues... More later!

Colorful Warp

2008-10-22T19:51:00.008-04:00

So here is the Woolly Warp beamed on the loom. Just a few rows completed, but I can see already that I like the look. I decided on a deep navy bamboo weft. It will give the scarf a bit of sheen. I like how the colors show through with the simple twill design.

Oh I Can Cook, Too

2008-10-20T09:35:00.010-04:00

Apple Pie Before Baking

So, yesterday afternoon I had starting making an apple pie from the October '08 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I had the dough all prepared and chilling in the fridge, so I decided to lay down for a few minutes. Hehehe. I woke up, it was 4am! The lights were still on and the windows were still open, and gee, was it chilly.

Later in the morning, when the sun was coming through, I took some photos of some of the plants in the garden, with the morning dew (the frost crystals had melted already).

Woolly Warp

2008-10-18T14:11:00.011-04:00

This is what has happened to the Jojoland Melody Superwash. Most people use it for making socks. Today, however, it's been playing on the warping board in anticipation of becoming a nice 10 x 90 woolly-warm scarf. I'm not sure what I'll use for the weft. I'm thinking some black or purple silky bamboo.

Fiber Field Trip

2008-10-18T08:06:00.018-04:00

Work has been totally crazy! I have taken Friday and Monday off, and was planning to go to NYC, but I decided I didn't want to spend the cash to get there, stay over etc...

But, I still needed a diversion...

The days have been getting cooler. The nights have been getting cold. The fiber monster, though never asleep, is kicking into full force. I called my "intro to fiber" friend, Dennielle, from work on Thursday, to see if she would be interested in a day of fiber fun. The plan: Drive to The Mannings in East Berlin, PA and then head east/south/east and wind up in Chesapeake City, MD to visit Vulcan's Rest Fibers. You see, I needed some more yarn! Yeah, right! I did need some needles though. I have been on a hat craze and the closest shop to me in Ellicott City does not have the needle sizes that I need - the perfect excuse to drive six hours. Ha!

But seriously, the weather here is gorgeous! The leaves are a changin'. What better time of year to drive through the countryside?

As for Dennielle, she was ecstatic!!! "For the whole weekend?" she asked. No, silly, just for the day! "Well, what about Saturday, Sunday and Monday?" LOL. She is so cute!

So, Friday morning, I picked her up at 8. We had a lovely breakfast (in the car, from McDonald's - Eww, I know...) and were off...

The plan:

Drive to The Mannings (2 hour drive)
We had no real set schedule, but even with a bit of traffic we were able to get there in 2 hours flat, arriving at 10AM. I wound up with 2 balls of Jojoland Melody superwash (to add to the two I already have), a 2oz skein of Bambu 7 in deep navy, 2,800 yds of cotton/linen ($15 for kitchen towels, nice!), natural dyes (henna, cochineal and indigo and some potassium alum [I forgot to get the spectralite, oh joy]), 4oz of bombyx silk top, my needles and locking stitch markers. Whew! We left right at noon.

Drive to Vulcan's Rest Fibers (2 hour drive. Ha!)
I decided I didn't like the planned route because it took us all the way down to the Baltimore beltway and then back up 95N). So, I improvised. We found a main road that would cross us over to Bel Air, MD. From there, just follow the signs that we would see to get us to 95 (pray hard). We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel around 1:30 - yum. We were back on the road at 2:30. We found 95. Yeah! ...but got stuck in crazy traffic. Finally when we broke through, it was 3:30. I called the store to make sure they were open until 5. They were. We arrived at 3:55. I wound up with another pattern book, the Jane Ellison Queensland Collection, Book 9, 2 balls of Classic Elite Yarns - Moorland. Color: #2548 Blue Jay (I'm thinking a hat) and a set of cable needles - for this.

Drive Home (1.5 hour drive)
We left the store at 5 sharp and took a few pictures and drove around the town. Most places were already closed. Back on the road at 5:30, I was able to drop Dennielle home by 7:10.

Now it's time to bust out some wood for the fireplace... ;)

That's me!

Dennielle outside of Vulcan's Rest Fibers

Dennielle and me on the deck at the end of George St - Chesapeake City, MD
Hmm, I look like I have a tooth missing. LOL

Ugly Brown Betty: The First Sweater Project

2008-08-30T11:30:00.008-04:00

Okay this is not really the first sweater that I started knitting. It's probably the third. It will, however, be the first sweater that I actually finish. It's pretty ugly, but it's mine. And I knit it all by myself, thank you! The front, the back and the left sleeve are complete. The right sleeve is in the works. I think it should be done by Christmas. A gift to myself, perhaps?

Front, back and left sleeve

Stitch Detail

Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Chunky.

Marigolds

2008-08-29T13:43:00.015-04:00

Earlier this summer I got some marigolds with the intention of planting them in the ground and nurturing them. Hey, I love to garden, but they never got out of their market packs - well, at least not the majority of them. I managed to get 6 in the ground...

Marigolds In The Ground

The rest stayed in their packs on the deck. As the flowers mature, I pick them off and place them in a zip-lock bag. Then freeze them. I plan to use them to dye some yarn later this year. I just have to do a lot more reading about it. Perhaps I should consult Felicia. She's a major dyer.

Marigolds In The Freezer Bag

The Latest Scarf For Kay

2008-08-29T13:24:00.014-04:00

Okay, so Kay is a woman I work with. She is from Brazil and she loves to spend money. Here is the warp and the finished scarf. This one is for her husband, Arthur. He likes color, but not too much color. I still have 5 more to do for her. I will start those soon - they are Christmas gifts, you know.

The warp

The scarf

It's about 90" long and 10.5" wide. Notice the hand twisted fringe in the lower right corner.

Where Is The Weaving???

2008-07-16T15:33:00.009-04:00

I have been weaving for a year now and I have not posted any of my projects online yet. I do keep a journal of my weaving though. Here is a really nice scarf I created from a mill-end cotton yarn that my friend Jason picked out, and from two types of bamboo.

The warp is 50% bamboo (black) / 50% cotton (black/brown 2 ply). The weft is 100% bamboo (black). I love the speckled look that was created from the brown showing in random spaces due to it's being plyed with black. Does this make sense?

My friend Kay at work is keeping me pretty busy too. She ordered 3 bamboo scarves from me that I have delivered already. Now she has 10 more on order - Christmas gifts for four of her friends, five of her husbands friends, and 1 for her. Gotta love her! :)

Merino / Silk

2008-07-15T18:29:00.008-04:00

So this is what became of the 2 merino/silk blends. The small sample in blues and the larger amount in the lettuce green. I think they came out pretty good for a novice. Now just have to figure out what to do with them.

The dyed soysilk is on the spinning wheel now. It's colorful, but a bit too colorful for my tastes.

Back On Track

2008-07-02T13:48:00.003-04:00

When I started this blog I knew I would be too busy to keep up with it. Let's get back on track, shall we?

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival - pt. 2

2008-05-06T16:15:00.014-04:00

Sunday, May 4, 2008
So today, I was ready for the swarm. I had it all planned out. If Route 32 was backed up 3 miles, I knew of a shortcut that I could take to get me in faster - and it would work too! But also in the back of my mind I knew it was supposed to have rained Saturday night into Sunday morning and that didn't happen. So I thought perhaps that a lot of people went on Saturday because of this? Yes. This is exactly what happened. There was no traffic. The parking lot was only a quarter full. I could breathe today. I could talk to the vendors. Yippee!!! This was going to be a wonderful day. And it was.

First stop - the ATM.

Second stop - a little yarn shop (don't remember the name). They were selling Rowan Plaid for $5 a ball!!! What? And I missed this yesterday? Aw, shucks. All the great colors were gone! This stuff usually sells up to $15 a ball. Webs has it for $8.50 a ball (I currently have 30 balls, 3 different shades, 10 balls each, still waiting to be knit into soft squishy sweaters - I'll get to it - I promise!). I decided I didn't need anymore, so I walked away thinking if I remember to go back later in the day and they still have some, I'd then use that as my 'okay, it's okay' to buy more. Tee he he he...

Back to what I needed. I didn't want to get lost in the excitement and forget I needed things, so I wrote it down this time: new bobbins / belt for drum carder / heddles / fringe twister. I went right to The Mannings booth in the main exibition hall. I found Thomas Knisely (who may be my weaving instructor later this summer) and he was able to help me with some of what I wanted. The drum carder was still the problem - it needs a new belt. I found a place whos store is right down the street from where I live. So, I was done with what I needed and now I could play some more...

I found Alpacas. LIVE Alpacas.

My nose is so soft!

Where were they yesterday? In the same place but I couldn't see them for all the people. But the difference today was that I would be able to speak with the breeders and get some valuable information. You see, I have this dream of living on a farm and raising/selling Alpacas. Who knows? It could not hurt to ask questions and all of the people I spoke with were so friendly and helpful. I now have many invitations to visit their farms in Northern Maryland. Imagine that!

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

2008-05-05T17:37:00.040-04:00

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Okay so this was a total surprise to me. I have never been. I only knew about it from my friend Maria. What a show! Seriously, it was like Madonna had come to the Howard County Fair. Too bad my camera battery was exhausted...

Cars for days. People everywhere. It was overwhelming, but I had so much fun!

On Saturday I decided to just let myself run wild. I had no plan. I just knew I needed new bobbins, a belt for a drum carder, heddles and a fringe twister. I went from vendor to vendor, looking, absorbing, thinking... What? What do I want? What do I need? Need? I couldn't even remember what I needed. So, I went with what I wanted. My first purchase was very small. Just four fiber samples to spin:

Merino/Silk (80/20)

Dyed Soysilk

Corn Fiber

and Bamboo

Next on the list came some lovely merino/silk (70/30) from Delly's Delights Farm, in Trappe, Maryland. The color is a soft lettuce green, with streaks of brown, orange, blue, red... When I got home later in the afternoon, I started spinning this right away. I'm loving the outcome so far...

Sweet Spun

Next I just walked around a lot in a daze. So many people. So much yarn. I went through the barns where all the sheep were and then I headed over to the main exibition hall. More venders from all over. So many people. Back outside! Use the restroom? Hungry? Forget it. I was not going to wait in line for either of these basic needs.

Walking around more, I wound up purchasing a pound of Shetland roving for $18.00. Not sure if that's a good deal or not, but the wool is very soft. Finally I wound up back where I started. Eyeing some very colorful roving from Persimmon Tree Farm. It was nice because hanging on each of the baskets of roving, they had a skein of yarn so you'd know what it 'could' look like after spinning... I decided on two colors to play with before heading home.

Yum!

Spun Kool-Aid

2008-05-01T17:55:00.013-04:00

Played around a bit - tried dying wool with Kool-Aid. I was amazed how fast this wool gobbled up the color from the water. The wool was purchased from Vulcan's Rest Fibers in the little historic town of Chesapeake City MD. What a great little place the town is. Too bad I didn't have any time to check it out - so that means another trip for the whole day is planned soon. I hung the fiber to dry, spun it (new to this) and then plied it with undyed spun wool. Here is the outcome... Quite fun!

A little fuzzy it is. Not sure if this is due to my inexperience with wool (felting?) or my inexperience with spinning. In either case I'm sure I'll learn from it and future skeins will be picture perfect!

--- Popsiclelicious ---

Oh by the way - this weekend is the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. I can't wait to go! I'll fill you in on my adventures!

In The Beginning - pt. 2

2008-04-19T08:36:00.016-04:00

When Dennielle and I returned to the States, I could not wait to get to a store and buy some knitting needles and a book or two to teach me how. Dennielle didn't really have the time and I was too impatient to wait, so, I went online and found a cool site that had exactly what I needed - little videos to show me how... Talk about excited. I learned to knit, purl, increase, decrease all in the same day! I didn't like how my purls were looking and that is why my first scarf was done in garter stitch. I still don't like how my purls look, but that does not stop me anymore.

My first scarf in Alafoss Lopi
---

Enter Maria.
My friend Maria is originally from Iceland. She knows how to knit, weave, sew - you name it. Right now she's taking a glass class! When Maria found out that I had started knitting, she immediately brought in some of her work so that the two of us could sit in the lunch room at work and knit together. She has since been my 'teacher' and a huge source of inspiration. She is also The source: Right now I have one of her looms and her spinning wheel because she recently moved back home to Iceland and really doesn't have the room for it all. So - I'm saving for the day when the call comes and I have to buy my own - but for the moment I think I'm safe... Keep weaving, Donald!!! ;)

In The Beginning - pt. 1 - a quick history (me & yarn)

2008-04-16T15:46:00.037-04:00

1966 ~
Born March 10, in Washington D.C.

~ 2004
It all started one November, when my friend Dennielle was awarded a trip to Iceland for participating in a usability test-thingie for an airline website. I was the lucky one who was going with her. She was so excited to finally be able to see the Icelandic sheep whose wool she had knitted a few sweaters with... Sheep? Wool? Knit? Who's Pearl?

---

Alafoss Lopi
---

Anyhoo, we were in one of the yarn stores in downtown Reykjavik. I was helping Dennielle decide on a color for her next sweater. I touched the yarns. I saw the colors. I wanted to do something with them. Just then, one of the clerks asked if I knitted. "Nope, I'm here with her", was my answer. "Well, why not?", was the reply. In a split second, the question "why not?" resounded through my head. I looked at her, shrugged my shoulders and said, "what should I get"?

I decided to get 3 different colors of Icelandic Alafoss Lopi (quite scratchy). I could get needles and instructions at home. . .