Kindred Threads

gathering at Nans'

2012-01-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

Linen twill


some of Nan's knitting projects , some UFO's for longer than she cares to remember/ and lots of great artwork at Nans' house.

Barb's angel with attitude

Beautiful,old hooked wool rug from Newfoundland. Kathy says: I found out through a link Jean sent me that the Grenfell piece is actually hooked. It was an interesting read about how they set up this industry in Labrador to help the local economy.
The gradations in color, called abrash (a new word for me), was more common in the earlier pieces.

Susan's rag rug from the past, home for a visit

Rosepath rug of Carole's moms

Carole brought this to show us the exquisite workmanship in what we believe may have been a watch fob, made from the hair of Carole's grandmother in the 1900's.

Baba Studio bag with a removable front panel. Good idea for some handwovens

This months fiber lovers/weavers gathering was at Nan's house. I always love to be there, in part because she has such a great eye for color throughout her home and also a wonderful collection of art. I definitely have to go to more art fairs with her.
Other than Barb, with her sassy angel, I don't know if many of us have been too productive. We showed off lots of fiber treasures though. From woven rugs and mementos of Carole's moms treasures, to needlepoint tapestries from Newfoundland to some lovely knitting projects from Nan's UFO bin, we are at least thinking about color and fiber. All good inspiration to tuck under my bonnet, and hopefully pull out during what will be a long winter.
Thanks Nan for hosting this months group. Too bad you cleaned the whole house cause we seemed glued to the kitchen. We will look forward to the next meeting that you have being in your new house! Are you excited yet?
We nominated a visit to Elin's house in Madison, with a possible side trip to the infamous Susan's Fiber Shop, for our meeting next month. Of course Elin was not in attendance to yea or nay this, but I'm thinking she will be pleasantly surprised.

inspiration

2012-01-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks Evan for sharing this incredible artist Elena Papaioannou. Inspiration for the new year in so many ways.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T22:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to friends, near and far. May you prosper in peace and wisdom this year.

St Lucia day gathering at Susan's

2011-12-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Susan's barn loom

Around Susans' studio

My Swedish lace shawl

Making monrovian stars

shopping at Avalanche Looms, always a delight

my lampworked bracelet/ Evans hubby doll/ Olgas' coat/ Barbs' rep weave

White elephant gift exchange and Joannes treasure trove of bobbins from Susan

Bring your own fruit, fruit salad with St Lucia buns

Everything about our gathering, on St Lucias' day at Susan's shop, was fun and laughter filled. It is such a visual plethora of color and fiber throughout her studio and shop, that I am endlessly happy to wander around taking pictures. Between eating the yummy fruit salad and sweet St. Lucia buns, and learning how to make monrovian stars I almost forgot to shop.
Joannes idea to do a white elephant gift exchange turned out to be a lot of fun. It turns out that one persons fibery discard is definately another persons treasure.
All in all a wonderful day to be with fellow weavers and friends and to see what Susan has been up to in her very inspirational studio.

catching up

2011-12-04T08:24:00.001-08:00

It is finally time to post some of the weaving I did in preparation for the Driftless art fair in September. That so traumatized me that I have only just now put something new on my loom and I am not all that happy about it. Seems that I want to weave only something that inspires me, and that list is long, but I feel I should be weaving what I know the gallery needs. Somehow in some recent marketing talk I decided to weave a baby blanket and that is now on the loom. Blah! I like the pattern though so I think screw that marketing plan and I will make it long enough for a shawl. Pics to come, after I catch up with the before art fair trauma pictures. Can't wait till after xmas to weave some projects only cause I want to!

turned twill blocks

one warp-three very different scarves

twill scarf and summers last flowers

turned twill block weave bamboo scarves

living the dream...actual piles of scarves

supplementary warp and weft, plain weave bamboo scarves

pretties

2011-11-16T17:16:00.001-08:00

This weeks 2nd Monday's gathering was hosted by Barb, with lots of yummies to eat and pretties to see. When Susan brought out her woven hand warmers, everyone immediately grabbed a pair amidst many ohs and ahs and became instant hand models for one of my favorite pictures yet. I loved seeing my friends hands woven together.
Linda's rep weave rug and her twill scarves from a recent class at Sievers, were incredible. Then there is Barb's rep weave that I can never get enough pictures of, and continue to covet. Still not brave enough to thread that many ends of 16/2 cotton. Her next rep rug has 2900 ends to thread causing a loud groan by all.
Evan shared the incredible drawings in her journal; truly personal and a beautiful reflection of her creative mind.
Amy of Peepwools joined us for the first time and shared with us some of her fiber art dolls. I am looking forward to her sharing more of how she sees the world.

As if feeding on all the fiber eye candy wasn't enough Barb served up a great meal for us. Black bean chili, topping baked potatoes, was topped off with an incredible pumpkin cheescake and an apple pie that Joyce brought.Thanks Barb and everyone for sharing your wonderful projects!

Linda's rep weave/Wow!

Twill scarf by Linda

Barb's rep weave

barb's next rep weave

Carole's doubleweave bag/Linda's twill scarf

Kathy's scarf/yum/Joanne's fabric lampshade/Barb's appliqu

fall art tour

2011-10-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

A fall tradition for me is the fall art tour; a jaunt around the lovely southwestern Wisconsin counrtyside, during the spectacular fall colors to visit area artists studios and small town galleries in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. My friend Carole and I found plenty to be inspired by; both in the artists we talked to and the works they so obviously put their hearts and souls into. This year we did the portion around Mineral Point, a town so picturesque in itself that we could have spent the whole day right there. Our friend Mark Herrling, who is one of the artists in our VIVA Gallery Cooperative, was a guest artist with his potter friend Frank Polizzi. He is a woodblock printer, engraver and does some incredible art tiles. Another of my favorite artists is Audrey Christie of Short Horse Woodcuts. Her work resonates with just the right touch of whimsy and color. All in all a good day to store up some color and warmth and friendship to help shorten the winter days ahead.

Mineral Point, WI

My favorite artist: Audrey Christie of Short Horse Woodwoodcuts

potters tools

Ta Da!

2011-10-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

card layout before being cut apart

Ta Da! I have a new baby. A bouncing baby Nikon DSLR camera. I am just amazed how it handles low light situations that my little canon would have to think about for a couple of seconds. I have been generally pretty obnoxious with it, chasing the kids around the house, testing out all the bells and whistles. The only bad thing is that the pictures usually look so good in the auto mode I may never take it off that. My ploy to get this, was how much money I would save by taking the kids senior pictures myself. Yea for a hubby who takes hints really well.

some of my favorite images

greeting cards 5x7


notecards 4x5

These are photos of cards I have had printed BNC (before new camera), that I have for sale at VIVA Gallery; where I am a member, and that I have taken to fiber fairs. Hopefully I will get them up at my etsy site soon. They make me feel famous for some reason.
I have lots of hand dyed yarns and some new weavings to photograph and list also. Good way to get more familiar with my camera.

2nd monday gathering

2011-10-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

This months fiber gathering was at my house, a beautiful fall day filled with friends and laughter and some great projects for our show and tell. And Joyce's homemade dill pickles were to die for!
I am so thankfull to have this group of women for insipation in so many aspects of my life.

raspberry citrus bars & pickled asparagus

Susan's scarf with a purse/ Susan's rag + weave

Elin's hand dyed yarn and Kathy's differential shrinkage shawl

Michelle's knitted gloves and Olga's Hmong needlework pillow

Michelle's applique blanket and Barb's wool applique critters

morning walk

2011-10-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

brave?

fall shadows

patterns

the fairy forest

sumac


skywards

My morning walk is a necessary realignment of my thought processes. As long as I am listening to the wind in the trees and seeing the patterns in the shadows of the sunlit trees, I am inclined to leave at home, any of the day to day got- to- dos. And yet they somehow, are much more manageable when I get home.
And then there is nothing like the thrill of running to duck under the fence, while being chased by the cows that Molly the wonder dog has irritated into a killer cow frenzy; to put you in a live in the moment kind of mindset.

a good day

2011-10-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

To celebrate a beautiful fall day and honor our 20th anniversary my hubby and I kayaked on the Mississippi River around Goose Island. A fitting tribute to our honeymoon in the Boundary Waters; although that trip involved getting snowed on, nearly capsizing in howling winds with frozen fingers.

Definitely memorable.

This day was perfectly filled with warm sunshine, a v of pelicans flying overhead, turtles sunning on logs and a rope swing hanging from a tree with echoes of children's delighted screams lingering in the air. All in all a joyful day filled with the peace of a river and some slightly sore shoulders. Here's to another 20 years....

fall gathering

2011-09-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Carole's doubleweave scarf

Elin's alpaca woven scarf, Barb's repweave and Elin's hand dyed yarn, Susan"s scarves, my rayon chenille shawl(sorry Susan for cutting off your head)

Carole's doubleweave pillow

tranquil pond

loom with a view

Elin's hand dyed yarn, Olga's recycled sweater hats, Barb's wool applique, Joyce's dyed silk scarves

Denise, bravely modeling the sheep hat portion of a costume that she is designing for our upcoming harvest parade

weavers in trees

fall bounty

This month's weavers gathering was at my good friend Carole's home. Such a lovely setting; especially in fall as her home is surrounded by apple orchards with their abundantly beautiful red apples begging to be picked. And pick them we did! This weekend Carole will be making apple cider with her family and I will be making applesauce for my family.
Their home is warm and inviting, and filled with art, as her husband Paul is also a talented artist.
We shared a day with lots of fiber to fondle and be inspired by, really good coffee, treats from Carole's gardens, including a raspberry, apple, pear crisp that disappeared before I could photograph it. Yum!
After we pulled our heads out of the apple trees we had a short walk to see the pond. Surrounded by prairie plantings, a canoe waiting for its next paddlers and echoes of summertime laughter and firefly lit nights, it was a peaceful end to a lovely visit.
Fall in Wisconsin fills us with its many sensory delights, crisp invigorating nights and late summer harvests all in preparation for a winter spent by the fire with our knitting and spinning. I hope it is a long fall as I seem to have missed most of the summer.
Thanks to Carole for sharing her idyllic home with our weaver buddies; it is just what I needed after two crazy fair weekends back to back. And I leave inspired to get back to my sorely lacking of late; domestic godessness....

Wi Sheep and Wool Festival

2011-09-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

baaaa

my fiber world for 4 days

This fair is like being in a total fiber world for 4 days. It is not a real world but it sure is warm and friendly and above all colorful. My normal life comes to a halt and I am just immersed in fibery goodness everywhere I look. From the knitters talking and knitting in the coffee line to the newborn lambs in the barn it is amazing that wool can bring this many people together.
The truck was packed to the gills and I don't think that I could have fit one more thing in; although it would have been good if I had remembered the little bag with the parts that holds my shelves together! Good thing that my friend Nan was coming up to help on Saturday, and that no one leaned on the shelves in the meantime. Death by yarn would have been tragic.
Now I am just home from the second fair in 2 weeks (the Drifltless Area Art Fair). After weaving like a madwoman for the week in between the 2 fairs, I am currently in a basically brain dead state and will post pics from that fair soon; I am finding typing, rather more difficult than usual, so hopefully this post makes some kind of sense.
Tomorrow is our monthly weavers gathering and I am looking forward to some serious relaxing with friends that I haven't seen enough of lately.

come to the fair

2011-09-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Name that yarn

Can I eat it?

So there is nothing left in my studio that is white. With a little help from my kids (and Molly), with a name that yarn contest for the new yarn bases I am trying out. The winner whose yarn names I choose the most of, was to receive a giant chocolate bar.
They were so good at naming yarns that they both won.
Revenge, twig, string and tangled were some of the not so great ones. And what is with a yarn called Chunky Mama (actually I liked that one). Athena, Dreads, Nirvana, Frou Frou, and Whisper were some of the ones that I chose.
It did however get old, as they rolled their eyes more than once, when asked "what does this color remind you of"when I got to the name this color part.
Thank god they helped, cause I have been pretty brain dead lately with too many dye fumes or color overload or something. A little more sleep wouldn't hurt either. Maybe after next week, cause when I get home I have to weave like a maniac for the Driftless Area Art fair.

So this morning I took my act on the road and spent the day loading the truck and got started setting up at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. By 9:00 pm I was a long way from done so it will be an early morning tomorrow. My sister so kindly left a wine glass out for me since I am bunking at her house for a couple of the days. Now off to bed so I can arise tomorrow; ready to seek my fame and fortune.

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you that I almost died while dyeing... I heard Molly barking and sounding obnoxious in the garage and was ready to take a step out from my studio and she had a rattlesnake backed up against the step I was just about to walk over. It took me a few seconds to decide first; that it was a rattlesnake (a little one, but rattling away), one second to think that I should save Molly who kept lunging at it despite it striking at her and me yelling at her, and then another second to slam the door when it turned and looked like it was coming into my studio. Sorry Molly, snakes freak me out. Fortunately neither of us died and Molly spent a good bit of time trying to get it out from behind the cupboard. Country living!

gathering at Nan's

2011-09-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Nan for hosting this months (oh wait, it was last months) weavers gathering. Tells you how crazy busy I have been.
We had Sharon join us for the first time with some of the many projects she has woven over the years. Great inspiration, I hope that she joins us often. Many of the pictures are of her work and many others were too blurry to show. Guess I wasn't fast enough, the way weavings were passing from hand to hand.
Nan topped off a wonderful day with some of her homemade cherry ice cream. Yum!

Sharon's huck lace silk scarf

My bamboo twill scarf

out and about in San Francisco

2011-08-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

On a recent family vacation to San Francisco, I goggled yarn shops while sitting in the airport and copied down the address for Artfibers. It was actually a short distance from our hotel and with a banner like that how could I not follow my fiber nose. It did mean tricking my kids into going into the Banana Republic store across the street with the promise that I wouldn't be too long. They know better, and called me after a mere 30 minutes and then showed up, piling out of the elevator into my newfound tranquil world of yarn.
This wasn't your normal yarn store and I should have recognized the Artfiber brand name from my yarn shop days. They are a manufacturer of high quality hand dyed luxury yarns, put up on cones.
Each of their yarns are swatched; with cones of different colors in the bins underneath. Oh to have had a couple of hours to enjoy their sun drenched space and fondle a few more yarns.

dolls collected by the owner on her travels

Golden Gate Bridge

This picture is on Haight Street as in the Haight/Ashbury district of the flower power years.. Lots of fun shops and vintage stores, with not a "San Francisco" sweatshirt in sight. I was liking this picture with the lovely flowers and the cool dog, and didn't notice until I was going through the pictures on my computer, that the lovely bald tattooed guy was flipping me off. Definitely gives the picture a little more character. It is good to be home.

magical day

2011-07-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Some days are more magical than others and our last 2nd Monday gathering of weavers and like minded fiber addicts, was just such a one. In part every gathering is an explosive exchange of creative ideas and energy, riotous laughter and general mayhem as everyone tries to catch up with each others doings over the last month. When the first project comes out it starts an avalanche (nod to Susan of Avalanche Looms), of what everyone has been working on most recently. I am finding it hard to photograph everyones work and get the details right so that is my disclaimer for accuracy.
This months gathering was at Michelle's magical logcabin "treehouse" perched on an outcrop in a fairytale woods. I met Michelle when I had my yarn shop in town and I always say that meeting her and my friend Barb, were the best part of having started the yarn shop. That and having a great yarn stash.
I am not a new agey, read peoples auras kind of person but Michelle has always had such a positive energy and generousness to her that I am proud to call her friend. Also being one of the most creative people that I know I was excited to see her and her husband Kens home. I have never seen a home more reflective of the people that live there. Everywhere I looked was another creative touch, from the plastered walls with leaf imprints upstairs to the beautiful painted floor in the living room to the staircase that looked like it had grown out of the floor just to be a staircase.
I think a book should be done of their house and the craftsmanship that they built into it. My pictures certainly don't do it justice. What a sweet retreat for two such hard working people. Thanks for having us.

cordwood cottage built for making maple syrup

The maple sugar shack/ Denise sitting at a built in chair and table/ maple leaf mosaic

My bamboo scarf wanting to be a jacket

Barb's rep weave/mystery lady/Olgas hand sewn tank top/Denise's twill

hand painted floor

Kathy's scarves and multiple rugs

weaving music

2011-07-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have been excited to try this weave ever since seeing the swatch in Malin Selanders book Swedish Swatches. After a couple of mishaps on the warping reel, a couple of slow starts having to rethink the threading for the black, I was finally weaving and watching the fabric grow. And I don't know if it was the classical music I was listening to, or watching the undulations of the pattern as it appeared but I felt like I was creating music with each throw of the shuttle. Hearing it, seeing it and weaving it. Hard to describe but immensely satisfying, especially since I can't carry a tune and have often been asked to not sing by my kids.
After getting up and doing a couple of "I love this weaving" happy dances, I made my hubby and daughter come and admire my progress...multiple times. Into the second scarf I am still loving the rhythm and feel of weaving this pattern. I tried a couple of different treadlings and none felt quite as right as this one. I am weaving this with Bambu 7 in the warp and the first scarf has a finer Bambu 12 for the weft. The second scarf is weaving up almost too fast using Bambu 12. I think I will be tying on a couple of more scarves in a different colorway ; just to keep the music playing.

Day at Evan's

2011-06-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Evan most graciously hosted this month's weavers gathering, after a couple of us wished out loud that we could see her home. It was a visual feast reflecting the artistic vision of both her and her husband Joel. Lots of wonderful color, simple swedish inspired styling, and most importantly a place for his interests in music (please let my husband never see how big the amps are in Joel's recording studio) and a work room for Evan that now looks very weaverly.
With yummy cookies that tasted like the windmill cookies that were always in my grandmothers cookie jar, a jar of summertime pickles and lots of laughter over Olga's aptly named "hide the boobs" shirts. Lovely shirts, expertly reconstructed with strategically placed decorations, named by her husband. All in all a fun summer day. Thanks Evan and Joel for hosting our craziness in your peaceful home.

Weaving books of Evan's grandmother

cookies, pickles and doubleweave tea cozy

kitchen with colorful divider filled with an awesome cookie cutter collection

inspiration board with purse made by Evan's grandmother

Kathy's vest, "hide the boobs" shirts reconstructed by Olga, runner by Joanne

Small table looms

Susan's linen scarf/fiber from Barb's recent Scandinavian travels

Wool(krokbragd?) rug/ Evan demonstrating doubleweave projects

playtime

2011-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Finally found time to work on my website , so I have been doing the code geek thing... constantly proving to myself how little I know. Thank god for "learn by Goggle". I only wiped the site out once. There is lots more I will change, but at least it feels more current now.
And for the other; should be weaving, but am playing with my photos and adding textures via my photoshop elements software. Once again learned from a couple of websites. Most outstandingly from Kim Klassen. Almost too fun to stop, making for some rather late nights.
I hope to get some good enough images to print some cards to sell at VIVA Gallery and at the fiber and art fairs coming up in September. There is always tomorrow to weave.

rainy day at Barbs

2011-05-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Overshot by Olga

Our weavers group gathered last Monday at Barb's house, despite driving through torrential rains. Once again proving how much we really need this connection with our fellow weavers.
New to the group is Olga who joined us for the first time and brought her first and only weaving, from 40 years ago. This beautiful overshot in wool was an inspiration for us. Maybe we will re inspire her to weave again.


rep weave warps #1 & #2

We were all excited to see Barbs rep weave project underway. The current warp is the top 2 pictures with 2600; or some ungodly number of ends. This 2nd warp she is making chains for every 1 inch.
The first warp is shown in the bottom 2 pictures, the last one being a pile of thread after it met its demise at the hands of Barbs scissors. Once again she earns the nickname slasher as she "cuts" her losses with a misbehaving warp and starts over. Something that she does with such righteous abandon, that we are all in awe.

Walking to Barb's studio we saw a pile of walkers in the garden, waiting for Barb's husband Harry's tomatoes, to need some support.

An incredible book brought to show by Michelle. I didn't pick the best picture to showcase the marvels within; but it is filled with nature inspired photography and color swatches that make my want to drive into my stash for some future weaving and dyeing projects. Great inspiration! I will be ordering this soon and will try to get some more pictures.

Susan shared these wee houses of mouse and the three bears, that were part of her childhood. Such exquisite workmanship and they are much sweeter than the trolls that I remember playing with.

This inkle woven belt by Joyce was a lovely riot of springtime color. Barb's house is filled with fun treasures (hard to photograph in the dark light of this stormy day) and of course lots of her beautiful knitting to inspire us all.

Thanks Barb for a fun, laughter filled day and the strawberry cake was incredible too!
Happy trails to you and Harry as you take off for your Scandinavian trip. Looking forward to lots of wonderful stories at our next thursday morning coffee.

score!

2011-05-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

Spring garage sales hit town last weekend; and while my real reason to go into town was to mail off a skein of yarn I had sold on etsy (yea!), I managed to hit a few sales. And voila a whole box of wool yarn was just sitting there waiting for me, calling me to not leave one skein behind. And how could I choose, the colors are so yummy.
So for my skein that I sold I came home with 29 new skeins. I was going to hide it in my stash before dear hubby came home but spent so much time admiring it on my pretty flowered table cloth, that I was kind of caught in the act of fondling and photographing.
So supper was delayed until my daughter scooped the pile up and unceremoniously dumped everything into a basket, thereby breaking my yarn spell.
In my defense, I was going to dye up some wool yarn, that Joanne had shared with our weavers group, for a krokbragd project; but now I have all sorts of colors to play with. I can krokbragd till the cows come home. Don't anyone burst my bubble and tell me I have spelled krokbragd wrong, cause I am pretty impressed with myself for not having to look it up even though it is making my spell checker go crazy.

think spring

2011-04-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Something about this thread made me take a lot of pictures of it. I couldn't even continue weaving for awhile, until I was done admiring its pattern...or something.

So I was pretty happy weaving the pink and orange chenille scarves; the colors made me think of the tulips to come. Giving myself some credit or perhaps showing my stupidity; I did have some concerns about the floats. I thought about replacing them with bamboo, but then just thought I would treat it very gently.
Long story short, don't put a rayon chenille scarf in the dryer and then forget about it, and especially if you have been dumb enough to weave in a supplementary warp. When I opened the dryer in the morning, my "OH NO" screaming, stomping, dance earned me a couple of "there goes mom" again looks.
After many hours I had the supplementary floats back where they more or less belong; who knows if they will stay there...they seem willing to do unmentionable things with no provocation. This will be one for the never do again list.
On the brighter side, the turquoise, bamboo version turned out fine.
Not so lucky were the daffodils buried under 5 inches of snow in Tuesdays freaky, even for Wisconsin, spring snow storm. When spring finally really gets here we will have definitely earned it!

spring gathering

2011-04-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

good friends...good food

This months 2nd Monday gathering was at my home, with a large turnout I was having a hard time keeping up with everyone's show and tell. This is a most productive group. I will leave my spring scarf disaster for another post. But everyone else's projects were awesome. Below is a sampling of some of the fiber that was floating around my house, all of which I would of loved to have just stayed here!
I was feeling uninspired for making lunch so I offered to make desserts and coffee. Nobody seemed to suffer too much. By the time I got around to taking a picture of the cinnamon apple cake, it was gone. The biscotti suffered the same fate. I did manage to get a picture of my favorite, crystallized ginger scones. Recipe: here There will be some heavy duty quilt when they find out just how much butter went into these treats.

cool scarf and overshot Barb found at Colonial Williamsburg

future rug of Denise's and green guy from Barb's recent trip to N. Carolina

Susan's roly poly watching over Joanne's sweet peeps

Elins wool roving rugs

Molly had a great time. Sorry, Kathy about your sandwich. She did leave you the pickles, though:)

Like minds

Here is Barb pondering the universe. This picture just cracks the both of us up.

Michelle is looking great wearing multiple woolies. These were new rosepath bags by Joanne and an applique rag rug. The fun and funky basket by Evan is woven from leftovers in the construction of their house. These people are such a treasure and an inspiration, they fill my heart and my mind is a swirl of new ideas. Darn, I just remembered how lovely Jan's black tencel huck lace scarf was. I forgot to get a picture; but I must fight my multicolor obsession and do something equally simple and elegant. Can't wait to see what next month's gathering brings, thanks everyone!

new and old

2011-04-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

new work

rayon chenille cowl

I love the idea of a cowl draping around your neck with different layers showing depending on how it lays. My original idea was to weave a double weave tube and join the edges, but I knew I wanted to do the rosepath inserts and it all started hurting my head; so I ended up putting on twice the length and switching to stripes at the halfway point. Then after folding it in half I put in a twist and sewed the ends and edges together. Thereby giving myself a whole different headache because I usually go to great lengths to not hand sew anything. All in all I love the concept and how it turned out but it may be, one of those, one of a kind things.

mobieus twist cowl

old work

deflected doubleweave shawl

Alpaca, wool and alpaca silk woven and then felted. Finally getting around to listing it on etsy. Here is the post with pictures of it in the works.

Spring+porch+spinning=peace?

2011-03-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

I look forward all winter, to the first day of weather warm enough to spin on the porch. Today was just such a day, and I am not even cheating and bundling up in every piece of wool I own. Looking forward to listening to the returning birds sing and watching the chickadees at the feeder. And look, here comes Molly the cute little Welsh terrier to see what I am up to. Nice hand knit socks she is thinking. Hmm wonder what that brown stuff is. Once she gets a smell of the lovely sheepy, alpaca fiber that I am attempting to spin, she decides it must die and every chance she gets she makes a mad dash for another mouthful and shakes the stuffing out of it. Doesn't seem too likely to come to life to me, but she just has to be sure. So much for peaceful spinning. But I do feel safer.

Heavenly fiber mill

2011-03-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Alpaca blend yarn sold through Heavenly Fiber Mill

Amish loom with warping rack

skeining and spinning machines

rug woven with upholstery selvages and gianormous warping spool rack behind loom

Colorways dyed here and sisal core/wool wrapped rug yarn---Darcy giving us a tour of the retail area

Merino wool before and after washing------------fleece washing machine that holds 9 lbs of wool

For our 2nd Monday gathering this month a group of us headed to Heavenly Fiber Mill in Readstown, Wi, a short drive from us. I can't believe; fiber nerd that I am, that this is the first I have visited this mill. The owner Darcy was most gracious and took us though the mill so we could see the carding and spinning process's up close. What a great job to be surrounded by all that fiber, all of the time.
I can tell that Darcy has some great visions of things to come, with room to grow for classrooms and a lovely house that will be an incredible B&B. This is in the heart of Amish country and would be draw in itself. Throw in a fiber filled weekend and sign me up!
The Amish loom that was in a back room was just a jaw dropper to see. I have talked to an Amish man that said they warp their looms from a warping spool rack connecting the threads right to the loom. Enough for many, many rugs without rewarping. But this is the first time I have seen it. Sort of made me dizzy. It looked like the threads were raining onto the loom. A cat in this workroom could have a blast.
The carding part of Darcy's business has only been going a little over a year, so it will be fun to see the directions that she takes it. She definitely has a new customer in me.

spring in Wisconsin

2011-03-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

These are times of turbulent weather and political drama. Our governor of two months has stripped most of our public workers of collective bargaining rights, that have been fought for, and in place the last 50 years. He has done so in such a way as to have many from both sides crying foul and showing our legislators what the people of Wisconsin should stand for.

After taking part in one of the three weeks of ongoing demonstrations in the Madison capital; I am proud of the heart and soul of our teachers, firemen, police force and so many others who have taken a stand to fight for their rights in such a peaceful and dignified (if loud) way. It says a lot about who we are and why we need to come together and treat each other with respect.


obligatory fiber content

inspiration

2011-02-27T10:34:00.000-08:00


New book with photos of Malin Selanders Swatch books/ Selanders signature in Denise's original books

rosepath

waffle weave

At our 2nd monday weavers group Denise brought 3 of the 4 Swatch books by Malin Selander. These caused quite a stir, and she found them at a second hand store for a little bit of nothing. What a treasure!
I found in my" books for sale at fiber shows" stash a copy of Swedish Swatches by Malin Selander. This is a photographic compilation of most of the samples in all four books. I am looking at it with different eyes after having seen the actual samples. It made such a difference to see and touch these in person and of course being able to see how different the back of the fabric was. This was a lady not afraid of color ,and although some of the glitzy metallic 60's yarns made me cringe a bit, her design ascetic is timeless. Bravo!

2nd monday at Carole's

2011-02-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

valentine creations

Elin"s rugs

knitted scarf by Evan, potholders by Joanne and Susan's weaving

yummy soup and breads

Carole's Glimakra with her double weave projects

Denise's inspiration books, filled with swatches

Our gathering this month at Carole's lovely home was a large and lively bunch. Nothing like 2 days in a row of melting snow, some great food and conversation and fiber projects galore to make you feel like life is good and you have made a wise choice in being a weaver.
Thanks to all for a day of raucous laughter and enough touchy feelly fiber fix, and inspiration to keep me going for another month, when maybe spring will be here for real.

happy valentines day

2011-02-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Susans rag ball valentines

valentines our weavers group exchanged today

weaving with heart

memories of italian sunshine

2011-02-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

glorious Venice

Florence

Florence's Ponte Vecchio

Florence

I find myself going back to my pictures of Italy to immerse myself in the memories of warmth and sunshine, that so permeated our trip there. As more snow falls outside, I can always return to these, to help me through what is becoming a rather long and seemingly endless winter. Dreaming of the smell of dirt and a warm breeze on my skin. Of course, a couple of more screaming sled rides down the driveway, is not a bad thing to look forward to, before winter lets go of us.

fiber, food and fun

2011-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

After having the misfortune to miss the last 2 or 3 weavers gatherings, due to family mayhem that kept falling on the 2nd Monday, I was doubly excited to attend last mondays gathering at Joannes house. Despite the winter storm warnings and unplowed highways a fairly large group of us found our way to Joannes welcoming home. Just shows you how desperately we needed to ditch our isolated studios and get together for some boisterous laughter and fiber inspiration. Of course it didn't hurt that we all know Joanne is a great cook and she offered to feed us. Yeah!

Check out Joanne's blog for some great food, weaving and gardening inspiration.
I am hoping that she posts some of the recipes from this gathering there. I wish she lived a little closer, cause I'd be knocking on her door a lot, right around dinnertime.

It appears that I have been missing photography and may have over done it; but if you'd like to see more pics of our day together go to my flickr page.

a vest from goodwill and some of Joannes sewing

vineyard at rest

Joannes studio space and a Herald Loom

Michelle taking a twined rug off the loom

Rag piece that Denise is going to make into a lampshade, my bamboo scarf, knit scarf by Char and mittens by Barb/Union Loom

Placemats by Barb (the pattern is from A Weavers book of 8 shaft patterns, it is #759 by Christine McKeeman ) and a tutorial she did on making her weavers socks. Her blog post about them here

Linda's overshot strip purse and blue jean knitted scarf

Holiday Greetings

2010-12-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Looks like another snowed in Christmas eve. Hopefully we can fa la la tomorrow. For now, it looks like a great time for a snowball fight and some cookie baking. Molly looks ready! I hope your holidays are filled with peace and the joy of the season.

Springerle cookies

Seriously over sprinkled

The mad sprinklers at work

My black and white world

2010-12-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

Lately I am a little stuck in black and white...hope to find some color soon.

cotolin towels woven in 8 harness twill with 2 shuttles

bamboo shawl

Molly loving this first big snowstorm

minus 20 degrees when the girls went to school yesterday. Looks like winter might be here.

Great book for inspiration

Sno-Crush

2010-11-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

welcome to Sno-Crush

prairie grass rep weave by Kathy Aaker

knitwear by Annie Larson. bowls by Peter Doval

quilt by Susan's quilt circle

my handspun and handwovens

Jean Becks aprons with knitwear by Annie Larson

Mittens by barb Monroe and bowl by Peter Doval

doll sculptures by Amy Arnold

vest by Kathy Aaker

Doubleweave and scarves by Carole Austin.

Handspun by me

The textile show at Avalanche Looms was such a visual treat it was hard to leave and I may have to go hang out there again just to absorb more of the fiber vibes. It is amazing to see the different directions we go in our fiber creations, yet at the same time are always connected by our love of the medium and the desire to create. Something about seeing these artists (and friends) together, so artfully displayed by the talented Susan, has made me even prouder to be a weaver. So thanks Susan, it is always welcome to get a burst of joy over weaving, cause as we well know there are moments when it is only logical to wonder what the heck we are doing this for.

textile show in Avalanche

2010-11-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

I have the great honor of having been invited to participate in Susan Johnson's first textile show at her studio/shop in Avalanche, Wi. I hope this show can share some of the excitement and love that we have for textiles and the creating of them. I know that everytime that I venture out to Avalanche Looms, I am inspired all over again to sit down at the loom, throw the shuttle, and watch my fabric come to life.

new handspun

2010-11-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

My handspun Carmel Creme yarn was featured on this blog that I found interesting. Lots of great natural, eco friendly items. Thanks Brenda for putting this post together.

A Remark You Made: Playing Matchmaker Part II

Lacemakers of Burano

2010-11-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

The lovely island of Burano is a short boat ride from Venice but definitely a trip back in time. Known for its hand stitched lace; this was one of the few spots, while on our trip, that I found fiber inspiration. The little lace making ladies looked so serene and peaceful, I'm not sure why, cause I'd be tearing my hair out trying to make all those perfect little stitches. Hopefully they are really, really well paid; because their work was beautiful. But it is more likely, that as with weaving and most fiber arts, the joy in creating , for the most part, overshadows any fair monetary compensation.

Cutting...yikes

2010-10-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Cutting off a finished scarf before finishing the whole warp, is quick and easy with this technique. Make a two stick heading after you have finished the first scarf by weaving one inch of plain weave or as close as you can get; insert 2 sticks into the next 2 sheds and weave at least one inch more.

Here is the scary cutting part. Cut between the finished scarf and the one inch of plain weave you wove. Remove your scarf from the front apron rod. Then fold the two sticks and tie them to the apron rod as shown below. Voila! You are back in business and you don't have to re tie on your warp, so your tension remains consistent.

Harvest Parade

2010-10-19T18:53:00.001-07:00

Harvest Parade, originally uploaded by kindred threads.

Our little town hosted a heck of a harvest festival last weekend. The moon man was all aglow in the park that evening. I just caught a glimpse of him through the trees. Hope he comes back next year.

knit me a bus stop

2010-10-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

I know that my daughter is going to college in the right town ( Madison, WI) when I find a knitted bus stop. Seriously! Nothing like a little subversive knitting, to make you feel right at home.

2nd Monday at Joyce's

2010-10-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Joyce shared her studio with us on one of Wisconsin's loveliest of fall days. So lovely one of our members came via motorcycle. It was a memorable image of Elin walking up in her Harley Davidson jacket; with her arms filled with her natural dyed yarns and her motorcycle helmet.
The small amount of guilt I felt about not being home weaving was easily erased upon spying Joyce's apple pies. Life is short, and pie and friendships with fellow weavers are to be treasured. Thanks for having us Joyce.

Sheep in the Shire

2010-10-05T05:53:00.001-07:00

In Hobbiton, originally uploaded by miss_rogue.

When Peter Jackson's production crew left Matamata, New Zealand, they left 17 hobbit holes on the private farm that was used as a stand-in for the Shire. Since then, the farm's sheep have moved in on this hobbit ghost town.

Burano

2010-09-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Burano Island

A beautiful island near Venice; simple, peaceful and unabashedly colorful. The houses are brightly colored, to guide the fisherman home through the fog. This place touched my soul with its gentle beauty.

Driftless Area Art Fair

2010-09-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have survived the craziness of having two big fairs back to back weekends. This weekend was the Driftless Art Fair and I shared a booth with Barb of It Could of Been A Piano ( go to her blog for an explanation of her business name). She had lots of handwovens and her exquisite knitted items made for a lively fibery and tactile display. With us both spinning in the front of our booth we drew many people in for a looky, feel. Such a wonderfully run fair, that despite the rather grim weather there was always a great crowd. And how fun to be so close to home, so that many of your customers are people you see everyday in town. I am always happy to send one of my handwovens home with someone that I know, it makes for a special connection.
Sadly, my home and hearth has suffered from my mad dash from dyepot to loom over the last few weeks. Dust bunnies the size of small cats and something on the bottom of the sink drainer that looks like it used to live in the black lagoon, has me thinking that it is time to get back to the domestic goddessness that I used to aspire too. Rarely succeeding, by the way, but I do have my moments.
Thank god that my family is understanding of my procrastinating insanity, and have managed to survive fairly well. Of course all dust bunnies and slime creatures in the sink are invisible to them. And truth be told I decided my domestic goddessness can start tomorrow; right now a nice long nap seems like the way to go.

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival

2010-09-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Sheep and Wool festival was a lot of fun this year. I always think that I am not going to do it another year; but once surrounded by fiber and the the people that so enjoy it, it would be silly not to be part of it. I had the incredible pleasure of meeting a lovely woman who after reading my kindred threads yarn label; asked if I was the kindred threads who blogged. Whoa! I guess I know that people besides my friend Nance in Seattle read this on occasion but have never really thought much about it . If she only knew (and maybe she does now) how she made my day. I know that I asked her name but it promptly fell out of my head, as names frequently do. So anyway thanks for being interested in my fiber journey.
I love this connection, between people of all ages and interests, that writing this blog, brings. What started out as a journal to myself, about the fibery parts of my life, has become so much more.
Thanks to Nan and Barb for helping out this year. I think they caught the fiber fever too, and we will be sharing a double booth next year. Wohoo, I'd better keep the dyepots out.

I'm off

2010-09-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well I'm off, (more ways than one) to the sheep and wool festival. Sorry Molly no room for you although you do fit in under the fiber category. The "lockness" skein on the back was just spun yesterday and is still wet enough that I may hang it out the sunroof on the way there. Seems appropriate. Ciao

My week

2010-09-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend (the 10-12th), lots of work and lots of color, and as you can see from a couple of pictures; I had some helpers. The tomatoes couldn't be ignored, so I had that pot bubbling away in between running downstairs to paint some more yarn. Good to have a separate dye studio or I could have foreseen some serious mishaps.
Next weekend, if I have any semblance of sanity left, will be the Driftless Art Fair in Soldiers Grove. Wish me luck!

Ciao Bella

2010-08-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

This week we have returned from a once in a life time trip to Italy, with the whole family; and packed our oldest daughter off to college. I find myself somewhat in shock from both. It has been something of a culture shock coming back to our small town after seeing the aged beauty in the art and architecture of Rome, Florence and Venice. I hope to someday return, to soak up more of this beauty, eleven days was not nearly enough.
It was a wonderful trip to share with our kids before Jessi flew the coop to start her new "grown up" life. I feel a trepidation in not being there to protect her; balanced with pride and excitement for her new beginnings. It helps that she is so ready to be out there on her own that I can just feel her humming with the thrill of it. Mostly though I just miss her.

indigo inspirations

2010-08-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

This beautiful indigo bunting was looking in the window as I was weaving these blue scarves. Probably trying to beat the snot out of the bird in the reflection; but I like to think he was admiring my color choices.

Scarf dyed with indigo at Barbs gathering

indigo dye day in dell

2010-07-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Indigo in all its glory. Last monday was our 2nd monday gathering at Barb's in Dell. She most generously shared her indigo dye pot and I dyed a scarf just off the loom and some yarn. All turned out the most incredible shades of blue, all different. The pot had a mettalic sheen on the surface and a smell that about knocked your socks off. The most incredible thing was to take the fiber out of the pot and while squeazing the excess dye out, watching the color change from a deep sea green to indigo blue. Pretty addictive, luckily we weren't wearing white or we would have stripped down to our skivvies just to watch that magic transition from green to blue. Barb's neighbors probably wonder about her enough as it is, without a gaggle of blue handed half naked women wandering about.

Mittens knit by Barb with indigo and sumac dyed yarn.

This is the sea green that first comes out of the pot. Within a few seconds it starts turning blue as it is exposed to the air. Magical.

Skyline of the Twin Cities rug created by Linda Kennedy of Elk Run Handwovens. It will be fun to see what kind of reactions she will get at the Driftless Art Fair, with this rug. I think that it is incredible.

He has the right idea; desert first!

Barb sharing some of her novelty yarns, she is more of a natural fiber kind of gal.

Joannes newest creations Susan has been busy as always.

Barbs studio

We had a wonderful feast set under a shade tree. This is what summer is meant to be. Thanks Barb, I think that I dreamt about your ice cream sandwiches that night.

Summer cherries

2010-07-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more beautiful to me than a tree or bush, loaded with lush red berries. Today Nan and her son Ethan and I went to a local orchard to pick cherries. I had 2 pails tied around my waist with a rope and in no time at all we both had our pails full and made our way home with about 10 lbs of cherries. My cherry tree at home has provided a pie or two over the years but is nearing the end of its life and this year the birds got what few cherries there were. Looks like the birds here in the orchard are behind the game cause there were plenty for us to choose from.

Good day to wear a red shirt.

Pails tied around my waist. Occasionally a cherry would bounce off my chest and land in the bucket.; proving I was highly skilled at this.

My second favorite part..cherry pie!

a day at nan's

2010-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks Nan for hosting the weavers at your home for our 2nd Monday gathering. The food was an incredible treat; and as people start pulling their projects out of various baskets and bags it was hard to focus with so much fiber splendor laying about.

Some of Nan's projects. The overshot weaving won a ribbon in a Wisconsin Handweavers Guild show. And the purple wall hanging was from a beginning weaving class Nan and I took long ago, at Sievers School in Door County.

Barb's newest pillows, woven with wool on a cotton warp.

Joannes produce bags and newest pin cushions.

As you can see from some of these pictures, Nan has a closet well worth raiding. Her hats were a hit, although it was hard to get people in focus cause everyone was too busy giggling. We are a dashing bunch; thank god I was behind the camera!

I thought this rug was a great color inspiration.

Susan's newest purse with a bee ribbon insert.

Michelle is a woman of many talents and she very generously shared these switch plates with all of us. Thanks everyone for another day of laughter, friendship and fiber comradery.

not again

2010-06-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived and with it the threat of flooding once again. Our small trout stream was out of its banks after a wild night of thunderstorms. It always amazes me that such destruction can happen so fast in these valleys. We fortunately only lost part of the driveway but I have an eye to the sky to see what the next storm brings. Hopefully this will be the end of it, because many in our area have still not recovered from the floods of 2008.

little stream, big water

We have lost a couple of trees that my kids have grown up with. This mighty cottonwood that shaded our trout pond, and our picnic tree at a bend in the stream, are now just memories.

Molly trying to get the cows to chase her.

This area flattened by the flood is where I buried our sweet old, golden retriever Bear. His collar hangs in tribute of a life well lived. Our land is full of the life we have lived and the memories we have made. We have left a mark here, but as this flood demonstrates all things evolve and change and we have no power to stand in the path of the ebb and flow of this change.

sari silk scarf

2010-06-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try this multi warp scarf for the recycled art show that we featured at VIVA Gallery recently. One of the warp threads is a recycled silk sari, handspun yarn from Nepal, beautiful and unpredictable, and probably not my wisest choice for a warp thread. In all its lovely loosely spun hairiness it did a lttle too much bonding with its neighbors. Still, sometimes these things just must be done... that's not to say that I will be doing it again. However I loved the multiwarp concept; and lord knows there are too many novelty yarns floating around in my baskets, to not give this another try in a different colorway. Just got to quit listening to the weeds growing in my gardens.

Elin's new dye studio

2010-05-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Elin was kind enough to invite the weavers to her home for our 2nd Monday gathering. She had lots to show off with her newly built; Swedish inspired dye studio and a beautiful new, Amish built barn going up. She even had three dye pots going for us to try out some natural dyeing. One was madder, cutch and I believe logwood. I should really write things down if I continue this roving reporter role; my memory is sketchy at best. Fortunately I am ok with just filling in via my imagination.
We shared a wonderful lasagna meal topped off with an exquisite rhubarb cobbler by Joanne. She has shared her recipe here.
Joanne made the lampshade above with a wool warp that she passed out to the group at the last meeting. She was like santa digging into her bag sharing many balls of a naturally colored wool, with the challenge to see what we would each make with it. So far she is the only one to finish a project with it and a rather creative one at that. My balls have been stacked on the piano awaiting inspiration and time. For now I just chase them around the house as the cats or the puppy tumble them off the piano.
Thanks Elin for having us out. Your house and weavings are always an inspiration and it was fun to see you in your new studio.

fiber,food and friends

2010-04-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Not in that order....

Susan's house blessing window transperancy

Spring like flowers made with paper

Joanne's sewn cap and pincushions

Here are the friends part

Barb's newest creations

food was great, Joanne's Naan bread and my ginger scones


Indian bread called Naan, baked by Joanne.

This months 2nd Monday gathering was at my house. There was some lovely show and tell; ie Barb has been busy. Joanne brought some of her recent sewing projects and Susan showed off her inspiratioal house blessing weaving;, made with linen and rya paper flowers. These never fail to take my breath away. We enjoyed some springtime quiches and Joannes Indian Naan bread was delightful. the recipe for her bread is on her blog. I will be giving this a try as soon as I get ahead of the weeds in my flower gardens.
Everything is a good 2 weeks ahead of schedule in the blooming and weeding department. The great blue herons have returned to the stream and I usually startle them in the morning when I take my walk. I have my eyes open for the first hummingbirds, that are usually here about May 4th. Life is sweet right now, the hills are the verdant newly born green colors that are so soothing to the eye. Briefly enjoyed before the heavy lushness of the summer greens take over. I am still not far enough away from the icy white and grays of winter to truly believe that we are home free in the green department. Yesterdays frost was a gentle reminder to be thankful for each bud as it appears and to be vigilant with the annuals that I couldn't resist buying and planting. The white sheets have been out a few times, to protect them from the frost and I am already tiring of bringing my chosen ones into the house at night. Soon they will just have to fend for themselves. Life goes on...or I buy new plants.

Susan's Fiber Shop..spring fling

2010-04-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Susan's shop near Columbus, Wi. was a drool worthy spring outing,for a couple of my fiber buds and I; well worth the 2 hour drive. A nondescript pole shed in the country, jam packed with enough color, fiber and books to keep us occupied for a quite a few hours. We only left to go have lunch at about 3:00 and since I didn't even take much time with her hundreds of books, I think I will have to make another trip soon.
If you have never seen her at a fiber show or been to her shop, there is only one Susan, she is a force of nature as far as yarnies go. Lots of fun to see her in her home environment. queen of her awe inspiring fiber stash. I never got anywhere close to the inventory she has, when I had my yarn shop. Of course I have never had the energy that she does!

I did enhance my fiber stash just a bit, enough to inspire a couple of new scarves that are on the loom now. I was most inspired by the silk sari ribbon and had a hard time only taking 2 colors. Silk dyes so vibrantly! I will post soon about these scarves.

warping paddle

2010-04-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Winding a warp with a paddle is a great, fast way to wind a multi colored warp. With some help from an article in Handwoven and the winding station my husband made me for christmas; it worked out fairly well. My rayon chenille scarf was set at 12 epi, and I was in the mood for red, so with a separate cone or spool for each end, what started out looking like a tangled mess, eventually came to some order. The key is to maintain an even tension and not panic, as I did, when you start getting too close to the edge of the pegs and tthreads start falling off the edges of the pegs. Fortunately one of my daughters came to my aid with an extra set of hands, cause one thing you don't want to do is set the warping paddle down until you are finished.
As with every weaving project, there is another lesson learned. One of the good things about this blog is perhaps it will help me remember those lessons learned.

hello spring

2010-04-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

first flowers

goodbye winter

2010-03-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am ready to shed my winter self and smell dirt and feel the sun on my skin. No more frost in my scarf after my morning walk and good riddance long johns; I've seen my first worm! It has been so beautiful and peaceful on some recent foggy days, with the last snow losing its grip on our land, that I had to take some pictures on the way home. If there were fewer things calling to me to finish; I could see myself wandering the fields and hills with my camera, absorbing the change in the season.
I will try to be patient as I await my first siting of the great blue heron pair that nest on our stream and as the first flowers inch their way out of the ground. It is all too likely that we will see more snow before spring truely arrives but today I threw the doors open and saw the first bits of green grass poking through the mud. For me it is a time of hope and renewal, hopefully spring is finding you too.

2nd monday at Susans

2010-03-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Just what we needed, a good blast of color and the inspiration we always come away with when we visit Susan Johnson at her Avalanche Looms shop and weaving studio. It was a large and boisterous group; I know that I missed talking to quite a few people. I mostly walked around from one eye candy photo opportunity to another. The photo above is a scarf that Nan's husband purchased for her, woven by Randall Darwall. It visits our fiber gatherings on occasion; when we are most in need of some color therapy. A wonderful weaver to aspire to; as his color sense is beyond compare. Another person, closer to home, whose color sense I admire is my friend Carole's. Her fresh off the loom, doubleweave is photographed below.
I was so ready to weave, that the next day I got a project on and off the loom, a world record for me. Thanks Susan for your support and encouragement; I don't know if you realize how many people whose lives you touch with your work. I am certainly much further on my weaving road than I would have been without you leading the way.

makin' flowers, seeing igloos'

2010-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Winter has been long and winter has been dark, thereby my manic flower making. Lots of color with some of my lampworked beads for the centers and made into pins. Ah... that's better; not a trip to Tahiti, but it will do until the real thing pops out of the ground. Might be awhile judging by the last picture, an igloo, a bloody igloo; that I photographed a couple of miles from my house. Put a bit of a damper on my spring fever. If you read of some middle aged lady, arrested for blowtorching that sucker down, well, that will be me.

winter gathering

2010-02-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

This months 2nd Monday gathering was hosted by Carole and it was fun to see where she had set up her loom at home; after closing down our shared studio space in town. I must say that, her weaving space is very inspiring, surrounded by windows overlooking the apple orchards and winter shrouded gardens that grace her home. I probably should have been taking more pictures outside; but Carole's inviting home and of course the show and tell of everyone's projects, was enough to keep me visually overloaded as it was.

Some of the projects pulled out of bags and baskets or taken from the coat pile: Evan's cotton scarf with an interesting crochet chain finishing, one of Susans woolly bully bags (need, need, need) Carole's newest project, a rayon chenille shawl with a supplementary warp. And Evan carried her crochet project in a bag woven by her mother (maybe grandmother, I should take notes,cause I have no memory). I think that she is so fortunate to have weaving be part of her heritage.

The food as always was incredible, the cinnamon rolls made by Joanne should probably be illegal in some states. Carole made a cashew cream that was wonderful from this cookbook.

The mosaic mirror was created by Carole with rocks picked up from the Lake Superior shoreline. And to top off all the great food and textile eye candy Carole gave everyone a dried flower bouquet, to take home. Obviously her gardening skills way surpass mine. If she wasn't such a good friend I would have to be way jealous of her may talents.

Looks like spring is on a few peoples minds with all the flowers strewn about. Evan has approximately 200 crocheted flowers for an afghan. This lady seriously needs spring!
All in all a good day to ditch the winter hibernation and partake in some hearty guffaws (always wanted to use that word in a sentence; I wonder if it is really a word ?)... and good girly weaver bonding.
And Joannes recycled wool brooches are fun and colorful.
For more pictures of our fiber gatherings go to my flickr site.

From Kindred Threads

sheepies phone home

2010-02-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

WHERE OLD PHONE CORDS GO

Every one of these sheep is made from telephones and cords. Check out their feet!
Museum of Communications in Frankfurt , GERMANY

gathering in the new year

2010-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

The new year brought our 2nd Monday gathering to fellow weaver Kathy's house. It was doubly wonderful to be here after missing last months gathering due to this bloody winter weather. Sorry, it seems I have been feeling a bit cooped up lately and judging from the large turnout I wasn't the only one.

As usual food and fiber are in direct competition for our attention.

Above are 2 woven linen scarves by Susan, the top dip dyed. Mittens from Barbs fast growing collection. And the sweater Nan has been working on for her son; that she has had to add on to as he is growing faster that she is knitting.

Newly woven wrist warmers in alpaca, linen and cotton by Susan. The final section to be woven on Joannes twined rag rug. Go here to see more on her weaving of this rug.
Lindas deflected doubleweave scarf, and Jan being the hand model for my knitted wrist warmers.

From Kindred Threads

Some of Kathy's inspiring work scattered about her home and studio.

Thanks Kathy for having us out to your peaceful abode. And I thought my driveway was bad!

frosty morn

2010-01-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

The new year starts out with a quiet beauty. My morning walk was a chilly 16 degrees below zero. Makes me thankful for my healthy family and warm home; all still peacefully sleeping when I return.

Christmas blessings

2009-12-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

From Kindred Threads

My family has shared a peaceful, beautiful; snowed and iced in Christmas. Two family gatherings have been postponed until this weekend, when hopefully our driveway will not be shear ice. No worries about having a white christmas!
I hope that all of you have shared the holidays surrounded by your loved ones; and have found joy in this season.

Winter wonders

2009-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

snow ribbon

Our snow puppy seems to be enjoying her first winter. She usually comes in looking like a snowball on legs.

Back to glass

2009-11-30T19:26:00.000-08:00

Dichroic glass beautiful, magical, unpredictable and a little addictive. While taking a break from weaving I thought that I would go back to my stained glass beginnings and make some fused glass jewelry for the gallery. Should be a good time of the year for some jewelry sales. And since I actually sold a couple of pieces before they made it to the gallery; I think that I am encouraged.

Two to three layers of glass waiting to be put through the kiln for the first time.

This is the info that I include with the jewelry and buttons:
Fused glass is the process of taking multiple layers of glass and fusing them together. The glass is melted, in a kiln, at temperatures up to 1550 degrees. It usually takes several firings to achieve the desired effect.

Dichroic glass contains multiple micro-layers of metal oxides. Layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides and silica are vaporized by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. (Whoa, way Buzz Lightyear). The vapor then condenses on the surface of the glass. The finished glass can have as many as 30 to 50 layers of these materials yet the thickness of the total coating is approximately 30 to 35 millionths of an inch. The coating that is created is very similar to a gemstone . The main characteristic of Dichroic Glass is that it has a transmitted color and a completely different reflective color. Furthermore, these two colors shift depending on angle of view. With the play of light together with its vibrant color, Dichroic Glass is absolutely amazing.

Rainy day color

2009-11-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a little color on a rainy November day.

Magic mitten box

2009-11-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

This week Barb hosted our 2nd Monday gathering of weavers, and as you can see some very talented knitters. Jean joined us, bringing a box filled with her beautifully knitted mittens and the pattern books they were knit from. As she lifted the lid , with her mittens tantalizingly displayed; you would have thought she had opened a box of the most delectable chocolates. Ohhs and ahhs, followed by us gathering around, as moths to a flame to touch and try them on. Oh to be on her gift list. Or perhaps to make some of my own. Yes!

Thanks Barb for modeling my shawl. I am never sure I like it until I see it on someone. Barb finished the fabric for her unique chair and Susan showed us a new scarf with a felted pin attached. Fun and funky. The rag rug above is twined on a wooden frame, a technique we should get Barb to demonstrate.

We had lots of show and tell this week and Joanne brought some of the purses and aprons that she is getting together for an upcoming art fair. This purse had a finger woven strap and rya flowers that I thought was particularly lovely.

And what would a gathering be without some treats to keep us going. Barb's soups were well complimented by Joannes bread and of course desert. Thanks Barb for a festive day, I always go home re energized to get weaving and in this case, mitten knitting.

Wisconsin fall

2009-11-14T13:33:00.001-08:00

favorite fall pic, originally uploaded by kindred threads.

I thought that I would share with you what has always been one of my favorite pictures. It makes me want to sit by the side of the road and fill a canvas with color. Not that I have painted anything but set scenery for many a year. Our area of southwestern Wisconsin is one hidden valley after another of breathtaking beauty, waiting for my camera or one of the areas many talented painters.

Maybe next spring I will take the time to reconnect with my long, latent drawing skills. I saw on someones ?? blog, about a resolution to do some sketching for 10 minutes everyday. I'm thinking that would be a worthy goal, and more likely to be acted on than the soon forgotten, 60 situps, a day resolution.

VIVA Gallery

2009-11-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Carole Austin; fellow weaver and I are guest artists along with Nick Smolen, a blacksmith, this month at VIVA Gallery. Our opening reception was this past Thursday; what has become their monthly first Thursday gathering of VIVA members and local art patrons. The food and wine was a lovely addition to what to turned out to be a larger than I expected, crowd. I can hardly believe that I forgot my camera. The gallery looked great and I feel honored to be a part of such a group of incredibly talented artists. Go to VIVA's blog to see more info on this great gallery.

Deflected doubleweave

2009-11-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

From Kindred Threads

Not too sure about this project at first. I mostly just wanted to play with the weave structure. Something about doubleweave fascinates me. But the whole felting process has not usually been some of my brighter fiber moments. Of course if I had done some sampling I would of had a better idea of what would felt and what wouldn't. I knew I was probably going to be creating an "arty" piece when I read one of the yarn labels as being shrink resistant. Of course after I had warped up the loom. As it turned out the black alpaca/silk that I was sure would felt, didn't even pretend to try to felt. I have been kind of warming up to its uniqueness gradually and after seeing it worn by a lady at the VIVA artists reception, I think that I actually like it.

From Kindred Threads

The yellow stitches join the long edges of the shawl while it is felting so that it felts evenly.

From Kindred Threads

Looks a bit like my calico cat if she had been put through the washing machine.

From Kindred Threads

playing...not producing

2009-10-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

From Kindred Threads

Instead of just finishing off the tail end of my linen purse warp in a timely fashion; I decided to use my stashed; handspun in Nepal nettle yarn, to make a loopy scrubby cloth. This was calling to me after reading about a "spa cloth " on one of my favorite emagazines called weavezine.
After an hour plus...plus? of loopy madness I decided I loved the effect, but this will not be an item that I would be willing to sell. There is just not enough time in m world for that.

So that was fun, but in the end I am just procrastinating from getting inventory built up for an upcoming featured artist spot at VIVA Gallery for the month of November. Carole Austin, another weaver (hopefully more productive than I);and Nick Smolten; a damascus metal worker, will be sharing the featured artist spot with an opening celebration from 5-7 on November 5th. Come and join us, I think I will get some pictures printed and have more of a virtual show, if I don't get busy soon.

gatherings

2009-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

From Kindred Threads
Our 2nd Monday gathering this month was at my house and despite a miserable snow/rainy day we stayed warm with laughter and my somewhat too spicy butternut squash and pear soup. Thanks to my hubby for a couple of his great apple pies.
Susans wool potholders and linen scarf (above) are lovely and Carole showed us her bamboo and cotton runners, just off the loom.

From Kindred Threads

Carole's spectacular stained glass coat made with recycled felted wool sweaters.

From Kindred Threads

The top pics, are the ever productive Barbs, wool gansey and linen purse. At our last gathering she mentioned that she wanted to try knitting a gansey sweater and of course she was wearing it to this meeting. I hope to soon....finish the sweater that I have been working on for the last couple of years. Hope springs eternal, as they say. The chart on the table is for a pair of fingerless mitts that Barb and I both would like to do for xmas gifts. I predict we will see Barbs at the November meeting. The bottom right pic is a cotton and alpaca scarf that is wonderfully soft and woven by Jan H from the Milwaukee area. I hope we see her at many more gatherings.

From Kindred Threads

Jan has finally finished her camel and silk and it is beautifully spun and plied into a very fine fingering weight yarn. The lady likes to spin thread. Here she is getting some spinning help from my new puppy Molly.
As always these get togethers provide me with a good burst of creative energy; to keep me inspired and hopefully productive.

Apple Days

2009-10-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

From Blogger Pictures

From Kindred Threads

Fall is apple season in south western Wisconsin and the Gays Mills orchards are a feast for the senses.

Linen bag

2009-10-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Seems like impressive yards of material to make just one of these strip purses. This one contains pearl cotton, bamboo and linen. It sold at the Driftless Fair before I had a chance to admire it much. Good thing that I have one more on the loom.
I do so enjoy working with linen. It has such a crisp elegance; yet also a timeless appeal that makes me feel connected to the women and men of yore that grew the flax and retted the fiber before spinning it into yarn. Ancient connections with modern uses.

Driftless Art Fair

2009-09-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Carole and I shared a booth at the Driftless Area Art Fair. It was a beautiful fall weekend full of art, music and friends. Once we got set up we were relieved to finally be done with the frantic preparations that seem to consume the weeks before a fair. Once again I vow to build my inventory in the winter so that I am not so frantic the week before a fair. And with two back to back fairs, I am looking forward to not touching anything remotely fibery for a bit.
Not for long though because Carole and I will be featured artists for the month of November at VIVA Gallery in Viroqua. I hope that you can stop by on the first thursday (Nov. 5th) gathering of artists to see if we have managed to get back to our looms.
Thanks to the fair organizers for pulling off another wonderful fair. The meal Saturday, that was catered by Monique Hooker, for the artists was exquisite!