Return of the silent blogger

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Mel

This is going to be a particularly picture heavy post but I’ve been such a lazy blogger I have a lot to catch up with. I don’t really know why so many weeks went past since my last post, actually I kinda do.. I just didn’t have the words. A busy, busy brain makes it hard sometimes to get things in any kind of coherent order.

I’m gonna start with the most exciting ones, I was lucky enough to be one of the 3 who’s names were picked out of the hat to win a prize at the end of the Saori weave-a-long and it arrived from the US this week. And wow, what a gorgeous prize package. Some beautifully coloured fibre, gorgeous dyed locks, some sparkle thread for plying, some silver angelina and some really, really pretty handspun:

As soon as I opened the box I knew that lovely handspun would go perfectly with a skien of mine. And see they already look like perfect, complimentary partners. Thank you so much for a wonderful prize package tighe/sue, I adore it:

I haven’t done as much spinning lately because I went a little nuts with the raw fleece and managed to injure my hand using a salad spinner to spin water out of washed fleece on a marathon fleece washing session (and I’ve still got LOTS to do). My hand is much better now, but if I spin for too long it starts to stiffen up a little, so I’m resting it ready for the tour de fleece which starts on 29th of June. Its my first time taking part in all this so right now I don’t really have much of a clue what goals I need to set for myself, but there’s still plenty of time for that, right?

With spinning restricted I’ve been making batts ready for the TdF to start… Strawberry fields:

And Lagoon:

And Ice cream and flipflops (don’t ask me why, it just is):

And fnally (so far anyway), this yet unnamed batt:

I also have some handspun mitts to show, these are made with some deliciously soft corespun I made a few weeks ago and turned out perfectly. And, believe it or not it was still cold enough at the end of May when I finished them to actually wear them a few times. I’m hoping that the last couple of weeks of nice weather are a sign of an actual summer to come this year, but knowing our weather, its doubtful.

And finally a skein of art yarn which was going to have a much nicer name till my darling husband tried to compliment it and said ‘it looks like you made it from budgies.’ I’ve tried telling him maybe he needs to just stop at ‘that’s ace’ or ‘I like that’ but oh well the name kinda stuck so made from budgies it is:

Second saori WAL..

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Mel

I’m finally getting there:

Its for fabric for a spinning apron on the Weaving in the saori way forum on rav, am so excited by these challenges, but have been lacking in warping time lately. I went a little nuts picking happy colours from my stash for the warp, but as my husband is always telling me I am a little nuts, so its all good

And just because they are so beautiful in the afternoon sunlight, a picture of some spring flowers that are currently brightening up my studio space:

I’ve said this before and I’ll no doubt say it again- nature really kicks our asses when it comes to creating beautiful things.

Only trouble is, its making me crave chocolate

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Mel

I’m still happily working away on processing my zwartbles fleece and I am enjoy every moment of it. Yes, starting with raw fleece like this is more time consuming than buying combed top, but the chance to work with this wool and see how it changes at each stage is so exciting. I have to wash it in small batches at the moment, in a trio of buckets outside my house, but as soon as I get some more delicates bags for hanging it out in I’ll be to get it washed in bigger batches. At the moment I’m managing to do maybe half a pillow case full at a time. I deliberately started with the less nice bits of the fleece, the bits that I’d picked through more carefully and had more of a strong musty, damp smell, so this second batch has gotten me even more excited- can’t wait to card this lot. I just love those sunbleached tips and them seem to add a touch of warmth to the dark brown. Its so soft and wonderfully bouncy. I spent some time sampling small amounts first to see how to prepare it and twice-carded batts spin up wonderfully. This lot is going to be a bouncy, chunky yarn for a throw:

I hadn’t planned a chunky weight but at the weekend I spun up a small sample on my CS2, just letting the fibre flow through my hands and see what it wanted to be. It gave me such a bouncy, squishably soft yarn and was such a relaxed spin I couldn’t resist planning more.

The next batch of batts are going to spun up to a worsted weight for a Betiko shawl. I already have my first 60gms/150 yards from when I was still sampling and its washed and ready to go, I just need to pick out (and possibly spin) another 2 colours to go with it:

This fleece is probably not the best to be working with on the week I get back on the diet wagon after 10 days off, I seriously can’t stop craving chocolate the whole time I’m working with it. On the plus side at least I can’t actually go get chocolate whilst I’m spinning

And just so this isn’t a completely one colour post, here’s how I spun up the batts I blogged about previously.

Its softly corespun and autowrapped. The wrap is sock weight, so a bit thicker than usual for autowrapping, but I think it worked well.

Still here

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Mel

This week has been a little frustrating as far as getting things done goes, what started as a migraine/congestion headache combo at the weekend turned into a mild cold that’s somehow managed to thoroughly exhaust me and have me running on only quarter capacity all week.

I did however manage to get the first pillowcase full of zwartbles fleece washed and given an initial handcarding this week, which given my limited drying space at the moment I was quite happy about.

This wasn’t my first time starting with raw fleece (although I don’t really count anything before now) I bought some raw fleece about 6 months after I first started spinning and, I’m ashamed to say I did very little with it. I started with some stuff from ebay, just a small amount, enough to test the waters. That went ok, although it was pretty poor quality so it seemed like a lot of work for the end result. Next I got a whole bfl fleece, filled with optimism that I could do it and read all I could to prepare me before it arrived. I put down an old sheet and attempted to roll out my fleece just like I’d read, expecting it to have the rough shape of a sheepskin rug (like in ALL the pictures I’d seen).. but this one just kept growing and growing, and spreading thinner and thinner with no hints of any kind of solid shape. So I pulled a couple of hundred grams off and stuck in back in the bag it came in and went to see if I could learn some more how to deal with it.

Of course the more I read to ‘help’ me, the more confused I became and eventually the bfl became like a monster in my cupboard. All the negative stuff I was reading was growing in my head till I imagined this innocent fleece to be a seething mass of toxic wool, just waiting to infect me with anthrax if I so much as looked at it. So in the end I did nothing with it.

But I still loved the idea of working with fleece right from its raw state and so I decided to try again recently and took a risk with an ebay fleece. It was a risk that mostly paid off, it smelt a little musty in places, like it had been stored damp but I started with the worst of it and I think I managed to get that smell out. The colour is a wonderfully rich chocolate brown and here is my first finished skein from it:

I am experimenting a bit with this first batch to see how I want to process the rest. This skein was handcarded and then pulled through a diz to get a roving-like strips (I did that completely on a whim, so probably not the best method). The next skein will be drumcarded into batts.

Late night crafting

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mel

One of my favourite things about the school holidays, apart from the extra family time, is the opportunity for some late night crafting. I am not sure why but there is something special about being able to follow my obsessive heart and continue on with a project late into the night. Whether its cramming in an extra few rows of knitting whilst watching a movie, or finishing off that bobbin of spinning whilst listening to quiet music, I always appreciate this (almost) guaranteed uninterrupted crafting time.

Last night at 1 am, I decided that I really needed to make some batts- I think it was blogging about the gorgeously soft corespun yarn last night that did it lol- so I got all my fixings out and made these 3 colourful batts:

The colours are so vibrant that it took all my self-control not to start spinning them immediately, but even a relaxed late night crafter has to go to bed sometimes.

New wheel

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Mel

This week I have been getting to know my new wheel, after a lot of thought I decided to go with the country spinner 2 and here she is:

She is a very different wheel to my previous one (a majacraft rose), but I think she is a good fit for me and the kind of yarns I like to spin (the rose was too but I can’t keep everything). And just look at the size of the bobbins, I think I came over a little faint when I assembled that monster:

She is a slower wheel than the rose, but I’m not shy of a little faster treadling lol. My first project on her was completely frivolous and joyfully silly- coils spun in an insane colour-way. I call it ‘big top’ but my husband insists it needs a reggae inspired name given the colour choices:

I also spun some deliciously soft core-spun yarn, this was spun from batts I made- mostly dyed english from Adelaide Walker, but with a bit of merino and some sparkles (yes, I love the shiny).

I just need to decide on a name for my new wheel, I called her Bertha (as in big Bertha) for a joke and it seems to be sticking, I need to find her a less inelegant name fast.

This week I also spun the fibre I bought from Freyalyn’s fibres at yarnivale last month, the heather like colours make my Yorkshire heart glad:

(I so wish I could capture the subtly of this colour way, like the fibre I can’t capture the true colours of the finished yarn, despite using my DIY lightbox).

Awake

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Mel

I keep coming across prayer flags that the talented members of the ‘Weaving in the Saori way’ group on ravelry have created. This group is a constant source of delight and inspiration to me, and it just felt like the time was right to weave myself a prayer flag. These last few weeks have been very emotional for me, there has been a lot I have been hanging on to from the past, including some preconceived notions about creativity and how it fits with who I am. I have also had the strongest feeling that I have taken the first tentative steps in a new direction for my creativity, it feels almost as if for the last couple of years I have spent my time to trying to read the map and now I’ve finally realised I don’t need it and am ready to leave it behind as I find my own route.

I am so taken by the idea that the weaving process can be a form of prayer and that by hanging the fabric infused with good intentions they can be released into the world on the winds. I decided to weave my own prayer flag, to remind myself to let go of the baggage that has held me back, and also to embrace the joy and freedom I have found in my work recently.

The weft (with the exception on the orange ribbon) is all hand spun and woven thoughtfully to create something filled with joy. Some wefts I picked because the colours made me happy (orange in particular at the moment is a colour of hope and optimism), whilst others were picked to remind me of the fun of experimentation or learning something new (for example my first weft is a practice inkle band).

This yarn was my plied sample for my steampunk yarn, I only plied a few yards of this because the single softened too much during plying. But I did like the ethereal look of the soft spun yarn, with its suggestion of smoke (or steam) and so I put it in this piece to remind myself there’s still beauty in the things that don’t go exactly according to plan.

I used the clasped weft technique in several spots because it is one that I particularly love at the moment. I adore how the two wefts seem to dance together with this technique, sharing the space playfully.

I decided half way through weaving that I was going to add words to the finished fabric. Whilst weaving I listened to An American Prayer by Jim Morrison, I love love love this album. The quote I added to my prayer flag comes from “Ghost Song”, this has always taken my breath away.

” Awake… Shake dreams from your hair,

My pretty child,

My sweet one.”

When I hear those lines I imagine them as a call to really wake up, to open yourself up to the possibility of the unusual, the possibility of dreams taking real form. I chose to sew the beads on to the finished fabric rather than weaving them in because I wanted them to look like seeds scattered to the winds almost as if serendipitously forming words:

Unfortunately I don’t have anywhere to hang this outside (we don’t have even a tiny garden), but it is hanging next to my window and my loom and I believe the breeze will be enough there to carry my prayer on the wind.

People like me

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Mel

For the last few years I’ve been working at silencing the negative little voice in my head that criticises and belittles my efforts and achievements, and for the most part I am getting good at ignoring it. But I’ve started to realise lately that this voice has another guise, it sneaks into my thoughts as one little phrase, a little phrase that whilst not overly negative at first glance actually worms its way effortlessly into my positive energy and starts to eat away at it. The last few months I have had so much to feel positive about, I have gotten my crafting mojo back and my passion for all things fibre related and it feels good. I’m driven to explore more, to experiment with techniques, to learn more and generally immerse myself in the joy of creating. It has all made me feel so very lucky that I am able to devote a good amount of my time following my passion.

But just when I feel really happy that’s when it happens, I’ll be gushing to my sweetheart about something, for example how happy I am with the way my studio space is coming together and suddenly its there in my head, “that kind of thing isn’t for people like me.” and suddenly I feel a little silly for imagining that it was.

Yes, its true that I never would have imagined that our bedroom would end up becoming essentially a studio space with a bed in it, but a quick glance around and its clear that’s exactly what has happened no matter how much that little voice sneers at me for daring to think of it in those terms. From the carding station on the top of the chest of drawers to the rigid heddle loom taking up a good chunk of floor space to the various boxes of yarn, fibre and other supplies, it is set up for me like a studio space. I have spent too long already discounting ideas as not being for people like me and I’m not doing it anymore. So, little voice, I am on to you, your other guise has been rumbled and I’m gonna just ignore you too… because that’s what people like me really do

And just because I am so excited by how my weaving today is turning out a picture of the WIP. It is a prayer flag.. but more on that once its finished.

The return of Miss Golightly

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Mel

Although it wasn’t impossible that the original Miss Golightly was knitting a ranch house my Miss Golightly certaintly didn’t weave up as one today.

My inspiration was the beautiful Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. My reference image for the yarn was this:

And my spin palette was this:

I made this yarn some time ago and it sat patiently in my stash waiting till I’d figured out a worthy project for this small, but wonderfully classy skein of yarn:

This is what I had to say about the yarn when I made it: “Black merino and ‘pearls’ perfectly summing up the classic elegance of the little black dress, the effortless style that is the essence of the girl who can get herself elegantly dressed ready to visit Sing Sing in 5 minutes flat. The playful tulle and the sparkle are there too, because we can’t forget that Miss Golightly is very much a party girl, and every party girl needs that extra touch of glamour.”

Every time I came across this yarn in my stash I would pick it up and smile, before nestling it back with its companion skeins. Occasionally I would take it out and hopefully start to knit with it, but nothing I tried with it felt right, so back into the drawer it would go to patiently wait some more. Last night was one of those times when I thought “this yarn really deserves to be something” and once again I got out my needles and cast on, frustration quickly setting in as once again I wasn’t impressed with the results. This time however inspiration hit, this yarn didn’t want to be knit, it wanted to be woven.

I warped my rh loom with a chenille warp… I little risky I thought but it just felt right .. This was a quick, short warp, I was ready to weave in 20 minutes. The weft is (obviously my Miss Golightly yarn) and some of the tulle fabric I used in the yarn. And here is the result:

Please excuse my messy hair in this one, I was weaving (and sewing) in my PJ’s

As always my photography skills are lacking in capturing just how gorgeous this cowl turned out (I blame my cheap camera lol).

Edited to add new day time pictures:

I fixed the wayward ‘pearl’ btw

Blue Sunday (only a day late ;))

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Mel

I got another piece of the loom today and I am so happy with how it turned out. I love the (slightly) nervous excitement of coming to the end of a warp, the rush to weave in the waste yarn at the end so I can release the fabric and finally see it in its entirety. Wondering if all the small elements woven into the piece work together as a whole, and how they do. Not knowing exactly how my finished piece will look is something I love about saori weaving… “will that embroidered bit fit with the rest?”… “is that ribbon yarn too flat?” Not planning past possible colour palette and potential textures makes the myriad of design choices made along the way seem almost like little leaps of faith, as I find myself trusting that my hands know what they are doing.

I planned this project after seeing how wonderfully this mohair ribbon yarn looked woven in a recent project. The warp was suri blue lace weight , in a muted purple, something else that has been sitting in my stash for some time waiting for the right project. The majority of the weft was that wonderfully soft mohair, with some other yarns thrown in for interest. The finished fabric is beautifully soft, wonderfully drapey and so lightweight, I really couldn’t be happier with it. Its had a gentle bath and spin and I’m waiting for it to dry before the next stage of this particular adventure.

I really wish I could capture the true shimmer of this fabric, the subtle textures, but as happens so often my camera has let me down on this. Fingers crossed that my idea for what to do with this fabric works out.