carmine studio

Haven't Posted in Awhile

2011-08-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since Nov. 2010. I didn't believe it when I saw it. I'm in the process of creating some new artwork and once I have a few samples I'll be starting a new blog. So if any of you are still checking in on this blog, stay tuned.

Update - Upcoming events

2010-11-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly sorry that I haven't updated my blog since July, but I have some fantastic news to share with you today! I have a few events that I will be selling some of my hand made items, such as knitted accessories and hand spun yarn.

The first event is a small gathering at a fellow Capilano Textile Alumni's house to showcase a few local artists and have a meet and greet.

The second event is the Capilano University Student Sale. This event also features current and past student works for sale at the school. This event is held on Tuesday November 23, 2010.

The third event is a craft fair to raise funds for a elementary school in my town. It's on November 25, 2010. I'll have more details on this soon, and pictures.

Fiber Friday - July 23, 2010

2010-07-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to show you the finished skeins from previous Fiber Fridays

118 yards
(the most I've spun on a drop spindle! woot!)
The fiber is from a grab bag on etsy (see previous post)

100% Merino
236 yards
(singles spun on drop spindle and then plied on wheel)
Dyed naturally with Logwood chips

Fiber Friday - July 9, 2010

2010-07-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Over at Ravelry the Tour de Fleece is happening. It's a spin-a-long where people spin from July 3rd to July 25th. It originated from this blog and the Tour de France. I've been following along behind the scenes and trying to spin every day. Here's my progress so far:

"Anywhere but Here"

68 yards (0.5 oz)

"On the Other Side"
56 yards (0.5oz)

(Almost done this one, should be finished by Sunday)

The fiber for all three skeins were purchased from Poppy Flower Fiber on Etsy. I posted about the purchase here. I think the above three skeins are all BFL fiber, but not positive.

I'm lucky and can spin at work when it's slow, so I know there will be more yarn to post next Fiber Friday. So, I'll see you soon :)

Slow and steady wins the race

2010-07-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've been spinning on my drop spindle off and on for a few weeks. Once the singles are done, I'll ply them together on my wheel to create a stronger yarn. I've really enjoyed spinning on this handmade drop spindle, because I get a thinner and more consistent yarn that I do with my country wheel. I absolutely love lace weight yarn, and this has definitely helped me work on my drafting skills.

100% Merino
Naturally dyed with Logwood chips
(the color is slightly more purple in person)

Once I'm finished the yarn I'll be able to report back with how long the skein is and also a name. Although I already have a name in mind. :)

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the celebration of Canada becoming a country 143 years ago. So head outside and enjoy our beautiful lands and the people in it.

Dog Hair Yarn

2010-05-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, my friend Janna from Vancouver Yarn put me in contact with a woman who had collected her dog, Raka's fur over a few years and wanted it spun into yarn. The dog was a German Shepard/Wolf cross, who unfortunately passed away not too long ago.

When we finally coordinated a time to meet up, I was give two small buckets of fur. Who would have known those small buckets would have turned into this:

2.48 lbs of dog fur

2ply Yarn (left 50/50 Dog fur/Shetland sheep, right 100% dog fur)

Knitted samples of both the 50/50 blend and 100% dog fur

The yarn that is 100% dog fur is spun on my drop spindle. Dog fur is a very short staple and is hard to spin. That's why I have also done samples with the fur blended with sheep's wool. The blend helps hold the dog fur in to a yarn. Spinning on a drop spindle is a lot more time consuming, compared to a spinning wheel, but using this method I got a more consistent yarn thickness and I could also use 100% of Raka's fur.

The patron for this yarn is still in decision mode, so I am working on another commission which uses cut off thread from sewing as the base for yarn. This will be my third time spinning thrum yarn.

Trying to fall in love with knitting...

2010-05-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

...again.
I love yarn. I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love to spin my own yarn. For some reason the love stops there. I know how to knit, crochet, weave and even how to do naalbinding. I love how all those things look as finished items, but for some reason I fall out of love with them so easily. I think it's because I don't get the instant gratification like I do with spinning my own yarn, well it most cases. With this love for yarn, you can imagine that my stash would not be a few skeins here and there. In fact, it's growing slightly out of control.

The bottom half of this storage unit is FULL of spinning "fluff". Everything from wool to viscose to possum. And that's not including what's in the living room. So in an attempt to de-stash a bit I have tried to fall in love with knitting again.

"February Lace Scarf"
Debbie Bliss "Pure Silk" yarn

This scarf feels absolutely wonderful so far. The robins egg blue is beautiful and I can't wait until it's finished. The pattern is a 4 row lace repeat which makes it easy to knit, as well.

I've never knitted with silk before, and wow, is it slippery. I could never imagine how people knit with silk on metal needles and not drop a stitches on every row. I find the bamboo needles definitely hold on to the yarn a little more than the metal knitting needles. Now that I have a few inches of scarf knitted up, I find the slippery factor has decreased some what so that's kind of a relief.

Fiber Friday - May 14, 2010

2010-05-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been a week already! I'm still on the hunt for a job, but in the mean time I've been spinning lots of yarn. This week I have 3! It would have been 4, but I forgot to get a picture of the finished skein before I lent it to a friend for an art show.

"Summer Marshlands"

Romney/Mohair (from a swap on Craftster)

76 yards

(Untitled, so far)
Crossbreed sheep (I got the fleece for free at a spinning demo I participated in)
43 yards

(Untitled, still thinking of a name)
Romney (hand dyed red and a grey/blue)
68 yards

I hope you enjoy the yarns this week.

Fiber Friday!

2010-05-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Bloggers! (and readers!)

I just wanted to start out this beautiful sunny day with a few skeins of yarn!
From Left to Right:
"Coco-chineal" 86 yards, merino, hand dyed with cochineal

(untitled) 32 yards, perendale, local sheep (from Ontario) and merino (?), hand dyed and commercially dyed. This was my attempt at patchwork yarn. I'm still working out the kinks, there were a lot of spots that were just one color.

(untitled) 30 yards, local sheep (from Ontario), drop spindled and then plied on my spinning wheel

I have fallen in love with drop spindling! I've been spinning on my wheel(s) for about 2 years (they are both country wheels) and I've been having a hard time achieving very thin, lace weight yarns. I did a bit of research and found a lot of people saying that it's hard to get thinner yarns on my type of wheel. I was a bit sad, but still determined and I remembered that someone from a craft swap built me a beautiful drop spindle. So, I grabbed some fleece and started spinning. I fell in love!!! I spun the above skein on the right in a day and I'm now working on some natural "black"/dark brown fleece I received from a demo I did a few summers ago at a sheep shearing event. Pictures will be posted soon.

I'm Done!!

2010-04-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am officially finished my 2 year diploma for Textile Arts!!!! We have a grad show coming up and the opening is May 13th.

Here or There?

2010-04-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places in my hometown is Golden Ears Park. When ever I get stressed out, bummed out, or just want to be out in the sunshine (or in this case liquid sunshine) I drive up to the lake. One of the reasons I love this Provincial park is the fact that it is only a 20min drive from my house. You go from city to country in no time.

For my final 3D project for school I decided I would take a pair of socks that I knitted by hand and take photos of them in places that I long to be in.

I met a nice fisherman on the dock in the above photo, who had no luck. It was his first day on this lake, Mike Lake but he said he had a good time anyways.

Even though I spent the afternoon trekking around the park in the on and off rain, I really enjoyed myself and I felt less stressed out about school. I feel that the photographs really reflect my longing to be in nature, but I always feel tied to the city because of convenience.

Sheep to Shawl - 2010

2010-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

This will be the second year students from Capilano University - Textile Arts program will be participating in the "Sheep to Shawl". This is a yearly event for the guilds of Greater Vancouver to compete against each one another to make the best shawl, by hand of course.

Blurb:

Cheer on local spinners and weavers as they participate in this traditional competition. Watch as they card, spin, and ply raw sheep’s wool into yarn, then weave a shawl - all in four hours! See demonstrations of sheep shearing, view wool displays, and try weaving on heritage looms or spinning on real spinning wheels. Kids can try weaving, or make sheep crafts and pictures while they watch the show.

Saturday, May 22, 2010
11:00am-4:00pm
All ages
By Donation

Entrance to exhibit gallery by admission fee.

at Surrey Museum
17710 - 56A Avenue
For information, call 604-592-6956

Jacquard Weaving

2010-03-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

The jacquard loom was invented in the early 1800's controlled by punch cards. It was used as an example for the first computer. Today's jacquard looms are now controlled by computers. You load an image (which has been edited on photoshop) on to the jacquard software and the loom will weave that picture for you.

One of the tech's at school has a jacquard loom and we were lucky enough to weave on it this semester. I chose to do an anatomical heart. I just have some progress shots so far, but they are still really interesting.

At the top of the picture you can see the heart starting to show in the weaving. All of the threads on the left are controlled individually by the computer. (you can see the heddles, where the threads are attached to the computer, in the next picture)

In the above picture, all of the vertical metal pieces (behind the two girls) are heddles which are about 1/4" thick and are threaded with yarn one by one to control the pattern. As you press the foot peddle the computer tells the jacquard loom which ones to lift up to create the pattern. The operator, ie. the weaver, then "throws" a bobbin of yarn through the lifted yarn to weave the cloth.

(a lot to explain in such a little post, I hope it's coming across alright)

Spinning Saturday - March 13, 2010

2010-03-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

"The Little Mermaid"
143 yards
Merino, corriedale, wool, firestar

"Sherbert"
16 yards
Wensleydale

Both these yarns were spun for a swap on Craftster, in exchange for some hand made gifts. I have not yet received them, but they are in the mail on their way here. I'm very excited.

Spinning Saturday?

2010-03-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

I made this yarn.. (last week.. shh.. hehe) and I thought I would share it with you. (I've made 2 more but they are for a swap on Craftster, so I can't post just yet)

(no name, yet)
114yards
Llama and Bamboo blend

The llama (brown) was cleaned, carded and spun by yours truly. I must admit, I do enjoy processing fleece right from the animal as opposed to buying roving. It makes it feel MORE hand spun.. hehe

There is nothing more satisfying than...

2010-02-25T14:17:00.001-08:00

...finishing a project you started 2 years ago.
This was originally going to be a baby blanket, but .. as you read in the first line, it's a little too late. So, it has now turned into a bath mat. I found this pattern easy to follow, but just to tedious to continue for a whole blanket, even if it was in miniature size. The bath mat is knit with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in a natural color. (hard to tell in the pictures, sorry) It measures 28" x 16.5"

Checkerboard Rug - in progress

2010-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm weaving a rug for a project at school. I took some in progress shots today. I'm very excited for this to be finished but it's taking forEVER! It's due Wednesday, but most likely won't be done in time. Anyways, on to the pics!
The shag will be cut down to about half it's length. Each knot, that you can see in the above photo, has 2 pieces of yarn, and is 4 wide, and 8 high. This makes for approx. 64 pieces of yarn per square. Each row has 10 (I think lol) shag squares, that's a whole lot of yarn! hehe So, needless to say, it's taking me a lot longer than I thought it would have.

I'll post pictures of the rug when it's completely finished.

New Yarn: "Cake"

2010-01-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

So, this yarn does not have a name yet, but it is inspired by Sofia Coppolla's movie "Marie Antoinette". If you haven't seen the movie, it's wonderful. A bit of a slow start but a very fun movie. If you like the story of Marie Antoinette throw all your preconceived notions out the door, this movie is more about her life turning into the queen.

But enough about the movie, this yarn was spun from fabric that I hand dyed myself last year in my surface design class. All of the fabric was ripped into 1" strips, spun and then plied with cotton yarn. The second picture is more true to color.

*Edit: I've decided on a name for this yarn: "Cake". The name is inspired by the famous saying "Let them eat cake", also, because this yarn is made from scrap fabric, and Marie Antoinette gave her "scraps" to the people of France. More or less. The colors are also very colorful like most cakes.

Update: 50 list

2010-01-18T20:35:00.001-08:00

I finished 2 projects last week. Or was it the week before? The days are starting to blend together now that I'm back at school. Anyways. Here's what you've been waiting for. The pictures!
First on the table is felted soap. This is only my second time trying this, and it's a lot tougher than it would seem. The felt just slides all over the place. I think they turned out alright, but I think I need more practice before I offer them as gifts or put them on my etsy shop.Second is a lovely bunch of christmas tags cut from Christmas cards I received this year. My favorite ones are the trees and snowmen. Mostly because they are sparkly!

If you haven't seen the full list of projects check it out here.

Updating the 50 list

2010-01-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

I've thought of a few more things to add to the list:

38. bow head band
39. feather hair clip
40. thrum mittens
41. 4 bars of felted soap
42. tshirt pants

Purple Cowl

2010-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Or something like it.
The picture is not the best, I'll try and get a new one, but in the mean time, here is my first finished project for 2010!
See the full list of 50 projects here. And a link to the pattern here.

50 Projects for 2010

2010-01-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

In the previous post I mentioned something about a goal for making 50 projects in 2010. Well I have decided that I am going to take on the challenge, and I've already finished one item! and started in on another. As I finish projects I'll be posting them here, on my blog.
Here is my list:

I've started my list, but I have left some room for school projects...
green = started
red= finished

1. Finish Purple Cowl FINISHED! 01/01/10
2. Spats
3. Knit arm warmers/fingerless gloves
4. Slouchy Hat (that fits)
5. 4/5 knit dishcloths 1 Finished 01/09/10
6. learn how to book bind
7. make paper
8. finish art journal
9. knit lace scarf
10. knit intarsia mitts
11. star book
12. 5 printed tshirts
13. knit socks
14. stacked coin quilt
15. embroidered needle book (gift)
16. knit summer cowl
17. 5 handspun skeins of yarn (over 150 yards each)
18. finish knit bath mat FINISHED 02/25/10
19. spin paper
20. make soap
21. xmas cards into xmas tags(I saw this posted by someone else on Craftster) FINISHED 01/10/10
22. clean raw fleece
23. learn how to make resin (jewelry?)
24. carve 2 stamps (for paper art)
25. 5 catnip toys
26. embroidered pillow cases
27. learn how to make bread
28. set of 6 cards
29. lightbox (for taking photographs)
30. gollar for 16th C German garb
31. low neck pinafore ?
32. pointillism embroidery
33. filing
34. shredding
35. knit simple sweater
36. circle skirt (with 2 layers, under layer longer)
37. finish blanket on loom
38. Bow head band
39. feather hair clip
40. thrum mittens
41. 4 bars of felted soap FINISHED 01/11/10
42. t-shirt pants
43. Felt mat for camping
44.

The original idea came from Craftster, this is the 3rd (?) year. Click here to check out the thread.

Is it a New Years resolution if it includes a to do list?

2009-12-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that I would not make any New Years resolutions for 2010 because I never complete them, just like most people. BUT, I saw on Craftster that there is a challenge to do 50 projects in 1 year. So, like the title of the post says, does that make it a New Years resolution?

Etsy Shop Update

2009-12-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

I've added a few items to my Etsy shop, check it out here!

Kanaka Creek

2009-12-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

What do you do, with a giant picture of your face?

2009-12-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

2'x3'

This was the final project in my painting class. I really like it, especially the background, but I'm not to sure what I'm going to do with it now. I was thinking my bedroom, but that might be a little weird... lol

any suggestions?

Found Objects can be Beautiful

2009-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon Red Rapunzel, a crafting blog and found this video. The song is "I Don't Know" by Lisa Hannigan. You can get it free on iTunes.

Update: Carmine Studio on Etsy

2009-11-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

I have a sneak preview of some new items for my Etsy shop. It's just a color preview, but I'm very excited!Pink: 100% Cotton Tshirt material, hand dyed; Grey: 100% Cotton Jersey; Green: 100% Cotton Knit, Blue: Bamboo Viscose/Spandex; Yellow: 100% Cotton Jersey

Student Sale

2009-11-14T10:03:00.001-08:00

Textile Lecture - Abbotsford

2009-10-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber is giving a lecture this Thursday October 29,2009 at 7pm. The lecture is being held at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, BC. Admission is FREE.

Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber speaks on her book Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth and Society in Early Times. Dr. Barber illustrates how the economic engine of the ancient and early modern worlds was the fabric of industry and almost the exclusive province of women. Dr. Barber is Professor of Archaeology and Linguistics and co-chair of the Classics Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Craft swap surprise!

2009-10-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last month,... no wait, in July! (wow! time flies!) I did a fiber swap on Craftster. I posted about it here. Anyways, my swap partner felt like she didn't send me enough, but I disagreed. Apparently I lost the argument because I found these wonderful items in the mail a few weeks ago (I know, I'm a slow poster! hehe)Once again, please excuse the terrible picture! The drop spindle is hand made! I haven't used it yet (school is keeping me plenty busy) but it is on my "to do" list! It was a very lovely surprise!

Silkworms!

2009-10-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my teacher brought in some silkworms. Unfortunetly I haven't had a chance to take photos of them, until now. But the exciting part about it is, they are cocooning!
The pictures aren't that great, but it gives you an idea of what's going on! lol They should be hatching into moths in a few weeks.

Small Update

2009-10-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

There is some sad news to report, my computer completely crashed and I lost a year's worth of pictures, music, movies, bookmarks, etc, so all of the back logged posts I wanted to write are gone. But on the upside, my computer runs faster now! hehe
The good news to report is, we are in full swing at school. My first Surface design project is DONE woo! (it's due Tuesday) I'll hopefully have pictures on Wednesday to post, for your enjoyment. Other than that, we've been doing a lot of samples... and more samples. I'm hopefully going to be doing some natural dyeing this weekend, and I'll also be working on a simple medieval dress for an SCA event. (It's my first event). So stay tuned for more exciting things to come!

A trip down Memory Lane

2009-09-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid when it was rainy outside, instead of playing video games and watching tv; we would make crafts. One of the things we made were Shrinky Dinks. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a few people at Craftster that had made jewelry with this wonderful and exciting product. After being inspired by their work, I searched through my local craft store, but to no avail.

Yesterday I noticed I had a 50% off coupon that was about to expire and decided to go shopping. After circling the craft store about 3 times, in hopes of finding something that I "needed" and could save a few dollars on,... I looked up at a peg on the wall (that I had passed a few times before) and what did I notice?!?! SHRINKY DINKS!!!!!!

Of course I bought them, brought them home, but could not decide on what I wanted to draw on them. So I slept on it. This morning, my excitement couldn't wait any longer so I just jumped right in.
I think the most exciting part is watching them shrink in the oven! There will definitely be more to come! I think with my next 50% off coupon I'm going to buy the Shrinky Dinks you can put through your printer, so I can play with images on Photoshop.

It's amazing what you find when you're not looking..... well .. looking for the specific item! hehe

Cedar Bark dyeing

2009-09-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

I love natural dyeing. The colors always seem to amaze me because you never know what you are going to get from leaves, roots, or in this case, bark.

On the right is the original Merino fleece that I used. I think that I would have got a better, darker color from the cedar bark if I would have scoured (cleaned) the fleece first. I have lots of cedar bark left so I will definitely try it again.

Great Find!

2009-09-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

I love thrift store shopping! I think you can find some really cool things for fairly inexpensive. Here is an example:
On the left is 100% Italian Mohair, and on the right is 100% Cotton. I absolutely love the mohair! It's a bit more pink in real life, and the label is so adorable!!!

Inspiration: Courtney Brims

2009-09-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

WOW! That's all I can say when I see her artwork! I especially love her portraits! There is so many little details that make the whole picture absolutely amazing. Here are a few to show you what I mean:

Please check out Courtney Brims' website!

Indigo Day - part 2

2009-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation from this post where I blogged about my Indigo Day with a few lovely ladies from my Textile Art program. In the post I mentioned that I also dyed some fleece. Well, here it is:

Left: Merino, Middle: Local sheep from Ontario, Right: Merino dyed in a Potassium vat

I absolutely LOVE the merino! I've have very little experience spinning with merino, and now that I've worked with it more (mostly dyeing), I need to buy another pound of it! lol I'm hoping to work up the courage to spin these lovely braids, but it's hard when they are so soft and squishy the way they are. Sometimes I spin too tight and it takes away some of the squishy feeling.

I wish the Merino on the right would have turned out darker. The dye vat it's self is a very very dark brown, and when I dipped the fleece in, it soaked it up right away, but when I pulled the fleece out, it was how you see it now. I'm not sure if I should have soaked it in a mordant before I died it, but we have never had to do that with fabric before. I don't see why fleece would be treated differently. We have more vats at school, so maybe I will have to try again.

Coming Soon: Cedar Bark dyeing

Acid Dyes! Finally!

2009-08-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

All of my at home dyeing has been with either Kool-Aid or food coloring. It's not that I haven't had the knowledge or skills to use professional acid dyes, but I just never got around to mixing the stock solutions, until last Tuesday. I bought the acid dyes awhile ago, (I didn't realize it was in January until I connected the link to the post! wow! hehe) and because you have to take quite a few safety precautions, ie. particulate mask, big rubber gloves, etc I've stuck with the easier methods like Kool-aid (plus the Kool-aid smells good *wink*)

Anyways, I played around a bit with the acid dyes, and I forgot that the blue takes awhile to "stick" to the fleece, so a lot of my reds were supposed to be purples. I know next time I will probably over dye instead of just mixing the red and blue together to get purple. Or maybe buy a purple dye to save time. Here are a few pictures from my wonderful and colorful day.

Local Sheep fleece from Ontario, Canada

Local Sheep Fleece from Ontario, Canada

Merino

Polworth

Every time I try to be adventurous when I dye, and use different colors together that are not in the same color family, ie. complimentary I always end up with "Swamp Fleece":

Polworth

Wenslydale

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the "Swamp Fleece", but It would be nice to have some pretty colors like you see in the stores or on Etsy. I think I'm going to try drum carding the "Swamp Fleece" and see if it makes it any better. hehe

Indigo Day

2009-08-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, well.. not LAST Monday, but the Monday before that, I went over to Janna's house for an Indigo Party. There were quite a few of us, mostly from my Textile Arts course at Capilano University, including Ana from "Dreamy Isabel". We had a great time! I've never seen so many things dyed Indigo, even on our very first day of dying with this wonderful vat at school. I did dye a few ounces of Merino and a local sheep fleece from Ontario (from a Craftster swap) and they turned out beautifully, but unfortunately I haven't taken pictures of the fleece yet (hopefully tomorrow), but I DO have some pictures of the party.

You can see my local sheep roving on the back corner of the drying rack. hehe

A beautiful dress dyed indigo. It was originally white.

Mini Update

2009-08-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

I had a big dye day yesterday. And last week I went to an Indigo Party. Pictures are soon to come.

Knit Project: "Every Way Wrap"

2009-08-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

I have started a new knitting project! I'm very excited about this one. It's probably going to be the biggest knit project to date; in both size and work.

It's from the Fall 2009 issue of Interweave Knits:

Sorry the pictures are bad.

This issue has lots of beautiful designs! There are a few projects in it that I might have to muster up some courage to work on

Photo Adventure!

2009-08-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to UBC Research Forest (which apparently now called Malcolm Knapp Research Forest?) with a friend and we photographed our hearts out! I was looking for a little inspiration because my creativity has plummeted since I left school in April for the summer. Well, I ended up taking 195 pictures, and I definitely could have taken more if we weren't on a time limit. Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

It was hard just to pick a few pictures! lol ... We have tentative plans of going back next week.

My hand spun on display

2009-07-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Some of my hand spun on was display at Crafthouse on Granville Island, but I forgot to post about it! How? I have no idea! lol

Read about it here:

Blog of Vancouver Yarn

Fleece order from Etsy

2009-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I put in an order from Poppy Flower Fibers for a random 4 oz. bag of fleece! To tell you the truth, I had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe it would be just little chunks of solid colored fleece, but when I opened the package!!!! WOW!!!!

Amazing colors!! and all the pieces are super soft!! I'm especially in love with the one on the far left! it's the softest of them all!!! I wish that I knew what kind of fleece it was... maybe Poppy Flower Fibers will be able to tell me, or give me a good idea. I think it might be a superwash fleece.

I think I'm going to spin it into a patchwork yarn....

I received!

2009-07-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I received my package from my swap partner on Craftster!!! It was a fiber/handspun swap. Here is what my partner sent me:

Group Shot: Local (to her) Sheep fleece in white, 2 shades of yellow, and brown, Red/black/white mill ends, Blue hand spun yarn (love the color!), hand knit scarf with lace pattern, tree of life pendant, hand knit pin, art yarn extras.

Tree of Life pendant, Knit pin and card (handmade?)

Art Yarn extras. (I love this close up picture!)

I have sent my package to my partner, but she hasn't received yet, so I can't post pictures. Hopefully it will be soon!!!

Update

2009-07-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

I HAVE been crafting... and also dyeing and spinning, but it was all for a swap on Craftster. So, I can't post any pictures until my partner has received.

Thrum Yarn - again!

2009-06-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

I spun another skein of thrum yarn for my Design teacher. This time I actually took before pictures! yay!

20 yards - 2 ply - Cotton thread

Spinning Au Natural and Dyeing for More Blue

2009-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

The past week I have been spinning a little bit almost every night, and this is the result.

"Au Natural"
150 yards Polwarth Fleece

I also did more dying on Monday. The following 2 batts are from the shetland fleece that I bought on Etsy a few months ago.

Adding a bit of blue

2.25 oz Shetland Fleece

The second batt:The blue was the left over dye from the green batt

You can never have enough blue...

2.5 oz Shetland Fleece

The lovely couple:

The colors are a bit darker in real life.

I really enjoy the method that I used for these batts. I just soak the batt in water and vinegar before it goes into the pot and then just drop the color on the fleece once it's in the pot and let it work it's way through. I really enjoy the color variations that I've been getting.

Also,I haven't come up with any names yet, so if you have any suggestions, please post them in the comments section!

I dyed last week...

2009-05-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

but then I was brought back to life to share this with you ;) hehe

"Mossy Oak"
61 yards - 2ply Shetland Fleece dyed with Food Coloring

It's hard to believe that the first picture of the Shetland fleece in the pot turned into the last yarn picture. It started out so bright, hahaha.

"Rainbow Cotton Candy"
Approx. 5 oz. Wensleydale Fleece dyed with Food Coloring

Finally finished!

2009-05-14T16:41:00.001-07:00

I have finally finished warping up my loom! This has been a long and arduous process because when the loom was brought to my house the warp strings were still on the back beam. Being a novice weaver (at this point I have never woven in my life, at least not on a loom, but definitely when I was a kid, with paper, to make a place mat) I just unrolled the back beam, and this created a big mess of yarn tangled amongst itself.

(This is only a fraction of the warp mess)

But, I finally stopped procrastinating and finished warping up! I am sooo happy that it is finally over and I have learned that unrolling the back beam with all that yarn on it was a bad idea.

Update: Inspiration...?

2009-05-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have been working a lot lately. I'm sure you have noticed with the lack of posts. hehe... With working so much, I have lost a lot of my inspiration. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have so many great people around me at school to inspire me. Now, I have turned to the internet, as I'm sure some artists/designers do. I have pulled a few pictures that I have found, to share with you, dear readers, in hopes that it will inspire you as well.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Websites:
This is an amazing painting by an artist named Benini. I stumbled across it while I was looking up Rococo art on Google.

As I dive deeper in to my Textile Arts Program, I learn more about myself. Especially what I find esthetically pleasing. I didn't realize I liked floral prints and Rococo furniture SO much! lol

Inspirational Website

2009-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this website when I was searching for medieval textiles. It has some beautiful pictures

Side Note: Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've been super busy with work. My textile arts have suffered unfortunately.

"Barbie's Prom Dress" Yarn

2009-04-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

WOO! Another yarn for the week. This one is a Corridale/Perendale (I'm pretty sure..lol) Blend. It is approximately 50yards and plied with a white wool yarn. The pink is hand dyed by me, and the blue/periwinkle is commerically dyed.
The pink is a lot brighter in person. I'll have to take better pictures when the sun comes around to the back of the house ... hehe

"Unicorn Tea Party" Yarn

2009-04-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

I am in LOVE with this yarn! Not only is it super soft and squishy!, I love the name I came up with! *laughs*
This yarn is a blend of Merino and Soysilk that I purchased from the Fibers West Show I went to in March. There is approximately 131 yards with a W.P.I (wraps per inch) of 8. It is a bit of a thick 'n thin 2 ply but overall is fairly consistent thickness.

Update: Tapestry

2009-04-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have finally taken the time to take a few pictures of my tapestry that I blogged about here. This tapestry was inspired by a picture of an ancient German tapestry that my teacher had. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of it, at this time. So, here it is... my tapestry. *drumroll*

7-1/4" x 10-1/4"

This picture is the truest version of it's colors. The picture below is a close up of the curls. (I have very poor lighting in my house).

This tapestry took a long time to weave and there are a few things I would like to change about it (i.e. the face) but I am very proud of it, and it is currently hanging on my living room wall.

Etsy Shop Update

2009-04-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have taken my etsy shop off of "Vacation Mode" and I have added a few new hand spun yarns. So, make sure you stop by and check it out!

Quick Update

2009-04-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have officially finished my winter/spring semester at school! That means I have 4 months off, well... I'll be working of course, but it gives me more time to create things for myself and my etsy shop. I have already started spinning the Merino/Soysilk blend I purchased at Fibers West in March. I'm trying to spin it fairly thin, so I can ply it into a DK weight/12w.p.i. (I'm hoping). Well, like the title says, this is just a quick update. Hopefully I will have more blog posts over the summer.

P.S.
I'm picking up a drum carder from school tomorrow for the summer! I am SOOO excited!

Thrum Yarn

2009-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my Design teacher asked if I could try spinning some thrums from her machine embroidery projects, into yarn. This is the result:
The yarn is approximately 15 yards - 2 ply - with cotton thread. I wish I would have taken a picture of the cut up threads, in the ziploc bag she gave me, but I didn't think of it at the time. My teacher is giving me more to spin though, so I'll make sure to have a picture of the before and after *wink*

I'm going to be the happiest textile girl ever!

2009-04-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last week my teacher told us that we are allowed to borrow equipment from school for over the summer! I was so excited to hear this because the "equipment" includes drum carders! Why is this so great you ask? Well, I am addicted to spinning. I have more fleece than a herd of sheep. hehe. So, I was a little concerned that I would have to hand card (slowest method ever!) all my fleece before I could spin it. Which would seriously slow down my production over the summer, for my Etsy shop. But, never fear! I will have a drum carder here! (I talked about the drum carder in a previous post). That will also give me more inspiration for blog posts, which will be nice because I've been slacking a bit. Well, wish me luck on lugging that thing home! Here is a picture of something random, just to add some interest to the post! *wink*

did you know?

2009-04-06T08:18:00.001-07:00

2009 is the "International Year of Natural Fibres"?

I haven't had a chance to read the website yet, because I'm on my way to school today, but I'll be dreaming of it all day... Well, before and after my Art History final exam today *gag* lol. So, enjoy the site, leave comments of what you think! :D I'm pretty excited. I'm going to spread the word to my textile friends at school.

For all those designers out there...

2009-04-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

I found this t-shirt.

(From: http://funkyduds.blogspot.com/2009/03/at-mysoti-for-us20.html)

Owl Swap

2009-03-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last month I participated in a craft swap on Craftster and it was owl themed. This is what I sent:
Left to right:
- Reverse applique tshirt
- Hand made/hand embroidered Pillow cases
- Hand spun yarn
- Needle felted pin
- Knit dishcloth

Fibers West Show

2009-03-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today we had a field trip to Abbotsford for the Fiberfest West Show. Look what I bought!

Starting from the top left:
- 4oz. Merino/SoySilk (multi-colored)
- 1lb Raw Polworth fleece (white)
- 100grams 80% Romney 20% Possum (dark brown/grey)
- 1.75oz. Firestar (sparkly!)
- 80grams Soysilk (natural)
- 3oz. Mohair locks (purple/red)
- 4oz. Adult Mohair locks (blue/purple)
- 4oz. Viscose Rayon (white)

The show is on until tomorrow/Saturday. Check the website for details!

Weaving project Color Teaser

2009-03-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Where did February go?

2009-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, that went by fast. I understand that February is a shorter month, but why did it seem to go by like it was only a week?! I haven't done a whole lot of art making this month, besides for school, BUT I did receive my package from the last swap, of 3, on Craftster It was owl related! (ignore the cheezy picture of me, modeling the jewelry I was sent) Everything is wonderful! I was spoiled rotten! I especially love the yellow wristlet!

I love craftster!

2009-02-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

I received from another swap I did on Craftster. (2 down 1 to go) This was a small swap consisting of 2 dishcloths, but my partner decided to spoil me! and boy did she ever! I love everything!

Shopping!

2009-01-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning before class M and I went touring downtown Vancouver taking pictures of monuments for our Art History class. We just "happened" to make a "quick" (I don't think you could ever just pop into this store! lol) stop at Jefferson's. The catch is, you have to either have a business account with them or spend a minimum of $50 (CAD). This isn't as hard as it may seem. All the prices are about 1/2 the cost of retail (yay!) so it's easy to get carried away, especially because they don't price anything. That's right, nothing is priced! lol. It can be a little scary, when you look at your basket and wonder what the bill is going to look like. lol.
Here is what I bought for just under $40:

- Eucalan (no rinse "soap")
-Synthrapol
-Pinking shears
-Quilting square
-Clear plastic bobbins (for sewing machine)
-Angelina sparkly fiber
-Shiney embroidery thread

I think that's quite a bit for $40, considering just the pinking shears can cost up to, or even more than $40.

The store was amazing! There was 2 full rows (that's 4 long walls) of JUST thread. 3 walls of buttons (and these walls were about 7+ feet tall and super long (I don't know how long in feet! lol)). If you're in Vancouver and love "crafting" supplies I would definetly recommend this place. Just make sure you have a few hours. lol.

wow!

2009-01-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what happens when you actually follow the directions!
As you remember from this post, the fleece was quite dirty. Not as dirty as some of the fleeces I have seen, and also, not as white and fluffy as it is now!!!!

The method I used was:

-Fill sink with SUPER hot water (make sure you have gloves)
-Add a squeeze of dish soap
-Add fleece
-Do NOT man handle
-Let it sit for about 20mins (don't let the water go cold)
-Take out fleece (or use a another sink)(try not to let the water run on the fleece, this could lead to felting)
-Drain and add fresh SUPER hot water
-Let fleece soak for about 15mins (again, don't let it get cold)

I found it somewhere online and unfortunately I don't remember where so I can't credit the person. I can't wait to spin this Shetland fleece and also dye it. I just can't decide if I want to dye it as it is, or spin it first. I might do both :)

I also washed some Alpaca that Jana traded me using the same above method and it worked fairly well, but I think I should have opened up the locks a little better

Before:After:
I also think a few runs through the drum carder will help as well.

THIS is why I love swapping on Craftster

2009-01-28T19:49:00.001-08:00

The colors are a little off, but it definitely doesn't take away from the beauty of this swap! I got spoiled rotten! The patchwork yarn is amazing! (Merino) and the batt is a mix of Merino, Soysilk, and a little Corridale and Sari Silk. And isn't the little octopus adorable! Make sure you click on the above picture so you can get a really good look at the wonderful items!

Photo Transfers

2009-01-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday in Surface Design class we learned a few techniques for photo transferring. I think it was a total of 5 and I did 3 of them. The first technique was using Medium and a photocopy of a picture (that has no copyright! lol) using a dry toner (key ingredient, (besides the medium ;) hehe) otherwise it won't work)

You lay down the photocopy and use the Medium and "paint" over it. Making sure to cover the whole surface and let it dry for about 24 hours.

(other side of the fabric)

Once it's dry you rinse it in cold water (hot will make the glue pliable and might ruin your print) and rub away the paper.

This is a really easy technique and the supplies are fairly inexpensive the only thing I'm not a super fan of, is the fact that the medium makes the fabric a little stiff. I think it would be a good transfer method for something that was not going to be worn, like a purse/bag, or maybe a wall hanging (?). It could work on a t-shirt if you don't mind the rough medium.

The second technique was also using Medium, but to make a "decal". This one didn't turn out for me very well, because the Medium wasn't thick enough. So you use the same technique as above, just minus the fabric and you'll want to paint the medium on the front of the photocopy.

I took a photocopy of an owl "painted" over with the Medium and let it dry/set for 24 hours. Then I rinsed it in cold water and rubbed away the paper backing.

As you can tell, the Medium was not thick enough and I got some tearing. The owl is a little transparent, but it was hard to capture in the photo. I'm definitely going to try this technique again, but I will glob on the Medium so the photocopy won't tear.

The third technique we learned (of the 5, I still need to do the other 2, which I will post hopefully by the end of next week) was using xylene or "Goof Off". This was my favorite technique of all because it was SOOO simple and super cheap! (which is great, because I'm a student.) I also really liked how it turned out.
The tools you need:

- A Respirator with cartridges for gases or vapors. Even though this product is designed for being used at home for "sticker remover" or "easy clean up" it is HIGHLY toxic and can cause health problems. Please use in a well ventilated area.

(sorry, it's kind of blurry)

Told you it was cheap! lol The technique: Tape down your fabric and photocopy on a surface that will not be ruined by the "Goof Off" (we used a glass plate) If you're unsure of the surface, do a test. (If you're printing on a piece of fabric, like a t-shirt make sure you put something inbetween to protect the other side of the shirt) Place the photocopy image (remember: dry toner) face down on a piece of fabric and dip the q-tip in a little "Goof Off". Do NOT get it too wet. (I can't remember why, but I remember the teacher making a point of this! lol) Rub the q-tip on the back of the photo transfer

Make sure you do this in small sections so that the "Goof Off" doesn't dry. After you apply "Goof Off" take the back edge of the spoon and rub the wet area. Make sure to put a little muscle into it, but not too much, you'll rip the paper ;) lol. If you're not sure the image is transferring, you can always take a little peak, just make sure you don't move the paper around too much. Finished result:

I also did a second print with the same image to see how it would turn out, and I got this:

It worked, but wasn't as clear (obviously) as the first one.

I hope you enjoyed this post, even though it was super long. If you try any of the techniques I would love to see them. Also, if you have any questions, please leave a comment.
Thanks!

oOo.. ahhhh

2009-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

On Thursdays I have Design class in the morning. Um, I don't really know what to say about this class. lol. I find it challenging (mostly because of personal reasons, that I won't go into) but this week I am really proud of what I made and wanted to share it with the world!

One of our in class assignments was to create a self portrait and then create two design templates. The whole class was just doing this on a whim because the teacher was guiding us through it step by step. When we finished the three pieces the teacher told us to cut up our self portraits (I know, I couldn't believe it either, especially because I really liked mine! A lot of us did.) And then use the portrait for pieces in the templates. (Confusing, I know. I'm going to add pictures. It will all make sense. lol) One of the templates was supposed to be symmetrical and the other asymmetrical. (Apparently, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be) I really liked my symmetrical one (I actually "hung" (by hung I mean used masking tape to put it up. lol) it on my wall) I had a harder time with the asymmetrical one beacuse apparently there was too much negative space, but I was fairly happy with how it turned out.

On to the pictures!

(love this one!)

(the art work is lacking in text because I didn't have ink for my printer for about 2 weeks)

I am so impressed!

2009-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

As you read a few posts back, I purchased 2lbs of Shetland fleece from Serenity Sheep Woolens on Etsy. Well, it arrived today! It came a lot sooner than I had planned! (I was expecting early or mid next week) So you can imagine my surprise when I opened up the mailbox and saw a key waiting for me! The thought ran through my mind that it could have been one of my swap packages from Craftster, but none of my partners told me they mailed their items. So, like a giddy little girl I grabbed the key and bent over to unlock the larger mailbox and found this:

(minus the kitty... hehe)

Right away I checked the label to get a clue of the contents that may be inside... and I was right!I grabbed the nearest sharp thing, which luckily was scissors! and opened up this bad boy!It was jammed packed in there! I was surprised when I pulled it out, and fluffed it up a little that this "tiny" little box (15-1/2"x11"x5-1/2") held 2lbs of fleece!!

(12" ruler for size comparisson)

And a crappy picture of the staple length for good measure. (no pun intended! lol)
This fleece is surprisingly clean! The first raw fleece I ever received was sooooooo (x10) greasy I still haven't de-lanolin-ized it (yes I just created a new word ;) lol) (I've written about it in one of my drum carding posts) But, this one! Beautiful! I can't wait to clean it up, dye it and spin it! Thank you Serenity Sheep Woolens!!!!

finally...

2009-01-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

I bought some acid dyes from Maiwa. It's just your basic starter kit, but it came with everything I need for right now.

(Instructions, Acid, Red, Yellow, and Turquoise dye powders)

It was very exciting! Now I just need to find some time to dye. lol I think I'm going to dye the Shetland fleece I bought from Etsy, but that will take awhile because it will need to be cleaned in batches (unlike when I washed one of my llama fleeces all in one go .. big mistake .. lol)

something new!

2009-01-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

Caution: May contain TOO many pictures

Last friday, we learned how to weave! I finally remembered to bring my camera this friday, so that I could take pictures of my progress.

We started on a Woolhouse Tools (Canadian company!) table loom and next semester we will be on floor looms. (We do have the option of switching to a floor loom half way through this class for our final project, which I might do because I have a loom at home. Then I would only have to go to class in the mornings)

(my loom)

So, yesterday (friday) I got quite a bit of weaving done. I really liked doing patterns, and I think that will be where my main focus is. A lot of my classmates where using different weft objects, such as plastic bags, cloth, leather, fishing line, raffia, etc. Some of it looked ok, but I'm more of a fan of "traditional" weaving. Just plain 'ol yarn on yarn! lol But I did get a little "crazy" with the weft.

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

I used pipe cleaner and ribbon! (check this out, I found it while searching for a picture of pipe cleaners! lol)

(close up of pipe cleaner. so cute!)

I really liked how the pipe cleaner turned out, except the sharp little ends. If I were to use it in the future, I don't know how I could keep the ends from poking me. Maybe fold it back and wrap it around it's self? Please leave suggestions in the comment box. :)

While playing around I also developed my own pattern. I'm sure it's been done somewhere or at some point in the history of weaving (considering weaving dates back to at least 5000 B.C.) BUT, I drafted it on graph paper and wove it myself. So I'm calling it mine, until further notice. :)

Here is a close up

When I was drawing (writing/drafting?) up the pattern I originally wanted large circles, but I think I needed to take in consideration that I was working on a 10 e.p.i. (ends per inch)

I should have created something that was more spaced out or wove it on a bigger e.p.i. OR developed a pattern that had a different heedle set up (I think I'm getting too ahead of myself now! lol)

Next week we are finishing our samplers and moving on to color! I can't wait! I think we are also going to learn how to do more complicated patterns. I'm pretty excited about that too! So I'll try my best to remember my camera so I can overload another post with pictures.

Side note: I'm going to Maiwa today for school supplies, and also some acid dyes so I can dye more fleece (the Shetland I have coming in the mail!) and yarn.

look what I can do...

2009-01-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

... in a 3 hour break between classes on a Thursday

("Party Gone Wrong" - 163 yards of Unknown Fiber)

Last semester we had a class on spinning and I got a little carried away and drum carded a few batts of random fiber from a giant bag of unknown fleece (I wish I had a picture of it)(I drum carded because I already knew how to spin). The batts sat around the classroom all semester and I finally decided that since no one was going to do anything with them, I would spin them. So the above skein is the product of my fiber obsession. The colors are a little darker in person. We have had really bad fog the past few days, so the lighting was bad in class.

Side note:
I ordered a 2lbs Shetland fleece on Etsy from Serenity Sheep Woolens. It should be arriving here in 5-7 business days! I can't wait!

a little update...

2009-01-13T06:23:00.001-08:00

I HAVE been working on stuff, but I can't post it just yet, because they are presents. Mostly for Craftster swaps, so once my partners receive I can post lots of pictures! lol School has been good, definitely keeping me busy, as well as my part time job, so my crafting time has been cut dramatically. I'll try and post something interesting, maybe tonight? I did get my tapestry back, so I can post a picture of the whole thing... but.. i'll make you wait, to build suspense. muwhaha :D

i'm in love...

2009-01-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

...with machine embroidery.

I had my first Surface Design class of the semester today and we learned how to machine embroider. (We also learned how to use Opulence Pigment as a painting medium on fabric by "watering" it down with ____ (can't remember what it's called. I'll update when I find out).) I first traced out an owl (I'm doing an owl themed swap on Craftster) and then traced it on to fabric with a fabric pencil (I don't have a picture of the sketch, unfortunately).

The owl was then machine embroidered using a special "free motion foot" (which pretty much just a foot that does not touch the fabric and protects your fingers (most times) from getting sewn).) I loved the owl just the way it was, in all it's free form glory, but because it was just black thread on a plain 100% white cotton, I thought it need a little ... "more" ...
So, I used a stiff stencil brush to apply a "watered" down brown pigment to him. (he looks a lot better in real life, but I think that I still like him in his first, "natural" state.) This process was easy enough to do, that I might replicate him and try different colors or even just a different brush to get a more even coat.I think he looks like a "Henry" to me...

Today, we shall remember....

2009-01-05T21:57:00.001-08:00

I had to haul this thing back to school today. It must have weighed at least 10lbs. (which doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. Especially with a backpack on, trudging through the snow) I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I have my dining room table back, but sad that I won't have easy access to a drum carder. I will now have to haul fiber to school (at least it will be lighter *wink*) and card it there.

As I lugged this thing on the 2 buses, a skytrain, and another 2 buses, today, I set a goal for myself. If I pass my program with an A- or higher in all my classes, I will buy a drum carder. I've been wanting a drum carder for at least a year now, and I think this is a good goal. It will give me more motivation to do well in school and I won't just run out and buy one, now that I don't have my own drum carder at home.

i'm going to need a bigger basket...

2009-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today's post was brought to you by the letter "S" and the number 2.

Last spring my friend V and I did a spinning demo at a local farm called "Maplewood Farm". V was invited on stage and helped the sheep get sheared. (I wish I could have gotten a picture of that!) At the end of the day we were given a gift of a fleece and a half from the sheep that got their hair cut that day. One was white, and the other was "black" (it's actually almost black with a bit of grey and some brown tips (bleached from the sun)). Both of us were super excited, but had never cleaned a fleece before (that's a story in itself. hehe). After many mini adventures of picking, cleaning, and re-cleaning. I took most of the white fleece to school (I'm lucky enough to have full access to any kind of textile supplies you could think of. More or less.) and I dyed the fleece a rainbow of colors using Ciba Acid dyes. The fleece then sat on patio for a few weeks *cough* and then in a cardboard box, paper bag, and rubbermaid container (poor thing ... lol) until tonight. (I borrowed a drum carder (picture shown is not the actual model of drum carder I used)) So, I sat down on the floor and sorted all of the colors into piles.

(cat for size reference *wink* )

After sorting the piles it made me realize, I'm going to need a bigger basket for storing all the batts I have to card! haha. So now, making a large basket is on my ever growing "to do" list. After a few hours (with lots of breaks of course!) I drum carded 17 batts!So, that leaves me with the yellow, yellow purple mix (I don't think this one is going to turn out very nice), grey (it was supposed to be black), green, and purple. Unfortunately though, I have to bring the drum carder back to school this Monday. That means I'll have to bring my fleece into school and drum card after class, not that I mind. I actually enjoy drum carding, it's very relaxing.

Dealing with this fleece was definitely a challenge. I am sure I will have more challenges with it considering I'm not even half done (note: the fleece packed to the brim in the box; in the first picture) It was and still is fairly greasy, even after washing it at least 5 times (I don't think i used hot enough water.. and I also left it to cool). I am hoping that after I spin it, I'll wash it again and it will release more of the grease. Even though it was kind of a mess, and a hassle I would definitely purchase a raw fleece in the future. I really like doing everything by myself right from the start. I look forward to seeing what kind of yarn this will create. I think I'm going to spin a few skeins of patchwork yarn.

happy new year

2009-01-01T01:19:00.001-08:00

Well I can't believe it's 2009! I just wanted to wish everyone good luck and I hope they had a good holiday.

Some of my goals for 2009:
-get A- or higher in all my classes
-live a more frugal lifestyle
-post on my blog every 2-3 days
-stop procrastinating
-sell at a local farm market/craft fair
-learn how to knit intarsia
-make a minimum of 1 gift a month (to stock pile for next xmas... )

I don't think those goals will be too hard to accomplish, I just can't expect it all to happen in the first month :D

what are you goals?

well worth the wait

2008-12-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

I would like to dedicate this post to Freecycle. Not only have I made people happy by giving them things that they needed, and I wanted to get rid of, but I have also found fabulous people that like to share their unwanted stuff with me, a student in need.

This particular time I scored almost 20lbs (yup, that's right, I weighed it! haha) of free miscellaneous fabric.

(the picture does not do it justice)

Most of the pieces are at least 2 yards! And the lady was nice enough to save my email address for the next time she clears out her stash! I think I might have to learn how to quilt, so that I can use some of the smaller pieces up instead of them sitting in my scrap bin! hehe

I'm going to need more storage,... or a bigger house.

i've gone batt crazy!

2008-12-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I drum carded 23 - 0.5 ounce (average) batts of llama fleece. I couldn't believe it when I counted them at the end. It definitely didn't FEEL like 23 batts! haha

"Calle"

(I'm still trying to work on my picture quality. I don't have a lot of light in my house.)

The fiber is titled "Calle" because that is the name of the llama. The color is absolutely beautiful! It is a medium brown with some cinnamon highlights. I have spun some of this fiber up already, and it is so soft! I think I started with approx. 1 pound of fiber.

I also have 2 more pounds of llama fiber (from two different llamas). One of the fleeces is already 3/4 spun ("Wreckless"), and the other is still in the bag, from when I bought it. The last fleece ("DeNiro") has not been washed, though I have read that you don't have to with llama, so I might skip this step for this fleece. The three fleeces came from a couple I know that own a local llama farm.

snowed in...

2008-12-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

i haven't posted in awhile.. soooo.... here is a few snow pictures...

knitting progress!

2008-12-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

On Monday a friend, J and I were out window shopping and we came across knitting needles on sale for $0.99, so we HAD to buy them, of course ;) the only thing was, they were a size US35 (or 20mm)! lol! I have never knit on needles that large, so I picked a basic pattern called Swamp Witch, that I knew would get great results, that.. and the pattern also required size 35's ;) lol

I cast on yesterday morning and knit for a few hours and finished today. I'm really happy with how it turned out, because not only did I loose track of the pattern (not that it was hard, I just got distracted by the tv! hehe.) but I also only used one strand of yarn (Patons Divine in Blue Halo. I bought this yarn when I was first learning how to knit.), instead of the 4 strands of yarn the pattern requires. The scarf/wrap is absolutely lovely. It is very light and squishy, and to tell you the truth, I'm wearing it right now, and I don't want to take it off! hehe. I definetly recommend the pattern if you are looking for a last minute gift, and have giant knitting needles ;) I am definitly going to use this pattern again, and maybe try knitting it on smaller needles to see the difference in the outcome.

Alright, enough chat, more pictures.
The picture is not the greatest because it's hanging from my loom, but it gives you an idea of how it turned out. I'll try and take a picture of it on when I get a model,... or when I'm not in my pj's with no make up!

spinning progress!

2008-12-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

yay! I finally finished plying some fiber I dyed in November (I think, it might have even been late october! haha)
The skein on the left is 113 yards of hand dyed, 2-ply, Corridale. The skein on the right is 110 yards of hand dyed 2-ply, Corridale. I don't have names for them yet because I can never think of anything really clever, so suggestions are welcome! :)

I also spun up a small skein of single ply thick and thin yarn from a hand carded batt. The dark green fiber is Perendale, the pink is Corridale (hand dyed), and the white is Polworth. The skein is a total of 18 yards. I'm thinking of calling this one "English Rose Garden".

Tapestry teaser

2008-12-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a tapestry project for the past 2 weeks. It is approx. 10" tall by 5-1/2" wide. I absolutely love how it turned out. It took quite a while, but I think it was totally worth it, and I can't wait to get it back from my teacher and hang it on my wall. Here is a teaser picture.

tap⋅es⋅try

[tap-uh-stree] noun, plural -tries, verb, -tried, -try⋅ing. –noun

1.	a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads are woven by hand to produce a design, often pictorial, used for wall hangings, furniture coverings, etc.

2.	a machine-woven reproduction of this.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to furnish, cover, or adorn with tapestry.

4.	to represent or depict in a tapestry.

Knit.1 Magazine - new issue

2008-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

woo hoo! Knit.1 has their new issue coming out on December 16!

I'm so excited, the preview is at http://www.knit1mag.com , there are a lot of cute patterns.

My first post

2008-12-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

I know a lot of people that have blogs. I have started a few myself, but never really followed through with them. I'm hoping to use this blog to share my work with family and friends.