Future possibilities in my fiber art: which way do I go?

Almost there! One of the three ruanas is complete except for sewing in the tag. And the other two are cut and pinned, ready for sewing. The one hanging has a black cotton weft. The one on top on the ironing board has a black tencel weft. It amazes me how much more vibrant the tencel weft is vs. the cotton one. I don't know if it is a function of the fiber choice, or the fact that there was an 8 hour difference between when I dyed the warp for each one, and I might have gotten different concentrations of dye in that time frame. In any case, I think I like the feel of the tencel weft better than the cotton one. It is a bit smoother, cooler to the touch, and drapes a bit better.

I'm loving the results, but I'm looking forward to being done with this project. I want to move on to something new. In May, I'll be doing a weave along with a group on Facebook, exploring a 4 shaft pattern in the Echo and Iris style of weaving. I'll post pictures of that as I go along, so that will make sense in a bit.

I also have all sorts of things that I want to explore. I want to do some more needle felting. I'm thinking maybe some landscapes, based on the photos that I take when I'm out on my hikes. Or, I love doing abstracts, and just playing with the colors. And, I think I want to use that medium to do some self portraits, as well.

And, I also want to play with nuno felt. I fell down that Pintrest rabbit hole the other night, and I'm itching to give it a try. I love the idea of vibrant drapable felt, that I could make into wearable art garments. (My inspiration board for felt is here: https://www.pinterest.com/lissamc/felt-inspiration/)

And speaking of garments, I also want to pick up my sewing again. I haven't done much of it since I gave up the historical recreation group that I was part of. I'm thinking of making some simple summer tops to start with, and maybe some dresses. My body has shifted with menopause, and much of my current wardrobe doesn't really look flattering on me any more. I think I want to express myself in something I can wear that I can be proud of. And then, once I have my pattern dialed in, make myself some wearables using my own woven fabric, and perhaps the nuno felt.

I can sort of see the direction that my art will be going. I just need to let myself play long enough to explore the possibilities!

Warping the loom for a baby wrap

I'm making progress on getting the loom all warped up for the next batch of baby wraps. I'm working a bit each day, so I make sure I can get these completed and out to their new owners before I take off for vacation/family reunion in July. As I'm working, I'm remembering how much I like working with this yarn. It is 10/2 mercerized Valley cotton from Webs, and is just lovely and shiny slipping through my hands.

So, first up is the calculation part. I remember back in high school deciding that I'd never use math again, so I didn't have to worry about it. Boy was I wrong. Weaving is really just visible math. You've got to figure out how many threads, of what colors, at what length to get the effect you want. So each project sees me with pencil, paper, and a calculator in hand.

Then it is time to measure out the threads. I create the gradation of color as I go along, by changing colors every 2-4 threads. That makes for a lot of cutting and tying knots. I've tried other methods, but ended up with nasty tangles when I tried to get the warp onto the loom. This takes me a bit of extra time, but I like the results better.

I'm putting on 21 yards of warp this time around. That gives me enough for 3 five meter baby wraps. One for my mama client, one for the new testing regulations, and one more sister wrap. My client gets first dibs on the sister, so we'll see whether or not it ends up on the open market or not.

There! The warp is all measured out, and the color changes 'programmed' in.

Next up, I work on getting the warp onto the loom. I'm warping front to back, so my first step is to sley the reed. Or, in other words, I hook the threads through the slotted piece of metal at the front of the loom. That spreads the threads to a nice even width. Also? I learned that sley and slay are from the same Old English root word slea, meaning 'to strike'. I'll use the reed, which used to be called the sley, to beat or strike the weft threads into place in the weaving process. Words are neat.

From there, the threads each get their own heddle, which will control when it raises and lowers in the weaving process. 760 threads, hooked one by one by one...

Once they're all through, the end of the warp gets tied onto the back apron rod of the loom.

There! Through the reed, through the heddles, and tied on. I love this part. This is where I get my first real glimpse to see how well the color blending worked out. I'm rather pleased by this one.

My client chose pretty colors, didn't she?

Today's job will be to wind all 21 yards back onto the back warp beam of the loom, to store it until it is ready to be woven. This is a fiddly bit, because it needs to be under perfectly even tension. More later, after I get that part done. But I'm making progress!

Pirate's Map for Textiles class

So, my last post left us here in the process of making my 3d Pirate's Map for my final project for my Textiles class this semester. I had picked up a gourd, scrubbed the waxy coating off, and iced dyed it for a subtle coloration. So far so good. Next up, I needed to felt around the gourd. Last time I tried this, I carved the gourd open first and then felted around it. But, the gourd got really waterlogged that way, and that makes for a fragile gourd. This time, I decided to do the felting first, to take advantage of the natural water resistant rind. The risk, of course, was that I would crack the gourd in the cleaning process, and waste all my work. But, that is why I bought a spare gourd!

So, I went through my stash of wool roving, and pulled out my blues and greens. I want the felt to represent water, with the top of the gourd sticking up like an island. Ready? Go!

I found a little pail, and turned the gourd upside down. Then I spread out a length of roving and laid it over the gourd. It kind of looks like hair here. I resisted the urge to draw googly eyes on it.

Instead, I kept on adding thin layers of wool roving at right angles to each other, until I had 4 layers built up. Then it was time to add wisps of the colored roving to make it look watery.

I needed to hold the wool down to the gourd so I could get the felting started. So, I cut the legs off of a pair of panty hose, and tied the remaining stubs in a knot. That left me the body part of the hose, which was just the right size to come down and around the woolly gourd. Time to soak it with hot soapy water, and get to rubbing! The fibers will velcro themselves together.

Once the fibers were holding together, I could take off the pantyhose and just work it with my hands. At this point, I cut slits in the wool. With luck, these will pull apart as the wool shrinks down into felt, creating the look of little islands around the main island.

So far so good! The gourd stood up to the hot soapy water. The slits pulled apart into openings. And the wool shrunk and velcroed itself into a nice firm felt, that is holding to the gourd without the need for glue or stitching. Time to let this dry thoroughly before I cut the top off, and clean out the insides. Crossing my fingers that I don't crack the gourd in the process.

Yay! No cracks. I cut the top off, cleaned out the insides, and sanded down the rim. Then, I drilled holes and strung the opening with a web of artificial sinew, so I could needle weave my 'X marks the spot' and compass rose.

I also took a bit of time, and hand spun some wool yarn for the coiling at the rim. I used some of the same turquoise and green roving that I used in the felt, to tie the colors together. But I also added some browns, so the coiling could represent foliage.

My needle weaving is done, and I've started coiling. Round and round I go.

I like it! The red X marks the treasure spot in the cavern, and the blue arm with the white arrow points north. I had a pendant hanging around that makes a great sample treasure coin.

Now, to add some sea foam to mark the shore of my main island. I'm making a branched fringe with glass beads, crystal tear drops, and freshwater pearls. And a cloissone fish, just because.

Done!! I added some seashells to the sea foam shoreline. And then, it was time to make my pathway that makes this actually a pirate's map. You start at the coin with the key, and follow the freshwater pearl pathway from little island to little island, collecting keys. Avoid the little islands with the skull and crossbones. Trust me on that one. When you get to shore, follow the woodburnt dotted line up the beach to the foliage, and then the garnet path will lead you up and around into the cavern. The treasure is almost yours!!

This was a fun project. The assignment was pretty open ended. Just, make a map using some of the techniques that we learned over the course of the semester. I'll turn this in tomorrow, and see what the teacher thinks!

Baby Wrap: color design

I've had a request to weave a baby wrap, so it is time to work on a new project! I had the recipient choose four colors of 10/2 cotton yarn from Webs. (http://www.yarn.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/categoryID/3D03DC12-64EF-4CFA-BA1E-65F9D62C685D/productID/CD455D1D-4394-4515-B549-064F2A93BEA9/) She chose Lizard Green, Mosstone, Nautical Blue, and Burnt Sienna. The yarn got here today.

And now, time to decide on the color order. She'd like the colors to gradually fade one into the other as they go across the warp, with none of the colors repeating. The two sides of the warp will end up different colors, which evidently makes it easier to use the baby wrap without twisting the fabric as you put it on.

So, I took pictures of the cones of yarn in different orders:

Here are the two greens separated, one with the Burnt Sienna on the end, and one with the Nautical Blue on the end.

Here are the two greens separated, appearing on the ends with the other two colors in the middle.

Here are the two greens in the middle of the wrap.

And here are the two greens to one side, one with blue on the other end, and one with burnt sienna on the other end.

Now, the two greens are much closer in tone than I expected, given the picture on the yarn company's web site. So I rummaged around my stash of matching yarn, and came up with a couple of other options to offer.

I have a lighter blue to swap out for one of the greens. There should be enough left on there from the previous project for a good warp stripe.

Another option is a light brown.

And, just to make it interesting, here's what happens if I swap out one of the greens and the nautical blue.

I actually think that last one is my favorite of the bunch, with the colors in just that order.


So, what do you think?

EDIT: Oooh...I had limited myself to 4 colors, for cost purposes. But, I do have these other colors available. So, what do you think about all 6 thrown in there, like this?

Back again after a summer break, and some project brainstorming

Yes, I know. I haven't posted anything here since last May. Good grief, where did the summer go? Well, I was in Texas, and San Diego, CA, and up camping outside of Alpine, AZ, and took several trips to Flagstaff, AZ, and...and... This summer was the last one before both of my kids left for college and I hit the whole 'empty nest' thing. I took the time to pack the summer with family things instead of crafting things. And, I added a new relationship in there as well, so I've been decidedly distracted with the whole New Relationship Energy thing going on. (My life rocks. Seriously.)

But, the kids are off at school now. The semester has started, so my life drawing modeling is kicking back into gear. My loves are busy at their own works and school endeavors. So, this is my obligatory, "I'm back!" post indicating that I intend to get back into the studio and back at the keyboard.

So...what is up next project wise for me?

Time to brainstorm...

I have the materials on hand for another batch of 3 warp painted, hand woven ruanas. This warp will be done in greens, and blue greens.

I still want to weave some cotton dress fabric for myself, for the historical recreation hobby I'm part of. The batch I did for Their Aten Majesties went over very well, and was a good proof of concept with this particular yarn. Now I have a more intricate twill pattern that I want to try, in blue and green yarn.

I need to do a batch or three of hand dyed silk scarves, to re-fill the Etsy shop. I also owe a scarf to a friend of mine, to complete a trade.

I got a Good Deal on some wool blend fabric that will work well for SCA garb. In fact, it was such a good deal that I picked up 40 yards of it, which should be enough to outfit the whole family. I've got some serious sewing ahead of me.

I've still got bunches of sock yarn that needs to be cranked into socks on my antique circular sock knitting machine. The leftover bits of sock yarn then go to my mother, to be knitted into baby caps for charity. (My mother rocks.)

I have a couple of almost done Viking wire woven necklaces, that just need me to fabricate the clasps.
And I've got another necklace already started, in copper craft wire with a black coating. The coating chips off pretty easily, which I'm going to turn into a feature by sanding down the outside of the finished chain. That way the outside will glint copper, and the inside of the weaving will stay black, for a two tone necklace. Should be interesting.

I picked up a batch of silk fan blanks last year, that are calling for some experimentation in silk painting techniques.

I've got an idea for another extended historical recreation project. This time I want to spin a batch of wool singles. In fact, I've already picked up 5 pounds of wool roving for just this purpose. And then, I want to play with the natural dyes that would have been available in Medieval times, and weave a color gamp. In other words, I want to warp the loom with stripes of different colors, and then weave the same colors in stripes going across them to make lots of different colored squares. That would show not only the range of colors available in history, but what those colors looked like when combined into cloth.

I have one more of the already woven ruanas to sew up into a garment. Then, I need to take pictures and get the 5 finished garments up in the Etsy shop. Fall is coming, and folks will be looking for wraps. Also, Christmas is coming and I need to stock the shop.


Huh. I think I have quite enough to get me started!! Now, where to begin?

New Weaving Project: SCA White Scarf

See that? That is how a weaving project starts for me. I got a commission today for a hand woven White Scarf. In some parts of the SCA (the Medieval/Renaissance historical recreation group I'm part of), a white scarf worn on the shoulder or tied onto the arm designates someone who is Very Very Good at rapier fighting. Several of the folks around my Kingdom wear scarves that I've hand woven, but I am about out of my stock. And, the gentleman who contacted me wants one that is longer than the two that I have left.

So, tonight after I got back from my son's final choir concert for the year, I rummaged through my yarn stash and started looking through pattern books for inspiration. I chose two different 10/2 cotton threads, in whites that are just a little bit off from each other. That way the scarf will be pure white, but the pattern will pop just a little bit more than if I wove it all of the same white. Making it of cotton ensures that the scarf will be machine washable. That is an important consideration, since these tend to be worn on the fighting field. Inevitably, they will get dirty. Very dirty in some cases. Sword fighters are not known for being easy on their fighting garb!

I weighed the yarn to see how much I had available, so I knew how many scarves I could make this time around. I did the math, and decided to make three scarves that should be long enough to tie around the arm, and three that are short enough to pin over the shoulder without getting in the way of arm motion. I knew I wanted to do a twill variation of some sort, so I looked up the chart for yarn settings and decided to put 30 warp threads for every inch. Out came the calculator, paper, and pen. I need...hmmm...120 threads, each of them 8 yards long. Wait...since it is a twill pattern, I find it easier to use some floating selvedges on each side. Make that 124 threads. Scribble, scribble, figure.

Then I went rummaging through my books. I like be able to set up the loom once, and make a variety of patterns depending on how I do the treadling. Ideally, each of the six scarves would have a different pattern, without me having to re-do my set-up on the loom. I found what I was looking for in the old standard, "A Handweavers Pattern Book" by Marguerite Davidson. I'll be playing with one of the variations of Rose Path twill (#2), found on page 17. In the picture, it is the second column in from the right.

Ok, I think my initial calculations are done. Tomorrow I start measuring thread!

Modeling, Spinning, and Weaving

This is just a post filled with bits of this and that. First up, I thought I'd show you what I was doing last Thursday. I'm an art model, and that morning I was posing for a portrait drawing class. I had pulled out one of my Medieval costumes, and brought the spinning wheel along with me. Mind you, that style spinning wheel is actually several centuries too late for the style of dress, but the students didn't seem to mind the mismatch. They probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't said anything, actually. But I'm a bit of a fiber geek, so I know the dress is appropriate for the 1300's, and the wheel probably for the 1600's and later.

But the art work turned out neat! Both the photograph and this drawing were done by George Palovich, the teacher at TriPal studios. He mentioned that he might use the pictures and the initial studies as a basis for a later painting. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with.

Speaking of spinning, while I was at Estrella I found what was billed as a 100ish year old Russian supported spindle for sale. I remembered recently seeing this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxY8rPwMjbY&list=FLv-qbOJU3XYu6wnRipxqDDw of a woman from the Himalayas using a similar spindle. Since I tend to collect old fiber tools, I snapped it up. And then I walked across the street from the event and gleaned some cotton out of a straggler plant in the ditch that the farmer had missed in his harvest. I spent an afternoon pulling the seeds out of the cotton by hand, and learning how to use the spindle. I'm starting to get the hang of it. I think I want to pick up some cotton carders though, to make the fibers a little more regular for spinning. But it is fascinating how you can spin right from the cotton boll, right off of the plant!

And finally, I'm starting a project on the loom again. I'm working on enough cotton fabric in a broken diamond twill to make a Medieval style tunic. I'm using the same 10/2 cotton from Webs that I used for my warp painted napkins that I made for Christmas presents. I thought then that the yarn would make lovely dress fabric, so I'm going to give it a try. Currently I'm working on measuring out the warp. At 1020 threads, 14 yards long, 32" wide in the reed, this is going to take awhile. More on this project as I go along.

Winding the Warp, and Photography Class

I've been up to my eyeballs keeping up with my photography class this summer. I've got just two weeks left to go. This week, the assignment is to combine two images. I'll have to do that one on the computers at school, because the directions the teacher gave us don't mesh with the old version of Photoshop Elements that I have at home. So, hopefully I'll have some cool shots to show you on Wednesday.

However, the final project that is due next week is to tell a narrative, in 5 images. I spent several days scratching my head trying to figure out what to do...and then decided that at heart I'm a fiber artist. I'd just do one of my projects, and take pictures as I go along.

So, I'm making a prototype hand painted cotton ruana. I love the idea of making wearable art, but I don't know if I can make a loom woven project fast enough to keep the cost down to what folks might pay. So I'm experimenting. At the least, I'll get a final photography project out of the deal, as well as my own beautiful piece of clothing. And then I'll cost things out at the end of the project, and see what I'd have to charge to sell the result.

So far, I've spent 2 hours and 15 minutes. The 3/2 cotton warp is all measured out. It started on the cones. Then I wrapped it around the warping mill to measure the length I wanted. Each bout on the warping mill has enough threads to end up 3 inches wide on the loom. Then I chained the bouts off, to keep them from tangling up. Here's the first of the 5 pictures for my final project:

Tomorrow I hope to get this pile of white cotton all dyed up into a colorful mess. So....what are your favorite color combinations to wear?

Spinning Wheel Deals and Silk Painting

 

"Pssst.....Hey lady! Wanna buy a wheel??"

I had to laugh yesterday. See, my daughter has her own place up at college these days, and wants to set up her own studio. (Go Michelle!) She's been borrowing my Ashford Traditional spinning wheel and loves it, but I won't let her steal it entirely. (I need that here for when I model for art classes in period costume. My Kromski Sonata is a marvelous wheel, but it doesn't look like what most people think of as a spinning wheel.)

However, she is convinced that I have a Secret Super Power. I can find things. She confidently gave me her budget for a working used wheel (no more than $200), and I hunted around for awhile. I eventually made a contact on Ravelry with a lady who lived not too far away, and who had an Ashford Scholar for sale that was in my daughter's price range. So we set up a parking lot exchange, since the lovely lady with the wheel had a knitting group meeting nearby later that afternoon.

Michelle and I were giggling at the cliche of a shady parking lot deal. (Michelle says that of course it was shady! Have you ever been to Phoenix in the summer? 105F in the sunshine is waaaay too hot.) And then we met up, and Michelle was test driving the wheel before buying, and lo and behold security came driving up to see what these three suspicious looking ladies were doing with a strange contraption in his territory. I tried to explain, but he really was rather bemused. Finally I just said, "It is one of those weird parking lot deals." He shook his head, and asked if I remembered the show "Hogan's Heros". I nodded. He said, "Sgt. Schultz". I laughed and quoted, "I know nothing!" He nodded, shook his head once more, and drove off. I don't know if he ever did figure us out.

But cash exchanged hands, and Michelle is absolutely thrilled with her new spinning equipment.

In other news, I'm experimenting with the silk painting again, in two different ways. First, I have a class coming up this weekend that I'm taking on how to make Medieval style silk heraldic banners. I'm quite looking forward to that one!

Second, I decided to branch out from just making scarves, to making other types of wearable art clothing. I had an idea... If I took two large panels of silk and painted them in the same color scheme, wouldn't it be possible to sew them half way up one side and make a light weight silk ruana? I ordered a couple of larger scarves from Dharma Trading Company, and I'm giving it a try.

I painted the two panels today. The second one is currently drying on the stretcher frame. I'll let them sit for a day or so and then steam them to set the dye. Then they sit another day or so before I can wash them, iron them dry, and sew them up.

I look forward to the sewing part! I really want to try this out, and see if the pattern idea works. In my head, this will be a spectacular piece of wearable art--all colorful and fluttery and soft on the skin. But I'll need to wear it out a time or three to see how well it actually wears. I want it to stay firmly on the shoulders.

So, look for another post on this next week. I can't wait to see if this works or not!

Ear wraps and project planning for ruanas

I've been having fun making more of the ear wraps. I made this one for my daughter, and she loves it. It is just like the one the other day, but instead of making a spiral on both top and bottom, I squiggled the bottom wire down to where she wore her post earrings, and made a loop there for the post to go through. That seems to anchor the ear wrap nicely in place. She says it is not that comfortable to sleep in, but otherwise she forgets she has it on. If I think of it, I'll make a tutorial on how to make these, but there are several good ones scattered around the net already.

In other news, I've been pondering where I want to take my art work next. What really inspires me are pictures of fantastic wearable art pieces. I think perhaps I should head in that direction. I love the nuno felted scarves, and I might try those. I also really enjoy wearing the ruana that I wove awhile ago, and loved the warp painted shawls I did. I'm thinking I ought to combine those two projects, and do a sample warp painted ruana and see how that goes. To that end, I bought some 3/2 white cotton. That should be a nice weight to wear, and should weave up relatively quickly. I bought enough for one ruana, just to try out. Well, I tried to buy it. It is currently on back order.

I'm thinking that two over sized hand painted silk scarves could also make an awesome vest/ruana if I sewed them together halfway up their length for a back seam. I might or might not want to also sew the sides together, to make arm holes and to keep the silk from flying around too much. So I also ordered 4 22"x72" habotai silk scarves from Dharma Trading Company tonight. If I paint two scarves with the same color scheme, it ought to work out well. I think I can see it in my head, but I need to experiment. If it turns out like I envision, I'll want a couple for myself, and then several for the shop to try out and see if they would go. It should be an elegant and whimsical dash of color to wear, particularly as summer wear. And the silk ruanas would be quicker (and so less expensive) to produce than the warmer and heavier hand woven ones.

The ideas are bubbling around my brain. Time to make some pretty things!

Arizona full moon rise into the Belt of Venus

My family and I went hiking in the White Tank Mountains this afternoon/evening. It was a beautiful day for it here in the Phoenix area, and we were coming down off the mountain just after sunset. My sweeties gave me a new telephoto lens for Christmas, and my husband was game enough to lug my tripod along with me. So when I spotted the full moon rising up into the Belt of Venus (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/stargazing/84903812.html), with a saguaro cactus making a classic Arizona desert shot, I had everything I needed to grab the shot. I'm really tickled with it. I couldn't have gotten the clarity with my normal lens. Expect to see more landscape and wild life photography pop up here in the blog over the coming year.

Then tonight I got to looking at one of the shots, and cropped it in like this:

Oooh...I so want to find a way to make this image into a pendant! Maybe I could learn fused glass? Or print it out, and sandwich it between two glass slides? I've seen some neat work done that way. Or.... I must do some research. There has to be a way. Oh! And it would make a spectacular bead tapestry piece! You could light it from behind, and let the moon just glow. I'd have to find several shades of beads to get the color gradation right. And then I could...

Don't you love it when the wheels start to turn?

Triloom weaving with Red Heart Swirl, card weaving, and project planning

I've been weaving in my studio recently, while I'm in between silk painting projects. I've finished one project, started one project, and have another one in the planning stage. Hey, at least one is finished!

This is the finished one: a new shawl on my triangle loom. I'm still hunting for just the perfect yarn to use with this loom. The pegs are kind of far apart, so the yarn needs to be super bulky. The result needs to hold together securely, drape beautifully, and be super soft against bare skin. This attempt used Red Heart Boutique 'Swirl' yarn, which is a mix of polyester, acrylic, wool, and alpaca. It certainly passes the skin test! And it drapes wonderfully. But I think it is a hair too thin to be really structurally sound. I'll need to wear it for awhile to see how it works.

I'm thinking the way to go with the yarn hunt might be to use a double thickness of yarn, instead of trying to find a really thick chunky yarn. That would give me more of an opportunity for color blending, too. The materials would cost more, since I'm using twice as much, which is why I haven't really experimented with this yet. But I think I'll try it out for the next shawl.

After I got the tri-loom put back away, I dug out my inkle loom and got it warped up for card weaving. I clamp it to the cone holder my husband made me, which makes warping much easier. In fact I just leave the loom on there for the weaving part too. It puts it at a nice height when I'm sitting here in my computer chair.

This project will be a belt, inspired by the colors in the heraldry of my local SCA group. I'm doing a card weaving pattern that relies on having two light and two dark threads in each card. I paired the white and the yellow threads for the 'light', and the blue and the purple threads for the 'dark'. They are close enough in value that the eye visually blends them at a distance, and you just see the contrast. I used the red for the border. The store didn't have 4 balls of the same shade of red, so I got two light and two dark. I set it up so the pattern subtly continues on into the border. I think I like that effect!

I'm finding I really prefer card weaving to inkle weaving. The pattern opportunities are very flexible, the resulting fabric is much sturdier, and it is easier to get a clean even selvedge.

The project that is in the planning stage was inspired by this post, by Susan of 'Thrums': http://weeverwoman.blogspot.com/2011/07/between-two-pages.html . She is a most inspiring weaver, and a very gracious lady. She was weaving book marks in very fine linen and cotton. I was particularly caught by the results of the 'tromp as writ' pattern half way down the entry. Is that not spectacular? I realized that my dobby loom had the capability to weave that pattern, and asked if she minded if I took inspiration from her work. Not only did she not mind, she sent me the pattern draft. Did I mention that she is very gracious? Lovely lady.

I can see this pattern slightly larger, made up in yardage to be turned into a Medieval tunic. I wove yardage recently in my hand spun wool yarn, and sewed it up into a super warm winter tunic. But I wanted something for summer wear too, seeing as I live in Arizona. So I went ahead and ordered dark blue and green yarn in 10/2 mercerized cotton from Webs. I'm eagerly waiting for it to get in!

If I have time in and among other (paying) projects, I'd like to get that worked up in the next few months. I've also got some sewing that I want to get done, and there is a possibility of a large scale scarf order in the works.

I do love staying busy here in the studio!

Silk Scarves, Etsy, and planning the next project.

There! All of the hand painted silk scarves I've been working on recently have been made, photographed, listed (http://tangibledaydreams.etsy.com), and packaged away until they can find good homes to go to. In the process, I finally stocked the Etsy shop with over 100 hand made items. Go me! I read early on that 100 items is supposed to be some sort of 'magic number', where you start showing up better in the search engines and such. Supposedly, sales tend to pick up once you reach that milestone. So I set that as a goal for myself quite awhile ago, and have finally reached it. Imagine me doing the Artist's Happy Dance over here. The sales would be nice, but what is really cool is to finally reach the goal. That was a lot of work!

So, now the scarf project is done for awhile. What is next? Hmmm...

I have a half a dozen silk tie blanks, and a new type of silk dye to experiment with. This one is heat set instead of steam set, because the ties are dry clean only.

I have a new type of yarn to try on my triangle loom. I'm still searching for just the perfect blend of thickness, softness, and affordability for shawl yarn. Maybe this time I've got it?

I've got a stash of sock yarn that needs to be cranked up on the antique sock knitting machine.

I'm thinking of weaving up some cotton napkin sets. I want to wind the warp chains, then do some space dyeing like I did for the shawls awhile back. (A few of the shawls are left, so you can peek at one of them here to see the effect I'm thinking of: http://www.etsy.com/listing/26536037/lantana-blossom-hand-dyed-and-woven)

I've got a couple of Viking wire woven necklaces part way done. Two of them need clasps, and one is still in the weaving stage.

I've got a whole shed full of gourds, and have already bought accent pieces and waxed linen for the teneriffe weaving.

There is a stash of soft, cuddly wool roving waiting for me to spin it into something useful.

I've been thinking of making another felt rug. I made one for the Estrella arts competition a few years back, and have it on the floor of my studio. The dogs and cats consistently jockey for sprawling room on it.

So...what should I start next??

Poetry: Creative Process

This is really my favorite part of the whole thing...



Creative Process

An idea sparks
and whirls round and around in my head.
Cool! I wonder if...
Examine it. Poke at it.
Drag out the books and do the research.
Nope, that won't work.
But, maybe if I...
Pull it and stretch it
and read some more
until rough outlines take mind form.
Hmmm...that might do.
Dig for pencil and paper. Sketch.
Fiddle with color,
proportion, swapping out elements
until the image feels solid.
Oh! I see it! Yes.
Now, make calculations
and hammer out details.
Ok. First this, and this, and then I...

Time for the alchemy
of thought stream into matter.
The best of the work
is done, and only the action
remains.


Melissa McCollum
11/05/06

Planning colors for a triloom shawl, in Lion Brand Homespun yarn

I was sitting and talking with my sweeties last night, taking some time to actually come out of my studio and interact with real people. Yes, I'm starting to come out of my Estrella induced hibernation. Anyway, I kept my hands busy by balling up the yarn for my next couple of shawls. I prefer to wind the skeins into balls for a couple of reasons. First, I clear up any of the dreaded yarn barf tangles before I have to deal with them while I'm weaving. And second, I find any knots or weak spots in the yarn before they find their way into my shawls. I'm using Lion Brand 'Homespun' yarn for these wraps, and that particular yarn is bad for having bad spots in occasional skeins.

Anyway, I laid out the color combinations this afternoon, in preparation for weaving. I had chosen one shawl in 3 shades of blue, and one in purple and white. Very safe, monochrome color combinations.



But, you ever have one of those times when the project shifts on you? Looking at the yarn, the dark blue and the white just wanted to swap places, like so:



That gave the blue shawl a lighter feel, with the light blue and the cream mixing nicely together. It looks of like the tops of the ocean waves down on the beach in Mexico. And the purple shawl gets a shot of the darker blue, moving it into an analagous color way instead of a monochrome one.

I put the balls back where they started...switched them again...mixed them totally up...and decided on the ocean waves and the blue/purple mix.



Here's the blue/purple heading onto the loom. Yup. That looks pretty good! (But I still want to do the purple and white one sometime!)