Rayon Chenille and other fibers Scarf/Shawl Capelets

Scarf/Shawl Capelets

Sometimes serendipitous mistakes become creative opportunities and are quite fun.  This is something I think worked rather well.  Beginning with a warp of different yarns just to try it...the one felted with the wool and gathered it all together.  Now the challenge is to do it again!  The scarves behind it have a little of the shrinkage and "ruffle" but not nearly as much as this one!

The latest developments with Scarf/Shawl Capelets

One the loom in rust

This turns into this!!!

autumn capelet in green collar detail

purple capelet

purple capelet fabric detail

  

Chenille Scarves

This scarf is a rayon chenille warp and a rayon/cotton novelty yarn for weft.  Feels really nice too.

Rayon Chenille with bamboo weft

Rayon chenille with tencel weft

A Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, Ohio

I began being a vendor at A Wool Gathering when I lived in Indiana.   I like to stay with the smaller venues as they are more accommodating to the vendors and the participants. This festival has grown, but still has the "small" feel, differing from some of the large venues like Convergence. 

A Wool Gathering has a lovely selection of fiber for spinning and felting, yarns for knitting and other needlecrafts, as well as fine art and crafts...so a bit of something for everyone.  A Wool Gathering has a friendly feeling between the vendors and the participants which I like.  

I don't do many festivals and this is one I've decided to included as we visit family twice a year to see our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren and this festival just happens to be at the same time of year as one of their birthdays!  So, I bring my little trailer of handpainted fiber and yarns, handspun/handpainted yarns, as well as organic cotton yarn for weaving and knitting (and spinning fiber), and handmade items such as brass drop spindles and fringe twisters (made by my husband) and pottery and buttons (made by our daughter).  When I first started this business it was all colorgrown organic cotton,  I now have a booth full of color.

Here are some photos from this year's booth

ElmTree Pottery

Woven Organic Cotton items

Bamboo Yarn

Silk Yarn

Handmade Brass Spindles

A view of the yarn

Headband made with stretchy handspun yarn

Weaver's Cottage in September

The Weaver's Cottage in September is quite lovely.  It's been fun working outside.  I'm getting ready to weave scarves on the little loom that is waiting on the porch.  But first it's time to get ready for our trip to Indiana.

News from the Mimbres

I've been so busy this summer there hasn't been time to post anything!  Here are a few pictures of what's been going on in the studio.

This is some handspun yarn...now off the bobbin and hanging to dry. I'd purchased the merino/silk fiber from Red Fish....just lovely to spin and great colors.

I liked how this picture came out soft and muted.  It is a fingering weight silk yarn that I've dyed in the desert jewels.

Just showing lots of new colors in fingering weight wools...mostly superwash merino and blue face Leicester.  Several are 3ply so great for socks

Lots of new silk colors and different sizes from 30/2 on up to bulky weight.

This last batch of carded sari silk fiber was exquisite.  I quickly sold out of the blended mix and have a new batch coming.  I think it will be just as lovely.  These are custom dyed for the bright colors.

This electric winder has come in so handy.  I purchased it from Kathy at Unique Designs by Kathy and I use it all the time.  It's been great fun to be able to work in the shade of my studio out in the fresh air.  I've got a loom and sometimes spinning wheel out on the patio!  I'm getting ready to warp out doors on the warping board hanging for ease of winding. Time to make scarves and towels for fall festivals!  One more festival to travel to...A Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, Ohio...then a couple more close to home.  I'm so looking forward to December it's been such a big year!

Studio dye garden

The studio porch is up...not quite finished and not cleaned up!!!  Yikes and I'm trying to get things ready to pack for IWC in Durango Colorado next week!

Hollyhocks for dying?  I have black hollyhock babies for next year and and Hopi Red Amaranth

Gourd plants are thriving

Loom on the porch is beamed...now to thread. Workbench in the process of assembly

My friends idea of a swinging warping board!!!  Oh the mess is showing!

The electric winder has been soooo helpful!

vinegaroons are coming out from under the rocks!

Silk Cord

I've had some fun dyeing silk cord.  I definitely think this is a nice addition to my collections and future work.  This is for a custom dye job, neutrals and then played with bright colors. I tried some variegated dyes too.  The differences are the colors used, but also Procion Fiber Reactive and Acid dyes. The fiber reactive dyes are definitely softer colors.

Our 40th year together...celebrating on the solstice.

40 years...can't believe we are so grey!

New Studio Porch and Green Cotton Plants

When we put up the studio the plan was to have a porch out front.  This is being build and looking good.  I can't wait to bring my loom and spinning wheel outside!  We also keep trying to make garden on the mountain....it's not the most rewarding adventure.  But we have cotton seed growing!  This is green cotton see from Phreadie Davis in Albuquerque.  It's the long green staple I like spinning best.

Well...we know it's strong!  He's cutting back the tree limbs

Lichen Dyeing

At the Noggles home in Indiana, Sarah and I scraped lichen off the oat trees and I've let them soak in an ammonia bath for several weeks to get the color to leach out of them.  The ball of yarn is much darker and brighter in person.  I'll wait another month or more before dyeing some yarn.