Work station

Not a bad place for a work station after what seems like a week of rain.

Winding mohair into balls ready for blanket wefts.

Note the twill pattern on the chair.

Visit and then Workshop with Stacey Harvey-Brown

Just before travelling to Auckland for the workshop "Dimensional Weaving" with Stacey Harvey-Brown  I had a visit from a fellow blogger and weaver, Lynette, and her husband Michael, of Dust Bunnies Under My Loom  who were travelling in NZ.   As the day approached for the visit I was wondering Oh what if this is a mistake but I needn't have worried (apart from the very untidy state of the studio).  When weavers get together what do they do - talk and show and tell and study equipment.  About three hours zipped by and I realised it was too late to offer a cup of refreshment as they had to be on their way.  That is just not the kiwi way!  It was a very enjoyable afternoon Lynette and hope the rest of your holiday went well.

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Then the brain did a somersault and focused on the upcoming workshop with Stacey Harvey-Brown, Dimensional Weaving.  As you can see from the photos there is lots of texture.

4 shaft stitched double cloth
Warp 16/2 cotton/linen mix with panels of wool
Weft 16/2 cotton/linen mix and over twist fine wool (from Anne Field)
The sample didn't show much texture until I felted the wool.

8 shaft sdc
warp and weft silk and wool

Cats trail overshot
Warp cotton
Weft cotton and elasticated wool
Again there wasn't enough elastication to create texture and had to felt the wool

8 shaft overshot
Warp cotton
Weft cotton and wool

Same as above but different treadling

Lots of ideas there to mull over.

Stacey is writing a book about this so keep an eye out for it.

Blankets galore

Blankets, blankets, blankets ....

 This one will be in Inspirit Gallery next week.

 Tui blankets have gone to a good home.

 Indigo blue blankets are waiting for a loving home at Pauanesia.

 Indigo blanket.

 Next up more blues and greens and then

bright reds.

I have spent the last week with my head in the dye bath.  I've reached the age where I can't switch back and forth so easily so decided to prepare the yarn for the last run of blue blankets before settling in to red shades.  Its 8.30pm and the last batch of mohair weft is cooling in the pot.  Tomorrow its tie on and weave.

Earlier today I made a list of all the projects I have started, on order, have to do or would like to do, such as work for exhibitions.  I think I'm up to 28 projects.  I stopped counting because I was so horrified.

Inspirit gallery facebook

www.facebook.com/InspiritGallery?hc_location=timeline

I hope the above link takes you to a picture of a lovely lady snuggling in one of my blankets.  (Guess what I've been weaving lately.)  Look for 2 April 2014 on timeline.

Green scarf

 I guess its appropriate to be showing a green scarf on the week of St Patrick's day.  Monday would have been my Uncle Pat's 94th birthday.

 

I'm looking for ways to use up novelty/art yarns.  This is woven tabby, or plain weave, with 3 threads of TEX 110/2 between each fancy thread - ribbon, velveteen, silk, even some handspun.  The weft is a lovely soft merino, possum, silk in black.

(Now for sale at The Cargo Shed, Tauranga.)

Annis wrap

While travelling in Italy last year, mostly by train, I had some knitting with me.  I had done the lace and beads to replace the nupps in Annis, a free pattern from Ravelry, before leaving home.  The thread is some very fine handspun merino plied with even finer commercial cashmere.  The whole wrap took about 20gms leaving me with, oh, I don't know, maybe enough for 4 more wraps!  It looked so awful and small when I finished I threw it in a corner and forgot about it.  At Majacraft Camp I was admiring a friends wrap and she suggested I should start with Annis.  After sharing the story she encouraged me to block and I'm so pleased she did.  Its like warm nothingness around the neck.
Edit:  I did change the pattern slightly by adding garter stitch areas to the lace edge and working the crescent in garter stitch.

Unblocked

 

Unblocked



Blocking

Finito

Seminar at Coopers Beach

Well I have to say Seminar at Coopers Beach was a really really fun few days.  So wonderful to be with a group of fibre junkies who just want to talk weaving.  It was amazing to attend the opening of Agnes and Stacey's awesome exhibition "Nature in the Making" and I do hope anyone who has the opportunity to see it does.  Lots more photos on their facebook page (but so much better to see it in reality).

Entrance to Nature in the Making, Earth House, Peria

We had an excellent presentation and discussion about our next exhibition and though I'd seen most of the presentation about 6 months ago I'm still excited by the concept and looking forward to some design work.  Stacey gave two talks and Ian Spalding and Yvonne Sloan entertained us one evening with their journey from learning to weave to making a full time living from it.

Food was pretty good but some of my friends will understand the irony of my husband waiting at my pick up stop with a vegetarian CURRY pie.  I smiled and ate up not mentioning that it was my fifth curry meal in three days!!

I came home to two blankets ready for labelling, two ready for tasselling and two ready to go on the loom so guess what I'm working on?