Just Checking In

What do you say when there's not that much to say?

I've been doing paper work.  Annual return for company's office, stuff like that.

I wove away and finished 7 metres of shibori fabric, cut it off the loom and am now slowly fixing the tiny (really tiny) knots in the cotton thread that I missed when winding the warp.  It would have been much easier to cut them out at the start.  To be able to see the knots I wear some very strong reading glasses and an embroidery magnifying glass.  At 30 ends per inch its tricky.  Then I have to pull the resist threads; I've never dealt with more than 2 metres before so it will be interesting.

I did go out one day with a group of ladies to a local spinning group get together.  They meet twice a month in each others houses and natter, knit or spin.  I took some knitting and had a pleasant day but do think I'd be better finding a weaving group to share with.

Next week forms are due in for the Creative Fibre Festival exhibition so they need filling in and posting off which meant finishing off and blocking a project or two which I can't show till after selection.

First weekend in March is the annual seminar of Professional Weavers Network in Silverstream with guest speaker/tutor being Maryann Stamford from Australia so that will be a full on interesting weekend - after I get past my duties as Secretary/Treasurer and hopefully someone will step forward to be the new Convener.

Oh and on one of the two very hot sunny days we had (after the last moan) I had a swim in the breakers; not a pretty picture but refreshing and fun.

Back to the knots ...

Red and blue

I know I've complained about the weather a lot recently but ...

Todays headline in the NZ Herald:  Summer drizzles to a dull, muggy end.  

Followed by:

Technically, two weeks are left of summer - but it won't feel like it with thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain predicted.

Over the next few days, much of the country can expect showers, a risk of flash floods in some areas and muggy heat, forecasters say.

And I wonder why I'm not inspired to create.  We can accept this in winter but summer usually makes up for it.  Not this year.

Over the last wee while I've spent a lot of time putting together an exhibition piece but in the end had to admit defeat and admit it wasn't working and withdraw from the exhibition.  To compensate for the disappointment I put an 8 metre warp on the 8 shaft loom and have been weaving away at a length of shibori fabric to replicate this.  

 While at the market at Whangamata over Anniversary weekend I bought some alpaca sliver; seduced by the deep ruby red colour I was.  It felt silky.  I showed it to alpaca owners who thought it was fine.  I bought not one, but two bags.  What can I say, I was completely seduced.  I got home and started spinning.  Thought .. hmmm!  Then ends started popping out.  Blunt cut ends.  Scratchy ends.  Guard hair.  But the colour.  I kept spinning.  I now have one 100gm (scratchy) skein of a glorious ruby red and another 100gm bag of alpaca sliver.  Slippers anyone?

 Red seems to be the order of the day at present.  I finally made something moderately successfully.  This cowl is in Vogue Knitting Fall 2011 except I did it in cotton as my daughter is allergic to wool meaning I had to rejig the pattern which hasn't been a very successful operation lately so I was rather nervous.  Hope it wards off the effects of air conditioning.

Since our summer has been a complete washout I've started thinking about cloths for winter.  For the last five years I've been saying replace those grotty jumpers.  I start things then give up, partly, I think, because of the difference in how I see myself and the reality of how it is.  My friend and I had a good laugh recently when looking through a clothing catalogue and I said my problem was I thought I could wear (insert tall, skinny model and closely fitted garments) when in reality I should be looking in this section of the mag (insert short, voluptuous model in loose baggy garments).

So I tipped out all those blue/green fancy textured yarns on the studio floor and wondered what I could do with them.  As you see a garment has been started and discarded.  Well I have another idea which may or may not work.  Watch this space.