Tea towel warp

Playing with different tie ups and treadlings while testing the "fixed" loom.

The threading is the same as for the banner and winning alpaca shawl and has a warp of alternate threads of cotton and linen.

I probably should have ironed the fold creases but ....

First tie up included 1-3, 3-1 twill and tabby.

No 2 woven as an echo weave.  This towel has a ramie weft and is probably not as absorbent as cotton or linen.

Woven as 4 colour double weave.  Showing a bit much pink as you can see by the 'white' background.

and the reverse side.

These were fun to play with so may do more for the Cargo Shed after 50 metres of scarf material.  I better get working.

Zoe's vest

   

Zoe's vest hand knit in Naturally 8 ply Loyal machine wash wool.  4mm needles.

It looks disproportionately long but I swear she's grown 6 inches in the last month.

Don't know how as she eats like a sparrow, unless its chocolate eggs.

Or rabbits.  Her mum said just eat the ears and head then we'll put them away.

Little 'not yet two' Zoe immediately starts on the tummy leaving the head for

argument discussion later.



Fibre, Fashion and Fun

Last weekend 200 fun loving fibre-istras descended on Rotorua for four days of fibre, fashion and fun at the Creative Fibre Festival 2015.

There was yarn bombing

 and knitting on the most ginormous needles ever.

I mentioned weaving a banner some time back.  Three banners hung in the central foyer, one (on the left) in a cobweb technique of semifelt and threads, one nuno felted and the one I wove in 4 colour double weave.  The railing at the base of this photo is on the first floor so you can imagine how high they were looking from ground floor.

I taught 3 3hour workshops on knitting, actually more specifically Using Our Unique Designer Yarns, whether handspun or commercially bought.  One lady whispered to me afterwards that it was the best knitting workshop she'd been too and another lady stopped me in the street while I was walking back to my motel and said folks were raving about my workshop and she was sorry she hadn't taken it.  Guess I did something right.  Was so busy teaching I missed the workshop on how to be a teacher!

The Festival started with the Opening followed by the presentation of the Exhibition awards.  Just as an aside, I was at the selection dinner, I was rooming with one of the selectors and was sitting beside her in the hall.  I had no inkling that

"Paua" won the Alpaca Association of New Zealand Award for the entry that best illustrates the lightness and fineness of alpaca fibre.

Beading at the centre

and at the edge.

(Awful photo, me bad) showing how it was hung in the exhibition.

I also entered "Clouds" a cotton scarf

and "Chromatic Reflections" hand dyed merino.

Probably the highlight of the Festival was the Annual Dinner combined with the Runway Show on Saturday night at the Blue Baths, an amazing venue.  I had two entries in the show, (these are photos of photos in the catalogue so not the best)

"Contrast" in Special Occasion section.  I couldn't see from where I was seated but am told the black side stripe looked like a snake twisting as the model walked.

I don't really expect you to remember back here, September 2013 when I wove this fabric.  Its what I was working on when I ripped my leg open last year.

Well ... "Sapphire" won the Auckland Area Award for an entry using mill spun yarns with an emphasis on artistic content and design.

And friend, Rene, took out the Creative Fibre Award for the most outstanding Fashion creation.

Altogether a wonderful four day party weekend.

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, just out of Blenheim, features Sir Peter Jackson's own collection of World War I aircraft and artifacts.  Scenes depict the aircraft in context created by WingNut Films and Weta workshop.  

There is an area of rare memorabilia on display including many uniforms from both sides of the conflict and personal stories of the people who wore them.

On display was a wall of Poppies. 

These mark the 100 years anniversary of the Gallipoli landing.

A group of crafters from NZ and Australia got together to create poppies in remembrance of the lives lost at Gallipoli  and the other battles of WWI.

The three panels hold 2,500 poppies plus each panel has one purple poppy to remember the animals, mainly horses, that served.  Many display personal messages.

 Also on display are a large number of silk postcards related to aviation.  Pilots and soldiers would buy these and send home to relatives.

Also had  many posters on display, below are a couple related to the female side of the war.

Women were given credit driving ambulances in the war zone.

The entire museum presents a very balanced display and I enjoyed it a lot more than I had thought I would.