The Fiber Fest of New England is coming!

Border Leicester Cross Roving

And I need to apply myself diligently in preparing for it.  Please consider coming; more information about the event can be found here.  My booth is #255-W.  Here's how to locate it easily: after entering the Mallory building through the front door and proceeding straight to the larger space in that building, you will be walking along the widest, central aisle.  The Food Court will be immediately to your right.  My booth is along the third aisle to your right after going by the Food Court; it is a corner booth, the fifth one in from the center aisle.

This is will be my largest venue so far and I'm giving lots of thought to what I'll bring and how I'll display it.  Although there's plenty to do between now and 6 November, I can't wait!

The photo above is a new roving that I'll have at The Fiber Fest of New England.  I had actually dyed the colorway way back in May but hadn't gotten around to combining my colors.  It's another example of my Mary Alice series: four coordinating strands in each bundle.  The spinner may choose to blend them all together during the spinning process, or they may be spun separately or combined in any way the spinner chooses.  I like choices.

This roving will be sold in four ounce bundles with a total of two pounds available.  If you like it and are coming to the event, plan to stop by early if you want enough for a sweater.  I do have quite a bit of the muted brass hue left over and I'll have that available too.


Time for more photos of my Pygora goats!

Here are my three little girls: Tina, Tulip, and Lilly from left to right, anxiously awaiting their daily treat of cracked corn.  I am so fond of these goats, so glad I took a chance and added a new species here.

Tulip and Lilly diving into the corn.  Tina, the smallest, is a little shy and usually positions herself behind the other two.  Please note the yardstick behind Tulip; this gives you some idea of their size.

Here's Tina!

Sushi Checkers

I worked on this project for more than two years; however, all but the last two months or so was worked out in my mind and in my sketchbook.  The goal was to create a checkerboard  and checkers that would be attractive as a wall hanging but could be easily disassembled for a game of checkers.

The material used is roving, yarn and pre felts from my own flock, hand-dyed.  There is a piece of fabric interfacing between the weaving and the background to give the piece a more board-like feel.  The work includes weaving of the strips to create the checkerboard, embroidery, and needle felting.  They don't show up well in the photo, but bright poison-green beads are placed regularly to add contrast in texture, hue and value.

Many decisions were made as I worked, including the idea to hang the checkerboard from a corner and how the checkers would be incorporated into the hanging.  I tried several designs for the checkers and found that needle-felting was most effective.

This piece was entered in the Creative Arts exhibit (mixed media) at the Eastern States Exposition where it was awarded with an Honorable Mention.  Lots of fun to make but I was glad to be able to move on to other things when it was complete.  And a weight was lifted when I was able to get the concept out of my head and into material existence!

But I Digress...

Lockerhooking with Pre-Felt Strips

 

When it comes to getting Off Topic, there are lots of directions that I could wander. My original intent was to share information and photos of my farm, my animals, and the fiber they give me as well as providing a platform for the reader to purchase Sojourner Design products. I’m dragging my feet terribly on that last one!

I have to admit that when visiting the numerous (298 as of today) blogs to which I subscribe, I scan right past the travel accounts, the family photos and the photos of kitty cats in the studio. That’s just my way of making the best use of my online time, and I’d like to respect my readers’ time by keeping that sort of stuff separate.

I also like it when bloggers share music, but I prefer to have the option of choosing whether to listen.

So here’s my plan: If I just can’t help myself and must go Off Topic, I will do so at the end of each post. I will place any Off Topic stuff against a different background and label it so that it’s easy to spot and read or ignore.

But I Digress...I’ll also be starting a second blog soon in which I document my activities with fiber that is not of animal origin. More on that later!