Shawls and Bags

My posts are still lagging behind the weaving that I'm doing.  Actually that's not such a bad thing.  In fact it's far better than  blogging more and weaving less!

Dorset loom on left and Baby Wolf loom on right

 
In this somewhat odd photo there's a new project on my little Dorset loom.  Right next to it is my Baby Wolf.  I took this photo because without giving it too much thought I positioned the Dorset within spitting distance because I find the new Wolf Trap so useful.  For anyone not familiar with this piece of equipment, it is the little hammock-like shelf attached to the breast beam of the Baby Wolf.  In this photo it's holding several items that I'm using on the neighboring loom!  I particularly like how much easier weaving with two or more shuttles is with the Wolf Trap in place.

Prayer Shawl yarns

I think I mentioned one or two posts ago that I'd be including items here that I weave with fibers other than wool.  Here's one.  I am a member of what is called the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of prayer shawls, you will find more information here.  One requirement of prayer shawls is that they be machine washable and dry-able.  This eliminates the use of many beautiful fibers.  The need to keep material costs down (I'm already donating an awful lot of my time!) eliminates purchasing lovely wash and dry yarns.  I try to make do with donated yarn and those bought at thrift shops etc.  Lots of acrylic.

Prayer Shawl; fringe not yet trimmed

This one starts with a warp of pale green Softball Cotton.  For the weft I tried two acrylics: a marly green Lion Brand Homespun, a yarn that is used by many knitters and crocheters.  It's actually difficult to knit and crochet with: terrible to frog.  It's great for weaving!  The second yarn, chosen for value contrast, is Moda Dea Metro.  I'd like to do another one in other colors soon because I think this one worked out nicely.  Next time I'll reduce the EPI from 10 to 8 to create a more drape-y effect.

Meadow Muffins yarn

Presently I have a warp of my Meadow Muffins sock yarn on the loom in variegated yellow-orange-pink.  I'm weaving a series of little drawstring bags based on one that I saw in Fabrics That Go Bump.  the weft is the same as the warp with strategic shots of novelty yarn or hand-spun to create a honeycomb effect.  Love these colors!

Boot Toppers With Meadow Muffins Yarn

I'm not much of a knitter.  I knit far too slowly and make many mistakes.  Worst of all, activities that require my fingers to act as levers repeatedly cause much discomfort.  I need to preserve my hands for the necessary activities so needle knitting is out.

I like to wear footless tights or leggings over fairly thin socks.  The thin socks fit well in my shoes and are easily-replaced when they wear out. The leggings are so cozy with a dress or skirt.  But something nice and bulky and hand-knit was needed between the socks and the leggings.  Here's what I came up with:

Boot Topper on Knifty Knitter Loom with Meadow Muffins yarn

This is my first go-round with using a round knitting loom.  I used a blue (24 pegs) and worked with three strands of Meadow Muffins yarn, working stripes of approximately one inch.  No fancy stitch work... I just followed the directions that came with the knitting loom.

Boot Toppers on Knifty Knitter Loom: Close-up

 

 

 

Here's a close-up of the work.  It shows that each stripe was actually made up of three closely-related colors.  I used eight stripe colors, repeating once.  Each boot topper used two ounces.

Boot Toppers from Meadow Muffins yarn

 I really enjoyed using a circular knitting loom and plan to make more Boot Toppers.  Next: I'll try working with two strands, one a constant color and the other will change as I knit.  I will also use a different, more elastic method for binding off as using the bind-off directions that came with the loom resulted in a lower opening that I could just barely get my foot through.

The Lucet: A New Favorite Tool

Lucet and braid created with Meadow Muffins light sport yarn

A lucet is a very old fiber tool that has been used for a thousand years to create braids for closures (remember: no zippers, no snaps, no hooks and eyes, no Velcro when the lucet was first used).  I'd been aware of it and it was on my list of things to try until my good friend Victoria taught me how to use one.  I'd tried to follow the written and video instructions on the web but really needed a live demo to learn it.  Then I was off and running!

The first lucet purchase was a failure: too small, too narrow, the surface was too rough, and the hole through which the braid passes was way too small.  My second lucet from Lynn the Weaver is just a joy.  Created from rosewood, it feels smooth and wonderful in my hand and is beautiful to look at.  Lynn answered my questions and shipped the lucet promptly; her prices are very reasonable.  She has other models as well as tutorials on her site.

A lucet and a small ball of yarn take up very little space so are quite portable.  The technique is easy and the process is the sort of activity that can be pulled out at any time to work unobtrusively.  Perfect for those times when all one can do is wait patiently.

Lucet braid and Meadow Muffins light sport yarn

Both  photos are of two strands of my Meadow Mufifins light sport yarn worked together.  I'm looking forward to moving on to combinations of various types of fibers.

There's a very quiet Yahoo list on the subject as well as a less quiet group on Ravelry.  It's worth a try!

Socks from Sojourner Design Yarn

My local customer who enjoys knitting with Meadow Muffins yarn has been at it again!  This time she used a more subtle combination of hues.  Just in case you haven't seen them, here's the shot of her first pair of socks with this yarn.

I'm hoping to see more work from this gal!  Also, notice the backgrounds.  The first socks were finished early last summer and laid out on lovely green grass.  The new socks ... done in December and resting on pristine Northampton snow.

Speaking of snow, here's a view of my sheep pressing in around the winter haylage feeder this morning as the snow was falling.

I've refreshed the Home Page of my website with a couple of photos taken this morning.  In fact, you'll find a number of changes and additions (such as the Prefelt page) there.  Here's one of the photos I added to that page:

I've added a few listings for carded wool to my Zibbet Shop... now I just need to figure out how to make all those Meadow Muffin hues available online!

Socks! ... and prefelt.

Aren't they just beautiful?  I love what she did with the heels.  The local knitter who is kind enough to share photos of her items knitted with my Muffins has done it again!  And again I offer to put you in touch with her if you'd like more information about how she did it.  Except this time I think it would work out best if you send me your e-mail address directly instead of through a comment.  Contact me here.  But feel free to post a comment on the blog too; comments create the energy that fuels blogging activity!

Same knitter, another splendid treat:

Her next project using my Muffins: mittens!  Can't wait to see them!

About felt, and my Nearly Felt.  Since I posted my last entry which included some comments about what defines felt, my words have not set well with me.  I still believe that the definition of felt ought to be more inclusive... but there's no reason to be snarky about it.  I have edited that entry.

And I'm changing the name of this product.  On a recent foray to New England Felting Supply to buy felting needles I noticed that they now stock sheets of needle-felted wool prepared using the same method as my own.  They are hand-dyed and beautiful, softer to the touch than my own.  And they are called prefelt.  I think that if Chris White, the charming and talented owner of New England Felting Supply and author of the title, Uniquely Felt, calls them prefelt, then I will too.  There, that's settled.

I plan to add a few pages here with information about what's available for sale, relying less and less on the web site.  Right now I'm rather focused on spending what free time I have on the construction of an item that will be entered in the Needlework, Mixed Media category at the Creative Arts show at the Eastern States Exposition in September.  I won't post a photo here until it's on display at the Big E, but I'll share that it involves felt weaving, needlefelting, and embroidery.

Yarn, Felt, Nearly-Felt...

Today I pulled together my contribution to the Silent Auction that will be held at the Taste the View event.  This is a spectacular fundraiser held each year by CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture).  Well known in this area by the phrase, Local Hero, CISA helps farmers get their produce to customers and helps customers find local food.  I no longer produce and sell lamb but I still participate as a Local Hero because I produce local fiber.

Anyway... my contribution is a gift basket of some of one-ounce "muffins" of my sock yarn for the knitter that enjoys color work.  I stitched the basket together from some of my "Nearly Felt."

I'm sometimes asked why I call it "Nearly Felt".  My processor needlefelts large sheets of wool for me; these sheets are not as strong and solidly-fulled as the wonderful felt that some of the talented felt artists produce.  Rather, it's sort of a thick, cushion-y sheet of felted wool.  I would not use it for any object that requires strength; if used to make clothing it needs reinforcement.  But it's a pleasure to embroider with wool yarn;  I love the texture that is created by stitching into it.  To stay on the good side of the serious, talented felters whose definition of felt is not as inclusive as my own, I call it Nearly Felt.  But... I believe that it is still felt.  Cheesecloth and canvas are both woven cloth; they are very different and would not substitute for one another, but they're still both woven cloth.  Stepping down carefully..

In preparation for the fall fairs I'm working on a collection of fridge magnets. 

And finally, Bud has new work.  He still does "sheep work" with relish (often more relish than skill, but the job gets done).  But now twice each month he does "gentle work": he visits Hospice patients at a local home.

Exquisite!

I am now offering one ounce "muffins" of my yarn in many many hues, with the hope that they will provide the fiber for my customers to create fabulous colorwork. A local knitter bought a half dozen or so muffins at the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Fair in Cummington Memorial Day weekend.

She's been knitting up some glorious socks and wanted to stop by my studio to see what other colors I can provide. We conversed about knitting and fiber while I wound off several muffins. She went away with a bagful and I came away inspired to spend the rest of the afternoon winding off more. I am so pleased to see this yarn being used so brilliantly!

She's wondering what she'll do once she's past the cuffs; I said, how about stripes? At any rate, if anyone wants to know more about her socks please send an e-mail to me at sojornerdesign@gmail.com and leave a comment to share your feedback.

I took a big step this afternoon: I mailed in my vendor application for the Fiber Festival of New England. I had been planning to sit the first year out but have had a change of heart. The location for this event will be great: the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield MA. It will be held Saturday and Sunday, 6 and 7 November. Mark your calendar now! I'll have more details here as it gets closer to the date.

More Color

Last weekend I attended SPA Knit and Spin VII. This was my fifth year there; the event is described as a "Gathering of fiber art friends from across New England." The weekend involves several hundred fiber enthusiasts who commandeer two hotels in Freeport ME and just have a good old time pursuing their interest, socializing, eating and shopping. I usually go with three friends; we arrived Thursday so that we could extend our little vacation. I worked on more felt embroidery, above.

Upon my return home from SPA, I was thinking red. Monday was a snowy day so the dye pot was fired up.





So Tuesday I decided to even things up with Green. Forty skeins altogether! These will be reappearing soon on this blog.