Just Wondering...

How is it that a pile of Stitchlets tossed together on the bottom step and waiting for a lift up to my studio looks so much better than any textile collage that I could create?

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.

Excuses Excuses...

This post will consist only of excuses and pretty non-fiber photos.








Why haven't I posted?

(1) The main reason is the fact that I spent some time dealing with a family crisis... a parent one again. Things have settled down and are actually going quite beautifully now.

(2) The economic situation hasn't helped fiber sales and as a result I've been more interested in working with my fiber than selling it.

(3) I'd been getting annoyed with how difficult Blogger is to work with. I'd heard that Blogger has made improvements since my last post, but I still have to struggle to get my photos where I want them. And the published layout is radically different from what the editing mode shows. I may need to move to a different program.









(4) I've been re-thinking this blog. Obviously I'm not an avid blogger, yet I'm wondering if TWO blogs are called for.


One to let people know what I have available in the way of yarn, roving, "Nearly Felt", kits (eventually), my vending schedule, farm photos, and images of my own work with my fiber. That would be this one.





But it seems that a second blog is needed for me to share the things I'm doing with non- farm fiber... actually, not even wool. For instance, right now I'm working on creating a knotted shag mat with, of all things, POLYESTER from old clothes (not mine!) Eeeeeewwww! But as a hard core fiber snob I must say it's looking quite nice. The technique and the photo... a story for another blog.

The photos: shots from around my yard, taken this morning.
There, my blog is updated and even my web site is updated. But I didn't get my squash and my sunflower seeds in.

Diane

Gathering In

The grazing season has ended. I had hoped to bring the sheep home for the winter in four days or so; but with seven inches of snow, turning to rain and then cold temperatures moving in, Bill and I decided it was time. The electrified, portable net fencing that protects the sheep all summer is very fragile in cold weather. I didn't want it to freeze into the snow and ice. In addition, snowmobiles traverse the area frequently and I didn't want to stand the chance that they might run into the fencing. So Bud and I went out into the sleet to do what we had to do.

Bud has been a bit of a yahoo with the sheep lately. Taking off like a streak of lightning after the sheep, and not responding when I called "Down!" the command that basically means "cool your jets."

Today he accomplished his task with finesse. When I said "down" he lay down. When I said "walk up" he approached the sheep slowly so that he didn't create panic. By edging into the zone of discomfort for the sheep he directed them where they needed to go. When one sheep separated herself from the flock and I said "look back," he realized that he needed to return and bring that sheep back into the group. I was proud, and Bud was praised profusely. Once in awhile things go smoothly.



Having moved the sheep into the pasture adjacent to the barn, Bud was told "That will do," and he settled down to monitor his flock while I climbed all over the hill, retrieving fence. I think I'll keep him.

Loom for Sale SOLD

SOLD
After a long, long, long period of indecision, I am offering my beautiful cherry Norwood loom for sale. Norwood looms are no longer built with cherry wood. This loom has a 40 inch weaving width, has eight shafts and ten treadles. The back beam is a sectional beam. Don't be put off by the sectional loom; if you're not interested in sectional warping it's easy enough to warp in the usual fashion. It comes with a matching Norwood cherry bench. The seat flips up for storage and there is a storage bin on each side of the bench. This gently-used loom is a great buy at $1500; I just want to pass it along to another weaver while I focus more closely on what I want to do with my weaving.

That's My Girl!

Since before birth, my daughter Amanda has been a lover of music. In the few short years since college she has accomplished so much in her career. Please click here for a link to this article. My favorite part of the article, of which I'm most proud, is the last paragraph.

Going Baaaaaa-less

Well, not really. What I mean is that I haven't been weaving with wool lately. That's just a temporary situation while I get some wool rug warp dyed up and ready for rugs.











In this case, not even natural fiber!!!!!
I wanted a small rug to put in front of the sink in the upstairs bath. (That would be the bath that casual guests don't see so I went a little over the edge when I painted it. Note the outlet plate too.)

Anyway, I wanted something that would wash and dry quickly so I decided on a rag rug woven with strips of acrylic and polyester. My sources were thrift store finds and a couple of chenille throws that were deeply- discounted last spring.

The colors are a bit much... just right for that room!
I think I'm so used to dyeing multiple shades of several hues and then combining them so these clear tones in the rug are a little jarring to me.

My design was also limited by the colors that I had in the fabrics I needed. As it is I made a quick trip to two shops in town looking for acrylic sweatshirts in the right colors.

I needed to replace my ratty, faded crocheted dishcloths and wanted cloths that I could enjoy using. I put a 7 inch or so wide warp of mixed cottons on my workshop loom and wove up half a dozen cloths. The finished size is small but so are my hands and I find them more manageable than the store-bought ones.

Except for the sheep photo, the rest of these photos should take you to a larger image if you click on them. Should I provide links to larger images of the critters too in the future?

Hope everyone has a restful... and grateful... Thanksgiving.