Posted by: Mare F | January 27, 2013

Yarn, patterns, dust, and the ick

I got blindsided by some kind of ick that couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a head, chest, or stomach ailment so I didn’t get much of anything done this week. On the mend now and raring to go. The studio should have been completely done by now, but it’s so close that I’m just going to count it as I have just a few purchases to put away. I’m quite pleased with my new workspace, even thought I wish it was a bit bigger. I’ll have to store some of my stash in the spare dressers in the spare room or else lose my bench and I’m not willing to give it up. I see rainy afternoons spent here going over patterns and ideas.

HPIM1374These are some mums I crocheted with bits of novelty yarn that I found in a bag. I’m not sure what the original intention was for them, but this worked out just fine and since I’ve sewn them onto pin backs I can use them on hats, scarves, or shawls. They were mindless and fun, well, except for the mohair and the recycled silk. Those two were a bit awkward, but I’m pleased with the finished product so all is good.  This also gave me a great opportunity to fill boxes of stuff for the local thrift shops. Other than my fiber stuff, I decided if I hadn’t used it, or even seen it, in three years that it was quite alright for it to go. My yarn stuff doesn’t last that long as a rule.

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And best of all my patterns really are in one place. I may have to work on the filing system, but I know just where they are located and let’s face, spending time sorting through patterns really isn’t a hardship. Just above the books are my beads, pins, and accessory bits – barrette backs, pin backs, and plastic rings. I love being able to see all of those as well. I found so many things that I’d forgotten I purchased that it really is like going on a shopping binge. I’m looking forward to going through  my magazines again, especially the Workbaskets from the 40’s , to see what I can renew and adapt for today. Odd as it sounds, it helps me if the photos of patterns are in black and white because then I can see the colors I want and not have to overlay colors in my head. Hmmm, I might just have to head up to the bench after I’ve finished here. Do you have a favorite place to peruse pattern books?

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Posted in accessories, General, Knitting, Organizing, Patterns, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | January 17, 2013

My shiny, new studio

Well, almost. I’ve spent several hours (more than I would care to admit) since the New Year began upstairs in my home moving my library into the guest room to make way for a working studio in that space. It’s a room on the south-east side of the house so it has wonderful light and I think it would be most helpful to have everything but my rug loom in one room. I am currently scattered throughout 3 rooms and the past year has taught me that this is not the most productive setup to be using. Here are my Rigid Heddle loom and Ashford Traditional in my livingroom. Makes it a bit cozy at times.

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I’m very excited about this move and really haven’t complained too much about moving all of my mystery books from room to room. I must admit that overall my fiber obsession is much lighter than my reading obsession, but even though I own a Kindle I still love my print books.

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This afternoon I will be moving the last pile of books out of the “library” and cleaning the “studio” for the first time. It’s a tad unusual for me to be excited about cleaning anything other than raw wool, but there you have it…I can’t wait to get the vacuum revved up. Hopefully Sunday’s blog will have pictures of  a working workroom . Where do you do your crafting?

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Posted in Crocheting, General, Knitting, Organizing, Spinning, Weaving, yarns | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | January 13, 2013

Kitties and knitting

The New Year is here and so are our new feline friends. It’s been an interesting few weeks for all of us adjusting to each other and, while I think it’s going rather well most of the time we still have the occasional dustup. It’s almost as hard for me as it is for them, but each day I discover some new aspect of their personalities that makes me smile. And they both love yarn!  Callie, 8 years old,  made herself right to home on the Saturday before Christmas. I met her at school when she was rescued from the parking lot. Her previous owner, a lovely young lady who also has 2 dogs and works long hours at the other end of the state, adopted her out to me so that Callie would have the companionship that she wants to enjoy.

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Miss Kitty, 3 years old,  came to us from my son on Christmas day. He too works long hours and may be moving to a home with 2 cats already in residence. Plus I think he knew just how we missed Weez and Baby. She is a little fireball and while they both talk, Miss Kitty is a squeaker as well. Her conversations have me smiling no matter what the day has been.  Her energy is only to be beaten by her vocabulary.

HPIM1364Now on to the completion of my studio. At some point over Winter break I realised that I’m still too scattered with my equipment and my books so I’ve decided to combine the library upstairs with the guest room and turn the library into my studio. It is on the southeast corner of the house so the light is good throughout most of the for photography – and won’t it be wonderful not to have to try to get to the deck in the morning hours during the winter to show off colors? – there is plenty of room for my spinning wheel, squirrel cage and clock reel swifts, and my Rigid Heddle loom, plus I can put all of my patterns in one easily accessible place. The only hitch in this plan has to do with the approximately 2,000 books that I own which have to be moved. Such a heavy hobby is reading! Here is a before shot of one side of the room. Wish me luck. Oh, and Miss Kitty feels compelled to help so any good thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 😉

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Posted by: Mare F | December 6, 2012

A long time…

I’ve been absent of late for a variety of reasons. First I was working on stock for the Vo-Ag craft fair that I love to work at Regional 7 and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever worked. There were more vendors than ever and we were busy all day long.

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The second reason was that 3 days before this fair I lost my feline companion of 12 years and the inspiration for my studio and blog name. Weez died of congestive heart failure and losing the second of my two cats within a 6 month time frame really hit me hard. It’s been a  long 3 weeks, but we are now looking into getting a kitten to move in with my son’s cat – he’s moving and he’s away from home quite a bit – over Christmas break. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also dreading it a bit. A kitten! Baby, Weez, and I had all lived together for 12 years and I’m getting set in my ways. I suspect that this is one way to look at the world through new eyes.

The boss checking out my purchases.

The boss checking out my purchases.

At the end of the Vo-Ag fair myself and a couple of friends were approached to work a fair on the 14th of this month so I’ve been busily knitting, crocheting, and weaving for that as well as filling orders I’ve received both at and since the fair. I do apologize for my lapse if you have missed me and I hope that you understand. I’m very excited about the projects I’m planning to start after this last show of the year and I hope that you will be here when I do begin.

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Posted in Craft fairs/shows, Crocheting, Festivals, Knitting, Weaving, winter, yarns | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | November 5, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy

It’s that time of year again, the one big craft show that I attend every year, and once again I’m trying to do 18 things at once. You would think by now that this would not be a surprise, that I would have a game plan all set, I would know what my inventory is, and that I would be in fine shape. Nope! It occurred to me this morning that I’m not even sure if all of my stuff is tagged. Since I’ve had the online studio at ArtFire, I’ve just made things, listed them, and packed them safely away! This will make for one more step in the process of preparing for the show. I really should start doing more local shows again just to keep in fighting trim.

Another item I would really like to have on hand are scarves woven out of the Kool-Aid dyed yarns.  I’ve already woven one from the Marigold dye to order. Last night I managed to wind one skein of it up so that I can warp the loom today, but I still have 5 skeins to wind and 560 yards of boucle doesn’t always cooperate. It will be fun to see how the 2 color yarns weave up. The two that I’ve woven have a lovely soft feel to them and I suspect that they will be very warm.

So long story short, I’ve boxed myself in yet again and I’ll be making a run at creating as many items as I can out of the dozens dancing through my head in a very short time. The carrot that I’m dangling in front of myself is that on Thanksgiving weekend, I will begin my first pair of “me” socks, unless of course, I get an order for someone’s Christmas list. How do you organize your time and are you ready for  the holiday.

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Posted in Craft fairs/shows, Crocheting, Dyes, Knitting, Organizing, Weaving, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | October 26, 2012

It’s the end of October with another incoming storm

I’m a bit behind on my writing because I’ve spent the past few days preparing for Hurricane Sandy to come up the coast. It doesn’t seem as though a year has passed since the blizzard last Hallowe’en, but clearly it has and I’m doing the same things this weekend as last year. The difference this year is that if we lose power I won’t stress over it on the first day that it happens. I know that I can have a great time with the tools/toys at my house and uninterrupted time to use them is a gift

This year socks on my agenda for “me” knitting. I have the one pair of Wellie socks which I am sure that I will be using in the next week, but I really want to start making more of my day-to-day socks. A wonderful lady in England sent me two sock books, one of which is top down which is perfect with my existing yarn stash, and I really don’t like most mass-produced socks. Plus it’s a great way to add a splash of color to your outfit!

My command center from last year will look much the same this year, I think. While I’m not looking forward to a vicious storm, or the damage it is likely to incur, I am approaching this storm with a different mind-set than last year. I hope that all of my friends and acquaintances on the east coast survive this weather event with minimal damages. Let’s hope that this isn’t an indication of how this winter will progress.

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Posted in Weaving, winter, yarns | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | October 21, 2012

The yarns have dried

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share the pictures of the yarns that I dyed last week once they dried. It really was a great experience and now I just have to get winding more skeins so that I can move on with to the red cabbage leaves  and brighter Kool-Aid colors. Below is the first Kool-Aid dye job of Lemonade and Orange Kool-Aids done in the crock pot.

Next up is the Grape and Cherry Kool-Aid experiment. I pulled this one out more quickly than the other because I was afraid that the Grape would overrun the Cherry. I needed have worried, the Cherry held its own very well.

And last but certainly not least the Marigold blossom dyed skein. I got an order for a woven shawl out of this yarn a couple of days ago so once I post this picture I’m off to finish warping my loom. I hope everyone has a great week and gets some time to play with their particular creative outlet. It really does soothe the mind.

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Posted by: Mare F | October 18, 2012

Kool-Aid is not just for kids

Okay, so last weekend when I was boiling Marigold blossoms and getting a very pretty yellow dye on the stove top, I just had to start something else. I loved the yellow dye from the flowers, but being an impatient soul I wanted some instant gratification so I pulled out the 5 packages of Kool-Aid I bought last summer with the intention of dyeing yarn. I first heard of this from a woman a the Goshen Fair a year ago. She had the loveliest green lace weight yarn and when I asked her if she had spun and dyed it she was more than willing to chat. It turns out that she had spun it, I am so jealous, but when she told me that she used Kool-Aid to dye it I was flabbergasted. Of course once I thought about it I remembered the mustache my son always seemed to have on his face when he was little and the clothes that were ruined by spilled drinks and it became crystal clear.

So I started out with a skein of the white boucle yarn that I dyed yellow and placed it into the crock pot I bought at the thrift shop specifically for yarn dyeing. The directions I had read to fill the crock pot 3/4 full of water, but I only went a little over half. I wasn’t confident enough that it wouldn’t wash out the dye altogether. Then I sprinkled a packet of Lemonade Kool-Aid on one side of the pot and a packet of Orange Kool-Aid on the other side of the pot. I then left it to perk for about an hour and a half on high to the most amazing results.

Okay, I have to admit now that I am well and truly hooked on this dyeing thing. I lust after white yarns in different weights with which to experiment. I plan to harvest my red cabbage leaves this weekend and use up my red onion peels on another few skeins of yarn, but I really can’t wait to get more Kool-Aid and go for more intense colors. Really, it’s just way too much fun.

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Posted by: Mare F | October 14, 2012

Dyed over

Okay, let me be clear about this one. Winding boucle from a cone onto a niddy noddy is almost as fascinating a past time as watching the cars rust. Really. If I’m to continue to do my own dyeing I will have to figure out how to fix my Clock Reel Winder. The skeins I’m winding are 560 yards, not sure why that magic number exactly – I tend to think it was the amount of yarn I needed for a shawlette I’ve made in the past – but that’s the number I’m sticking to for the moment. The final count of skeins from one cone is 10 with a smidgen of yarn left over so I can play to my heart’s content and not worry about wasting too much. It just makes it a bit easier to try doing something new for the first time.

I know that is only 9, but I wound another while the Marigold blossoms were simmering on the stove top, which I might also add lends a truly unique aroma to the kitchen. Luckily I had 2 pounds of the golden-yellow blossoms to use, it’s what the recipe called for, and the skein count turned out to be 5 to make a pound. This will allow me to try some over dyeing and experimenting later on so I was very pleased to discover that it worked out this way. I’m just itching to get dye into a spray bottle and start spritzing some yarn, but that will be another day.

I did simmer the yarn in an alum bath before I put it into the dye pot. I’m not entirely sure what the make up of the yarn is, I can’t decipher the label on the inside of the cone, but I decided that the first time out I shouldn’t get too innovative. Following the instructions the first time has usually worked out well for me in the past so I saw no reason not to trust it again. Here I have to admit that I’m not big on reading instructions first, I tend to fall back on them as a last resort, but I thought that this was a form of cooking and I always make a recipe the recommended way the first time…then change it to the way I want it from there on.

So there it is! There was something a little magical about putting the yarn into the dye and watching it change color that I fear could become addicting. I have a starter acid dye set and packages of Kool-Aid still to experiment so who knows what will come of this…except possibly the purchase of more yarns, this time undyed! Eventually I hope to spin well enough to dye my own yarn as well, but I’ve too many things going on right now to spend the time I need to practice daily. It’s on my list though. Just imagine what the feeling of going through the entire process yourself can inspire.

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Posted in Dyes, General, Harvesting, Plants, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | October 11, 2012

Autumn is here

I’ve been dreadfully absent lately and for that I truly apologize. The sad thing is I really don’t have much to show for it either. The time has just seemed to vanish. My gardens are not put to bed yet and we’re predicted for a frost on Friday night. This could be problematic. My marigolds have done amazingly well and if I want to use them I’ll have to get them cut before then, but I think that I will have to use them relatively quickly. I can’t imagine that dried out they will supply the same colors, but I could be mistaken. Something that bears looking into in the very near future.

Our local knitting and crochet group meets this afternoon. I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone as I missed last week due to a cold. I thought it best if I didn’t infect my friends…they tend to take a dim view of that. At home I have a basket of scarves that I’ve knitted to donate, but I’ve yet to weave in my ends and truly finish them. My focus is hanging out with time lately and neither of them is anywhere near me. I warped my Rigid Heddle loom over the weekend and have most of a scarf woven, but then I just stopped. Now it’s sitting in the middle of the floor. There is one half-fingered glove started and it’s living beneath my coffee table. The bag holding my first raglan sweater is now closer to the couch and I’ve started work on the second sleeve so there really isn’t much left, but does that make me move any faster on it? No, not at all. I’ve put a new pattern and yarn into my bag for my meeting this afternoon. Does this make me hopeless?

How many projects do you have going right now and are you working on them in an orderly manner?

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Posted in Gardening, General, Harvesting, Knitting, Plants, Weaving, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , ,

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