Inquisitive Felines and Fibers

A conversation in an online spinning list I’ve joined has brought up the use of natural dyes…something I am very, very interested in trying. One of the first items that caught my attention was lichen. Now for years I knew about lichen, or thought that I knew about it. Little did I realize that there are several different types or that they have been used as dyes for centuries. Immediately I began to ponder where I would go to get some to start my natural dyeing.

It’s been years since I’ve spent a lot of time in the woods and I realize that this is a major failing on my part. Growing up I spent hours on end in the woods and loved it. I had dried plants and leaves in my room. The ugliest day at school could quickly be cleared up by walking in the woods and if it was autumn all the better. The scent of fallen leaves and soil will send me back to my teenaged years in a nano second.

I think that using plants for dyes will get me back out into the woods which can only be good. I miss it and think that perhaps it may just be the stress reducer that it once was…again, only good can come of it.

This weekend promises to be THE outdoor weekend for me. Due to cat and car repairs I won’t be able to attend the wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY so I will assuage my misery by spending the time outside familiarizing myself with the country I grew up in. I suspect that there have been some  changes in the past 35 years, but it should be a wonderful way to spend my time.

This weekend at home will also give me more spinning time which is something I sorely need. This past summer was so hectic that I got very little time in on my spinning wheel and I know that only practice will get me to the place I would like to be. My wheel hasn’t even shared its name with me yet, so clearly I haven’t spent enough time with it!

Do you have as much trouble as I when trying to decided just how to spend your crafting moments? I look around my home and see all of my wonderful tools/toys and it’s just very, very hard to decided which one is up. Yes, there are times when I have orders, or I need to make stock for a show or my online studio, but on the occasions when I get to pick a pattern, a yarn, a fiber at will I know that I lose valuable time by wandering around feeling my fibers, petting my yarns, stroking my wheel, looms, and or squirrel cage swift. Oh, and I’ve added a clock reel winder to the mix.

It was given to me by a friend who has several. It is in need of a little bit of loving so I’ve been researching them on the internet in an attempt to find out just how many pieces I am missing. Then I’ll spend some time on the internet looking for the missing parts or someone who can make them. For now I’m just very amused with this winder.

I just finished the crossed shawl in Universal Classic Shade yarn for my lys. It came out rather nicely, if I do say so myself, and I look forward to getting the yarn to make my own. The Classic Shades colors are  wonderful and it’s such a nice yarn to work with that I see it becoming a stock pre-spun yarn in my home. There is a blue that is just winking and waving at me. Soon, I think…..

Also recently finished is a baby boy knitted hat and thumbless mittens for a friend’s grandbaby. It was fun and I haven’t done either one in years. I’d forgotten just how quickly they work up. I’ve also volunteered to knit up some mittens for a friend’s church group.  This should probably be a priority as it’s gotten rather chilly here and I know that cold weather will be here in no time. Do you craft for charities?

This weekend, well on Saturday and Monday afternoon, I am helping out my friend Ginger in her booth at the Goshen Fair in Goshen, CT. Ginger owns In Sheep’s Clothing in Torrington, CT and it was  year ago this weekend that I first started lending a hand or two in her booths. It was also a year ago this weekend that I considered getting a loom.

I watched Ginger weave up the loveliest scarf out of Fiesta La Boheme yarn on her Rigid Heddle loom and it really caught my eye. I fell in love with the exact yarn that she was using, but couldn’t come up with a knitted or crocheted pattern that I both like and could afford the La Boheme yarn to make. Seeing the scarf that she wove up out of one skein moved a loom into the “in the future” portion of my brain. I mentioned it to Doug that night.

Of course, this is really the beginning of my trip into the rabbit hole. Doug bought me  an Ashford 24″ Rigid Heddle loom for Christmas 3 months later and here we sit. I still haven’t made a scarf out of the La Boheme, but that’s because I just haven’t gotten to that particular skein yet. I’m having too much fun with my stash!

Now to meander back onto my original path. I love autumn and I enjoy fairs. This is the fair that lets me know that it’s time to start tidying up my yard for the winter, setting up the house for the upcoming winter, and laying in fiber supplies for the long, cold season to come. Not that I don’t go out in the winter, it just takes more incentive to do so. I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibits, meeting the people who visit the fair, and maybe, just maybe, eating food I wouldn’t normally eat. There is a little bit of everything there and it’s sometimes a very difficult decision, but one that is ultimately very satisfying.

I’m also a bit excited to be looking at the fair with new eyes. I know that there was a woman spinning there last year that I noted, but didn’t really notice, if you know what I mean. It will be fun to see how much I’ve missed in past years.

As an added bonus Reggie  my favorite potter, will be demonstrating there and I will get a chance to find out what new items she’s making. In the past I’ve gotten cat vases and a fish windchime so I’m looking forward to talking with her and making a date to go to East Knoll Pottery to see her creations. I know she has a butter dish with a cow on it that is just waiting for me to come and buy it.

The project that I’m bringing with me today is a shawl made from Universal Classic Shades yarn. It’s a Universal pattern and I’m making this one for Ginger to show in the shop. THEN I’m getting the beautiful deep blue  yarn to make one for myself. Pictures to come. Oh, and while I sold 1 of my felted hats, Ginger and her daughter Olivia managed to outshine me by selling 10! A good weekend was had by all.

Off to the fair.