Going Well! Fibre Fun! Victorian Hair Art!

I have been settling into my new life in Toronto and preparing for my classes to start at Passionknit. I have a very full teaching schedule this quarter. I will be posting the class schedule here in the next few days. Meanwhile, I am busy making samples and creating handouts.

I have been working on several of my own projects too. I created a pattern and sample called "The Sparkle Fresh Beret". It's a fun one! Fun to make and to wear. Here it is:


I've also been working on a few Noro projects! One is the two ball scarf that everyone made ages ago. The other (which I don't have a picture of yet) is out of the new Noro book. It's a cool book because it shows into their factory, how they make their yarns and where the fibre comes from. Intersting for those who love Noro and for those who like seeing where stuff comes from and how stuff is made. Anyway, it's made out of a new yarn they have just released called "Bonbori". It's a seed stitch cape. I'm excited about it but want to complete more before I post a picture. Here is a picture of my scarf, I've come a lot further on it over the past few days though...


An obsession I've been mulling about and researching is Victorian Hair Art. I don't know what fascinates me more, the delicate work, that it's hair, the idea that it is a keepsake from a loved one. Some samples, if you don't mind.....




Hair and fibre is my number one thing, obviously, and I spend a lot of time thinking about why. Studying hairdressing and microscopically examining hair, what makes it curly or straight, what makes it have colour or no colour and extrapolating that into how important styles have been to different culture over the ages. Styles denoting stature, where you from, all that! Then thinking about analizing hair from humans or animals and being able to tell their health, medications, DNA, genetics all from one tiny strand... Well, I'm rambling! I've started hand-spinning with human and animal blends. It's very intersting and I plan on writing more about it as my projects develop. For now, here are some pics of skeins. I have both blended the human and animal and then spun it, I've added while spinning and I've added while plying....