Blending Board Fun!

I have a fun new piece of fibre processing equipment, it's been sitting in my studio for a while. It's called a blending board, or, blending palette. Mine is made by Fancy Kitty. Basically, it's like a giant flat carder that you can place fibre on in any pattern you like. It's great for using up bits and pieces and you can make some really cool rolags. Get into playing with blends and also processing for colour repeats. I felt I could be very creative with it.

I finally got to play with mine when my Spinning Guild had a "Blending Board Party". A bunch of us got together and just played for an afternoon. 

I focused on making vertical stripes and used colours that would usually not blend well together. Because you can be so precise with how you lay your material down, you can do interesting things like that and maintain the colour separation as you spin. You can really pack a lot of fibre on it and I ended up pulling three rolags off for each palette I filled.

I spun them up and really enjoyed the results. It was a little challenging to spin because I really used a lot of different types of fibres, some of which are much easier to spin. All in all, I really love the results and can't wait to play with it more! Now, I just have to decide what to do with the finished yarn… hmmm….

A Year-Long Sweater...

 What goes in to making something?  Creativity? Satisfaction of a "job well done"? Skill? Yes, all these things and much, much more. 

I'm going to focus one year and the sweater I made from my own hand spun yarn. 

As a lot of good things, this particular venture started in October at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival AKA Rhinebeck. In 2012, I decided to purchase enough roving to spin yarn for a sweater. I wanted the sweater to be crocheted (because I love crocheting) and I wanted it to be done by the following year when I would attend the festival again.

Jill Draper, Cal Patch and myself.

For this, my first entire sweater made from my own hand spun, I needed a special tool. So, I paid a visit to the Willette's booth. The Willette's hand-make tools for creating textiles. They are beautiful. I believe in the resonance of the maker on an object, so I was starting this project with all the care and attention that this couple puts into making their tools. I was also using roving that had been grown by a wool grower - someone who cared for their sheep. The sheep's gift in return, a lovely fleece. The care it took to process and dye this roving was also imbued in the wool. A lot of hands had already been involved in the process of making this sweater and I had not even started my part yet!

Mr. Willette hard at work.

I returned home and the year went on. 

I started spinning in November…. My idea was to create a multi-coloured yarn that didn't repeat and had short sections of colour. I decided I would randomly spin the 5 colours of roving into my singles and then chain-ply them to retain the general look of changing colour repeats.

 

The winter went by and in addition to spinning for this sweater I was working on Holiday gifts and other stuff.

In April, my nephew Finn was born… I continued spinning with the joy of now having another little one in my life.

Proud Auntie!

In May, I started my third year of school (the "hump-year" for the OHS program) and I spent a lot of time over the next several months spinning, sampling, dyeing and writing in preparation for handing in my homework. I took a break from my personal spinning at this point. But, it was there, a few skeins and a nearly full bobbin. I saw it and I ruminated and my skills improved because of school.

June was a big month. I got a chance to go to the beautiful province of Newfoundland. It was for Boomer's 40th birthday - a milestone in itself. In addition to the beauty of the east coast of Canada, I was struck by how wonderfully supported crafts people are in the province. I got to visit many studios and galleries and was greatly inspired.

This inspiration was tempered with grief as news of the passing of a close friend. I now was working on this project in reflection of his life and how the loss affected those left behind. It became more meditative and less intentional.

July brought a huge life change - Boomer and I purchased a house! I never thought this would be possible in my life. The thing that struck me most about the house was the room that has become my studio. Spinning in the bright sun coming in the windows and listening to the sounds of our new neighbourhood was refreshing and healing after the loss of the month before.

Early in September was a chance to say, "Cheerio" to my friend with some wonderful people in my life. We celebrated his life by taking a Scottish themed cruise around Toronto on a tall ship and letting some origami cranes float away. This would have been close to my friend's heart and we were able to grieve and celebrate. By now, I was finished making all the yarn I needed and was ready to swatch.

In mid-September I was lucky enough to attend the Wolfe Island Fibre Festival with my friend Andie of Well Turned Out Fibre House who was selling her hand-dyed and processed fibre. I started crocheting in the autumn sun surrounded by "fibre people".

Shadows on the beach of Wolfe Island.

 

Here we are back to October 2013. I finished my Violaine just in time to wear to Rhinebeck.

Some fun puppet friends at Rhinebeck 2013.

So, you see… A lot goes into each step of making something. Joy, sorrow, reflection, planning, pride. All of these emotions and factors are reflected in the spinning and in the stitches. The yarn isn't perfect and there are things I would do differently next time. However, the alchemy and memory of everything that happened over that year will remain in the fabric of this sweater. And, every time I look at it, feel it, or wear it, I'm reminded of how it grew to become what it is. It may not be visible to others, but to me, it's all there - in every last stitch.

The start of the Autumn round-up!

Fibre Fest Here

So, it's been awhile since I posted! A long while... I have lots to write about, it's been a busy autumn. 
I couldn't decide what to write about first... Rhinebeck, my Hodge Podge Farm yearly residency, Vogue Knitting Chicago... So, I decided to go way back and go in chronological order. I'm going to start with the Wolfe Island Fibre Festival!

It would be great to go back with bikes.

Back in mid-September, I attended the Wolfe Island Fibre Festival with my friend, who had a booth selling her amazing fibre.
Wolfe Island is a short ferry ride from Kingston, ON. It is near the Thousand Islands and is absolutely gorgeous! The weekend of the fibre festival was also a gorgeous September weekend, we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Pretty September sunflowers in full bloom.

Andie has been working on building her amazing new line called, Well Turned Out Fibre House. She makes beautiful rolags, braids, soaps and will be adding lampwork beads to her repertoire. 

Some braids.

Pretty, pretty braids.

Wolfe Island, as I mentioned, is a beautiful little island full of farmland, beaches and quaint shops and cafes. The festival took place in a few buildings on the island and, so we got to walk around and explore.

Andie on the beach.

Stone table.

It was a welcoming, wonderful fiber-y weekend getaway! Not to mention, it was a nice break from my year-three spinning homework - which I need to get back to ( a whole other story)!

Beach-y shadow fun!

Nothing Says Spring Like a Trip to a Farm!

I almost snuck this little guy home....

Well, spring is FINALLY in the air!

I am very lucky to live in a nice city that is very close to many small family farms. My friend Chris has one such farm. She's a spinner and has a small heard of beautiful shetland sheep, and guess what!? They are having lambs... So cute! I had to go out and take a little visit! I was even lucky enough to score a bag of fleece that is going to be lovely to spin with... the bonus is that I get to break out my *new* Alvin Ramer wool combs to do it!

And now - PICTURES OF LAMBS!!!

Protective mom...

Boomer even got in on the action!

The "black sheep".

Old Molly.

Fun in the sun for these three week old lambs!

Four Skeins Done...

I've been working on spinning up roving I got at Sheep & Wool. I'm using five colours and doing random long colour lengths. Then, I'm chain plying to preserve the lengths. I have four skeins done so far.

Fall 2012... The Lost Posts...

It's all about friends!

I had a great fibre-y fall, as autumn is usually full of fibre-y things.  I'm way behind (obviously) on the Rhinebeck post and my fun two day workshop with Lexi Boeger AKA Pluckyfluff!

Arriving at Sheep and Wool!

As usual, The Sheep and Wool Festival was amazing. I got to hang out with my pals Cal and Jill, meet some new friends like Sonya Philip (of 100 Acts of Sewing) and Laura Nelkin (of amazingness) among others! 

Friends new and "old"!

I saw lots of cool animals and amazing yarns and fibres! I bought some roving to spin up to make a sweater for next year.  I've got four skeins done so far.

In addition to the festival, I got to visit Lagusta's Luscious and the Tuthilltown Distillery as well as the Hodgepodge Farm animals - Gertie, Trice and the Chickens.

The other fun thing I did was attend a two day workshop with Lexi Boeger with my buddy Andie L at the Niagara Artists Centre.

A beautiful Early Fall morning!

The workshop was an amazing break from our OHS homework (which is totally great but by the book).  In Lexi's class we got to be truly free in our spinning and learned some fun techniques. It felt great! 

From table of fibre to crazy bat to crazy yarn!

From fluff to auto-wrap to fluffy yarn!

Even yarn made of FABRIC

I've learned to share my Instagram photos directly to my blog, which is going to be fun but, not being super "tech savvy", the pics show up as links, not actual pictures.... oh well, can't have everything!