A rainbow of loveliness

Well, day three of NEWS is just about over. This morning we all unwrapped our plant fibers that had been marinating in dye overnight. After a good rinse and a dip in some hot water and Synthropol, we set them out to dry. I think I might have to get my hands on this, a non-toxic alternative to Synthropol. Give a hoot! Don't pollute!
 
After taking a look at yesterday's handiwork, I had a much better idea of how I wanted to proceed. I was happy to experiment on some basic 8/2 cotton, so that today I could do something cool with linen. I am really loving linen these days. I decided to take two primaries and gradually blend them. The blue-green-yellow item is the result. We'll see how it looks in the morning when it's dry (hopefully). 

Beakers and graduated cylinders!!

I started my dye class today. The morning was a bit of a technical overview of the process, which involved a bit of math and safety gear, and we dyed two 12 step palettes - a cool set and a warm set. After lunch we really got to play. I am having so much fun I can barely stand it. Now we're definitely going to have to buy a house so I have a place to get messy.
 

The Lyman Plant House and Conservatory and Botanic Garden

Here I am at Smith College for NEWS (New England Weavers Seminar). Today I managed to get a bit of work and a jog around campus in before poking around the Lyman Plant House and Conservatory and the botanical gardens. I was in plant heaven. We're staying in dorm rooms which is fun in a campy sort of way. My big dilemma earlier was whether or not to wear my flip flops in the shower.
 
Totally off topic. There were two sheep in my animal crackers today. I think it's a baaaad sign that I was questioning whether or not to eat them.

Handmade notebooks from a fellow guild member

 I have mentioned it before, and I am going to say it again today. I love my guild. Every month I look forward to gathering with this group of talented, interesting and genuinely wonderful group of weavers (and spinners, and knitters, and sewers, and more), and last week was no exception. We were given a wonderfully detailed presentation about the bags one member weaves, sews and sells. We were also presented with beautiful notebooks, created and bound by another member. I plan to take mine to NEWS as an idea sketchbook.
 
And what is NEWS?

With a grandbaby on the the way and not wanting to be out of town, Jane asked if I would help (wo)man the Schacht booth at TNNA. This meant that I would be reunited with my fabulous pal Stephanie and get to scope out the latest and greatest in yarn. Um, yes please.
 
So off I went to Columbus, Ohio. Cool town from what little I have seen the two times I have been there. We were so busy, we barely had time to walk the show floor. My very favorite discovery was the Artemis/Hanah Silk booth. They hand dye silk ribbon in the most amazing colors and color combinations you can imagine. Plus, the gal who does the dyeing was there, and she was a real sweetheart. Ivy Brambles had some beautifully dyed yarns, and they are a stone's throw away in New Hampshire. I like local. My love of The Fibre Company yarns was also reaffirmed. Art Yarns has an achingly soft cashmere yarn. They source it from Italy and dye it themselves, and I wanted to take one of every color home. 

Everyone looks very focused

The May project for my column, 'Yearning to Weave', is now live on the Schacht Spindle Co. website. You can access it by clicking here. The project details how to make bean bags on a rigid heddle loom using pick-up sticks and your stash of perle cotton.
 
Two summers ago, Kevin and I got hooked on what we used to call 'the bean bag game'. We were attending Folks Fest up in Lyons, Colorado, and there it was, all set up just waiting for us. We were there with friends who were also not originally from the area, and when the rain started to fall, everyone else ran for cover, and it was just the four of us and a few happy-go-lucky little kiddos looking skyward and letting ourselves get soaked. It's so dry there, that we knew we'd be dry too within a short while after the rain passed. And when you live in a desert climate, rain is a small miracle. Well thanks to the rain, the game area cleared out, and we were free to play 'the bean bag game' until the sun once again overtook the clouds and it was time to share the fun with everyone.

Close up of Boott Mills cotton towel before washing

I live near Lowell, Massachusetts, an important location of many textile mills in early industrial America. In the first half of the nineteenth century, Lowell was selected and developed specifically for the purpose of becoming a center of textile production in North America. The Boott Cotton Mills complex was part of this development. There is a museum that I hope to visit in the near future, but in the meantime, I was given a special preview by my friend Jill who took her kids there over their school vacation. She brought me this cotton tea towel woven at the mill, which I was thrilled to examine. As soon as the American Textile History Museum reopens, I'm planning a field trip to Lowell, and will report back with greater detail.   

Detail of our Kilim

We recently received a beautiful Kilim that was woven in Afghanistan, and I am simply astounded at the amount of work that must have gone into its creation. I spent as much time examining the underside of it as I did the top. Oh the detail! I love that there are a few brilliant bits of color here and there. It's very subtle. 

Something new, something blue

I am so fortunate to have such amazingly creative friends. And not only are my friends creative, but they are kind and generous. My friend Jill, whom I have known since junior high, makes beautiful jewelry. This week she surprised me with a gorgeous necklace made of faceted aquamarines and a hand-hammered clasp, as well as two pair of earrings, one made with blue topaz (which also happens to be my birthstone) and the other with aquamarines. And just like that I have my something new and something blue! I can scarcely believe how lucky I am. I really wish I could take a photo that does these pieces justice.   

My wedding wrap

My latest free project for Schacht Spindle Co. is now available by clicking here. Using a beautifully soft and squishy Habu wool, I wove a 2/2 twill using crammed and spaced warp threads to create an undulating effect. It's my favorite project yet, and I am quite sure I'll be wearing it as a big warm scarf once fall rolls around.