Weaving Away with Clay on My Mind

Now that we are relatively settled in our small rental (I can't call it TINY since that is a whole different kind of house!) I have realized pretty quickly that for us to manage to exist in our small cluttered with boxes space I need to get out as much as possible! The good thing is that means time spent walking Layla along the river (all the Canadian Goose families are so fun to watch!) and many hours at my weaving studio at LibertyTown.

You may have heard that the show for the month of May is the annual Patron Show.  Fantastic work is donated, however number of pieces that that is (I think 51 this year...) that many $150 tickets are sold.  At the end of the month all ticket holders come for the Big Drawing.  When you ticket number is called you choose your own piece to take home!  This year tickets sold out in TWO DAYS.  Below is the blanket that I donated to the show.

My next project is another wool blanket. You may (or maybe not!) have noticed that the blanket for the show has a dark brown back.  This effect is created by the type of twill weave I used.  It also creates a somewhat heavier fabric. (For those of you in the know, a 3/1 twill creates a warp faced side, thats the colors in this example, and a weft faced side, that is the brown side.)  My next project is a more balanced twill that allows for both sides to be similar.

The warp, the yarn set up on the loom first, is an alternating cocoa brown and deep earthy red.

Nearly finished.....

....at the end....

To finish the piece I twist the fringe (that takes about 2 hours worth of Bones on TV.....) and run it through one hot wash/cold rinse cycle in my washing machine.  Last is to trim any loose ends.

I'm really happy with this one.

The colors are not quite true.  The yellowish color (the weft in this case) is actually more of a lemongrass green.....)

So now the weather has turned warmer for good I think.  So I am putting my wool away and pulling out the cotton and cotolin (50% cotton, 50% linen).

I have two blue baby blankets in stock.....Now I think I'll work with some light weight baby blankets with girls in mind!

BUT I have plans to start making pots in the LibertyTown pottery school space....so stay tuned!!

Spinning Maniac

Awhile back I mentioned that in an effort to avert the cranky feelings that threaten due to the lack of  CLAY work I have been spinning. A lot. Around FIVE POUNDS in two months. This is what 5 pounds of handspun looks like:

That's 2,991 yards. 

The above is four pounds of Karakul.  This fiber has a pretty long staple and is much coarser and hairier then the Blueface Leicester I usually prefer.  But Karakul felts VERY well.  So I have spun this as singles (that is why it looks more kinky then the other, I spun it tight to withstand the tension on my loom.) and hope to weave a blanket from it, felting it slightly when it is finished.  We'll see how it goes....

These pretty colors are mostly Blueface Leicester wool, though the gray is from Hatchtown Farms in Maine (a wonderful gift from a visiting friend) which is a glorious Coopworth top.

And because I have to prove that I have made pots in the past this is a commission for a butter dish for a friend in Germany.  It needed to be the right size for a "slab o'butter" as they call it. 

No pots but more music and WOOL!

So.  I have been busy stashing, running errands, cleaning, organizing....and spinning. ALOT.  In the last 2 weeks I have spun over 4 pounds of wool.  I think I miss my potters wheel.....

By the weekend, Saturday was so BEAUTIFUL.  We had 7 inches of badly needed rain through the week.  Saturday was crisp and perfect for mowing the lawn, cleaning clogged gutters....in preparation for lots of fun.

Emily came (our go to girl when it comes to music!) and accompanied us to The Jefferson, a fantastic small music venue down on the mall.  Gaslight Anthem was the show for the evening.  Kind of Springstein meets punk.....a real experience for me.  For those of you who know my hubby Greg, he is an amazing music lover.  Punk is his favorite (The Ramones, A Place to Bury Strangers etc.....) Had fun at the show but I have to admit to plugging my ears once or twice...It got LOUD.

GasLight Anthem

I got up the next morning on my own and headed to the Fall Fiber Festival at Montepelier.  What an AWESOME DAY.  They had called for rain by lunchtime, but the sky was blue, followed by blustery clouds.  A genuine Virginia fall day.  My favorite.

Scottish Blackface

Cormo.  My favorite wool to spin.  I fell in love with this lady.....

I love this notice!  The color does not show up too well here but this llama had a gorgeous peachy

 colored neck

Angora bunnies

 

By 11:00 or so Greg and Emily arrived (Emily on her way home to Fredericksburg) That man LOVES to watch the dog trials.  In a setting like this it is easy to understand.

Did not miss Carpe Donut.  The BEST ORGANIC DONUTS! 

And no festival is complete without Kettlecorn!

I have no pictures of all the gorgeous products sold by the vendors.  I was too busy looking, touching and buying to be distracted by focusing a camera. I will say I was more controlled this year....but I had to replace the 4 pounds I have spun....right???

This is the first year that there was POTTERY. Now THAT is a show I will shoot for. MMMMM wool and clay. IS there a better combination???