BSG 2008: A Very Furry Time

Ah! The Black Sheep Gathering. Sigh. I love it.


The booth looked beautiful.


I had some free time to hang out with Adrienne and spin. She was on a spinning buying frenzy. Hopefully, in the next couple of days she will blog about it. I was trying out her new Ken Ledbetter spindle. It has inlaid lapis. Beautiful.


Here's a little guy that I absolutely love and know all too well. The black blue-face leicester.


Ok, let's show you the new stash. Beware. Warning. This is intense. I am in love. There were so many things that I could not resist. I have been so good, keeping to my very tidy, neat budget. Well, you know how when you go on a diet, and you are so good and then, you go crazy and start with jalepeno poppers, move onto a cheeseburger with french fries, and then move to a deluxe banana split. Yeah, well, this trip was something like that.

After perusing about 20 spindles, there are 2 that I purchased. The one on the left is a Spindlewood made out of pink ivory and ebony. The spindle on the left is made by -- shoot, I am going to have to get back to you about this one. I packed the tag away. When I get home I will tell you. What I do know is that both spin, and spin, and spin.


Toots LeBlanc: 50% Alpaca / 50% Jacob. This is going to be knit into Wicked.


I played Black Sheep Bingo and won a prize! Oklahoma Wool Snob! I never win anything! I am so excited. This yarn is so beautiful. Wool & Mohair.



Here come the fleeces! Oh my! I told myself that I had enough fleeces (5 from last year) and that I was going to buy yarn instead this year (Toots LeBlanc) and buy fleeces again next year. However, I had to go over and just look at the fleeces before they went on sale. Going through the preview, I saw a ton of beautiful fleeces but frankly, I didn't really see anything to break my promise. But, then, I noticed that the one of the fleeces that won best in show was up for sale. The race was on, my competitive spirit kicked in. I had to have this fleece. Lierally, this fleece is lavender in color. Seriously.
Romeldale x CVM


Alright, so the Romeldale was expensive as is should be. I walked over to he register to pay and get the H out of there before I "accidentally" found something else. Well, Adrienne and I thought that they accepted cc -- and they didn't. So, she had to run to the car. Well, I thought, I will just peruse. Killer! Because then, I found this fleece!!

Wensleydale!! From the same grower as the Romeldale. This fleece shines and shimmers. Literally, it is like a Tahitian Black Pearl. As you turn the fleece, it flips from dark grey to light grey to irridescent white. I flipped through it again and again. I said to myself no, you are not going to take this. And, then a woman walked over, I saw her glance at the Wensleydale fleece -- and I grabbed it tighter. Ok, it's coming home I guess.

I am so happy. Sara, Marlowe, and Caitlyn came to the Black Sheep Gathering too.
Here we are with our new baby...you read that right...can you guess what's inside?


Please meet Marcel Oliver, our new French Angora bunny!


His beautiful creamy-red fleece.


Love!! Now, I must run away and play!

WWKIP: SFMOMA here we come!

Saturday was WWKIP day. Basically, I love anything that has to do with fiber and socializing. Which is kind of funny, under most circumstances, I would consider myself an introvert. I guess fiber really pulls me out of my shell.

On Saturday, I didn't have any solid plans for WWKIP. The real issue is -- is that there are too many things I want to do and not enough time. I knew that really I should work, and continue dyeing for the Black Sheep Gathering but how can I resist a little knitting in public? I knew of three potential places that knitters were gathering. Knit-One-One in Emeryville, Memorial Park in Albany, and Union Square in San Francisco. All great places filled with great people, but we decided to do something altogether different. At 8am yesterday morning, the time of day when I get most of my ideas, I recalled Adrienne telling me that the SFMOMA is now going to allow photography in the permanent collection's galleries. So, I thought -- hey let's go and knit with the paintings!. We called Sara and we were off...

Adrienne with a Rothko.


Sara with a Joan Mitchell.


This is an amazing piece. These are silk flowers sewn together to make a curtain. Not like we haven't been sewing things like this since let's see eternity. But now a man has done it - so it's Art. Ooooh hiss!


I am with the Femme Au Chapeau by Matisse. Here she is looking at me.


And here she is looking at my shawl that I am knitting. I don't think she approves. She told me to frog it! How rude!


We couldn't leave spinning out. Moore. Calder.


Then, we went back to the studio to sort our new Cormo fleece (Cormo + Merino). As explained a few posts back, I wrote that I fell down and bought another fleece!! At least this time I took Sara down with me, and the nice Cormo sheep grower agreed to split the fleece. So, when all was said and done, I ended up with only a quarter of a fleece. This is kind of like telling a cocaine addict that one line won't really get you addicted. It's just recreational. So, here we are, high as a kite, sorting the fleece to be washed.


Then, Adrienne and I carried the knitting and spinning party to our favorite cafe, Bittersweet. It's a chocolate cafe! One of the breakthroughs to having my new studio, is now, I only frequent Bittersweet once a week instead of 5-7 times a week. This would be absolutely fantastic news except that now I have a new cafe I frequent, Cafe Clem. It is literally on the other side of my wall at the studio. It is a french cafe. You can imagine the pastries and cakes.



For everyone who is just tuning in, right below this post, there are details about a contest I am holding right now, let us know how you spent WWKIP day, and you will be entered to win a bundle of baby camel / silk spinning fiber.

For all of you who have already played, I have loved reading all of your comments about what you have planned for WWKIP day. I absolutely love to learn of all the different places people live. It has totally yanked me out of my bad mood!

Grand Opening of AVFKW Studio! Party!

Get ready!


Get set!


Go!

We are having a party this Saturday and Sunday, June 7th and 8th, to celebrate the opening of my new studio. I have been dyeing tons of new, beautiful fiber and yarn.

Fiber:
baby camel
yak
cashmere
silk
merino
bluefaced leicester
finn
shetland
polwarth locks
and more...

Yarn, the official release of our new:

organic merino worsted weight yarn
wool/linen sport weight yarn
merino/silk fingering weight yarn

Stop by for a drink, new yarn, or simply to chat, spin and knit a bit. We always love to see old friends and meet new ones.

When:
June 7 & 8
10-3pm

Where:
Activspace
2703 7th St #145*
Berkeley, CA 94618

* my studio is on the ground level, facing the Activspace parking lot. We will have a signboard in front of my studio leading the way!

We have been working hard and would love to share this with you. Please come!

Wednesday Store Update: SW Merino Yarn

New, fun yarn in the store! I have been spoiling the spinners for the past few weeks with lots of new fiber. Well, I certainly don't want to leave the knitters out, so this week, I have added 2 new colorways of superwash merino sock yarn.

Annapurna & The Seahorse

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be dyeing even more yarn. I am so exited. Honestly, for you and for me, I can't wait to knit more.

I will be back soon!

Hot Silk

I moved to California from Minnesota in 1996. Even though, I have lived in California for the majority of the time from 1996 until present - albeit a 2 year stint in India, and a half year in total spent in DC - I still introduce myself as a Minnesotan.

That being said, this past week has changed everything. In the Bay Area, when the weather report announces that it will be 100 degrees, I refuse to believe that it. No matter how hot it has been, my studio has always been something of an icebox. (We will get to studio related knitting projects in a moment.) This week, the weather report was accurate. This week, we had three days of more or less 100 degree weather. I was miserable. Gone is my hardy Minnesotan "weather is fun, it provides drama" attitude. I am here to announce that anything less than 60 is freezing and anything above 75 is sweltering. I hereby announce - I am Californian (northern).

The best thing this week has been spinning on my new Bosworth cedar midi spindle. We are in love. This is the best $50 I have spent in a very long time.

I have been spinning for the lace ribbon scarf by Veronik Avery.

Materials:
A Verb for Keeping Warm merino in Supernova
A Verb for Keeping Warm Tussah Silk in Headlands

Yarn:
2-ply, spun over the fold, fingering weight

I really like the bottom, right hand corner of this photo because it demonstrates the way the silk changes from a peachy-pink to a grey-blue.

The Maker Faire, It's the Maker Faire! A Contest!

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Maker's Faire. Today, day 2, come and visit! It is very, very fun. Very inspirational to see so many people come together to create and make unimaginable (to me) robots, contraptions, rockets, music, fire, bikes, and yarn (of course). Today, I hope to walk around alittle bit more and take photos. Yesterday, I was so overwhelmed with the sights and sounds, I could not really focus. With the one exception, I saw a werewolf! I had this funny urge to hug it?! Maybe a twisted memory of my childhood and Disney World. If I see him / her today, I will try to take a photo for you.


Here is our booth in the mid day rush. Let's play a teensy tiny game called "who can you spot?" Let me know if you recognize anyone in this photo. You will have until Wednesday at midnight (PST) to submit your answer to this blog post. I will draw a person, and you will receive a 2oz bundle of the lovely baby camel/silk tussah fiber.

Well, I better get ready to go. If you are coming to the Maker's Faire. We are in the Bizarre Bazaar building. Hope to see you soon!

Maker's Faire & CNCH

What? I don't know. What? This is what it sounds like in my brain. This is a snippet of a conversation I have with myself when I try to multi-task. Multi-tasking does not work. I want to believe it does. I once read an article in the NY Times that talked about how multi-tasking lowers your IQ. That all of these gadgets we try to use to save time, like the iphone, actually distracts us, dis-allowing (if this is a word) to never really fully focus on anything. Kind of like instilling ADD. Life has been a little crazy.

Maybe it is the weather, the shifts from cool to very warm, the wind whipping through today, lifting all sorts of debris. Yet, the roses are in bloom. They are so unbelievably beautiful their red, pinks, and yellows. Spring makes my senses swoon.

Part of the problem is that I have so much to tell you. And, I keep waiting for the best time to tell you instead of just letting you know. So, here it is!

First, I have to tell you about Y Knit. This is a new-ish podcast. They have 6 episodes. I love this podcast. I highly recommend listening. Witty and intelligent. Leather and Lace. Art and Craft. Listen and Laugh.


Then, there’s the studio. Adrienne and I have been working our buns off on this one! Yes, I am a perfectionist. I want everything done yesterday. I want the place to shine as if I have a million dollar budget. I want this space to look like I have lived in it for 10 years and it to look like a mixture of Wes Anderson's design sense (think Royal Tannenbaum's or the Darjeeling Limited - completely off the subject: not a great movie, but boy did I love the set design!) and some kind of obscure London textile gallery. OK, well this vision clearly takes time. It's something that I have to grow into, a vision that must be developed along time. At then end of the day, I only have myself to fight with, and really -- not so much fun.

So! I have decided that we must have a party! April is a little hectic. I will get to that momentarily. I am hoping to have the party in May or June. I hope, if you are in the area (read California) you will stop by. Details to follow in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned.

The 3 following events all take place on the weekend of May 3 & 4:

Maker's Faire: Bazaar Bizarre
San Mateo County Fairgrounds
I have never been, and am excited to be part of it. I hear that it is the Bay Area's wacky version of a science fair. I can't wait to see all of the zany inventions. Bring your drop spindle and join us!

CNCH Sacramento
Brooke and Maia will be representing A Verb for Keeping Warm and Tactile. This event hosts thousands of amazing weavers, weaving workshops, and a great array of fiber and yarn vendors.

Maryland Sheep & Wool
A Verb for Keeping Warm is making its East Coast premier! Our fiber and yarn will be available at the Cloverhill Yarn Shop booth. This booth is going to be amazing. Jolene has chosen to spotlight 18 independent dyers and designers. Hopefully, next year I will be able to make it out to Maryland. I hear the event is a ton of fun!


In other news, Color Fiber Festival, held last Saturday at PSR, was a great success. People brought their wheels, spindles, and needles and spent the day together doing what we all love and live to do -- create beautiful objects out of wool, silk, alpaca -- fiber! It was wonderful spending the day with the talented women of Tactile, Pigeonroof Studios, and Girl on the Rocks. Thank you to everyone who participated.

I hope to see you this weekend at Maker's Faire!

Color Fiber Festival: Spring 2008

I would like to invite you to Color Fiber Festival!



Expect a laid back day of spinning, knitting, crocheting, etc. Bring your wheels, spindles, and needles. We will be there offering naturally dyed fibers and yarn along with Tactile Fiber Arts, Pigeonroof Studios, and Girl on the Rocks. We will also be offering drop spinning classes and fiber tastings. I would love it if you can make it.

Baby Bumps.

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny came to my house and left this on my desk. This weekend, life has been very fun and very crazy. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, sunny and warm. My dad called the other day, just as I was walking to my car, in a light sweater. When I asked what he had been up to -- he answered that he had just finished snow blowing the driveway. Whoa.

I signed my lease to my new studio. Adrienne could not be more thrilled for multiple reasons. We can now cook again in our kitchen or I should say will be able to cook more in our kitchen. We now get to shower in a bathtub that will be clean, shiny, and white instead of pink or purple. Plus, she gets use all sorts of power tools and build things, kick up dust, come home smeared with paint. She actually just sat down next to me and said "Look at my bruises. Aren't they pretty."

I had a heart stopping moment this weekend. Literally, my chest tightened. "Oh, my God, what am I doing, Oh my God, Oh my God". It went away though. It probably will return and go away again. One thing that dawned on me, a total duh, that I can now have open studio hours. I have had two dreams my entire life. Literally for as long as I can remember. Owning a house, a creeky, antique, hardwood-ed floor house, with a big porch, and a huge garden. The other, owning a store. I used to create stores in my basement. Each store had a different theme, the jewelry store, mini-Target, the hardware store. I would go around the house stealing things, putting price tags on them, creating displays for them. And, now, I am actually going to have a kinda sorta lil' store. A dry run really. Now, for a little preview of the studio.

The person who rented this space before me built this little room inside of a little room. A Russian doll. He's a percussionist and was trying to keep down the noise. I don't need a little room.


Adrienne painted today. We ran to Ikea twice this weekend (ouch) shopping for countertops.

Today, I taught a drop spinning class at Article Pract. It was so much fun. I love teaching people about fiber and spinning. Here are the little bumps of fiber each new spinner received. I hope everyone continues to practice and make yarn!

Very soon I will post photos of Carmen. It is completely done save for a button which is sitting right here, next to my computer eagerly awaiting its new button home.

I knit.

On Saturday, I took the day off, hoping to take Cleo for a walk in the woods. We had grand ideas of heading north to Sonoma County. But it ended up raining, and for the Bay Area, cold. Instead, we decided to stay in the neighborhood and went to Redwood. The walk was great. It was quiet, the trees were glistening with drops and dew, their trunks covered with mossy fur. Adrienne has really been getting into mushrooming. As much as I resist a new hobby, its actually kind of fun finding little mushrooms hiding under oak leaves. Taking the time to notice the slight nuances and growth patterns means more to me than identifying them. I have been meaning to post about mushroom dyeing. Soon.

Adrienne has a friend who is pregnant, we were invited to her baby shower on Sunday. There is no way that I could allow this prime opportunity to make baby booties slip away. And, what better sense to make of Saturday's rainy afternoon.

Saartje's Booties
100% Blue-faced Leicester Handpsun
Naturally Dyed: Cosmos, Birch, Indigo, Madder, Logwood Grey

Feeling Red and a few other colors too.

Ah-ha! I have updated the lil' store. I thought that I would walk you through some of our new products. For those of you who love natural dyes, and are trying to learn how to do some of this yourself, I am going to categorize this by the most dominant dye used.

Madder


"Fireside"
50% Baby Camel/ 50 % Silk Tussah
Soft!


"The Finishing Touch"
50% Cashmere, 50% Silk
Very soft!


"Tangerine Dreams"
50% Silk, 50% Merino

In order to get the blend of reds, yellows, and oranges, I blended fustic and madder.


Black Blue-faced Leicester dyed with madder.
This is hands down one of my favorite fibers and one that I like to suggest to newer spinners. It has a wonderfully long staple length and is so soft. I love the rich brown color natural to the black blue-faced leicester sheep, and thought I would spice it up a bit by overdyeing it with madder.


Cochineal


"Cheri"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
Cheri main color is a subtle, yet rich coral color with little specks of grey. I created the coral color by combining quebracho yellow, wattle, and cochineal. The grey flecks were made using logwood grey.


"Polished"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
A brighter, cooler pink than Cheri. Pink is the dominant color, with flecks of purple.


100% Black Blue-faced Leicester overdyed with cochineal.

Logwood Grey

"Reyes"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
This is named after one of my favorite places, Point Reyes, a point which looks onto the Pacific Ocean about 45 minutes from my house. No matter what time of year it is, Point Reyes usually has a foggy cliff, that you can sit on and look out at the ocean. This fiber has the dark greyness of the ocean, the light greyness of the sky, and the light creamy brown color of the sand.

indigo

"The Sea Inside"
100% Blue-faced Leicester
*Ding* Contest time! Each person who can give me the name of the leading actor in The Sea Inside will be entered into a drawing. You have until 8pm pst to enter your best guess.

I will draw one name on Tuesday, January 22nd at 8:30pm. The winner will receive 2 oz of "The Sea Inside". Free.

I will give you a hint, he might have been in a movie recently where he wore a lot of black.

Well, this is where the tour ends for now. There is always more to come. Always.

Spinning Indigo Dyed Black Bluefaced Leicester

Before:



After:

Winter Fiber & Yarn Show!

This weekend I am co-hosting the Winter Fiber & Yarn Show. I would love it if you stopped by to say hello, drink some cider, chat, treated yourself or a loved one with the gift of fiber and yarn.

If you are local, or know anyone who is local, if you would pass along this invitation to them -- that would be great!!

We are going to be at Glimakra Weaving Studio. This studio, in itself, is well worth the trip. Maj-Britt Mobrand, the owner, is a master weaver and can teach you possibly anything you wanted to learn about weaving and its heritage. Glimakra are a style of loom from Sweden. If you have ever been interested in learning how to weave, this would be a great time to visit the studio and meet Maj-Britt and the looms in person.

Then, of course there is Tactile Fiber Arts. They will also be there selling their beautiful natural dyed fiber and yarn, too. In other words, you will have lots of yarn and fiber to choose from!

Location:
Glimakra Weaving Studio
2728 MLK
Berkeley 94703

Email me with any questions!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

happy 30th techday

Try this experiment with your loved one. Describe and discuss, quite thoroughly how you perceive a website. Now make the website. And, look at the website, and wonder, did we really discuss this? I remember saying that I wanted the photos to be here, and the search bar to be there. . . and then do it again and again, and then start raising your tone of voice, and here and there start incorporating other tiffs in the house, like the time you left the dog puke on the floor instead of cleaning it up, and how that must be another example indicative of why the website looks how it does, etc. Yes, this was my household. But, now, as Adrienne and I, completely pleased with ourselves, snuggled into bed, we felt that we had left that all behind. We had finally made the switch to our new web store where all the programming would be in the hands of Yahoo. A place that I (not Adrienne and I) could simply upload new products. As I fell asleep, I smiled thinking about all of the dyeing and spinning I could now get to. The technical aspects were finally complete.

WRONG! When publishing my new store, yahoo changed the name of my blog, disabling all of the links to my blog. Nooooo, no more technical problems. No no no. And then there were the phone calls to Yahoo customer care. Let’s just say Texan accent, bad reception, code website speak, relationship politics, no dinner, late night. I think the best part of the conversation was when I was told by Yahoo “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”. I restrained myself from snapping back “it’s my thirtieth birthday this week, and I don’t want to hear those words!” But I didn’t. And, I had to compromise a la a splash page. Not my first choice – but I am soooo happy to have my blog back.

So, back to business, how is everyone doing? Fall is here. I like it – very cozy feeling. Like I mentioned before, I did turn 30 on Friday. This is something I have been really looking forward to. I spent time on Friday reflecting on some of the changes that have occurred in my life over the past year. Probably the biggest change in my life was quitting my “day job”. Last year at this time, it’s pretty safe to say that I was miserable. I didn’t want to leave my job but I needed to for my physical health and wellbeing. I was pretty crispy around the edges. When I did give my notice, on January 2, I wasn’t only giving notice that I was leaving my job, I was giving notice that I was going to live my life in a completely new and different way. This sounds very corny – but I am going to say it anyway – I decided to muster up as much courage as I could and listen to my heart. This will always be a struggle for me. I like to think about “the bottom line”. I desire stability. Risk makes my chest tighten. And my heart could give a shit about those things. Little by little, I am relaxing into those feelings, and in turn they feel less threatening. Point being, I am so grateful to be back in the fiber world and doing something that I absolutely love.

On the fiber front, I picked up the Alvros Sweater – love that thing! Love it. Love the pattern, love the yarn. I even love that it’s going to be a while before I finish it. I think this my first process piece.

The Tangled Yoke on the other hand. Not so much. The pattern is fine. But I am not happy with my choice of yarn. I chose to use Silky Tweed. I will be honest (here comes the bottom line). Well, I went with the Silky Tweed to save a few dollars. I have knit the body of the sweater and it just does not have the hand that I’d like it to have. I want it to be denser, woollier, cozier. So that being said – the Tangled Yoke is at a standstill for the moment.

I am spinning (and carding). Ramboulliet from the BSG. 2 ply. I think that I am going to make my little bro, Johnny, a sweater.

Well, that’s all for now. Sorry for the lack of photos -- next time I will treat you. I hope everyone is enjoying their Autumn!

Hide your fiber!

Because I am on a rampage and may put it through my drum carder. Listen to me, calling it mine. I was at my friend, Maia's today. She is on her way to Rhinebeck and has graciously loaned me her Patrick Greene drum carder.

The Beast:


My practice batt: merino, silk, carbonized bamboo, silk noils.


Have you ever seen a drop spindle look so happy?


Navajo-plied.



Knitty bo bits.

Maia better watch out I may hold this little beast for ransom until my lil' lady coughs one up! My birthday (30th) is coming up... In the meantime, thanks Maia.

Fiber Crazy at Camp Vejar

We've had a very exciting week over here at Camp Vejar. We built a mini-sweatshop. About two weeks ago, our friends Maia and Brooke offered us the opportunity to sell our fiber and yarn in their booth, Sincere Sheep, at California Wool and Fiber. This festival takes place in Boonville which is about 2 1/2 hours north of here. As to be expected, I was delighted and accepted their offer without much thought. Well, I have this part of my personality which goes into overdrive. Some may call it ambitious. I guess therapists may call it compulsive. Anyway, before I know it, I am in the midst of mordanting about 20 lbs of wool. The kitchen is completely trashed with dyes and pots and wet wool. The bathtub too. Adrienne is really an angel. It was kind of like camping but in our house.

The highlight of the week, after 8 days of straight dyeing, came when Adrienne took the bread out of the fridge to make toast, and said "Gee honey, there's even cochineal on the bag of bread". I, in the midst of dyeing, glance briefly over my shoulder, and say "um yeah". Thinking that it is like a drip or something and that she is overreacting. She puts the bread back in the fridge. A few minutes later I go open the fridge to look for some OJ. And, find "the accident".

I had made a titration of cochineal (beetlejuice), poured it into a Ball jar, and placed at the back of the fridge. For some strange reason, the fridge froze the cochineal, turned it into a cochineal icecube, which cracked the glass, and cochineal was _all_ over the fridge. Including in the veggie drawers, under the veggie drawers, etc. There really was cochineal all over the bread.

Point being, we accomplished alot. Here, is a glimpse of the work table.


I have to say I am really proud of our work. Michelle - thank you for helping me out!

70 Alpaca/ 30 Silk. Yarn perfect for shawl lovers. I did not want to part with this yarn.


Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in colorways Kyoto, the Revolution, and Trixie.


Bluefaced Leicester Sock Yarn -- sorry about the poor quality photo.


Wish these kids luck in the world, may they be beautiful socks, scarves, shawls, etc.

Out in the garden, we have more exciting things happening. Dye plants are growing like weeds! I love them. They are so beautiful.


Dyer's Coreopsis

Cosmos

Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum

Adrienne is taking 2 horticulture classes. One of them is about building a greenhouse. And, she is going to grow another dye garden at school. Hopefully, in the next couple weeks, we will have some yarn and fiber dyed from our garden to share with you.

Pomatomus: You are a beautiful fish.

I have good news. I am knitting the Potomatomus Sock by Cookie A and can not stop. I love this pattern. It is interesting and I love to see the colors of the yarn devlop within the pattern. This is my first Cookie A pattern and I think she is a mastermind. I am using superwash merino sock yarn that I dyed with madder and cochineal. The name of the yarn is Indian Summer.

I can not pull myself away to take a photo but I will in a day or so and post it for you. I love big bright photos on blogs and am disappointed that I do not have to share with you at this moment. [Scratch that -- it is too depressing. I must insert photos]



I am going to try and take tomorrow off. This means that I will only skein and mordant a couple pounds of fiber and leave it at that. I look forward to seeing what Adrienne and I will come up with. We love to start projects -- and we need a new project like we need a hole in the head.

On Sunday, we are going to Maia's for a spin-in. This will be my first one over at her house and I am very excited. Little spinning wheel, where are you? How have you been?

This skein of yarn was our last foray together.


I don't know if I mentioned this but I bought a second spinning wheel. Did I say that I don't oficially have a job? Yet, I can not stop myself from buying more fiber related gadgetry. The very low price of $120 for a Louet S51 somewhat sealed the deal. It is so beautifully simple -- single treadle, the bare components to make fiber spin into a yarn. I had 3 ideas when buying this wheel:

1. Adrienne could use it. She now knows how to drop spindle and this wheel will be very easy for her to spin on.
2. I am toying with the idea of renting my friend's 1960's trailer in Nevada City. Yes, I said a trailer. BUT -- it is very very cute. And, it is in the country. And, it is 5 minutes from the Yuba RIver. I pictured this little wheel sitting in the trailer, waiting for me, and spinning in the country. Ahhhhh.
3. I thought that if someone wanted to learn how to spin, this could be my loaner wheel. Does anyone out there want some spinning lessons? Fall is coming... think how great a handspun scarf would feel.

I might as well come fully out of the closet...I also bought a Schacht rigid heddle loom for $50! That feels really good to say. yet again, do I really need this right now? At the store, I looked at it, and a bubble formed over it, and in that bubble my imagination took me to my famiily room, the loom clamped to my coffee table, I am watching trashy television and weaving very simple handspun white cloth. So, I bought it. Sick bastard!

The loom has been sitting on my living room floor for the past week. I walk over it, carrying buckets of newly dyed and washed fiber to the backyard. I resist putting it away because I really want to warp it ("it only takes 40 minutes to warp, and you can warp straight to the loom" the saleswoman exclaims). But when on earth do I even have the time to calculate a warp? Finally, yesterday, I stubbed my toe on the corner of the loom, I think tomorrow it may have to find a new home in storage. Loom, please don't look at me that way.

As an endnote to my last post, I replied to Ms. SJ's sweet message very simply letting her know that I did receive her message. She replied that the email was meant for internal use only, and that she does not know how I got the message, and she apologizes for that. However, her opinion is her opinion. Cheers!

My original question was never answered.

Needless to say, I have decided to not apply to the SF Craft Mafia Winter show. At this juncture, I want to focus my attention and energy on positive people, attitudes, and venues. The world is full of positive opportunities if you allow yourself to see them. I think that theoretically the SF Craft Mafia is a good idea and I hope in the future they will support new, up and coming artists and craftspeople. God knows if we don't support one another, who will?!

On that note, I hope everyone is creating beautiful things.

The Emotional Ups and Downs of Spinning and Knitting

Wow! It has been wayyyyy to long. From the ache in my back, I think I have been working too much. You know when you haven't seen a friend in a long time, and you don't know where to start -- that's how I feel right now.

Let's start right with this moment, where the wind has been taken out of my sails - I am awake this morning bright and early very angry. What a wonderful start to the day! Part of the reason I haven't been blogging is that I have been working hard on updating my website because I wanted to apply to the SF Craft Mafia's Winter sale. This was going to be my first attempt to get my product out to the public. So, I thought that I would pitch my products, and my wonderfully talented friends products, Maia and Brooke. They will be out of town and can not represent themselves and they have a great product. So, I wrote to Craft Mafia for their advice regarding how to apply/ proceed.

This has been our interaction so far:

Hi --

I am applying to participate in Mafia Made Winter 2007. My business's name is A Verb for Keeping Warm. www.averbforkeepingwarm.com

I have a question -- I am in a co-operative with 2 other businesses, Tactile Fiber Arts and Sincere Sheep.

I am wondering if it would be OK for me to represent our co-operative and sell products from all three companies. Unfortunately, the owner of Tactile Fiber Arts and Sincere Sheep will be out of town the 21st. All three companies have similar goals overall -- to offer earth friendly fiber and yarn products. More information can be found at www.sinceresheep.com. Tactile Fiber Arts currently does not have a website.

Also, would I apply as a joint applicant? And pay $95?

Please advise.

Thanks,
Kxistine Vxjar


And, this was their response:

From: Bxrbe Sxint Jxhn
Date: September 3, 2007 8:48:57 PM PDT
To: Kxistine Vxjar
Subject: RE: Mafia Made 2007 Question
Reply-To:

Well, I'm gonna vote no for her regardless of her coop businesses. Shes a
yarn spinner and she says WAY too cheap


Are you kidding? This is your response? hmmmmmm -- ok. what do I say to that one? I am having a very hard time trying to write something back even vaguely professional. This hits right on the edge of my personality that some may describe as sensitive and emotional -- a nice way to say bitchy and aggressive! And, why is she speaking to me in third person?? Do yarn spinners cheapen the DIY craft movement?! Let me tell you, when you are working your ass off -- it does NOT feel good for someone to call you cheap.

So, I thought I would turn to my fellow fiber bloggers for support. Argh!

On a happier note:

Brenda Dayne's new sock pattern, Brother Amos, has been posted. I am going to download it and hopefully start on it soon.

I finished a hat for Adrienne out of Judith McCuin's shetland yarn. She looks very cute in it.

I have been dyeing like a mad woman and having alot of fun. I really feel like I am learning alot about natural dyeing.

I have just cast-on Pomatomus.

My mom is coming at the end of September from Minnesota. We are going to Ashland, OR to look for a farm. I love when my mom comes to visit.

I am a tiny little sea anemone.

I guess I am still stuck at Agate Beach.

Here are 2 more yarns inspired by the tide pools:





They were difficult to photograph -- the colors are a bit unruly.

Tomorrow, we go to Lambtown, USA in Dixon. Look forward to reports on sheepies and wool.

Help! I am sinking into Ravelry!

Oh Ravelry. Its a dangerous place. I left my blog to the wind. It feels dusty. What has been going on around here? OK -- Obviously, I received my Ravelry invitation last week. Promptly signed in -- and was simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content, people, and organizational capabilities. A fire lit under my ass, I became superbitch to Adrienne, would not eat, and only wanted to upload things onto Ravelry. And everyone has all of these "friends" and I don't. And all of a sudden I am back to my first day at school. Whoa, step back from the edge. Not good.

I had other firsts as well this week. I don't know how many of you know this but I quit my job in january so I could pay more attention to my online fiber store -- and of course spin and knit. Well, this week, I decided to start a little marketing work for a friend. I plan on working about 15 hours a week. Well, the knitting side of myself gave me hell. Its as if I had decided to abandon the entire program and go back to work 40 hours a week. So, I had to sit down with Miss Crazy Knitter/spinnng woman and provide some perspective.

This week I have also decided that I must start taking vitamins again, exercising, and eating salads. I keep telling myself "Next week, I know that I will feel better and more energetic." Needless to say, this week I have been a little cranky. Oh, and I forgot to add my landlord is here and they are painting our house and the cottage in the back and building new gutters. We are on day 3 (out of 14). tap, tap, scratch, scrape, scrape, yelling. Our dye garden looks a little sad.

On a brighter note, I am almost done with washing fleeces. Adrienne and I have planned a new weaving project for the SFMOMA employee art show. She wanted to participate last year but ran out of time. I bought a bunch of Habu at Stitches West 2 years ago -- so, I thought that we'd play with some of that. Plus, I have been meaning to practice my warping all summer long and have not gotten to it. So this should be good.

I am busily spinning superfine merino for the new line of naturally dyed singles. Hopefully in the next week or so, I will get them into the mordant pot. Oh, more firsts! We receieved our first order of Earthues natural dyes. We are trying to get the web page for that up and running. I guess its back to work for me.

Black Sheep Gathering: The countdown has begun

OOoooh -- next week at this time, we will have just arrive to Eugene, Oregon for the Black Sheep Gathering. My mom is flying in from Minnesota on Tuesday. I can tell she is excited to come because she calls daily to tell me what we will be doing next week at this time. "Next week at this time, my plane will be landing", "Next week at this time, we will be driving up to Eugene", etc. Its very sweet.

We will drive half way on Wednesday and complete the trip on Thursday. I plan to go to sleep early on Thursday night and be up bright and early on Friday in time for the juding of fleeces to begin! This is my first fiber festival. I decided not to register for any classes although there were some that were mighty tempting. If there are still openings, I might attend the class named Organic Certification of Animal Fibers: Standards, Practices, and Considerations. Being that I do see sheep and a farm in my future.

If not full, I would have been very tempted to take Orenburg Handspinning. This is a type of Russian spinning that uses supported hand spindles to make lace out of the finest fibers like cashmere for lace weight shawls. Its funny. I don't think that my personality lends itself to spinning lace weight, knitting laceweight, or wearing laceweight, yet, I find myself increasingly drawn towards it. Maybe just for the challenge. I also think that I may be drawn towards the people who do spin and knit in this manner because I am in awe.

I think its interesting to think of how one's spinning may reflect one's personality. You know I joined the Spun Stitches SAL/ KAL to spin yarn for a shawl. I feel very lumpy among my spinning/knitting colleagues. They are spinning the most amazing, teensy, tiny, yarns. And mine, well, its pretty but lumpy. However, I do like the lumpy look. I could actually get defensive and say something along the line of "well, if I wanted to spin yarn that thin, I can" but really I don't find it fun. Every now and then, when I do spin something consistently laceweight, I can see the draw. I feel each individual fiber aligning just right with the fiber before it. I can feel the staple length. And, for a moment, I am pleased with being right there with my fiber and not caring how long it might take to spin 1400 yards. 1400 yards, oh my god, you might as well say 14,000,000 yards! My personality comes rushing back. My brain travels forward in its little time machine. I see myelf knitting and finshing. Then, my spinning flies forward into kind of lumpy bumpy. Oh, this feels more right, I am going to get to the next stage faster. So, I think part of my facination with these laceweight spinners is that they have fun making this kind of yarn. And, I would like to think that they are exemplifying the enjoyment of each minute, and each strand of fiber along the spinning process.

In saying all of that, the sheep to shawl competition is one event I am dying to see. This is a sport that I may actually get excited about. Instead of fantasy football, I could play fantasy shawl spinning. Expect to see a whole photo montage when I get back.

Flicking Wool

What could be better than sitting outside on a warm Californian afternoon hand carding newly washed fleece and drop spinning? Maybe sitting on an island. Other than that, not much.

Last Sunday, I went ot Fleece Day at Deep Color studio. We leared how to choose a good fleece, wash it, flick it, card it, and drop spin it. I am pleased that after a year and a half of spinning, I am able to now focus on the intricacies of the different kinds of wool and their individual charachteristics.

I learned two important things when shopping for a fleece: buy a fleece that has little vegetation stuck in it and has been sheared recently.



We washed mystery fleece from Sonoma County, Romney from Australia, and Icelandic fleece from Tongue River Farm in Montana. Pictured above from left to right. We spun these as well as brown Polwarth (my personal favorite) and Finn.

I acquired a new tool called a flick carder. It is similar to an animal brush but has a longer handle -- thankfully making it harder to put a hole in your knuckle. You use the flick carder after you have washed the fleece in order to get out any small bits of debris before you start carding.

A year ago, I took a slightly shortend version of this class. I thought to myself, "I'd have to be crazy to go through all of these steps". Well, times have changed. I am getting closer to the idea of moving out to the country and taking the time to process my own wool. Now the question becomes -- Do I have my own animals or buy from local ranchers?

We are so inspired by Fleece Day that we have asked my mom to fly out from Minnesota to take a road trip to The Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon. Stay tuned to see how we put our skills to the test.

I'd like to introduce you to my spinning wheel.

This is my Schacht double treadle spinning wheel (double drive) and my little dachshund Cleo. I loooove them both. I started spinning about a year and a half ago and it has changed my life. It takes the creative process way beyond finding a pattern and knitting it. By spinning, you now have control over the type of fiber you knit with and a greater range of color.



Here is a sampling of handspun yarns I have made. Most of it is merino. The blue is an indigo dyed blend of tussah/ merino.


And then there are hand carders and the wonderful art of hand-blending fibers and colors.
The brown ball is natural color polworth hand carded from the fleece for a scarf. And the colorful knit sample represents work from a color carding class.


Last summer, I learned to spin cotton. The carmel color on the left of the sample is grown naturally in this color. It was fabulous to work with. This is when I acquired my high speed bobbin and learned how to treadle really fast. A must to spin cotton.


Along with trying to explore new knitting techniques, I have also dedicated time to explore color. These are some of the samples I have made... what do you think?