A whole lot of CRAZY!

Thanks everyone for your support.

Between the craziness of school with projects, papers and exams; I'm still dealing with the store where I used to teach. I've removed the email until these legal issues are resolved.

Now onto the really fun craziness.

Art school takes almost all of my creative energy, but I have managed to finish a pair of Crazy Zauberball socks. The colour way is not really me. I like the yarn and the sock are very comfortable to wear. If you like your socks to match then this is not the yarn for you! The colour combinations do not repeat.

Toe-up with a short-row heel on 2.0 mm needles

In addition I got a ball of the Zauberball.

Now these are more my colours.

This is supposed to be sock yarn but I don't knit socks out of singles. I'm planning to make a double-knit scarf/wrap. I'll probably use an overshot weaving draft, because I love the way they look knitted.

Hi Everyone,

Judging from the comments and the people I've spoken to personally; it is good to know that I am not the crazy one.

However, the craziness continues. This morning I received a phone call from their lawyer, informing me that if I did not remove the contents of their email from my blog, they would sue me for libel. I am not a lawyer nor do I pretend to be one, so clearly I am not aware of all the things that can be considered as libel. I asked that a letter be sent to me so that I would be better able to consider my options. If my post was indeed libelous then of course I will remove the email content, immediately.

It was never my intent to create any conflict (as I've told the owners of this store, several times). I think they have one of the best stocked yarn stores in the area so there is no reason for people to stop shopping there; and I respect their right to run their store as they see fit. They are free to set the terms for working with them, but I am also free to accept or reject those terms. They seem to be unable to accept that I rejected their terms.

Anyway, I will wait for the letter to decide if the email content will stay or be removed. Either way, I will not talk about this stuff anymore. I didn't created my blog for this. Plus, I really do have a lot of other stuff to to talk about.

Hi Everyone,

For the past while, but especially in the last week, a rather ridiculous “tempest in a teapot” has been brewing between a local yarn store and me. I was never an employee of this store and only provided courses and private lessons on an “as needed/requested basis”. I never realized that working with them meant that I was now an indentured servant.

I present to you, below, their final response to my desire to no longer teach at their store. Who could work with people like this? I have dealt with some real “whack jobs” but they are in a league of their own. Believe it or not, they still owe me money for services already rendered and sample knitting. I just hope they fulfill there contractual obligations.

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TEMPORARILY REMOVED UNTIL LEGAL ISSUES ARE RESOLVED
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Hot off the Loom

I was at my weaving guild until 10h00 PM last night. I think it was totally worth it. This is the Nova Scotia tartan.


Details:
Warp/Weft: wool; Set: 8 epi; Woven 8 ppi; 60" in reed; 87" length, including fringe.

I still have to wash it but I'm already in love!

Twisting

I never thought it would happen but I have fallen in love with spinning. Well, better late than never, I guess. Honestly spinning has never interested me. I understood it and appreciated the skill required, but never had any interest in doing it myself. That was until I listened to a Weavecast podcast on spinning for weaving. Judith MacKenzie McCuin talked about all the different things you could do if you spun your own yarn. She talked about weaving with energized singles, S-twist and Z-twist yarns in the warp and weft, reconfiguring commercially spun yarns, and on and on. Suddenly I had to know more about this whole spinning thing.

I will not bore you with all the details but by February I was spinning decent yarn using my drop spindles. Spindle spinning is so much fun. These are just a few of the yarns I've made using spindles. I was certain that I would never need or want more than my spindles.






Last month I decided that I just had to have a wheel. I didn't want to get anything too expensive so after a lot of research I decided on the Majacraft Pioneer. Oh how I love this wheel. Since getting it, two weeks ago, I've been spinning non-stop.

This is my first wheel spun yarn.
It is some really awful wool I had bought for a school felting project.

Then I spun and plied this merino (468m/164g).


This is the yarn I'm really proud of.

It is 940m/105g of 60/40 seacell/silk, that I dyed, spun, and plied myself. I never quite understood the appeal of spinning until I stated spinning, and I still can't believe how much I enjoy it.

Now I just have to get busy knitting and weaving all of this yarn I'm creating.

Colour and Fibre

Thanks everyone for your kind comments about my fabrics. They really are just first attempts, however fabric design is something I plan on doing more of.

Since I can't play with silk-screening and block-printing right now, I've just been dying fibre. These are just a few experiments.

Tussah Silk Noils - Dyed with Procion Acid Dyes.

Tussah Silk - I used Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes.
I'm going to have to work at handling fibre more gently when dying.

60/40 Seacell/Silk - I used Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes.

50/50, Silk/Super wash Merino - I used Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes but followed the procedure for protein fibres.

Cotton - I used Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes.

It is going to take a lot more practice to get the hang of spinning cotton. You are looking at over three hours of work and serious concentration to produce that tiny bit of lumpy thread!

I made the bowl in a pottery class over four years ago. I love it but pottery is just not for me.

I’m back!

It has been a long time since I last blogged and I’ve really missed it!

You may be wondering what kept me so busy that I had no time or energy to blog. Well, the truth is that I’m back in school. Last year I decided to go back to school and do a Fine Arts degree, focusing on Fibre Art. I found out that my Alma matter, Concordia University, has an excellent Fibre Art program.

This program is proving to be a challenge for me, in so many ways. While I have no problems with the technical aspects of the program, I am not accustomed to working conceptually. Anyway, I really enjoyed my first year and am looking forward to my second year in the program.

The character of this blog will change, since I’m going to be talking more about fibre art so.
The first image is linen fabric that I printed using a block printing technique. I crocheted granny squares and carved the hand, then used them to print with pigment on the fabric.

The second image is of cotton fabric that I designed and silk screened with direct application dyes. The imagery is influenced by an e.e. cummings poem. It is hard to see but I also printed the words of the poem.

While in school, my creative energies were focused on school projects, with very little time for knitting or crocheting the kinds of things that really interest me. In January, I fell into a major creative slump. That is when I picked up the spindle. Over a year ago, my friend lent me a Tabachek spindle and some fibre. I had played with it on and off but never really got into it. Then last January, during my slump, I picked up the spindle and fibre again. At first it was a struggle but eventually I go the hang of it. Then the same friend lent me her Forrester Linum Lace spindle. It was so beautiful; I fell HARD. I LOVED spinning on that spindle! Finally I was able to create real yarn. I had to get my own. Oh Boy! That set me on the slippery slope of spindle collecting. I think I could have bought a wheel with the money I’ve spent on spindles.







I’m really enjoying spindle spinning and try to spin for at least 30 minutes (often more) every day.

Now that school is out, I’m going to indulge in my hobbies and try to blog more often. I think I’ve caught up so now I can move the blog forward.