Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio

The Holiday Rush Is Over!

2011-12-26T16:09:00.002-05:00

Well......it's finally over. I'm a little sad because I just love the rush of holiday orders....and, of course, the last minute finishing touches that go with them. The holiday rush this year has been my best yet. A top number of return customers!!! Hooray!

I am sad to say that there were two orders in particular that were not photographed:( So I have no visual documentation of them. One was a beautiful run of grey chenille shawls and the other was a run of striped towels on natural cotton in various colors. Oh well. At least they were finished in time! :)

For next year BIG plans! The one thing I know I learned is that for Spring/Summer shows, Spring/Summer items are a MUST! It's a little difficult to sell scarves in 90 degree weather! :) My first objective is to work on the "Our Table" line with Lynn Isaacson of New Prospect Pottery. Lots of mats, towels, runners, napkins, etc....to accessorize and personalize your table right along with her fabulous made from scratch pots and glazes!

Next up is an end of the year run of brown chenille shawls......an order from the co-op seasonal store for our Etsy team. Then......well......it's time to weave some of those seasonal items for Spring/Summer shows.

Happy New Year!!!

A Step in the Right Direction!

2011-11-07T12:11:00.004-05:00

The step in a right direction is any step at all! I've been weaving and designing so much and I really haven't been taking the time to document and post the pictures......ok....ok......there are hardly ANY pictures of my finished work. I make, I sell, I have no picture! I'm really on a quest to change that!......no really.....I am! :) Look!

So the patterns made me happy. I know for the next run, which will be the same patterns but different colors, I'm going to pack my weft in a little tighter for a test! :) I sampled a small piece at the end of this run and think it's going to work out beautifully!

So! Back to the loom! I have the next run warped and half woven but my loom went ka put and I had to send a piece in for repair. Yuck! So in the meantime I'm going to be weaving some shibori scarves in chenille! Perfect for cold weather! :) Until next time! :)

Ready! Sett! Go!

2011-10-17T19:50:00.005-04:00

So much has happened since my last post! I'm currently working out of two studios and acquired yet another loom........that turned out to be a 16 harness countermarche loom from Sweden. And boy is she a beaut!!! The name of the loom is Varapapuu! Wow! So, of course, her name for short is Papi! :) I currently only have four shafts and six treadles on her but my gosh!!!! What a steal!!! She is set up at New Prospect Pottery......where work time is either very quiet or there are several people glazing, knitting, or exchanging 'art' information.

New Prospect Pottery was one of the only featured studios for American Craft Week and it was so much fun to have the tents set up in the yard and converse with other artists and crafts people! Never a dull moment:)

I've been working like a mad woman!!! In more than one way:) Yes......this season has been especially wonderful! I'm happy to announce that I have only four hand woven scarves and two hand spun skeins! I'm nearly sold out!!!!!!! The Etsy shops have been bare for the last few months as I've decided to concentrate solely on weaving new items for sale for shows. This has turned out to be an exceptional year!!! There is only one little problem (a 'good' problem).......I have a show in Chappaqua that requires quite a bit of inventory. So! Back to the drawing board! These next few shots are of the next run of scarves. Straw and golden brown echo weave warp with four different wefts in four different treadling patterns.

One of my favorite parts of weaving is playing with patterns and color. I've learned so much about split compliments, compliments, monochromatic, polychrome....the list goes on. Thanks to Lynn for pounding it into my brain. I've still got a long way to go but, it's getting in there. Jeremiah picked me a bouquet of flowers with blue and purple hydrangeas and yellow and orange marigolds........split compliments!!!! It's everywhere!!! :D

Also in good news....Lynn and I have decided to join forces and came up with a custom table setting line called 'Our Table'. Right now I'm completely consumed with replenishing scarf inventory but, our first 'set' was purchased before it even came off of the loom!!! I was thrilled! 8 mats, napkins and towels!!! Ye ha!!!

Now to find the balance between two part time jobs, a full time job, and weaving. Aaaah. The dreaded balance:)

Well......I hope to be diligent enough to post updates more frequently but, I think I say that at the end of every post:) Now that Jeremiah is sleeping (he now reads books to me before he nods off) I'll head up to the studio and count out the ends for these scarves! Woo hoo!

New Toys!

2011-07-03T19:04:00.003-04:00

I remember as a kid looking through the Sears catalog and paying particular attention to the toy section. Carefully going over each item with interest.....not necessarily wanting things.....just observing them. I get that same feeling now as an adult. Looking at yarn, loom, and equipment catalogs both online and paper. Sometimes there is a need for research but for the most part, the specs on looms just turns into information stored for a later date and yarns.....well.....I have enough of that! :) Just eye candy!

In my search for a used Louet Spring, I found that I was most interested in the countermarche action due to my jack loom not being able to accommodate rep weave. The more research I did, the more I found that perhaps I should be looking for a Glimakra. Swinging beater, ability of adding a draw loom in the future, and HEAVY duty! So....the search began. I came across several for sale within a days drive. One in particular, near Pittsburgh, seemed like the best deal. It was newer and the floor model from a store........never used! The only problem that I could foresee was that it was 32" and not the 39" needed to accommodate a draw loom. I have no idea how to work a draw loom but know without a shadow of a doubt that one day I'll learn. Oh well. So.....I emailed her and picked up the loom! Hooray!!! Come to find out....the loom is a 6 harness and not 4! That was the first suprise! The second suprise came when I put it together, with Jeremiah's help (thank God for Jeremiah.....I couldn't have done it alone!) and found out that it is indeed 100cm!!!!!!!! 39"!!!!! I can (one day) attach a draw loom!!!!!! I cried a little........so happy!!!!!!

Jeremiah washed down the loom before putting it together. The hired help:)

Names are important. I've named things that have turned around and bit me in the tush:) So, I let Jeremiah name this one! He's such a good little helper:).......I added to it just a little. So without further ado.......here she is 'Vav: The Pirate Ship' *what a name!*

Ain't she a beaut?!

*just found that 'ain't' is a word my spell check recognizes! Wow! I really do learn something new every day!*

At the beginning of the school year I promised Jeremiah that he could have whatever he wanted if he was a good boy at school. There were some problems at the time due to the issues going on at home........he seems to work better with a reward system:) Know what he picks? ..........sigh..........

"A kitten! And I want his name to be Jumper. And I want him to be a boy. And I want him to not have any claws"

.............sigh................

Guess who had not even one small incident for the rest of the school? Yep.

About a week before school ended I could just see it.....we would have to go to the Humane Society and get a kitten................I think they come to you.......right? Yeah.....that's what I told him! The kitten will have to come to us. We are NOT going to go out and get one. One that needs a home bad enough will find us.

Jeremiah finished school on Friday. Saturday we were at our annual yard sale..........and we hear a scratchy meow. Jumpur found us. I swear you can't make this stuff up! Lol! The kitten was on it's last leg. We took her home then quickly to the vet. She has everything but lukemia:( BUT everything is treatable and according to the vet, if this kitten had not claimed Jeremiah, she would have never made it. So.......here she is......Jumpur......who is a girl.....who has claws.....who loves Jeremiah!

Here is her sleepy self!

She's so sweet and tiny and is getting better by leaps and bounds. She sits on the back of Jeremiah's remote control trucks and rides them around the living room.........and chases the matchbox cars down the hall!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:22:00.004-04:00

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Today is the big day! :) Big dinner, kids eating waaaay to much sugar and re-hiding eggs dozens of times, family getting caught up, and the promise of good weather to come. I love this time of year, not only for the fresh air but the over all feeling of new life. A new beginning.....it seems so appropriate, doesn't it?

There are lots of news things on this end. Lots of new good things:) I'm currently working on getting myself established at a 'new job' and may cancel some of the other odd jobs so that I can concentrate solely on one thus (hopefully) creating more time for me to be creative. I had wanted to start working on my C.O.E but have found that there is little to no time to put together what I need. Even the small tasks of defining words and describing various parts of the loom has become impossible. (notice the time between blog posts) But all in all, I guess that is part of the process for an artist working to make it;) Hopefully this concentration of work will alleviate some of the pressure. :) It's worth a try!

I've been weaving towels like a crazy woman. Pulling a set off of the loom every few days:) The show season is starting earlier this year and I'm looking forward to having some 'spring' items available. My friend Lynn and I have also started putting together some of our ideas for table settings. I think we might be at the point right now on getting colors right. We did a full day photo shoot last week and I'm really happy with the way things look together. I think the two opposite textures compliment each other quite well and the colors really really set each other off. Here are a few pictures from the shoot. Some of my favorites.

Next up on the loom I'm planning a painted rayon scarf. I had a ton of rayon I bought years ago and started playing with dyeing some of it. I think it's going to make a nice light springy scarf perfect for the Artist Showcase at the Byrdcliffe Guild Gallery next month! :)

I Play Inlay! Yay!

2011-04-04T19:17:00.003-04:00

Cheesy title but, I couldn't help it! :)

I first wanted to start with saying that the Compact Loom has been fixed! Thank God!!! I sat back down and just starred at it wondering what in the world could be wrong! I scanned each inch until my eye hit the obvious. The piece of wood holding the front cloth beam in place is crooked......just a little. It wasn't even that much. I peeked under the loom and low and behold there was one little screw that I've never tightened. I didn't even know it was there! Just imagine my joy as I tightened the screw and watched the cloth pull on that side! Woo hoo! I've never been so happy to see such horrible tension on my loom! :)

A very special thank you to Karen for the Louet dealer recommendation. I'm thrilled to know that next time I head upstate for a camping trip I have a new place to stop in at! The Spring has been on my mind for quite some time and I'm making a plan to start saving. ;)

So the project that was on the loom was another run of towels and has since been completed. The warp was long enough for 8 towels but, I only wove 6 leaving enough room for some 'play'. I've been talking about combining efforts with New Prospect Pottery for a line of custom/unique table decor. Well......it's happening. Lynn was very interested in seeing some cloth napkins and I have a C.O.E. to start.....perfect playing ground for getting some of the requirements done! The last yard and a half of the towels was used for a fun fiesta feel of color and inlay. This is the first time I've ventured into inlay purposefully and was happy with the results only after I started to show the accomplishments. This first piece to me felt like practice.

I need a little more practice and I'm sure I'll be creating some more soon. I serged the ends with a rolled hem and LOVE the way they came out! I think they'll be fabulous addition to the table setting line!

I have so much yarn, it's honestly ridiculous! I've been slowly trying to empty boxes of yarn laying it out on shelves in the studio closet as I think of projects. I found a wonderful rayon boucle on Ebay years ago and bought close to 15lbs! I'm down to the end of it and have been playing with cellulose dyes to create some fun painted yarns to weave light colorful Spring scarves with. I dyed nearly 3,000 yards of it in a beautiful pink, blue, and purple and put it up on the swift to count out ends. Well, the weight of it all made it quite hard for the swift to move so I asked the 'hired help' if he could pop in the studio for a minute and help me out. I demonstrated what it was I wanted him to do and he readily agreed with one stipulation, "Sure.....but I need something to sit on!" A boy after his mother's own heart! He helped me count the ends and I can't wait to share pictures once it's on the loom:) Such a good boy!!!

I'm finally near the end of the towel orders as well. On the loom currently is another set of olive green and burnt orange. In the back of my mind...................reduce the stash.........reduce the stash! :)

Frustration in the Studio

2011-04-01T16:57:00.004-04:00

Ug! The worst thing in the world is to realize that your equipment can't keep up with you:( This has happened to me a couple of times now......why? Because I cut corners! Oops! All I can say is lesson learned. Apparently with my little Compact, the front warp beam is moving. I adjust it...it moves again....so on and so on. The obvious solution would be to not move it, right? I have to because the beater hits the beam......frustration! Phew! You can see by the pictures below that the metal bar holding the front beam in place has moved.

and in the second pictures what happens on the other side. This is where I'm having the problem. The metal bar is in the way of the beater! You can actually see where some of the wood has worn away. And you can imagine my beat! *sigh*

Finally you can see what has happened to the fabric. Notice the dip on the right hand side?

Unbelievably frustrating! I think this may be the last set on this loom. I maintain the tightness of the screws and can't quite figure out how in the world this problem is happening.......or what in the world held it in place before. I'm pretty sure I'll be ending all of the towel orders on the Megado.....which is kind of funny in a way:) Kind of overkill for towels:) Especially since the designs are all 4 to 8 shafts!

In the meantime I'll be shopping for a good deal on a Louet Spring.....since Louet just 'makes sense' to me!

Back up to the studio.......with a pocket full of hope! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Obsessive Compulsive Order

2011-03-02T12:48:00.003-05:00

I recently started watching a show called My Strange Addiction. It's dvr'd so, when I spin, I can watch it. It's really a neat show.....documenting people and their strange addictions. Eating pottery and ashes, makeup and shoe hoarding, and hair pulling....things like that. Perhaps the show is in my head.....but, I'm beginning to think that I may obsess compulsively over compulsively obsessing over my yarn! I mean.....I don't hoard. The stash is always turning over and I certainly wouldn't say no if another weaver came over and wanted a tube of my most precious silk. I don't buy yarn EVERY time I see it...........just if there's a good sale or an irresistible color! But.....truth be told.....I think I reorganize my 'currently using this stash' at least 4 times a week! Eeek! It sooths me, makes me calm and creative......so, is there a such thing as obsessive compulsive order?

Any way.........I've dressed the loom for another set of towels and am planning for the last three yards for plain weave. Lynn of New Prospect Pottery and I have been working on a table setting line and I think I'm ready to fiddle with the first set of napkins. I

went with a plaid looking pattern:

The picture looks a bit muddy.....it's a screen shot, not the actual cloth. I'll be using the plain weave for the napkins and this swirly pattern for the towels before.

I have high hopes of having some serious shibori scarves in bamboo after this current cotton warp. Something light and airy for the showcase at Byrdcliffe Guild in May! Hooray!!!!!

M and W Advancing Twill

2011-02-25T06:36:00.004-05:00

To take a break from towels (temporarily) I've decided to weave some scarves and revisit some patterns. I dug through my list looking for something classy. Something with style and personality! I had my heart set on the diamonds scarf that I wove on the Megado for a bookmark exchange then rewove using 8/2 tencel a couple of years ago. Then I did a Shannon classic........I knew how many ends and yardage I needed and knew that I had the right color........but was there going to be enough?! Yep....I eyeballed it! I tried hanging sheet rock at the old house once and 'eyeballed it'. You would think I would have learned by the fruit of that project that measuring once and cutting twice was the better option. I had a good inch and a half gap!!! Lots and lots of unnecessary spackeling! So there I sat on the studio floor Indian style 'eyeballing' the cone of black yarn. Honestly it would have taken merely minutes to walk over to the closet and pull out an empty cone, tare the scale, and do some simple math but no.......I starred and starred and starred. Turning the cone over and looking at it intently thinking "If I do it, there won't be enough. If I don't there will" <--I know....makes a whole lot of sense:) So......off to winding the warp I went. And you've guessed it! I was short by 30 ends! Now what?! I chained the warp off of the board and set it up to be beamed on the back beam. 160 ends.......alone with no purpose. I would have to fiddle with the pattern to see if I could make it work. So there it sat for a good couple of days........

I think like most weavers I tend to think about weaving, patterns, yarn (

oooooh yarn), looms, and spinning most of the time. Constantly thinking of the next project, pattern, or color choices......or next piece of equipment:D I pondered the pattern in my mind for the black warp sitting on the back beam of the loom. I knew that if I modified the pattern from the original idea, I would not be doing the pattern justice and should probably just look for something using less threads in a pattern repeat. I dug out The Best of Weaver's Twill Thrills by Interweave. How could I go wrong! It was only a couple of minutes and I found something that would work perfect with 160 ends!!!!! Hooray!!! A huge sigh of relief! HUGE! :) So, here is the next project. Scarves! Three, in fact.....one red, one purple, and one in gold :) Thank God for Interweave Press!

Towels Towels Towels

2011-02-13T10:49:00.003-05:00

So I was trying to figure out if towels are worth making anymore. I like to weave them but, really what I get for them is peanuts....but....I like weaving them. Hmmmm. I went on Etsy and found that I was WAY under priced! It seems that most sellers have their towels listed at a bit more and sold individually! Okie dokie then...time to make some changes. :)

Not even a couple of days after the change, I was contacted for a custom order for more towels!!! I still can't believe it! :) It almost seems cliche. I've heard that raising prices can raise sales but, for it to happen!!!!! I'm a happy girl!

My good friend Lynn of New Prospect Pottery

has some of her items in Byrdcliffe Gallery Guild in Woodstock NY. She was kind enough to send along my site to them and they contacted me asking for some items! Woo hoo! I drove up to the beautiful town with my items, parked in municipal parking 1/2 mile away and trekked to the guild. As I walked I realized that I live relatively close but, have never been to Woodstock! Wow! And really it's a beautiful town with PLENTY of places to shop for unique items......I was certain to come back and do just that! When I arrived at the gallery, I was greeted by a warm friendly face:) Always a wonderful thing. We looked over the items in my inventory and I walked away with next to nothing........which is why the Etsy store looks so bare! There are many events held at the gallery and I highly suggest, if you're in the area, to check it out.

So, to replenish the shop, I've been working around the clock weaving like a mad woman:) I've since pulled off another run of towels with similar patterns of the Banana Split ones above in green and purple:) I've got to hem them, wash, take pictures, and list on Etsy. Then next up will be some black advancing twill scarves in tencel.

Site Revamp!

2011-01-21T14:35:00.005-05:00

I'm revamping the site! Woo hoo! Perhaps I just might actually DO those New Year's Resolutions! :D We'll see if that big white board with the LIST of resolutions passes the test:)

The plan is to get the website up to speed (um yeah....I think it's been about two years since I've updated much). I've removed outdated pages with processes that I no longer use and replaced some of the other older pages with current information, larger pictures, and external pages so that you're not delivered to another part of cyberspace with no hope of return:) I'm also working with a new designer for my new business cards, banner, hang tags, and all that jazz with the new look since the company I used to use no longer prints custom work.

So.....for the next few days I'll be uploading pictures to the yarn sections and hopefully..........hopefully......hopefully, I can get some pictures taken of recent work and get the hand woven section up to par as well. So....without further ado......here she is:

MUCH Going On:)

2010-12-11T07:35:00.004-05:00

Sooooooo much going on! Wow! I honestly don't even know where to start! This year has been absolutely the busiest I've ever been in my life! :) I have roughly 15 handwoven items in my possession! I seriously can't even believe that! I look at my inventory and just say...."wow"....with a long pause before and after. My dear friend Lynn from New Prospect Pottery and I have grabbed the show bull by the horns and ran with it. Teaming up has been wonderful, to say the least! .........there's someone there to watch the table when you have to use the little girls room;)

With that being said, it's time to make more! :) The one major thing I've learned through this season is that time management is essential. Being over scheduled and tired is not conducive to productivity! So, I'm currently in the processes of finding my balance........and including more of the work that I love.......the design that puts me at ease.........or as some put it......my zen. Which is a term I had to look up. It apparently refers to a type of religious meditation...........I think they have me pegged! This was realized in my abrupt move! Who moves in one day!!?!??!?!? I've always done it a piece at a time.....here a little there a little. In the one day move, it put me out of weaving, spinning, and design commission for almost a week. Lock me up! Put me in a straight jacket and throw away the key if I can't do what I was made to do! :) By the way.....the move was planned.....I just thought I would move over a two week period. Thanks to well organized friends, I was out in one day. So two Honda Civics and a van and I was packed and moved in one day.......ok ok.....maybe not 'packed' but close enough.....who needs boxes anyway?! ....thanks Vanessa;) ox!

The new studio, which is still not all together, is located in my hometown. I'm thrilled to be back on 'this side of the mountain' and in such a lovely community. The studio should be open by appointment only after the first of the year. Doing show locally has shown me that there is an interest in this ancient yet modern art......people want to see how it's done:) And although I don't need an open all day access point for my work, I'm looking forward to live demonstrations:)

So...in a nutshell that's about it! I'm dearly sorry for not posting any pictures. I always feel like that's the best part! See ya next time!

Bran-doodle-new

2010-06-23T13:49:00.007-04:00

So I went for a new layout:) What do you think? I was thinking this was much brighter and cheerier than the last! Perfect for this fabulous 90 degree weather that we've been having as well!!! I've promised myself that this is a time to 'kick it up a notch' so, I've really been on the ball with pictures and updating......at least compared to how I've lacked recently:)

Since the weather was nice, I was able to get some pictures taken outside in the fabulous bright sun!!! I just love this time of year and am one of those people that just can't sweat enough. Honestly, I should live in the Amazon:) So, here is the beginning results of pictures......next time I'll charge the battery BEFORE. Nothing like planning head;)

Plaited twill echo weave. Yellow and orange warp, blue weft.

Rust water spots!!!!!!!!!

Waves and water with a key lime weft! I just love this one in the sun!

Basket weave towels in burnt orange and natural!

These above items will be available on Etsy soon:)

Finally here is what is on the Compact loom (Kip). A set of rep weave runners for my friend Lynn. She has a house to die for......honestly, the moment you step in you are greeted with Southern style hospitality (even though she's a NYC gal) and art covers the place like a blanket of fresh snow. She's a fabulous potter and has a personality that's so infectious that you can't help but drive home only to 'create':)

This is my first bout with rep weave. So far okay.....I wasn't thrilled about beaming the warp, the sett is 30 with 3/2 cotton!!! ;) I can do this......I can do this!!!! ;)

Happy summer!!!

Fun Summer!!!

2010-06-16T11:37:00.005-04:00

Well those shawls are off of the loom! I was so happy with the second run! Apparently this design is quite popular.....which makes me one happy gal! When I set up 'shop' for a show I normally try to put the most eye catching designs in the front. I have one green Waves and Water left and most of the time people look at that first!

I did a run of three, with the first here in white.

The next in a purple weft.

And this with a black weft.

I'm working in more shows this year. Typically I'll do one or two during the cooler weather but, decided to 'kick it up a notch' with some more shows. Opting to take the 'smaller' ones and utilize them for the exposure. I thoroughly enjoy doing the shows so I'm actually looking forward to the 'extras'.

The June show was the Pine Bush Art Tour. This is their second year and I was pleased to find that I would be set up on the Pine Bush Bed and Breakfast porch! I should have taken a picture of the full building. It's a beautiful place with manicured landscaping and an overall Victorian theme that literally knocked my socks off! It rained in the morning so I was thrilled to be under this wonderful roof!

Scarf racks:)

Yarn rack, more scarves, towels, and my 'post'.

In family news, we went for a class trip to the Land of Make Believe! I really didn't know what to expect but, it is in fact a 'real place'. :) I was certain we were going to be pretending that we were on a school trip:) Jeremiah spent time with his little friends. It's so cute to watch them:)

This picture just cracks me up!!! Looks like he's really flying, right?! :)

And finally I had to throw this one in here. I guess I didn't realize how long my hair was! It's longer than my own kid!!! Time for a hair cut? Hmmmmmmmm.

Well, next to get those towels off the loom so I can start a set of runners:) Happy weaving!

Rain Rain!!!

2010-06-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

I'm happy when it rains out so that I can justify not being outside and twisting fringe or spinning yarn:) I've pulled the second set of Waves and Water off of the loom and have been twisting the fringe. Jeremiah is busy working on his Indiana Jones game........we make a fabulous team. Here he is asking if he can help twist fringe:) A boy after his mother's own heart!!!

We went to Six Flags Great Adventure on Saturday with the first hour going through the Safari there! It was awesome with the exception of one thing.......apparently it's mating season! So we passed the 'dancing' animals as decently as possible!!! Giraffes are my favorite animal so I was real happy with this picture!

Jeremiah had a blast and I'm sure it is the same with most children, we simply could have stayed in one area of the park all day:) He was stuck in the water fountain/kiddie pool for most of the day. The water log plume ride was the best. I just love having a super tall child, he could go on most of the rides! Hooray!!!

Well, that's all folks! I'm off to twist more fringe;)

Tons Done!

2010-05-26T10:09:00.004-04:00

....I would first like to start with answering a question about the lace shawl that I knit over the winter. It is this pattern on Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ishbel

You need an account to see the pattern (I'm pretty sure) and you can't go wrong on Ravlery....I just love it!

I've been super busy between work and all of my fiber projects that I've neglected posting.....again! :) Issac (the Megado) is back up and running and I was able to finish the charcoal and black water spot scarves that were on it. I actually ended up finishing with a teal weft and thought that it turned out pretty fun:

I still have to twist the fringe on this one as well as the painted huck lace one I did a while back.

I got an order for another Waves and Water Shawl. Everyone eyeballs this at any show that I do. I originally made three one with black weft, purple weft, and green weft. They all sold except for the green so, I'm making another black, purple, and I'm thinking of a white to give it some 'zing' but, I may change my mind once I get to the third on this one:)

And finally here is what's on Kip (the Compact). I have my towels in my friend's gallery in Ulster Park and she's requested that I make more towels. Basket weave is a fun two treadle plain weave pattern. It's all just a matter of changing the colors......nice and easy and a nice stash reducer. I accidentally ordered 4 lbs of natural cotton a couple of years ago and I have about 2 lbs of this burnt orange and about another 2 lbs of hunter green. I'm planning on eventually weaving the same towels in green as well.

I have high hopes of taking pictures of all of the finished scarves on Monday! I can't wait because I really need to get some of the new items listed on Etsy. Keep your fingers crossed! :) Until next time!

Busy as a Bee

2010-04-07T15:32:00.004-04:00

Oh my gosh! The weather broke and it has been beautiful out!!!! There is something about having all of the Spring cleaning done that has put a little 'Spring' in my step as well:) This time of year is so wonderful!

I was recently invited to bring my work to a Pottery Studio owned by my wonderful friend Lynn. She is an amazing potter who captivates you with the very verbal description of her firing process. I may have mentioned her in an earlier post. The studio features two potters with unique styles and is located in Ulster Park which is about an hour drive......a very scenic hour drive! I was allowed a rack of scarves........since the weather is much much warmer than normal scarf wearing weather, I've decided to work on my towel inventory. Towels are not my favorite thing in the work to weave but, I have way too much cotton in my stash! Towels could also be a wonderful compliment to say, a tea pot wood fired by Lynn! So! Towels it is! For this first set I went with some bright Springy Eastery colors in a huck lace pattern. They are off of the loom and although I had plans on hemming them today, I never got to it:)

I also finished knitting the lace shawl, blocked it, and dried it! I'm really happy with it except for two VERY noticeable yarn overs in the stockinette stitch center. Oh well......I still just love it;)

I spent the morning working on a plain weave/basket weave combination towel pattern while Jeremiah was still sleeping. I'll post more about those soon;) Happy Spring!!!

I Don't Own a Microwave

2010-03-14T15:44:00.003-04:00

Yep.....no microwave....the title is right! I've opted not to have a microwave and really haven't had that much trouble dyeing fibers:) I thought that I would prefer dyeing with the microwave but, the stove top is working wonderfully!

After sorting through my stash, I found that I still have about 10 lbs of rayon! Time to start using some of that up! I counted out a little over 1000 yards for some huck lace scarves and headed to the dye drawer. Sky blue, light lavender, and a nice soft brown:) I had used this color combination in the past and was very happy with the results so, here we go again for another once around........since none of the old scarves in that colorway are left, of course:)

In the past the sett used for this particular rayon was 16 epi but, since I'm going to use this in a huck lace pattern, I'm going to try it at 12 epi and see if I like the feel. This yarn was purchased on Ebay quite some time ago and I had purchased around 6 or 7 cones or so weighing 5 lbs or more each. Every time I wove a scarf with this stuff I would get compliments on the feel. "This feels like silk" people would say......so, I'm really excited to use it again:)

Here is a picture of the brown after I applied it to the skein:).....I forgot to take pictures of the purple and blue:)

Steaming on the stove:)

Finally, I noticed in this picture on the left hand side you can see bowl with a grapefruit in it and a picture (which is of the bowl). This fabulous piece of pottery was made by my friend Lynn of New Prospect Pottery! She is an amazing artist and has a passion for her work. I marvel while she shows me before and after pictures of her pieces and explains the firing process.....all, by the way, done in a wood kiln that she tends herself!!!! Seriously, this chick is AMAZING and if you have a few moments please check out her Etsy shop.....click here.

In Like a Lion

2010-03-05T21:14:00.005-05:00

March, they say, comes in like a lion:) Well, we got about two feet of snow right before March 1st, bringing it in as a lion! Jeremiah and I spent three days locked in the house to play Wii! Thank God for Wii!!! :) Thankfully I was also able to 'play' with a lot of fiber and get some spinning done. Perhaps one day I will be a week ahead in spinning. :)

I was recently asked, by Dad of course, why I have no new items listed on the Handwoven side. Truth be told.........I have TONS of new items! I just need a day and a good photographer to get the pictures taken like they should be:) I've woven a wonderful set of unisex scarves on a black warp in tencel and merino. The first one was for David for helping his wonderful Nan on the mail route.........she's raised some good kids, that Nan;)

I've been trying to play more with color so after I finished the rust set of scarves, I thought the water spot scarf would look wonderful in grey! This is what I see every day on the Megado until it's fixed:) In the meantime I get to sit down and plan drafts for future weaving!

It's been a long time since I've knit anything other than socks and I've been head over heals on lace projects as well. There has been 'free time' in places that I haven't had 'free time' in years so, I've been knitting a row here and there using up some fabulous yak/bamboo yarn.

Aaaaaaah fiber! Love it.....just love it!

Well, I'm off to dye some yarn for a huck lace pattern on the Compact loom:) Happy weaving!

New Year Resolution a Little Late:)

2010-01-18T10:41:00.004-05:00

I have spent the last 5 years doing basically the same thing on New Year's Eve. Spinning yarn and watching some type of drama or crime documentary....then again, that's what I do most nights anyway:) Everyone is all about making goals.....and I usually have a good one to work on. Last year, for example, my New Year's resolution was to organize. I wrote it down in very large letters on the white board in the old studio as a reminder for all year.....and....I did it! The only difference with this year was that I couldn't seem to come up with a good one. Hmmmmmmm. I'm still at a loss for a 'good one' so, I've decided that perhaps making 2010 a year of preparation for 2011 is the best option......I can't seem to come up with anything else. Come to think of it, maybe I'm still organizing.....lol.

I know for sure that I will be starting my C.O.E in Hand weaving. I have received the packet and am looking forward to working out a scheduled plan to work on it. :) Woo hoo!

As far as weaving goes, I feel like I've been weaving up a storm. I finished the yellow and orange warp scarves.......each with a different weft. One black, blue, and purple. This pattern was an echo weave plaited twill pattern that I designed and used on another set of scarves last year.

My camera doesn't like blue for some reason:)

The purple was a lot of fun!

The black is my fave! It's like Tiger's Eye!

Here they are drying after wet finishing and before pressing:)

This is the next set. Rust was the 'theme' in these. I played with treadling to get the different effects:) I like long fringe so that's why there is so much :) These scarves are about 85" long and about 12" wide! Bigguns!

The camera doesn't really pick up the luster on this one but, it seems to shine more than the others.........the weft is close to my carpet color.....my sister thought it was see through:)

Finally, this one is my favorite of this set. I used the rust warp with a deep burgundy for the weft. The pattern used is a network draft that I created then wove this one with the weft as drawn in. I was hoping for a 'water spot' look..........that was created! I was soooo happy! The only problem with weaving this scarf was that the warp and weft are so close in color that it was difficult to see a pattern emerging.....naturally, this is the part I look forward to. I had to wait to press this one to really see it............and......I was certainly pleased! :)

That's it for now. I have a merino/tencel set of men's scarves on the Compact. I'll be working on those next. Isaac is out of commission.......something has happened to the circuit board and the electronic interface is getting looked at. I am hoping and praying that it's something easy to fix and won't cost me $700!!!!!!! ;) Until next time;)

A Christmas Plug!

2009-12-12T14:13:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite parts about selling yarn on Etsy is seeing what folks create with it. There are times that I look at the finished piece and go WOW and other times......I can't believe that I spun the yarn:) There is one piece in particular that a recent customer (who is fabulous, by the way) shared with me that had my sister and I acting like fools!!! It's one of those things that you see and cry because it's soooooo cute!!!! ......not only is this hat cute but, the baby takes the cake!!! ;) Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I'm posting this as a 'Christmas plug' for Amy Lee:) She takes orders for hats.....and boy oh boy are they cute!!!!!! :) Hats for babies and adults in just about any animal that you can think of. You can find her on facebook as Amy Lee or send her a convo on Etsy. Her user name there is Karmabean82 !!!!

And so far as I know........babies are not included;)

March!

2009-12-09T10:49:00.005-05:00

I would like to thank EVERYONE for your kind words and thoughts and prayers and blessings;) Jeremiah and I are doing fabulous at our new location...........as the wrinkles of life get their due ironing, I'm finding my place and trying my hardest to settle in with the new adjustments. I've found one thing for sure........I have 'free time' or rather, time to work, where I didn't have it before. :) As the last bits of snow fall from the sky this morning, I had some time to work on some new draft ideas............and I am liking the results for sure:)

I'm going to commit to working on my COE......I just have to send away for the info.............I've never been so inspired in all my life to create..............woo! Weavecast (I'm like two years behind on episodes:) has a wonderful episode featuring information on completing a COE and the one thing I heard over and over was that most of the weavers wished that they would have used the COE process to learn. I'm hoping to use it for just that purpose. I have thus far stuck to the types of drafts that I like.........which are mostly twills:) ......and shibori....of course:) The thought of wrapping my brain around different weave structures is thrilling!!!

So..........I recently received a request for several colors in scarves where I could pick the drafts......all with the exception of one. The first was to be a close duplicate of a scarf I sold at a show. That one is finished as of last night.......I just need to twist the fringe. The warp was orange and yellow. I wove three scarves.......each roughly 80" long......as per customer request:) ....I like them long too! One blue weft, one black (my fave) and the last a royal purple......simply fabulous! The last time I worked this draft I wove one with a taupe weft for hee ha's and have been battling the desire to keep it:)......I just may keep both the black and taupe!

Here is the way Isaac fits in his new spot too!!! I was really hoping to keep one of the looms in the living room but, as it turns out, the spinning wheels act better as decor. Both looms fit with ease in my new bedroom/studio. I have a bit of work to do to get better lighting but, that all comes with time:) The Compact is naked at the moment but, I'm planning a silk (60/2......call me crazy!!!!!) huck lace scarf soon...I just have to get the new heddles on:)

This draft is the one I worked on this morning.....I'm not sure if I'm going with a rust and gold or the blue and black.............I'm out of black tencel and it's back ordered at Webs.....I'll probably go with rust:)

Finally......I'm all ready for Christmas.......except for shopping, of course:) The tree is up and decorated! :) Jeremiah decorated the entire bottom 4 feet of the tree......it's jam packed with ornaments:) ........I think he has a creative side..........:) There is one particular ornament that he feels the need to sing to. :) I just love sitting where he can't see me and listen to his little soprano voice sing the cutest little song......man!!!!!......this kid is neat;)

Merry Christmas;) God bless you all;) Until next time;) March on!!!

I Guess That's Just Life

2009-11-06T21:00:00.002-05:00

I will be posting again soon. I'm in the midst of a move. Sometimes the choices we make in life don't turn out as planned......or don't turn out at all. I have come to the hard decision that leaving my current residence and moving to an apartment with my son (and two cats) is best for our family. The past six years have been fairly difficult and the last two have been slightly overbearing. I think I'm writing all of this here because I feel that the stress I have been feeling has prevented me from being as productive as I can be. Some people are good 'under pressure' but, I find that I am about the worst 'under pressure'. I have been searching for a new place for about six months and finally came across something within reasonable distance from my sub job with the Post Office, cleaning jobs, and family. There is plenty of room for Jeremiah, myself, and (of course) my two looms:) One of which I will ecstatically set up in the living room area! Only time will tell but, I feel that this is what is best..............I will get caught up on reading blogs and posting as soon as I'm settled in;) Best to you all!!!

Full Steam Ahead

2009-10-27T09:25:00.003-04:00

Ursula and I popped out to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival this year on a Sunday............let me tell you how a Sunday with some rain was so much better than a beautiful sunny Saturday!!! We were able to walk just about everywhere with ease:) The place was still mobbed but, all in all it was very comfortable. About 3 or 4 years ago we brought Ursula's son with us and it was hard for the poor little guy because how interested is a 6 year old going to be in yarn and fiber stuff? Well, this year we brought him again as well as his brand new little brother and they were the best two kids on the planet for the entire day!!! ;) I was one happy Aunt, let me tell you!!!! ;) My friend Will also came down from Ithica to check it out. He's been spinning his cats fur into yarn............when he told me and I didn't react as others had, I think he was a little shocked:) I was so glad he got to make the treck out and enjoy the day:)

I picked up a Cricket Loom to bring home to show my beginners weaving class how a basic loom works. I'm teaching 3rd grade through JV basic weaving on pot holder looms......just so they can see how fabric is created. They are soooooo cool to watch:) Some of the kids get it right away and just take off and others have little to no interest at all. With a table of 6 kids, I had only one that had no interest..................not too bad, if you ask me;) The only problem with the Cricket Loom was that when I opened the box to assemble it, there was no hardware! Pooh! I wrote to Schacht and they graciously sent me the needed parts!!! What a fabulous company!!! My assumption is that the loom was previously assembled and then placed back into the box without the hardware. Thank you to Schacht Spindle Company for being so darn cool about that!!!

Yesterday I spent the day in the studio organizing and getting ready for some new warps. I dressed the Cricket and started weaving a fun scarf using cotton and eyelash yarn. :) Here is a picture.

I have a little work to do on the selvages but, I'm amazed at how much I'm enjoying weaving on this little guy:)

Finally, this is a shot of towels I'm working on for my little sister. Her theme is blue, orange, and white as her and her husband are huge Gator fans........and super silly:) I recently wove her a scarf with orange and blue..........she gets like a little kid..........claps and jumps up and down......and I'm sure wears the scarf every day:)

Well, I'm off to wind some warps for some orders:) Until next time!!!

Decisions Decisions

2009-10-19T16:25:00.004-04:00

I very well may be the worst person in the world to make a decision. I've been playing with some color ideas for the turned taquete. During this year's trip to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival, I stumbled upon Just Our Yarn. I walked into their booth because of the beautiful delicate lace work that they had displayed. I quickly squished as much yarn in my hands as I could and noticed a sign that informed of 30/2, 20/2, and 60/2 silk and tencel........all I had to do was ask!!! Ask?! Yeah!!! The owner produced boxes from under the tables. Well, I have made a decision!!! I knew exactly what I was looking at in that box 'o color!!! These are my selections for the taquete pattern.

I believe I will be using the brown in for the warp and the yellow for the weft. AND.....I really hope that they look the way I'm imagining once woven. My original idea was to have an 'A-B' type alternate color warp....using red and purple with a golden yellow weft. I'll have to see how the varigated brown will look in its place.

This skein is varigated 60/2 silk.....ummmmm.....yeah......that is some seriously fine stuff right there. I'm planning a huck lace scarf for this beautiful wonder:)

The only thing I'm waiting for to get started weaving again is that treadle cord. I'm feeling some serious withdrawal!!!

Tah Dah!!!

2009-10-17T22:04:00.004-04:00

Hooray!!! I think I'm happy with it! ;) Now for the middle of the scarf design:)
Tomorrow is the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival!!! I'm not sure that I'll sleep a wink tonight:)

Taquete and My Brain Itches

2009-10-14T17:53:00.006-04:00

I've been playing around for the past few days on and off with this original damask pattern. I was informed by Lynnette that converting this pattern to turned taquete may be ideal so naturally I have read everything I can get my hands on about turned taquete. I've yet to weave this particular structure (I'm a big twill fan) and am really impressed with what I've been finding. First......thank you so much dear, Lynnette;) I think this is going to be a lot of fun;)

I'm happy with this one but, wanted more more of the weft to shine through.

This is the back.

This one is closer to what I'm looking for but, now I need to devise a plan to tie down these really really long floats in the warp.........I'll spend some more time designing these and see what happens:)

I think I would like to take the curls on the bottom of the 'flower' and use them as a fill in type of pattern on the body of the scarf then use this motif on both ends with the points pointing toward the fringe. I do although, have a feeling that I will be sampling before weaving the scarf to test the hand.

In other news, I'm twisting the fringe on the chenille shibori scarves and am planning some overly bright colors........which never quite turn out the way I intend with cellulose fibers. I like the whole Christmas aspect....should be interesting:)

My darling sister-in-law and dear friend and I took the kids pumpkin pickin. They had so much fun. I don't quite think that they got the concept of actually picking the pumpkins. I think that they thought we were just walking through a field checking out pumpkins. :)

Much like his mother, Jeremiah feels the need to be 'extreme':)

And now......the examination of this pumpkin......will it be the one?!

Finally, I was tagged by Hilary (who is such a doll....thank you so much, dear, for you kind words about my weaving;) to give 10 random facts about me.....so, here I go:)

I am a Christian.......and if you told me that 10 years ago I would have laughed for hours.
I have a wonderful relationship with my wonderful son.....who, by the way, is a wonderful person:)
A three year old playing drums does not bother me in the slightest.
I am terrible at making decisions..........for example.......what's for dinner? I never really know.
My New Year's resolution for 2009 was to become more organized..........I've made significant progress:)
I can't lie.
I'm a hopeless romantic.
I have my septum pierced but, seldom wear the ring out. (Septum is the middle of my nose....kinda gross but, it's been there for 13 years.....I figure why take it out?)
When I run up the stairs I get happy for no reason and feel the need to clap. Must be something about the sudden change in elevation.
I can spend hours in silence.

Ok.....so some of it was probably a little too much information but, it was fun:)

Here are my tags:

I'm not sure if I can do just 8 but, I think most of the other ones I read have been tagged. ;)

Lippincott Bluegrass Festival

2009-10-10T06:29:00.003-04:00

Today is my second show this month:) I have a booth at the Lippincott Bluegrass Festival at Lippincott Manor in Wallkill New York. I'm really excited about this because not only do I get to hang out outside all day and talk to people about my textiles but, I get to listen to music:) After Applefest on Sunday I realized that I sold a third of my inventory. One of the totes with handwovens had enough room in the top for me to store other items in it. I'm really hoping that I have another wonderful event today:) I have the car all packed and I'm ready to hit the shower:)

Well, I tried to upload the flyer but, for some reason Blogger doesn't like it:) Here is the website with the information:)

www.lippincottmanor.com

See ya!

Damask....Ah Ha Moment....Now Taquete?

2009-10-07T08:43:00.003-04:00

Ok. So since the weather has been changing, I now have some more obvious time to 'play' with some designs that I have stored in my head:) Damask, in particular, has been a favorite of mine to look at and I really feel the urge to use my loom to create tapestry like scarves and shawls. I don't want anything too heavy as I really like the feel of tencel, bamboo, and I would eventually like to switch to silk for my finer works. I am still in the learning stage though and I hope to always remain in the learning stage. The damask pattern that I have been toying with, I like but, I lose a lot of detail the more I stretched it out. I was a little frustrated but, certain that there was something that I could do.

The picture above is a little small but, the piece all the way to the right is a 4 point twill threading, the middle is a 5 point twill threading, and the one on the far left is a 6 point twill threading. To get a true satin/sateen I would have to use the one on the far left. To be honest......I lost most of the detail and am not about to dress the loom to weave something I'm not happy with. As small as this item is in the picture, if I used a sett of 24 epi, we are looking at that image size at a little over 13". That is a lot of detail down the drain. There are REALLY long floats too:) Not good. Sooooooooooooo I think that today I'll take some time to convert this damask item into a taquete. That way the long floats will not be a problem. At this point it's just a matter of finding out if I lose just as much detail. I have a feeling that I will be sampling for this to make sure that the fabric will be suitable for a scarf/shawl. Boy! This is fun! ;)

Damask......Starting to play

2009-10-05T14:29:00.003-04:00

Here is what I've come up with so far. I think what I would like to do is make this so that it covers a large section of the fabric.

Sooooo the next step is to 'stretch' it out. I think I'll be playing with documenting how I find this process. Right now I have this whole pattern @ 62 ends. Well, if I use a yarn sett at 24 epi, I will only have a piece about 2 1/2" wide. Sooooooooo now I have to stretch this out;)

On another note. I was at Applefest in Warwick New York this past Sunday. It's basically a street fair with lots of food and vendors. They were expecting 35,000 people. I was quite pleased because I sold 1/3 of my handwoven inventory! Not too shabby:) I'm certainly one happy girl:) I really like to take notice of what pieces people look at the most. Everyone seemed to be very interested in the pieces that take me the most time in designing. This makes me shine from head to toe!!! I'm thrilled that my favorite pieces are noticed:) And the best news? Two of the Waves and Water shawls went at the same time to two different people!!!! And!!!! They were priced as they should be for the time that they took me not only to design but also to weave:)

I think I'm going to look into getting my Certificate of Excellence. I'm sorry to say that I'm only on episode 15 of Weavecast. I can only listen when I clean houses and I have about 5 different programs that I like on itunes. This particular episode was so inspiring because it talked of how you could push yourself forward in hand weaving and use each technique in the completion of the C.O.E. Well.....I'm inspired and I'm thinking that I would at least like to take a look. I didn't go to college for hand weaving/textiles. I only studied for a short time with a wonderful European woman who wove in the womb:) She was in her 70's when she first shared the art with me and I, still to this day, admire her for her studies. Other than that, I'm book/experience taught. Has anyone else out there started the C.O.E.? Is anyone out there interested in doing this too? :)

Damask.....Can I Do This?!

2009-09-30T22:34:00.004-04:00

I just love a friend of mine's selection in scarves. She always has these intricately woven damask patterns in fine threads. They look so elegant! Paisleys, damask patterns, flowers, and wonderful rich earth tone colors. I'm pretty sure that I would need to use a draw loom to obtain the patterns in her scarves but, then again..........would I? I mean.....I do have 32 shafts that I can 'play' with. I'm sure I can figure something out. I really enjoy taking images and weaving them into the fabric.......couldn't I do something similar with satin as opposed to twill? Hmmmmmmm. I could possibly get softer lines? Hmmmmmmmm again. Well, it's worth a try, I guess.

Here I am in hour #2 playing with a damask pattern that I think I like. I uploaded it into Fiberworks and I'm now getting the image on the number of shafts so that I can tweak the draw down and tie up.

I did something similar for the star scarves, Polka Dot Scarves, Pine cone Towels, and Gingerbread Towels. I'm just hoping my mind is thinking right that I can use this 'half' profile in a straight draw for satin. I guess we'll see:)

In other news......something I forgot to write about. The cord that my treadle attaches to on the Megado broke. :( I had ordered a new one but, had to wait until this week. So..........I will be able to warp the Megado once again and see how my 'playing' really turns out. :)

Weaving 101

2009-09-18T19:58:00.003-04:00

I've been talking about some 'horrible' towels that I've been working on. I just couldn't seem to get myself in the groove weaving these towels. I liked the color, they are a cotton and linen blend, the pattern was basic, only a little changing in colors....I couldn't figure out why I just couldn't get in the groove with them. Finally something snapped and I was able to get going on them and wove the last 4 quite quickly. Phew!!! My son was very interested in these towels and was up for some weaving practice:) This just tickles me pink. I think it's wonderful that he has such an interest in what I'm doing and I hope and pray that he makes it a practice in his life to be interested in other people and what they like:) I set up the camera to make a video of his little lesson. I think he likes it;)

And finally!!! Here is a picture of one of the towels on the loom.
They have since been removed, washed, hemmed, and are ready for labeling. :) I think now that they are officially off of the loom, I like them much better. I was very surprised at how soft the cotton/linen blend was once I washed and dried them.

I'm now working on dressing the loom with some white rayon chenille from my stash. I'm planning on a couple of shibori scarves as well as a couple of plain white ones to 'play' with some surface design techniques.

:)

Forever and Three Days

2009-08-26T13:25:00.005-04:00

Somebody gets a big fat F for summer blog keeping........and it's me!!!

Summer has been an absolute blast!!! There were some serious real down lows but, the up high highs couldn't be better!!! We spent the better part of August on vacation since I'm pretty sure this is my 'last summer of freedom'. Hampton Beach Maine was our first fun stop with the in laws and cousins. We had a great time!!! This was the first time Jeremiah has ever seen the ocean and I really should have taped it! It was hot out yet still a little foggy. We all took off our shoes and stepped onto the sand. Jeremiah says, "Oh wow, Mom! That's dirt!" I explained that it was sand and he responded with an "Oh!". He then looked up and pointed at the ocean and said "And a big pool!!!!" The newness is so fun to watch, that's for sure!!!

Here's a picture of the excitement!

At the end of August we spent a week at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire for our very first 'alone' vacation. Typically what happens is I go on vacation with my mother and father in law and occasionally my sister in law and nephew. My husband stays home and I go off and enjoy time with some fabulous people. We decided to try a vacation together alone......to see how it would go. I have to say........it went pretty well! I think we may try it again sometime!!! Lol. See....his parents are all about taking the scenic route and going to zoos and museums and train rides and all 'family fun stuff'. Since I like that too, they let me tag along;) My husband would rather sit on the beach and hit the bar...........boy do I love my in-laws:)

I also started, this summer, with the Post Office delivering mail. That in and of itself is a story and a half!!! I'll probably spare the details.....I just have to say that it is a God given job, that's for sure!!! I'm loving every minute of it and am thrilled that I am once again waking at 5am.....something I haven't been doing since I got pregnant!!! There was a very peaceful still time in my life when I would wake up at 5am, get ready and get to work and be in bed by 9 to read for an hour. I'm almost back on that same schedule and I feel so refreshed........like it's exactly what I needed. There's just something about the sunrise in the morning that makes the whole day that much smoother!

So in a nutshell, that's my summer.:)

Now......on to the weaving!!!!

Phew! With all of this going on, can you believe that I've still found some time to weave!? I've been working on some plaited twill echo weave scarves in 8/2 tencel that are simply amazing. I'm almost finished with the fringe twisting. Usually I don't look at the whole piece until the fringe is twisted....and even then, I wait until all of the pieces from that warp have twisted fringe before I look at them. I just love the whole surprise element in that. I wish I would have taken more pictures of these on the loom. The first one (the only one pictured) is a gift for my sister. Her home decor and favorite colors are blue and orange so, this was a perfect one for her:) I was inspired by Lynette, see her blog here, for the echo weave. I had seen the structure several times recently when looking through magazine and also on Weavolution so, I decided to give it a go. I had tested several tie ups but, ended up going with a point twill. I chose the plaited twill because that happens to be where I am in Bonnie Inoyue's book Exploring Multishaft Design, which I very highly recommend to anyone!!! The fist I wove with royal blue, the second in a bright purple, the third in a taupe (my fave!!! And.....I may keep it for myself!!!), and the fourth in a lighter brighter blue. I promise to get more pictures up asap;)

Well.....I'm off to get a horrible set of towels off of the Compact! I probably should take pictures....they are that bad!

Woo Hoo!!!

2009-06-26T23:32:00.005-04:00

Here are my conies!:) They need just a little work on the bottom most portion of the cone. The pattern that I'm using for these cones is a 3/1 twill......kind of a summer/winter idea. The two pictures below are showing the front and the back of the fabric;)

I'm so excited to get them started that that's all for my post;)

Pine cones, Gingerbread Men, Maple Leaves, ?

2009-06-20T11:40:00.005-04:00

I was asked if I can weave pine cones onto towels by a very influential woman of God in my life. Of course, I said "Yeah! Sure!". Knowing full well that with a little bit of research and effort, I would be able to weave just about any image out there with a 3/1 twill. Well, I think I have what I'm looking for. These are screen shots of the front and back of the image.

So....I was wondering.......what do you think? Does it look like a pine cone? I have the loom beamed, as of last night, in a point twill 1-32 and am planning on a natural cotton with a band on either side of the towel with a strip of pine cones. Since I put enough on the loom for four sets of two, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and make my mother-in-law a set of gingerbread men towels for her kitchen. She's a little obsessed with gingerbread men....it's her kitchen theme that has spilled into the dinning room and living room:) Gotta love her!!!

That leaves (ha ha ha sounds like a pun) room for one more set or two. I thought a maple leaf would be fun and this is about how far I got with that image.

Do you think the pine cone looks like a pine cone? I'll be weaving samples, I hope, very soon. I just have to get the time to finish dressing the loom:)

Hoe-Down for Hospice!

2009-06-14T06:45:00.003-04:00

Hello all!!! Today Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio will be at the Hoe-Down for Hospice in Walden New York. If you would like to come out, please stop by the tent and say hello:)

My Saddle Brook Farm Presents:
Hoe-Down for Hospice
Sunday June 14th 2009 rain or shine

more than 50 vendors
arts and crafts
horse shows/dressage
hand made jewelry/pottery
petting zoo/pony rides
and much, much more

$8 admission for adults
$4 for children 5-12/children under 5 are free
$22 family package for up to 6 people

All proceeds go to $5 admission for senior citizens (65 or over)
Community Hospice of Bergen County
(a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization)
with the support of Hospice of Orange & Sullivan County

My Saddle Brook Farm
(http://www.mysaddlebrookfarm.com)
163 Berea Road - Walden, New York 12586
Or call 1-845-778-3420 for more information

Crankin Right Along:)

2009-06-13T00:08:00.005-04:00

I'm happy to say that the alpaca/silk scarves are wet finished, dried, pressed and labeled! I'm really happy with my first set of 'men's' scarves and have an appointment to torture someone as a model......:)

Currently hanging on the drying rack are the Waves and Water Shawls. I cannot wait to post pictures of those bad boys!!! I finished twisting the fringe on the black weft and brought it outside to take a look at it in the sun. I almost passed out!!! It's beautiful!!! I just love that tencel fiber, it really shines and shows off the structure:)

That leads me to my next point.....crankin right along. I have stayed away from silk in my weaving. Today, I started weaving some huck lace scarves in 8/2 silk and have now found that my new favorite fiber to weave with is silk! I think I may have been staying away from it knowing that it would take me captive to it's softness and sheen! I'm in love!!! I have finished 2 1/2 of the 3 huck lace scarves. One is a gift and the other two I think I may try some surface techniques with. Am I crazy? I know that silk is great with dye and I'm thinking of perhaps using some 'out there' dyeing techniques to play with. I'm a little nervous:)

Please pardon the lighting in this picture and my long piggies on the bottom:)

Today was a fun day for my special little guy! He had his first class trip!!! I woke him up at 6:30am and he was quite groggy and still half asleep. I reminded him that he was going to ride the school bus today (I drive him so this is new new new!!!!) and he sat bolt upright, eyes wide open and said "Mommy, today I ride the school bus". He repeated this same sentence over and over (even while eating a bowl of cereal) until we got to the school. See his excitement? I'm sure the bus driver had a headache with how many times he heard The Wheels on the Bus song;)

Ye Ha!!!

2009-06-02T23:56:00.003-04:00

The Waves and Water Shawls are off the loom!!! Hooray!!! :)
I think this one is my fave!!! :) One with black weft, one with purple, this is the one with green!!! Now to twist that fringe:)

Memorial Day!!!

2009-05-30T00:04:00.004-04:00

What Memorial Day means in my neck of the woods is all of the 'city people' come up to stay until Labor Day or so. My normally quiet town hustles and bustles and comes alive. People walk the main strip hitting the quaint stores that put Wurtsboro on the map. Really, it's a wonderful thing! Jeremiah was in a parade and was so funny to watch. He just waved his little flag all over the place and hasn't stopped talking about it since!

The Picnic Towels are off the loom and in the dryer as we speak! (.....yes....I know it's 12:13am! Call me crazy!) I ended up weaving four sets of two and each with a different pattern. I thought I had taken pictures of all of them but, this is the only one on the camera.....strange! I'll take better pictures tomorrow:)

And now for the Waves and Water series! I'm so excited about these shawls, they are finally coming into play and I'm really happy with the results!!! Here is the first one, with a black weft. In the picture it's slightly transparent so that pattern is a little difficult to see. Often times I weave at night and lighting is not always the best at that time to take pictures:)

This is the one I finished this evening with a purple weft.....the next one......a suprise;)

What I've Been Up To

2009-05-15T23:50:00.008-04:00

It's been a bit since I blogged but, I'm in show prep mode:) I'm hoping to kick it up a notch this year so, I've been busy.....don't worry, I goof off plenty:) Last weekend was Community Day at CFF and this is my third time going to do demos:) It's always a lot of fun to answer people's questions and show them how weaving is done:) Tons of kids.....tons of adults.....TONS of questions! All and all it was a great day.......the sun broke out of the clouds. Here I is:

Remember those Waves and Water shawls? The loom is threaded and I'm going to get those going soon.......when I got Isaac (the Megado) the box was missing a right upright beater and Louet has shipped the part (they were awesome about letting me borrow one from their loom until it came in) so, I've started working on a towel order. I'm really excited about the way this one is coming out. The person who ordered them asked me to go with a red and white 'star burst' type of pattern. When you say red and white....I think traditional table cloth.....this pattern was perfect because it encompassed both ideas and she was ecstatic....which made me ecstatic! I'm using a pattern from the 8 Shaft Weaver's Book (might have the title a little off). Straight twill! Loving this:

The Compact is a great little loom. I'm very comfortable weaving on it.....I do have to say this.....I'm simply AMAZED at the 'no strain' that I have when dressing the Louet Megado. I know that this was something that they took into consideration when designing these looms.....a job well done!

I was also asked to weave a set of towels with Pinecones on them..........this is going to be a blast.....once Waves and Water is off Isaac, I'm really going to have some fun weaving pictures:)

Lastly.....and it is by NO MEANS a last thing at all:) I share a lot about my weaving on this blog and usually leave out all the spinning and motherhood stuff. Spinning isn't half as interesting as weaving because I spin so darn much (which is fine.....seriously NO complaints there:) and motherhood ......well.....I wanted to share a little of that.

A little confession first.....a hem.....I've never really been much of a dog person.......please don't shoot me...I was bit by a German Shepherd and just never really liked dogs there after. I've always been a cat lover. I have two darling kitties that have been with me well over 13 years and I love them dearly. My husband, on the other hand, is a dog person. After complaining EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past three years about not having a dog, for Christmas.....he got one:) I have fallen in love with Xubi (pronounced Sue-Bee).....she is a simply amazing, silly doggie. I call her my beautiful princess (I'm rolling my eyes because if I could have only heard myself a year ago).......what I love about her most is that she is kind and gentle with my Jeremiah. She loves him......she looks for him....she plays with him.....she rocks! So.....here are my kids.....I love my real one better....but, I love the fuzzy one too:)

Xubi is a 9 month old 90lb South African Boerboel who thinks she is a teacup poodle.

Jeremaih is a 3 year old real boy who thinks he's Batman;)

Waves and Water

2009-04-21T15:35:00.003-04:00

I have almost finished twisting fringe on the last set of scarves....one more to go....and then I will be wet finishing them and hopefully getting some pictures taken:) Thank you for the comment on my last post, Susan:) I always feel like I don't get anything done......I only have about three hours to 'work' at night when my son goes to bed. I am thankful that during the day, when we are together, there are 'down times' when I can get to the computer to do some research, work on patterns, update the blog/website, and all of that fun stuff.....usually about 15 minutes tops;) ! There are days that go by so quickly.....he is wonderful for keeping me 'ever busy'! :)

Tonight the plan is to wind a warp for the Waves and Water shawls. I have been working on these for quite some time now and can't wait to see how they turn out. I have decided on a two tone blue for the warp. As far as the weft is concerned, I have only picked black and am going to have to go through the stash to see what other colors I have that will work.....this will depend on how long the warp is going to be for these. I am thinking a maximum of three. I am planning for these shawls to be 18" wide and about 75" to 80" long with fringe. Nice and long for a great wrap:)

Oooooooh!!! This is an addendum to the above.....after I posted, I went back to take a look at the picture in the blog. Do you see the break in the 'wave'? Oh my gosh!!! I have been scratching my head for a little over an hour trying to make this work. I was having one heck of a time getting it to 'not break' like that to get some flow.....I certainly don't want to not have flow in this shawl!!! I started doing some research on progressing twills to find out what in the world I could be doing wrong. I grabbed my original graph paper with this twill on it and it hit me at once. I had changed the 'tie up' so that another pattern that I was using this same tie up for would not have floats 7 threads long. This made the twill unbalanced......THAT'S why the pattern was showing up with a skip in it. Phew! I quickly changed the tie up to a balanced one that I had created and no have this as my final decision.

Could you imagine I wove the shawls then noticed? I would have been devastated!!!

In the picture above, the twill on the left is balanced and the twill on the right is modified from the balanced twill but, is not balanced itself. In trying to use the unbalanced twill (right) I could not make the pattern 'wrap' properly, which made the break in the wave.

Scarves of Many Colors and Twitter

2009-04-15T11:38:00.004-04:00

I went with a gold weft for the network draft and a turquoise for the progressing twill. I'm pretty happy with the way these have been coming along and hope to have them off of the loom very soon so that I can start my next project, which will be a Water and Waves Shawl that I have had planned for quite some time now.

I have to say too that I just love to weave on Isaac (the Megado) it is so smooth and rhythmic that I can't imagine ever weaving on another loom. :)

Hey.....is anyone out there on Twitter? I just signed up because of weavecast.......which I love! I really enjoy the network of online weavers available and have tried to use every possible social network that my time will allow. Twitter is pretty easy....you just post a brief 'what you are doing now' . Kinda cool, I guess. Well, if anyone is on twitter, I'm ShanonRK......because Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio wouldn't fit........it's a looooooong name;)

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-12T21:08:00.003-04:00

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!! I hope you all had a wonderful time with your families on this special Holiday;) We spent the end of the day with my Mother's side of the family watching a movie called Marley and Me. I'm not much of a movie watcher but, this movie was wonderful!!! I came home and hugged my doggie;) A sure watch for everyone!

I would also like to thank everyone for leaving such wonderful comments on my scarves:) It's so inspiring to read all of your blogs and I really appreciate that you take the time to look at mine......and then leave such great comments. I get all buttered up and want to weave weave weave:) I honestly don't know what we would all do without the Internet.....I mean......it's so great to just browse others blogs and projects;) So, here is the second scarf....the same peg plan using a black weft.

And a close up of the detail.

Ok....I have a question.....I think we have all woven something that we are a little disappointed in, right? You get it off the loom, look at it, and then decide that there are a thousand things you could have done to make it better. With weaving, it's not like we can 'undo it' so.....what do you do with those pieces?

Diamond Scarves

2009-04-08T00:02:00.007-04:00

I FINALLY got the bookmarks off of Isaac (the Megado!) and I'm really glad that I wove them on there as a 'starter' project and to make sure everything was in tip top shape. I counted out enough ends for four scarves in a silver/grey tencel in 8/2 to start my first set of scarves. I'm actually using the same tie up as I was using for the bookmarks but will be using a different peg plan for the scarves. The first one I came up with was just woven as drawn in. Some of the floats were a little too long so I changed the tie up slightly.

This picture is just to give the 'idea'.

Here is the progress. I'm planning two with this pattern.....the yellow here and another in black. Then I'm going to change to the other peg plans for the turquoise and gold.

The fun thing about being home with Jeremiah is that I get to watch him grow and find interests. He thinks he 'fixes' my looms for me by moving the springs that aren't in use on the Isaac and pretending to tighten bolts on Kip. He is always kind in asking me, "Better Mom?" and I always thank him. He has also taken a liking to yahoo games and will sit and go through game after game clicking away. Since Kip (the Compact) is right next to the computer, I threw an alpaca/silk warp on and have been weaving this while he plays games......and I get to keep an eye on what he's doing:)

Meet Kip

2009-04-05T21:04:00.005-04:00

Diana went home. As much as we had our ups and downs (Diana and I), I do have to say that Leclerc and their customer service is absolutely phenomenal!!! I knew it was going to be a road trip to bring her back and was sure that I really should get something to go in her place. I thought for some time and ended up going with something that would work better for doing demonstrations and to bring along to 'weaving functions'. I decided on a Leclerc Compact so, I called my darling sister-in-law and we hopped in her car with my nephew and off we were!

Jaime was wonderful during picture taking time. She is always one to be counted on for new 'Vogue-like' poses. Here she is with the famous 'not now I have no make up on paparazzi' pose.

Here is my favorite little nephew showing Auntie what he is going to be doing the whole trip. Watching the best movie in the whole world (to him) Cars!!! Check out those eyes!!!!!

Who sleeps like this?! :)

So, the next thing to do is name the loom. Jaime says, "So what are you going to name this one?" Now, if anyone knows the story behind Ishmael and Isaac and knows the story behind the whole Diana (Ishmael) and Megado (Isaac), you know that these looms apparently live up to their names. I said after a long pause, "I don't know." Jaime then said about the funniest thing I have ever heard in my entire life........"How about Kip!"

Awards :)

2009-03-30T11:09:00.004-04:00

Wow! I have to say that blogging is fun for me for two reasons. I can read others and get VERY inspired and I can share what I'm doing. I have been tagged from two bloggers, Peg in South Carolina and Kimberly for the Creative Blogger award! Thanks gals!!!! So, what I have to do is this:

1) copy the Kreativ Blogger award to your blog
2) put a link to the person from whom you received the award
3) nominate 8 other blogs and
4) link to them
5) then leave a message on the blogs you nominated

1)Skiingweaver

2)Alpaca Granny

3) Crazy as a loom

4)Sherry Woodard Coffey

I hope you all don't mind but, most of the folks blogs that I read have already been tagged;)

Bookmark Exchange Part II

2009-03-18T14:08:00.004-04:00

Well, after some playing with the two threads together, I've come up with a way to make the two threads (20/2 tencel and a metallic filament) work together nicely for the selvages. I took two an empty bobbin from a spool of metallic filament and used it as a bobbin for the 20/2 since two bobbins fit nicely on my shuttle. The ends of the bobbins expand slightly so that I could get them both to fit snugly but, still have room to roll freely. After I throw the shuttle, I gently place my index finger on the bobbin with the 20/2 tencel on it and that has helped solve the selvage problem almost to the T! I'm much happier with the result on these past few bookmarks. This project is taking some time for a couple of reasons. First, when I start to weave.....there seems to be everything in the world is ringing or buzzing or needing something. Funny how that works out:)

The second reason is getting Diana up and running. I have come to the conclusion that Diana is not going to work in my studio. It's sad to say because I know that she could be a little work horse loom....I must just not have a good position with her. The Leclerc customer service and technical support has been far beyond A+ and because of that, I'm going to continue using their looms. There is a particular chain store that I do not use because of their lack (extreme lack) of customer service......this is NOT the case with Leclerc. They have been helpful in every step of the way and always willing to give a helping hand. My experience with Diana has been odd to others, to my understanding, and I appreciate everyone who reads this blog, dealing with the videos that I've needed in order to show Leclerc what is happening.

Well, I'm off to carding some batts for a fiber exchange on Ravelry. If you haven't heard of Ravelry.....please check it out!!! It's a site for knitters and crocheters but, there are plenty of weavers and weaver groups on there. You have to register to use Ravelry but, it is well worth the wait. ;)

One Onethousand

2009-03-13T15:05:00.002-04:00

Diana's New Knife Hammer Action

2009-03-13T11:19:00.002-04:00

Award from Leigh:)

2009-03-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

I was tagged with an award from Leigh. See her wonderful blog here. Basically I have to do two things:

1) List 5 addictions
2) Tag 5 other bloggers to do the same........aren't these always so much fun?

Ok....I've decided to put mine in order of 'most addicitve'

1) The Word.......I can't get enough of it......seriously!!!
2) Designing and Weaving fabric. These go hand in hand for me.
3) Spinning yarn!!!
4) Research on the computer.......this thing has ENDLESS information and fun stuff!!!
5) Ice Cream.......Chocloate Peanut Butter Cup from Stewarts.......probably an addiction I could do without:)

Ok.....now for my 'tagging'
1) Skiingweaver - Hey you silly snow chick!
2) Sherry Woodard Coffee - wonderful tapestry weaver
3) Woven -n-Spun - who is probably cranking socks out by the minute!!!
4) In Stitches - always an adventure!!!
5) Dot's Fiber to Fabric - check out what she can do with sock yarn!!!!

All That And A Bag Of Chips!

2009-03-08T11:45:00.006-04:00

I have to laugh because Isaac is everything..........I mean EVERYTHING AND THEN SOME of what I was told. This loom is smooth in every way imaginable. I'm amazed at how it works. I've been throwing a pick (or in the case of my current bookmark project..'passing the shuttle') then looking to see how everything is moving and cooperating. I love it.....it fits....it works.....I'm happy!!!

I'm working on the bookmarks for the swap exchange and have to thank everyone who wrote about the dye. I'm going to try using soda ash before adding the dye and salt in the next batch

The blue in the weft is working out great for the bookmarks. The theme for the exchange was sparkle so, I chose four different metallic filament threads. The only issue that I'm having with these threads are my selvages. I first ran with two bobbins........no go......then I tried both the filament and the weft thread on the bobbin together. This is working a little better but, I can only put on a little at a time since, they don't seem to stay 'even' after about an inch or two of weaving. It could be that the filament stretches slightly.

Needless to say, with any new loom, you have to get used to the loom's set up and action. That is why I chose to weave these bookmarks for the first project. I'm having to get used to the new feel and also working with two threads......something I don't see myself doing again anytime soon.....that's okay though....I have 20 bookmarks to weave to get used to it;)

Lastly, here is a picture of the bookmark in progress. Please pardon the selvages, these won't be going to the swap.....they are part of my 'practice' ones:)

Bookmark Colors

2009-03-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

Last night I dyed some 20/2 tencel with what I thought was going to be cobalt blue. I did not get cobalt blue. I'm not sure if it's just me but, I can't seem to get bold vibrant colors with fiber reactive dyes. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.....if anyone knows of some tips, I would really love to hear them. I soaked the yarn, mixed the salt and dye in a solution, added it to the yarn, let it sit for about 30 minutes or so stirring occasionally, then added the dissolved soda ash. Usually I would have called it a day after about an hour but, I let it set like that overnight. The water wasn't clear in the morning although I could see that some of it had been drawn into the fiber. I'm not sure if it's like the heat set dyes I'm so used to with wool......I think I would just really really really like to dye all of my own yarn......all in due time, I guess. Well, either way....the color works for me and I'm planning on running a filament along with it in the weft. I bought four different 'sparkles' to play with.

To answer bspinner's question about my sett for 20/2 - I'm going to go with 30 epi.....I hope hope hope this works out and is 'just right'. This is my first time using the 20/2 and based on the information I could find, it looks like 30 epi is going to be what I'm looking for:) Well, I'm off to counting those ends:)

Bookmark Exchange

2009-03-05T08:06:00.003-05:00

I'm really excited about threading Isaac for this bookmark exchange. All of the heddles are on and he works like a charm.........now to weave! I have come up with a pattern for the bookmark using all 32 shafts. I thought it would be a great first project. I've been reading Bonnie Inouye's book, Exploring Multi Shaft Design and have come up with the 'tie up' using the method in the first chapter of the book. I tend to do things like studies in bits and pieces so, since I don't sit down at 7am and work until 5pm, it's hard to get in a 'days work' and study. Usually I get 3 hours here 2 hours there......which means at least a half hour of review:) So, this study has taken a while and I'm thrilled to finally see the first chapter manifest in this project.

I'm going to use 20/2 tencel for the warp in white and I'm going to dye the weft in a royal blue.

As for Diana, the entire top or 'guts' is going to be replaced by Leclerc. If it wasn't for their fantastic support team, I would have called it quits with her months ago. I've posted a couple of videos for them to see what is happening and apparently the knife and hammers are not interacting the way that they should.

I'll be posting more on the bookmarks as they unfold.

Diana Knife/Hammer Action II

2009-03-02T11:59:00.003-05:00

This is hillarious because I'm trying to record the hammer/knife action on Diana and you can clearly hear Jeremiah.....who, might I add, is not locked in a room.....he is playing a video game and is calling me because he cannot find all of the Scooby snacks in the game. I set everything up then ran to take this video....he is right in the next room. (You can see why I can't weave while his is up:) Right when I show where the screw is, you can hear him 'whistle' for me.....this consists of a high pitch sound and is how Jeremiah figured he could get my attention. It is how I call the dog:)

Calling All Weavers!!!

2009-02-24T21:29:00.003-05:00

Hey, all!!! I always hear about swaps and how they 'were'. For some reason, I always miss them and I have yet to figure out why! Well, a couple of days ago on one of the Yahoo groups, they announced a bookmark exchange for 2009! Hooray!!! I, naturally, wanted to play too so, I signed up right away. The prospect is open to any weaver weaving on any loom......20 bookmarks.....all of the specifics are on the group page, which you can get to by clicking here. I'm not sure if there are any other folks out there who always seem to miss exchanges. This will also give me a chance to really 'sample' a small project out on Isaac!!! Woo hoo!!! The wheels are already spinning!!! (pun intended...kinda)

My son seems to be taking shorter and shorter naps now that he is three. Those four hours sure were sweet but, now it's more like an hour or so of sleeping then about another hour of 'down time' for him to get back into the groove. Trust me.....I know how 'lucky' I am to have such a great sleeper so, I'm not complaining at all:) I just have recently had to move what I used to do during those four hours into two.......or rather more like one;) So, for his 'I'm waking up so please just give me a few minutes' time, I've been knitting. :) I really love to knit but, not nearly as much as spinning and weaving. I recently purchased some hand spun yarn from jschubertdesigns on Etsy. Yes, call me crazy but, it was 'to die for' yarn!!! Perfect colors and when I got it, oh it smelled fantastic!!!! Fresh lavender that she grows right in her garden! She is also a fabulous weaver with an eye for color that I can only wish for.......although she doesn't blog, her items are on Etsy and she also has tons of pictures on Flickr.....which I'm constantly scouting out:)

I'm off to plan my bookmarks;)

Commision Project

2009-02-23T00:41:00.004-05:00

Hooray!!! I love when someone makes a special request! There was a tencel scarf that sold a while back on Etsy that I wove called Gothic Cross from a pattern from the Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns. Between each fringe I had put a little strand of beads, you can see it here. I should have this current scarf, in charcoal and silver, finished Tuesday or Wednesday.....all depending on the fringe and beading. :)

Here is a picture of the start.

As for the Louet Megado!!!! Well, it's all together EXCEPT for one piece which was missing from that shredded box. Oh boy! I had to order a replacement part from Louet and they said that it will take about 6 to 8 weeks for me to get it so, they are lending me the piece from their floor model! How absolutely amazing is that!? The piece that is missing is the front right beater post so, I wouldn't be able to weave without it..........it would be really hard to weave without a reed:)

The next couple of shots are of Isaac (the Megado) in the studio. Since I took these pictures at night, the flash really makes everything very yellow......oh, and I have no curtains on my windows in the studio because I have yet to weave them.........something I'm planning on this summer.

Side view:

From the bench:

With Diana (Ishmael) in the background.

25 Random Facts About Me Meme Tag

2009-02-16T10:55:00.004-05:00

Sharon tagged me with a meme tag for listing 25 random things about me. Check out her fabulous blog at http://www.sagecreekfarm.blogspot.com/ . The rules are that I make the list and then tag up to 25 other bloggers to do the same......I'm not sure I'll find 25....but, I'll sure tag a few.

Okay.....here we go.

1) I am a born again Christian!

2) I used to be one of those scary goth chicks.......:) Black lipstick and earrings everywhere;)

3) I learned to weave from a little tiny European woman who made me start all over if I made a mistake......best teacher in the world!!!

4) I have been knitting/crochet and cross stitch since I was six years old:)

5) I have a wonderful three year old who can talk anyone's head off.

6) My husband spent almost a year over seas in the current war on terror in Iraq and has since served his term in the military.........can you believe that he is thinking about re-enlisting?

7) I still have a LOT of earrings:)

8) My Dad is my best friend!!!!!

9) I hate pink:)

10) My favorite food in the whole world is meatloaf........I will even order it at a diner....ew!!!

11) Bologna, olives, salt, and tomatoes are of my least favorite foods BUT........I like oliveloaf and will eat a slice of tomato with salt on it......I can't even figure that one out.

12) I left the insurance business to stay home with my little boy but, found that I have a nasty case of ants in the pants so, that's how Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio got started:)

13) I'm not fond of blues.

14) Weaving is passion!!!!! I like spinning second but, weaving really really really is my passion.

15) I am the coordinating secretary for the Wurtsboro Arts Alliance.

16) I am one of two girls..........the other one is a successful 'controller' at a company that makes parts for the military.......she's a number cruncher.

17) I majored in electronics and couldn't tell you a thing about it. :) I had a 100 average (102 if you count in the extra credit assignments) .........if you don't use it, you loose it;)

18) I have lived in upstate New York my whole life and have no plans on leaving....I love it here.

19) I'm certainly a cat person and have never really liked dogs BUT, we got a South African Boerboel for Christmas (my husband did) and she has really grown on me.....she is 5 months old and weighs 65 lbs!!!! Right now she is snoring like my Grandpa used to:)

20) My son was named after the prophet Jeremiah........want to know what God said to him? This is so cool!!!!! "I know the plans I have for you. Plans for welfare and not for evil. To give you a future and a hope" I just love that!!!

21) I make my bed every morning but, hardly ever remember to take the clothes out of the washer and have to wash them again......what's up with that?

22) The furthest out of state that I have ever been south is Florida, east is New Jersey shore, North is Canada (Niagra Falls area) and west is Moorehead Minnesota.....two weeks there in a hotel because of broken lug nuts on a tire! oh boy!!!

23) I love the summer the best and love it when the humidity is extreme. The only reason I haven't moved to the Amazon is because they 1) don't really have a lot of books there 2) Winter gives me an excuse to not leave the house.

24) I clean houses.

25) My dream is to one day have a brick and mortar shop where I can teach folks (both adults and kids) various forms of fiber arts.

Ok.....I'll tag some other bloggers:)

Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped for, the Evidence of Things Not Seen

2009-02-10T20:03:00.006-05:00

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!! GUESS WHAT?!?!???!??!!??!?!? Part of the Megado came today!!!! A day early but, who is complaining, right? Woo hoo!!! The UPS guy backed down the driveway and I ran out the door........(I think he might think I'm nuts:) to greet him with a plate of warm home made cookies, fresh bread, and a glass of milk. Ok....ok.....maybe not all of that but, I sure was thinking it:) I basically screamed and called him Santa Clause. Three out of the six boxes came today. The harnesses, the electronic interface, and the other box with the reed, lease sticks, and what appears to be part of the beater. The only problem was......the box looked like it went through the wringer. Wow. Check this out.

That is what it looked like......seriously.....it was delivered just like that. Please excuse my bare piggies and the salt and mud trodden floor of my porch:) I wasn't really nervous about it because it was shipped fully insured so if anything is wrong, I can let them know. I think I was so excited, I didn't have time to worry.

I got the boxes into the studio. Here is the before picture with a picture of the 60" stripped of all of the pieces I could to move her temporarily into the dining room.

The Megado is going to sit right on the rug but, facing Diana....which you can see on the bottom left of the picture above. AND.....here is a shot of the Megado out of the box and all of the harnesses put back into place.

Please excuse the little piggies in this picture too but, they aren't mine.....they are Jeremiah's:)

Now for the Diana update!!! Lol. She wove like a champ but, we are going to replace parts on her.....again.....just to make sure that she continues to run like a champ. Either way, I'm really happy with the way that the star scarves are coming along so......here are the pictures of the next colors.

I'm undecided for the last scarf....I really like the way the lime looks and I was thinking a pink but, of course, don't have a pink that would look just right and I'm not feeling ambitious enough to dye some......I might just stick with the black.

Well, I'm off to weaving;)

Diana's Knife/Hammer Action

2009-02-06T16:42:00.007-05:00

Ok....aparently I'm unable to get this video file attached to an email so, I'm posting here on my blog:) For all of you who don't know, this video is of the weaving action on a Leclerc Diana.

Well, here is the 'revised' action on Diana. The video shows the new eye cords in place of the old cords. I will be weaving more of the Star Scarves this evening :) The purple one is completed, blue is next! I think I'm thrilled that I can upload video.....I didn't realize I could........ut oh....I feel a tutorial section coming on;)

Star Scarves

2009-02-04T10:08:00.003-05:00

I started the star scarves and have been pretty happy with the way they are turning out because they resemble exactly what I designed when I designed them:) Always a plus! I ended up changing from a solid grey warp to an alternating grey and white warp. There will be a total of 4 scarves roughly 73" long with 10" fringe at either end. My original colors were purple, blue, black, and white but, since I am using the white in the warp, I may go with a nice lime green for fun! I thought that would be a little unique:)

Here are two shots of the scarf with the bottom picture being the closest to the true colors.

So.......what to do with Diana.......well, I'm giving her a fair chance but, about an hour into weaving again last night she started acting up. I'm trying to be fair and work on getting her fixed. Since the other cord broke (and I'm a very light steady weaver......I'm not weaving rugs) this is her second strike. I was hoping to keep her in the studio but, quite frankly, I get sick to my stomach when she acts up......and I just want to weave. I'm taking some video of the hammer/knife action today to send in to see if they can figure out what is wrong with her. I'm beyond thankful that I have another piece of equipment that I can work with ...... I'm doing cartwheels in anticipation!!!

You Are Not Going To Believe This Story!!! Grab a Tea, Cuddle Up and Take It In!!!

2009-01-28T15:47:00.001-05:00

You're not going to believe this story!!! I am so much in awe that I have decided to write it all down here so everyone can read it. Honestly, it would take me an hour to tell the story and I SO want to share it with everyone!!!! Ok.....here we go: For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I purchased a compu-dobby loom in October. For those of you who do not follow my blog, I purchased a compu-dobby loom in October......this is a very expensive loom aided by a computer. My reason for purchasing this loom was that I have found that I really enjoy working with multiple shafts, designing fabric, 'playing' with different weave structures and just LOVE to dress my loom! So, I went on a mad hunt for a compu-dobby loom and came across a Leclerc Diana. After some time and consideration, I found one that would work for me and made arrangements to get it. I had toss and turns in my stomach because not only was this a HUGE purchase but, I had never used one only because I don't know anyone with one. So, in October, right before the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival, my Dad and I took a road trip to Massachusetts to pick Diana up. I got her home and after some fiddling and tweaking, she was up and running. Since she was already assembled, I didn't have to put her together so, off to weaving I was. Just partly into my first project, I started to notice some things that I didn't like about Diana so started to make minor adjustments to make my weaving go a little smoother. The one thing that I was really having a problem with was the shed. For the life of me I couldn't seem to get a good shed! (For those of you who do not weave, this is critical!!!) As I do every year I went to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival in October. It is a fabulous time!!! Every year I see things I've never seen before.....the big whoop this year was fiber made from recycled prison uniforms and soda bottles!!! I just love it. One of the other things that I love about the festival is that there is a wonderful man there who lugs his Louet Megado and weaves for crowds of people. His name is Gary and he is always so willing to let folks ask questions. Well, this fantastic wonderful weaver had me take a close gander at his loom. He said, "This is what I love the most about this loom" and he pressed on the treadle and the shed opened and I quickly grabbed the nearest object so as not to pass out. Oh MY GOSH!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! It was HUGE!!! And home I had a brand spanking new loom with shed problems. This thought ran through my head....."I gotta get me one of those!!!". I just had to justify it, right? I mean those looms are a pretty penny.....I mean a really BIG pretty penny.....lots and lots of really big pennies. I am basically a goal oriented person so, I just made it a goal, in my head, to one day own that cream of the crop piece of equipment and to research as much as I possibly could about it until I got there........and pray about it!!!!! So, back to the studio with Diana. Problem after problem has occurred. Apparently all due to the fine tuning coming un-fine tuned. I have replaced some solenoids and cords and we seem to be back in action! This.....is....good....news!!! I am just trying to everything in my ability to not have anything else go wrong. In my research of Louet looms I have found some very cool features that they have. It seems almost the second I started to pray about the Louet, things started happening. I am one of those frequent checkers of the Spinner, Weaver, and Knitter's housecleaning pages, craigslist, Ebay, etc for good deals on equipment, yarn, etc. I check craigslist one day and find a Louet Spring in the town I grew up in, basically new for $800!!!!!!!!!! Folks!!!!! This is nuts!!!! It was an 8 shaft loom too!!! I quickly emailed the seller. She got back a hold of me after about a week and said that someone else was supposed to come and look at it but, they kept blowing her off. She was giving them one more chance and if they blew her off again, she would call me on Friday and let me know. My heart was pounding, my brow was sweating, my hands were clammy. Could this be it? I prayed for a Louet!!! Oh my!!! I really wanted a Megado but, we could start somewhere, right? It wasn't going to put me out!!! In the time that I was waiting to hear back from the woman, Lynnette (check out her blog by clicking her name) offered a Louet looms DVD on her blog since she had a couple copies and sent me one in the mail. Why was I now seeing, hearing, and breathing Louet?!?!?!! So, it's Friday, the day I was to hear about the Spring loom and I'm at work cleaning floors and talking to God about the phone call I was waiting for. See.....I should explain something about myself.....I'm always gung-ho and miss it because I'm all gung-ho. I get very excited and JUMP!!! I'm the queen of that:) I had a tiny feeling like maybe this wasn't the loom because it wasn't EXACTLY what I prayed for........and I know God's good so, I know He's up there knowing EXACTLY what is right for me but, since I am the queen of gung-ho, I asked God to just let me know if it's right.....I mean.....I don't want to gung-ho it if it isn't right. Ring Ring Ring!!!! (My phone makes more of a symphony hip hop ring tone but, you get the point) I stop my prayer to answer my phone, "Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio. This is Shannon." and the response is this......get ready......"Hi, Shannon! It's Miss Nancy from CFF (my church....not the lady with the loom!!!) and someone just called, they want to give away a loom. I wanted to know if you wanted it." ............................................................I was like.........................................................in awe. Then I started laughing and trying to hold my composure and not jump around like a complete lunatic. I, as quickly as I could, told Miss Nancy part of my story....the main gist being that I just stopped a prayer about a loom to answer the phone and there she was! Are you getting my awe?!? :) Ok. I'm stopping right there because there is another side to the story.....where the loom is coming from. Merris has been working at a house that has had these boxes under the couch for a couple of years and they are cleaning up and throwing some things out. She sees that the print on the side of the box says loom so, she calls the church before heaving them into the dumpster. She gets a hold of Miss Nancy and since Miss Nancy knows that I'm a weaver, she calls me. Can you believe this timing? Where I come from looms are far and few between. I have only met four local weavers and only one of them currently weaves. (Not to get off the subject but, he is a rug weaver from Narrowsburg, the Dyberry Weaver and his studio is the coolest!!! Silk carpets, wool carpets, horse blankets......and a lot of intellect.) I leave work and drive home with my jaw in my lap. I'm in complete awe and have serious bouts of laughter. Can all of this really be happening? I mean, I know God answers prayer but, this is ............ AMAZING!!! Ya know......I really should call her back and find out what kind of loom this is. I call Merris back and tell her the story so, we end up in awe and laughing together! She takes a quick look and asks me if I've ever heard of Harrisville? I have! Well good! That's cool! Neato! Hey.......free loom is free loom! Here is what I felt immediately. God told me this....I hear you and will you stop it with the gung-ho and have patience for what you really asked me for? :) I sure will :) Let me tell you this....I smiled, laughed, sang, and danced for the rest of the day!!! A couple of days later, Merris and I try to make arrangements to pick the loom up and she tells me that she read the box and it is a Harrisville Designs Friendly Loom. Cool! I've never heard of it but, check online and find out that it is a tapestry loom. Since I'm not a tapestry weaver, I sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what this meant. Hmmmm. Was I supposed to learn how to weave tapestries? I checked out a few sites and it didn't fancy me....but, what did all of this mean? I know!!!! I could sell the loom on Ebay and give the money to Merris! That had to be what this was all about! Cool!!! I drive to Middletown and meet Merris to pick up the loom. She has an Exterra and I have a Honda Civic. She says to me, "I'm not sure if we're going to get it in your car." and I'm thinking to myself.......how big can this thing be?!?!?!? We open her suv to get it out and I see that the box is open a little and I can see the pegs for the warp. I point to the pegs and say, "Merris, this is a tapestry loom and I'm not 100% that I would use it. I think, if it's okay with you, I'll sell it on Ebay and give you the moolah." Merris looked off to the ground at the tire of her car. I could see she was pondering and she says, "No. Let's give it to the teens!" So I was like "Rock on!" We both go to the same church and they have a youth program there that would knock any ones socks off!!! Perfect! Sounds like a plan! So THAT'S what this was all about! Then the incredible happened. I pull the box out of the car and she points to the back of the car and tells me there are more boxes back there. I'm looking at this box and inside the box and everything is there.....I mean....it's a tapestry loom there should be about 4-6 pieces. OH MY GOODNESS!!! There are FOUR tapestry looms!!! That's why she said that she wasn't sure if they would fit in my car!!!!! WOW!!! YE-HA!!! FOUR LOOMS!!!! This is totally cool!!!!! We do somehow manage to get the looms (all four of 'em) into my Honda:) The whole ride home I was ecstatic. Isn't it funny sometimes how things work out? Ahhhhh. I LOVE God!!! He is just the neatest EVER!!! The way the timing worked on everything all made sense and the best part was, these were almost trash and they are going to be used to bless the kids at church. Ahhhhhhhhh....this is cool. I have found out that I'm going to have to ship these looms UPS because of the length of the boxes so, I'll be at the UPS store in Middletown tomorrow. I'll have them listed on Ebay Sunday evening. :) Isn't this fabulous?!?! I learned from all of this that maybe making some goals and plans for the some day Megado one day would be best. There are some other things that have to be taken care of first anyway. As I said at the beginning of this post, I check a series of sites almost daily. I know what's out where and always have my eyes peeled. Monday morning I was running a little late doing chores around the house so, I didn't get to the computer right away. Jeremiah needed me, the dog needed me, the laundry needed me, and I needed coffee. I finally got a chance to sit down around 11 or so to see what was going on in cyberspace. I clicked my email....nothing much there....checked Etsy.......no sales......looked at Ebay.........watched items, ahhhh nothing to buy today.........Ravelry......no messages........Spinner's Weaver's and Knitter's Housecleaning Pages........................................................ I don't know where the screaming, jumping, clapping, crying tears of joy, cart wheels, jumping on a chair with wheels, and singing came in but, I can tell you it was soon, if not the second I saw a 32 shaft Louet Megado for sale! It was like God said, "This is the one I knew you wanted so, there ya go!" I have never seen one on there......not a Megado!!!! THE one!!!! I quickly emailed the lady who had it for sale. Do you know what she told me?!?!!?! She said that she has not been sure what to do with it for quite some time but, woke up with a feeling that morning that THIS was the day. If I can explain to you the feeling that I have, I would. I'm choking tears back right now! FOLKS!!!!!!! IT IS STILL IN THE BOX!!!! Ok....now I'm crying. The reason I feel the need to share this VERY VERY long story (two days to write here:) is because I never thought that I would have this perfect piece of equipment so quickly! A matter of fact, I don't think it's hit home yet. I'm still in awe. And even though God gave me the desire of my heart, it's not about the loom.......it's about the fact that God heard me and the peace in my heart is beyond comprehension. I would love God even if He took years to answer my prayer.....He is my life.....but, can you believe how wonderful and good He is?! ;) Please rest assured, God loves us!!! A LOUET!!! A MEGADO!!! AND A GOD THAT BLOWS MY MIND!!!!

Woo Hoo!!!

2009-01-27T15:07:00.004-05:00

Well, Diana is working!!! The scarves are done!!! And I have the best story in the world to tell!!! Lynnette, if you are reading this.....that DVD that you sent to me.......oh my.....have I got a story!!! It's taking me a bit to write it all down but, I'll post it shortly:) Oh.....and pictures of the scarves when I twist the fringe:)

Hooray!!!

The Problem Update.

2009-01-22T23:48:00.003-05:00

This morning I spent some time on the phone trying to resolve the issues with my sweet Diana. We have come to the conclusion that in transportation of the loom (in the back of an suv) some of the mechanical parts came 'un-tweaked'. This puts a big 'AH-HA' on the whole mishap! I am hoping to have the replacement parts by UPS tomorrow so I should be able to finally finish these scarves and start the stars. I also can't wait to see how this loom really works! I have not been 100% satisfied and now am realizing that that unsatisfaction could simply be due to the loom never operating at 100%.

So, my next endeavour is to make some more room in the studio. This means that I will have to see what is going to happen with that 60" Leclerc. I had it on Ebay (for a little too cheap) but, had no bites. Could be the market......could have been the wrong week to list. I think I'll try again when the weather breaks.

One Sad Gal

2009-01-21T23:39:00.005-05:00

Last night I was weaving away and my loom started 'acting up' and finally ka-poot! I quickly looked around to try to figure out what the problem was. Well, some things are bent, and I can't weave. I'm really not a 'KILLER' weaver....I mean, it's not rugs here....I'm quite gentile, in fact. Apparently there are some pieces that need to be replaced now. After some tears I measured and found that I only had 17 more inches to go and I would have these scarves off of the loom 'finally'. I feel like they've been on there forever now and was really looking forward to the next stars project. *Sigh* I do have to say that I have received the most fabulous customer care from the wonderful man I purchased the loom from. I also found out that this particular problem was unique to my loom and they are taking every step they can to fix it as quickly as possible. So, I figured that I would share a picture of the last scarf in charcoal for Winter.
Really, I'm not sad anymore.......it was over as soon as I found out that the problem was fixable:) There is something about looking forward to the next project that makes the current project feel like it's taking so long:) I just can't wait to get to those stars!!!

Up Next

2009-01-16T14:41:00.002-05:00

I should have the Organic Leaves Scarves done tonight and I have been working on my next project since I put them on the loom. I really wanted to use Bonnie Inouye's theory on placing a 'picture' on the fabric. (Check out her site, she is an amazing weaver!!!) I used a 3/1 twill to accomplish this pattern by placing a 3/1 twill outside of the pattern and a 1/3 inside. I think I have worked on this pattern for about 2 hours a day trying to get it 'just right'. (I am so thankful for computers.......could you imagine graph paper?) I think I've hit a point where I'm happy with the way it looks. I will be weaving this Star Scarf using 16 shafts so the edges are a little fuzzy but, I think the shape is there enough to get the idea that it is in fact a star. I am also thinking that four scarves would be ideal with this pattern, all on a silver warp with one blue, one purple, one black, and one white.

I love weaving!

Birch Leaves Scarf

2009-01-14T00:04:00.003-05:00

Well, I have to say that this one is my favorite so far. The weft is more of an olive than the picture portrays and this one also seems to have a better rhythm than the others so far. The 'watermarks' left by the network twill are fun too.

Please excuse the angle, I was trying to capture the pattern in the light.

As far as the winter scarf, I am thinking that I am going to go with Susan's suggestion....the charcoal. I'm partial to darker colors and this one is really appealing to me. I agree that it will really make the warp 'pop' too. Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.....even my husband.....who picked the taupe, of all things.......maybe to just make me quiet:) Winter is bright and cheery for the first snow fall but, that is basically over the next day (for me anyway) and it becomes the time of year when I can't go for a nice walk.....and have to burn TONS of wood!!!! So.......charcoal it is;)

I'm laughing out loud right now ......charcoal......burning wood.......oh boy, it's late:)

Leaves Scarves Progress

2009-01-09T23:45:00.004-05:00

So far, I've woven the Fall scarf and am pretty happy with it. Because I used three different leaves for the warp, there is one area where two of the leaves come together that I'm not 100% happy with. There are some weft threads that are floating a little more than I would like but, all in all I like the colors (even though the camera can't seem to catch them).

I started the second scarf with just the Oak leaf in the treadling. I went with the light green for this one....really I should have gone with the darker green but, I'll use that one next. The green with the copper and gold has a very interesting effect, it really mutes the green.

I keep telling myself that I wanted these scarves to be 'organic' inspired and not to worry about the visual mishaps......but, they are visual mishaps. Pooh! If you take a look at this picture, you can see where two of the leaves in the warp come together....I'm not so sure if I'm into that. But.....as they say....sample sample sample, right?

That's okay, I'll just blame it on Jeremiah:)

A boy after his Mama's own heart:)

Warping with a Paddle

2009-01-03T12:00:00.004-05:00

Last night I counted out 308 ends for the Organic Leaves scarves with a paddle. Boy! I think from now on I'll count everything with a paddle!!! I loved it. I've had the paddle for a couple of years filed away in the closet.....I guess I've never really thought that I would need it until now. I couldn't bear the thought of having to tie new knots every end. Once I started and got the hang of it, I was kind of upset when I was done....it was a lot of fun:) I ended up using gold and copper for the warp and am planning on four scarves: Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter.

Here are some of my initial choices.

Each of the scarves will have a different treadling for the weft. I used three leaf outlines and each season will get a different leaf except for fall which will get all three in the treadling.

The copper and gold are on the far right. Spring will be the light green, summer will be the darker green, fall will be the reddish brown, and I am undecided on Winter but, have selected three that I could work with to the far left.

Here are some of the ends counted out. Very golden honey:)

If anyone has any suggestions for which one for Winter, I'm all ears;)

Awe

2008-12-31T09:19:00.007-05:00

Last night the unthinkable happened. It was a little after midnight and I was diligently working on the first of my new series in organics. I'm taking organic materials and using them to design fabric. In this case, it was the leaves draft. I had created the draft from the original tracing and was not 100% happy with it so, I was modifying it to were I was happy with it. I knew that the fabric itself would not look like leaves but, it was very important to have the draft look like or at least resemble one side from the center out of a leaf. So hours of work ..... I mean hours here ...... so much that I was up that late with my eyes burning and singing because it was just beautiful. Yes!!! The first in the organics series was going to be the most beautiful! I think it was when I said, "Perfecto!!!" and clapped my hands like a maniac that my computer decided that it doesn't like Fiberworks and closed the program. Yep. It was a long night last night.

Lesson learned. Save stuff.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2008-12-29T09:55:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas!!!! It took Jeremiah three days to get through all of his presents! We had to open each one and then take it out of the box and play with it. :) One lesson I did learn this year was that he would have been fine with two or three fun toys instead of the ten that he did get from us. It was so easy to over do it and I think we would have been fine if only one of us shopped but, we went separately and on different days.......phew! Not to mention, the Grand parents all showered him with gifts too!!!

Here is a picture of Jeremiah with his cousin Jada at Iggy (what he calls his Grandmother.....and no one can figure out why!) and Pop's house on Christmas Eve opening presents. They were so much fun to watch and I was impressed that they were both so well behaved. :)

In other spinning/weaving news, I have been renewing items on Etsy instead of listing new items because we have been so busy with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I haven't been able to spin or weave much. So, a new fresh start is on the way. Since there are currently two loom in the studio, I'm thinking that I may sell my 60" Nilus and look for something a tad smaller, perhaps 36" - 42" just to loosen up a little room in here. I have found that I'm not using the full 60". A matter of fact, the most I've used is around 36" for a baby blanket years ago. I did find a loom for sale local (I'll elaborate more once it's here....if I get it) that I think will be perfect;)

Well, I'm off to tend the tot and doggie.......I'm sure they are up to no good by now;)

The Importance of Notes. (an oops turns out ok)

2008-12-20T09:36:00.005-05:00

When I started these towels I knew that I wanted to get rid of some stash yarn in the attic. I have countless cones of natural cotton in different sizes and textures. I don't think I would normally select the particular yarns in this vast collection but, I got most of it at a steal. Now I have to 'get rid' of it or rather, use it in a project. I knew that I had some 5/2 rag cotton and some slub with some super thin spots that broke if you put too much pressure and I knew that wouldn't work well in the warp. I did end up using the 5/2 in the warp and the slub as the weft......no problem, right? Well, I usually plan a project with my notebook in front of me so that I can reference the do's and don'ts from past projects but, the notebook was ALL THE WAY downstairs on the dining room table. Let's get real here......who wants to walk down there when my memory should be sufficient enough? So......I sat there and planned the towels. When I counted out the warp I thought that I was counting for so long and it started to dawn on me that maybe I should have gone down to get the notebook. It wasn't until I threaded the reed that I finally went ALL THE WAY downstairs to get my notebook. It was also then that I realized that I made these 'kitchen towels' 6" wider than my normal towel. Yep. These bad boys were going to be 30" wide. Why that did not strike me as strange when I even said it is beyond me. Ok...so now the pictures.

You think I would have noticed here while dressing the raddle (made by my darling Father-in-Law:).

Well, onto weaving I went and I really loved the way that the two yarns interacted. The fabric really had nice texture.

And here they are completed (except for one set). I was very happy with the result and actually sorry that I didn't weave another set. They did end of absolutely HUGE!!! 30x36" Ha! Everyone I showed them to asked if they were bath towels. If it helps to get an idea, they are hanging on the front beam of a 60" loom:)

I am still working on the leaves network draft and am planning on that next but, I'm waiting to see what Webs has on sale the day after Christmas:)

Hey!!!! Did anyone get the latest issue of Handwoven magazine?!?!?!! Did you happen to see who had ANOTHER featured handwoven item?!!??!? Kristin Kelley!!!! The skiingweaver (and nut who likes the cold;) Check her fabulous blog out here.

I've been tagged:)

2008-12-11T00:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I have been 'Meme' tagged by Susan. :)

1) You go to your sixth folder in your photos and select the sixth picture:

2) Tell the details.......this yarn was spun by Ursula and is the 'oldest' yarn in the shop. I actually think that it was one of the first ones listed on Etsy:) Too funny because it sold today after it was placed under a new listing with another yarn that has been around for almost as long. Kind of ironic.

3) Tag five more blog folk. :P Here are mine

a) http://constancerosedesigns.blogspot.com/

b) http://centerweave.wordpress.com/

c) http://northstaralpacas.blogspot.com/

d) http://skiingweaver.blogspot.com/ - Forgive me....I know you were tagged....I just love your blog;)

e) http://reneeweaves.blogspot.com/

I hope I explained this right.....it's kind of like a game of 'tag'.......ya know, in lieu of the Holiday Season, why not have a little fun;)

-----Happy fibering:)

Crunch Time

2008-11-25T23:42:00.003-05:00

It's always crunch time before a show. My studio looks like a bomb went off. There is fabric, poly fill, yarn, boxes, an ironing board, the sewing machine, and baskets from one end of the room to the other. Phew!!! I have a show at the Holiday Bazaar in Rhinebeck NY this Saturday and as with most shows, I'm trying to finish up some loose ends on projects.

The polka dot scarves came off the loom about 15 minutes ago and I did end up deciding that a black weft would be a fun contrast to the charcoal warp so that the 'dots' are visible when the light is just right. I'm partial to dark colors and they seem to be a hit since they are neutral....didn't you hear? Black is the new black;) Here it is:

I also have to say that I am growing more and more comfortable with Diana.

Remember the satin that I was working on for the pillows to get rid of some of that 8/2 cotton? Well, I wove 7 yards of various colors and barely made a dent in my stash. Too funny! It's like an endless supply. Here is a picture of one of the pillows and I do ask that you pardon the disaster in the back ground. :) It's crunch time:)

The back of the pillow is some fabric that a sweet woman from a local antique shop gave to me. I'm not sure how old it is and I really should have taken a picture, nifty stuff. It's a gold and black and feels as though it is some type of synthetic material......and a little tough to iron. It's thin but, really has great memory or perhaps it's been folded for ages:)

Next, I've got to work on some Christmas projects. Although Sunrise is my 'main' job, I also clean houses.......I clean clean houses (if that makes any sense) and I love the wonderful women that I clean for so, I decided to weave them each a set of kitchen towels. I going to have to go into the 'stash' in the attic to see exactly what I have in naturals up there. Perhaps a plain weave with either a overshot or honeycomb border? Hmmmm. Time to get the wheels turning.

Leaves

2008-11-20T23:23:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to think of my next project and what theme I would like to go with. Since I'm most inspired by the things I see in nature I figured that the theme should be 'organics'. Not only does that sound 'cool' (lol....it's the 'in' thing.) but, it would be nice and easy to just hop on outside and get some leaves, right? No. Not for me. It seems each time I think of it, instead of getting up, going outside, and picking up a couple of leaves, I either forget or am too comfortable sitting in front of the wood stove playing Thomas the Tank Engine (better known as playing tracks) with my son. Besides, it's cold out there!!! This has been a battle going on in my mind for almost a week! Well, today there was victory!!! I found the perfect time to get some leaves. A quiet house and the daunting project of altering a shirt (football jersey no less) for a brother of a friend staring me in the face. I thought, "I really should go get some leaves right now!" and that's just what I did. I walked into the upstairs playroom, opened the window, leaned out and sorted through some of the leaves that blew up against the house. First, it's a good thing my house has two stories both on ground level, they are sort of next to each other (both levels) and the house was built into the side of a hill. Second, it's a good thing no one saw me because I teetered there and couldn't stop laughing. Third, I could have simply used the convenience of the door. *sigh* Well, here are the leaves and a rough draft of the network draft.
By tracing one side of two of the leaves, I came up with the rough draft on the graph paper above it. Since some of the lines back track, I will have to edit and modify the lines so that I can create a pattern that can be woven. I'm thinking that I may do several of either one or both to see which works better.

Oh It's On, Baby!!!

2008-11-19T00:23:00.003-05:00

YEEEEEEHAAAAAA!!!! I'm so happy:) After fiddling with the shafts, tension, and seating height, I've come to a point where I am comfortable weaving on Diana. As I wove the first scarf, I was finding that I kept missing the latter end of the heddles.....13, 14, 15, and 16. The slight adjustments really helped out and I noticed improvement right away. It's WAY too late for me to be up (oops:) but, I can't stand how happy I am and LOVE the way the second set of scarves are coming out so..... here they are:)

The weft is more of a jeweled purple. My camera may have not captured it under this lighting.

Here is a close up of one of the 'dots'.

Polka Dot Scarves

2008-11-17T09:24:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm happy to say that the polka-dot scarves are well under way. I'm only able to weave at this point of my life two nights a week. I'm a full time Mommy and my yarn business brings in the most $$$. I have to weigh it this way until my son goes to Kindergarten in September......and boy oh boy the time sure does fly just like I was warned it would. So, typically I weave on Tuesdays and Fridays in the evening unless I have an 'easy' weave on and my son is shredding papers in the studio for me;) My husband and son went out for a little while on Saturday leaving me home to concentrate on weaving for a hour or two. The Diana is all dressed and I have woven some of the polka dot cloth. As with any new loom, the first project is always the learning project and I usually look back on it and think what I could have done better or should have done differently. I have to say that I was a little nervous about it only due to the fact that the warp that was on the loom was a little sticky and my sheds were not 100%. With dressing the loom with 8/2 tencel for this project, I noticed right away that the threads were not sticking, which is what I figured. Phew! So far everything is dandy and I'm very happy with most aspects of this project considering that I did not take a whole lot of time to plan it. It is basically one color warp and one color weft in a 3/1 twill with a reverse for the dots. The first is a grey and yellow that will be a gift for my Mom. She has been asking for years for a polka dot scarf in grey and yellow and......if she reads this blog, "Here it is;)"

Here is the back of the loom with the threads in the raddle that my darling father in law made for me for my other loom:)

Here is the front of the loom with the threads ready to go on the back beam.

And here we are threading.....I LOVE this part!!!

All threaded!!!

Tension even and tied on the front rod.

Ok... here is a look at the scarves. There ARE a few errors. I'm learning with this new loom that there are a few things that I have to pay attention to. Just like when you drive a new car, there are adjustments to make. With this loom, the shed is limited so my tension is VERY important and that's what I'm working on right now. Naturally when the piece is removed from the loom and wet finished a lot of the pulling that can be seen in the fabric on the front beam will be evened out.

Well, that's it for right now. I'll be back soon with the progress of these scarves;)

Elmo and Ike

2008-11-12T23:36:00.004-05:00

You know all of that yarn left over after the pieces have been woven.....the extra little bit there 'just in case'? Maybe it's a foot or two or......three:) Well, I a long time ago I used to save it and use it in my spinning....now, of course, I weave it and stick it off to the side until I can find a good use for it. A friend of mine has taken bits and pieces of my work and added bits and pieces of her work to it and we have come up with some really fun pieces.......some purses, some little bags....simple stuff. I am in awe of her most recent fun creations with some of the whites left over after weaving shibori scarves. So.....I wanted to share some of Elmo and Ike's fabulous creations;) Here's to you Holly;)

Aren't they lovely? You can check out her Etsy shop by going to www.elmoandike.etsy.com . She has some wonderful wedding items.....and might I add unique......seriously! I'm in awe of her photography which usually includes fresh cut flowers and silky backgrounds.

Diana

2008-11-12T09:39:00.004-05:00

Well, I have been able to weave off most of the 5 yards of fabric that was on the Diana loom. It was 8/4 carpet warp in a 16 shaft strait draw so, I had some options on patterning. I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do with the fabric but, there is enough time and planning for that. Last night there was a board meeting for the Wurtsboro Arts Alliance so, I got home pretty late and got to finish planning my first project on Diana. Here is a picture of Tom's warp before I finished.....again I have absolutely no idea what to do with the fabric. I ended up using some rayon in the weft to give it a little shine. (Please excuse the paper on the floor behind the loom....it fell off:)

My purpose for purchasing another loom was that I have been amazed my network drafting. I enjoy (fully) the mathematics involved and had a blast weaving some color study towels in a network draft. It seems to me that once I start to work on a pattern or start to plan out the ideas in my head, I find that if I had more shafts than 8 (say 12 to 16) I could achieve exactly what I would like to see. Basically the style that I find myself attracted to is the loops and swirls that network drafting is able to achieve. This all is not to say that I do not absolutely love the look of traditional hand woven coverlets or enjoy a plain weave or bird's eye twill. I'm just saying that I think the way my mind works is geared towards a multi-shaft loom. Call me crazy but, dressing the loom is my favorite part. :) Designing at a VERY close second.

Here's the 'bad' part. I recently sat back to watch a weaver work on his 32 shaft Megado. Ummm, yeah. I think that one is next:) Why does that make me feel like the Children of Israel caught in the wilderness.......? I will probably name that one Isaac:)

Ultimately the plan is to get used to and LOVE with all of my weaver's heart, Diana. My husband woke me up at 5:04am to ask me why in the world the lights were on and the wood stove out!? I don't even know. All I remember from last night is that my eyes hurt from drawing and erasing and clicking and pointing and counting and saving. Ha!!! My brain fell asleep and so did I. Oh the fantastic thrill of designing leaves me pooped every time:) Well, here is a picture of Diana with the front beam off, something I was VERY happy about. I did not put this loom together even though she is brand spankin new and thankfully it fit in the car without having to take her apart.

I wish I could show what the draft I was working on by I'm not computer savvy enough to get the image on here. It is going to be a large polka-dot pattern on a charcoal warp and one in yellow, purple, and a possible white or black. The picture above shows Diana with the front beam off and my current bench in pulled in to the castle. I just ordered another 'adjustable' bench since this one is WAY too high. Well, that's it for now. I'll be back to report more soon:)

Mabel

2008-11-02T18:55:00.003-05:00

One of the hardest things in the world to do is take pictures of yourself within 10 seconds modeling your work with no help. I take at least an hour for each 'photo shoot' (ah ha ha ha...that sounds so funny!!!!) and the pictures are never what I'm looking for once I get them onto the computer. The depth of field is the hardest thing to accomplish because I'm focusing on the wall then positioning myself in front of the camera. This creates a clarity problem.....for me anyway. Out of about twenty pictures or so, I may get one or two that I like then have to 'deal' with the rest. Oh....the reason I have trouble with anyone helping me is that I always want to do this when I have a moment when my son is napping so......................I bought someone. She is very quiet with a barbie like shape (keep in mind here that I was never a Barbie kind of kid) and a fantastic poser. Although our shoots have not yet produced the 'exact' image I would like, it is not her fault, only the photographers (that's me). I have been equally impressed with her ability to 'switch it up' similar to that of Zoolander........only a real model would understand. Well, enough talk. I would like to introduce, the lovely, the marvelous, the impressive and ever mysterious........Mabel.

Mabel is her name.....stylin' is her game;) Here she is with a magenta bamboo shibori scarf.

And the fantastic view of the back of one of my looms;)

There is a good possibility that I have a very imaginative imagination!

New Loom:)

2008-10-29T09:22:00.006-04:00

Well, she is finally here, my Leclerc Diana. We drove out to MA to get her and the weather was beautiful. I honestly wished I had planned more time there was so much to do and see. We had to stop at WEBS since it was so close (yeah.....I could just STAY there) and then had a fantastic lunch and then visited the Norman Rockwell museum. Amazing!!! The paintings are indescribable in real life. There was one in particular that had me in tears.....very touching and phenomenal work!

Here she is in the back of the car with a practice warp on. (Thanks, Tom!!!!!!!!!!!)

And here is the front of Webs:) I really should get better at documenting.

Finally, here is what is on the loom. These are pillow fronts in 8/2 cotton (I've got to get rid of some of this 8/2 cotton!!!) in a satin weave. Due to the picks per inch this fabric is taking much longer to weave than usual:) I have 7 yards on the loom in a natural color and have been having a lot of fun playing with the weft colors. Sometimes weaving is about color and not entirely structure. I just love the diversity in weaving!

This first one was inspired by a color pattern I recently saw......very eclectic selection of color to say the least.

This second pattern is very bright and fun. I'm thinking of a backing out of some silver material that I've had around for a while with a pocket in the back. This should be fun!!!

Well, the above satin pillow fronts are on my 8 shaft loom and I have barely been able to 'play' with Diana. I'm trying the best I can to be disciplined and not stop one project mid way to start another. Once these pillows are done, I am planning on weaving off the test warp (I did weave a lot of it;) and starting some fantastic scarves. I had not seen much previously online about dobby looms and I'm really thinking that a full description is under way:)

A Chill in the Air

2008-10-06T23:39:00.005-04:00

It's cold out and the smell of Autumn is in the air. The days are still warm but, nights are pretty chilly. Do you know what that means?!?!?!? The Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival is almost here!!!! Hooray!!! It's a piece of spinner's heaven right here on Earth!!! I have only missed one year since I started serious fiber work and that was because I was VERY pregnant:) In the anticipation I have been spinning like a mad woman.......seriously!!! Before I whip out pictures of some new fun yarn I thought I would share two of the finished tencel scarves.

They are both on the dark side but, right up my alley:) The third is gold and charcoal and I hope to get around to taking more pictures of that one tomorrow.

This fantastic colorway is for the October Challenge for EtsyFAST, which is candy. Candy corn.......made with real corn syrup, so it has to be good for you!

Election yarn just for s and g's.

Finally, next Monday I will be picking up my new darling:) Tom Beaudet built this loom for me and I have been almost literally ripping my hair out with anticipation to pick it up.....next Monday.....show time!!!

It's funny because there are several other weaver's blogs that I read and the talk is in the air of new looms all over! Three to be exact! What a treat not only to work with new equipment but to watch others work with their new 'toys' as well:) How much fun is that?!?!

Rainbow Creme

2008-09-29T19:04:00.002-04:00

The silk hankies in one of my previous posts spun up beautifully. The colors were pastel like and very much like sorbet. Mmmmm. The final result was varied in the spun silk because I knew I wanted my finished yarn to have a lot of texture when knit up.....I just love that. Some spots were thread thin and other spots were lace weight, the whole kit and ka-boodle was plied with a tencel merino blend. It has a lot of luster and once knit up, the final product would be sure to have fabulous drape. Well, here she is, Rainbow Creme 166 yards dk weight:

A New Toy

2008-09-28T16:52:00.006-04:00

Saturday my son and I were supposed to go to the church picnic but, it was called off because of the rain. Well, what better to do than attend a Quilt Show?!?! We drove out to Pine Bush and stopped in for a bagel and lots of fabric and fun nifty notions. I did not intend to purchase anything but, from across the show I could see some Indian fabric that was block printed with vegetable dyes (I know because I own WAY TOO much of this fabric.....it's my fave!!!). I quickly made my way over to that booth to see what was there. I was looking and feeling all of the fabrics when I happened to look down and see what?!?!?!?! Printing blocks!!!! Oh my gosh!!! Now I was in surface design heaven!!! Well, I purchased a small paisley block and am planning on doing 'something' with it with my handwovens. The woman who ran the booth and I talked for a few minutes, that was a blast!!! Here is a picture of the block:

Isn't that awesome?!?!?!?!

I also got a chance to finish another shibori scarf. The dye just came in and I was excited to see the finished result:

I also purchased some other bright fun eye punching colors that I'm dyeing to use (pun intended) on my next project, some bamboo shibori scarves. I very well may break away from shibori after this last set for a while, I'm feeling some satin pillow covers coming on.

Silk...oh silk...yeah silk!!!

2008-09-21T21:00:00.004-04:00

Why is it that silk has that ring to it? When someone says silk you automatically think "Oh that must be really nice!". :)

Last year at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival, I purchased some silk hankies intending to dye them and spin with them. Well, that was nearly a year ago and I finally got to dyeing them today. I have no idea why I waited so long!!! It's true, the hankies take color just like superwash merino.....sucked it right up. The colors were vibrant, just the effect I was looking for.

The last set of scarves are off the loom as well and I have been twisting fringe here and there. The fiber inventory was low so I used today to dye some fiber........truth be told, these hankies were a real treat. I think I'll be working with them a lot more:)

Art In The Park Show

2008-09-17T10:15:00.005-04:00

Saturday we did a show in Walker Valley, New York at the local park for the first annual Art in the Park. The weather held out and although it was hot in the morning, by early afternoon it cooled off. The foot traffic was light but steady and considering that traffic, I didn't do half bad:) Here are some pictures of the booth set up.

This one below is of the scarf rack which did eventually end up under the canopy.

This picture is of the table with a mirror out. In the past I had used a full length mirror but, this smaller one is much more economical. This picture is also where I realized that I was in the picture.

My oh my. Is that Chrissy working hard on replacing ties on yarn while I'm fooling around?

Yes! I think that is Chrissy replacing ties on yarn while I'm fooling around!

Finally here is the final addition to the warp that I have been working on. Three scarves in tencel. For this one I used black in the weft so that the pattern is seen when the light hits it just right. There was almost a yard of scrap when I was through with these scarves. I used it to weave some fabric and have some fun plans for what is to come with those scraps!

Back in Full Swing

2008-09-10T00:07:00.004-04:00

I love when a project goes smooth sailing. I just wove a scarf in no time, no distractions.....just me and the cloth. I got lost in my thoughts and before I knew it, I wove 70". Sweet.

I used a charcoal for the warp and am using a fools gold color for the weft. I recently used some rayon in a project and it made me realize why I love tencel so much. The drape is fabulous and the luster makes it even better. These scarves are 100% tencel.

This next one has a feathery look. The same tie up is used just different treadling.

Studio Complete....kinda;)

2008-09-07T16:52:00.007-04:00

Well, the final coat of white paint has been applied, the painters tape removed, and the furniture, loom, and other do-dads put back in place.....somewhat.

These pictures seem a little dreary because I took them at night. I was so amazed at how big the room looks now....there seems to be so much more functional workspace with the closet out. Although there are some little things that could be done to make it look better, my original plan was to work with what I had. Eventually the room will be gutted then sheet rocked, but for now, I'm really happy with the results......I honestly don't know how temporary (or permanent)they are.

The new computer nook is great. The Diana will go in the empty space between the computer and loom. I'll be picking her up in October!!!!! I can't wait!!!

This towel is handwoven using a network twill pattern. I have been 'playing' with color a little more (or at least trying to) since I'm such a black and brown kinda gal. All of the colorful spinning I do and you would think that I could get some more in my weaving.

This piece has been a thought for quite some time. I tend to get several ideas of 'next' projects and have to sort which one to do. Using an M&W twill pattern with 8/2 tencel on my 8 shaft Nilus, this scarf is going to be 10" wide. I usually stick with 8" for scarves but, with the recent set of shibori shawls I did, I think that wider is a little better for these.

Studio Makeover

2008-08-27T18:02:00.005-04:00

One thing I loved about the house I bought 6 years ago was it's character....well, rater IS it's character. The only other thing that I have not liked so much about my house is the things that make it unique.....so, the same reason I bought it. Two of the upstairs bedrooms, library, and hallway were complete wood panels. Not like paneling but, large sheets of wood. They are stained (dark) and finished and nice.....but, certainly not good for lighting. My son's room, when we changed it into a nursery was sheet rocked and I was thrilled with how big the room looked! Wow! I chose my studio because of the window box (window seat) in it and the fact that both windows look out onto the roof with minimal view otherwise. It's dark, dreary, and......well.....cluttered nonfunctional work space. I'm in here a lot......I mean A LOT so, I've taken time over the years to organize one of the two closets and rearrange furniture. With a 60" 8 harness loom, there is only so much room. After much planning I decided to take out one of the two closets. There was barely anything in it and taking it out would give me the room I needed........this darn computer is always in the way:) Now I would have a 'nook' for it and my loom could have some stretch room.

The white walls were the inside of the closet....go figure, right.....and the ceiling is going to be as is for just the moment.....oh I have plans for that mess;)

So, this picture is of the window box, the loom (one of them) and the nook where the computer will go. The entire room is taped off so that I can put a base coat of 'gripper' on and get this room nice and bright.

Here is a shot of the room with the first coat of gripper on.

:) I've been weaving and spinning like a fool:) Honestly! I mostly weave when my son goes to bed at night and it has been so hard to see with the dark.......and I have to reorganize for the Diana coming in October!!! Oh I so can't wait. For more pictures of the studio go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunriselodgefiberstudio/

Long Time No Blog, Eh?

2008-06-08T12:44:00.005-04:00

Well, I think Summer is here early:) We are having quite the heat wave here in New York state. It has hit almost 100 degrees two days in a row. What does this weather do to fiber folk, you ask? Well, for one, you cannot spin yarn without standing up and having at least 4 to 6ozs of fiber stuck to your legs and arms, roving takes forever and three days to dry after dyeing, and weaving will make you sweat like you're running a marathon. Do you know what I have to say about all of that?!?!?! I LOVE IT!!! Why go to the gym when you can sweat pounds off in hot muggy weather? Lol.

In some fiber related news, Ursula is on maternity rest from Sunrise as some of you may have noticed that she has not had any yarn listed recently on Etsy. Since she has not been here, Christina (I laugh to call her that because we all call her Chrissy or Teener:) has taken quite the interest in spinning and has been producing some wonderful yarns!!! I was most impressed with her most recent yarn:

Can you believe that?!?!?! She has been watching me spin for so long that she can just spin with minimal practice??!?!?! A born natural if you ask me;)

Also, it's official, the hand woven boutique has been opened as a separate store on Etsy called sunrisehandwovens.etsy.com . The shibori scarf has gotten quite a response. I promote most of the items but, this one blew the others right out of the water!

We are also in the works in working with Gather Inn in Campbell Hall on establishing a spinners/weavers guild for the Hudson Valley New York. I'll be sure to add postings and quite possibly another blog once we are 'official'.

That's all for now!
;) Keep on fiber-ing ;)

A Little of What has Been Going On

2008-04-13T14:28:00.008-04:00

Tons to tell of here at Sunrise:

We have found out that Ursula is pregnant after a long waited 6 years!!! Woo hoo!!! Congrats!!! We are so excited for her:)

Chrissy has taken up weaving lessons from yours truly:)

We have acquired yet another loom..........that would be #4:) You can never have too many:)

We are now offering some different products.

Okie dokie. With all of that said.........it has been an event filled month. Not only did we receive wonderful news of Ursula's pregnancy but, we are in the works of moving forward as a team. I always love to watch the way we work together and fill in each others cracks. I also love to watch us grow in our work. Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio is looking to do a few shows again this summer as well as kick up the production another notch. Sales are up on hand spun yarn and I am hoping for the same with hand wovens come show time. I have opted, at this time, not to open a second Etsy shop for hand wovens. I'm back and forth on this constantly.....it's maddening:)

Recently, with my last project, I found that my son pays more attention to me than I knew. I seldom weave, spin, or dye during his waking hours. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if he picked up some knitting needles and made himself a pair of socks;) I also normally don't let him into the studio only because it is not 'kid safe' and he tends to go for stuff he shouldn't like tacks and the printer, etc. I brought him in one day and sat him on my lap while I threw a few picks on a set of 'Beach Bum' towels I was working on. He helped me count the treadles out loud and when I finished the set I was working on he happily said, "Oh wow!!! That's nice!!!" I literally fell off the chair laughing. He thought it was funny too and repeated it about 80 times. I may have changed my mind..............I think he would be a great moral booster in the studio:)
We are now offering self stripping sock yarn and hand carded batts:) How fun is that?!!??! I LOVE knitting socks and Chrissy has really out done herself with the color selection. Stay tuned for some wonderful yarns and fibers.

In the last post, I talked about doing a weaving demonstration in the huge floor to ceiling windows of the Wurtsboro Art Alliance. Well, wonderful Janet sent me pictures so.........I figured I would share:) Perhaps one day Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio will have it's own store front on Sullivan St. Hmmmmmm. Also, please check out the website at www.waagallery.org and some of the artists. More will be added soon!

Lastly, here is the new loom pictured below on the sellers porch. It is a counter balance loom made by the Reed Loom Company. I'm not even going to say how much I got it for. Honestly, it was a steal!!! It very well may be time to part with the loom I learned on, the one pictured above. It too is from the Reed Loom Company, a Weaver's Friend modified to counter balance with four shafts. Something I may have to think about:) Ok......here is the new one.

Until next time...........happy happy:)

A Dream Come True!!!

2008-03-16T12:45:00.004-04:00

There are dreams and visions we all have for our lives. Although they often change as we get older, we find that it's when they are fulfilled, we are fulfilled. One of my dreams was fulfilled this Saturday and has inspired me for a whole new set of dreams. When I moved to Wurtsboro six years ago, I saw a town much like the one I grew up in. Small, quaint, antique-y, historic.....the only thing that was missing in Wurtsboro was life. It is a town located in Sullivan County which was hopping in the 60's, a matter of fact the Woodstock Music Festival in 69 was held just a couple miles up the road. So what happened? The city folk stopped coming up and the area got well.......tired. The great thing that we are seeing today is a revival of the arts in this area. This very well may be due to the rising gas cost and travel to other states? Or perhaps people are just realizing that the arts, no matter what kind, are the most amazing source of outlet and expression. It seems to me that Wurtsboro is starting to become a thriving community. Although not all businesses make it, there are a few which I honestly believe put Wurtsboro on the map. Canal Towne Emporium, for one, is a landmark in Wurtsboro. We recently had the opening of the Red Eft in town, our third art gallery!!! How cool is that. I don't think the main stretch is even a mile long and has three art galleries!!! Wow.

So, what is the dream, you ask? Well, a lot of the buildings on Sullivan Street, the main stretch, have large store front windows. I have dreamed of weaving in one of them. It happened on Saturday at the Wurtsboro Art Alliance. I sat in the front window and gave a weaving demonstration!!! My cup runneth over!!! Wooo hoo!!! I had a nice crowd of people and LOTS of questions and even a few folks that were willing to give it a go!!! I am sitting here typing and grinning ear to ear. As the hamsters in my head run on their little wheels (not real ones), I am being filled with more hopes and dreams for Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio and where we will go as a company.

With three members, Ursula, Christina, and myself, we are looking for ways of making more hand made products. We have already met our quarter goals, which means I will be weaving MUCH MORE!!! (Screaming and clapping of hands here!!!!!!!!) Due to the outrageous demand for hand spun yarn that we have experienced, I have been spinning most of the time. Ursula and myself will continue to spin hand spun yarn but I will be weaving on a regular basis to restock what we sold last year. Some other excellent news is that Christina, our roving dyer, is taking weaving lessons from your truly!!! I LOVE to teach!!! Who knows, perhaps we will be offering hand woven rugs soon?!?!?!

I have plenty of pictures from the demonstration and hope to share them as soon as I get them from our wonderful photographer:) Thanks for reading!!!

The Long Awaited Update

2008-03-03T15:28:00.004-05:00

With the holiday rush over, it has been time for us to prepare our 2008 season. We are planning on some really great shows this year and will be updating the events page on the main site with all of the information. Be sure to bookmark that page for times, dates, and, directions to our up coming shows.

Our first line up will be at the Wurtsboro Art Alliance in Wurtsboro, N.Y. on March 15th 2008 from 12noon to 4pm. I will be demonstrating rug weaving on an antique Weaver's Friend Counterbalance Loom. It was my first loom and has been sitting for quite some time unused. I'm very excited to bring it down to the gallery, get it dressed, and weave a rag rug on it.

We may possibly also be going 'on tour' in the Hudson Valley to a chain of retirement homes which are open to the public with our yarn selection but will have more information on that as the time gets closer. Again, stay posted to the events page:)

As you can see by the pictures from Etsy on this blog page, we have resorted to keeping the Etsy store stocked with our hand spun yarns. I may possibly open a second Etsy store for handwoven items in September......again, stay posted;)

Here is a picture of the latest weaving project.

This is a waffle weave variation using silver and gold tencel in a double wide scarf. Once it was off the loom and finished, the waffle weave gave just a slight amount of texture. The tencel gave this stole a wonderful shine, a silky drape, and it is super light. And........it has already sold;)

Sharing a Bit From Others

2008-01-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

There is nothing we enjoy more than seeing yarn that was spun here at Sunrise used in projects. We have agreed that it is not only so much fun to see but, very inspiring as well. I wanted to take this blog this week to look at a few items made from yarn from Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio. The names of the items and shops can be found under each. We hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we do........and please, visit their shops:)

This hat was crocheted by http://www.rubyshoecreations.etsy.com/ . See her shop for some fantastic hats and some of the best slippers around:)

This scarf was crocheted by http://www.kjpatino.etsy.com/ . KJ is wonderful!!! She has done magnificent work for Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio. She has designed not only the banners you see on our website and Etsy store, but our mailing labels, new business cards, and our fabulous yarn labels as well:)

These hand knit fingerless mits were knit by http://www.selana1505.etsy.com/ . She offers a wonderful selection of hand dyed sock yarn as well as fabulous tablet woven trim and stitch markers:)

Can you believe how amazing these are?!?!?!?! Hand knit by www.TheLuluBean.etsy.com . They are what we refer to as the 'bombest' here at Sunrise. :) Check out this shop for pillows, magnets, or a beautiful selection of scarfettes:)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

Ok. I know it's early but......MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I'm so excited!!! Usually the blog gets updated on Wednesdays and I do not think that it will be updated before then so there ya have it:) We are very excited about the new year to come. There are many fantastic things happening here at the Studio that we will be officially announcing just after Christmas. That's right......we are branching out, getting bigger, producing more products, and introducing a line of sock yarns!!! Oh I can hardly keep it all in. (Keep in mind that this is being typed in between bouts of hand clapping). Most of the announcements will be on the home page but, as we have stated in the past, the blog will most likely be our form of 'newsletter communication'.

With all of the spinning going on I have been wondering if perhaps my weaving was missing me. I mean really, what is a weaver doing spinning?!?!?!? I'll tell you exactly, there has been quite the demand for our yarn:) What a wonderful blessing!!!!!!!!!! Please don't take this wrong, I LOVE to spin......I just feel like I haven't been at the loom in forever!!! Soooooooooo, today I motivated myself to finish a shibori shawl that was started quite some time ago. Originally this was supposed to be a brown and white but I recently had someone request a gold scarf. This was my chance to 'play' with some of the dye that I ordered.

This first picture is some of the progress on the loom. You can see the purple supplement weft threads, they are purple.

This is a picture of the same shawl after it has been removed from the loom and the threads have been gathered and tied. The next step in the process is to dye the fabric. More pictures to come......the only thing I have to say is that I sure hope that the color doesn't turn out how it is looking........bright yellow....ick!!!

Here is a 'extreme close up' of the roving for a custom order of yarn.

This is what happens when you give dye in a salt and pepper shaker (not really) to a true blooded Italian:)

The picture does this no justice at all. You can see here a skein of already spun yarn and some roving both using different brands of dye. All I can say is that I think we are going to be switching:) I am loving how vibrant the colors look in the new stuff.

Sock Update.

2007-12-14T00:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the socks have been nabbed:) I have decided to give them to my darling sister-in-law. Let's face it.....I'm just like the plumber. :) No new pictures today but, they are coming along nicely......and......they are going to be toe socks:)

What is that!??!?!?! Knitting!??!?!?!

2007-12-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

I was recently inspired to make something and actually keep it for myself, something I very very very seldom do:) I have also been finding that many other 'crafters' fail to keep things for themselves too. Funny how that happens, I guess. The plumber always has a leaky faucet.....gym teacher was always not so fit......police officer talking on the cell phone while driving. I fit right into the general work force now:) Time to change that and make something and actually wear it........want to see?

Isn't this yarn the most amazing bright cool neato yarn you've ever seen?!?!?!?! Want to know where I got it? Sure ya do!!!! http://www.perchancetoknit.etsy.com/ Check out her shop for some wonderful fantastic yarns!!!

Of course there is much more but, here is the latest in hand spun:)

We are also going to add another person to Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio:) I can't believe I'm actually putting this in the blog before it is 'official' but I can't help how excited we are about having her aboard. Woo hoo!!! Go Chrissy!!! I'll post some more detail in the next section about her, her start date and the types of items she will be making available........stay tuned:)

Computer Stuff

2007-12-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it happens to the best of us. Yeah, you've got it. Time to update, fix, recolor (a little) and get the web site rocking and rolling. I have put it off WAY too long:) Due to some technical stuff with the shopping service we were using, we decided that it is in our best interest to use only Etsy as our online shopping cart at this time. Etsy has been absolutely wonderful to us and they offer a wonderful community environment. What better way to show our appreciation than to give back?

I can say that we are very thankful to the online community. It has been a wonderful pleasure exploring what all of the Internet has to offer. It's also very nice to actually meet people at shows, which we will continue to do and increase year to year. We also have in the works for next year a brand new line of painted roving, hand dyed yarn, hand spun yarn, and, of course, finished products online. Until this point a majority of the 'finished' items (hand wovens and knits) have been mostly only available in boutiques, galleries, and shows. Although these items will still be available in those locations, we are planning on showing more finished items for sale online.

Now to the fun stuff:) PICTURES!!!

Yarn inspired by a pair of P.J.s:)

Oh so very funky!!!

Classic sweet soft alpaca from Galieon:)

Ahhhhhhh!!! The Holiday Rush!!!

2007-11-28T22:42:00.000-05:00

Tis the season!!!

This has been a wonderful year so far and the holidays have just started. We have had several shows this year and I'm happy to say that the last two completely blew my mind!!! It has simply amazed me at how more and more people are buying handmade. I'm not just talking about people who create but, the public as a whole. This truly is wonderful news!!!

We are done with shows for this year so I'm hoping to update this blog again on a weekly basis. For right now I just wanted to share some photos:) That's the best part anyway, right? :)

Peach Fizz:) Mmmmmmmmm!!! Go Urs!!!

Root beer Float!!! Mmmmmmm!!! Go Urs......ummmm....I'm noticing a pattern here;)

Jewels:) For someone special, I'm sure;)

Some of the yarn out on display:)

Revision

2007-11-14T18:50:00.001-05:00

We have a revised company vision, really that is a good thing. "Where the people have no vision, they perish." There has been so much going on in the month of October that I really don't know where to start. Perhaps I should just sum it up........'Business is good!!!'. There. That aught to do it.

In the next couple of months there will be some changes to Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio's main site to reflect some of the changes that have been taking place internally. Some of the pages will be changed and moved around. Please, by no means, consider the fact that we are changing a bad thing. It's just that we are growing and need to move things accordingly.

In February we will be one year on line and I'm happy to say that it has been a wonderful year!!! Next year will be even better. The lack of posting in the blog is due to time restraints at this time of the year that so many crafters are familiar with. Shows, supplies and demand, the change of weather, school schedules, etc all hold us back from keeping the world at our fingertips. Instead we concentrate on what is important and keep our eyes on the goal.

Most of the hand woven items are in galleries and boutiques right now and not posted for sale online. Items will be listed when in the studio as I don't like having them in two places at once........makes sense, right? If there is something that you have seen for sale and no longer see it, don't hesitate to ask.

Ok. Now for the fun stuff:) I wish I had time to list all of the pictures of things that have sold!!! That would be fun:) Instead, I would like to show some of the items that are currently for sale. Let's start with some hand spun yarn.

And of course.........the latest weaving project:

This is a picture of the weaving process for a shibori shawl in rayon on the loom. This shawl has since been removed and the fringe twisted. I will begin gathering the supplemental weft picks tonight. More pictures to come:)