Audrey, a sweater for my Mom

After attending the NY Sheep and Wool Festival last October, my view of yarn has completely changed. This was the first time that I considered the animals that provided the fiber of my life. I LOVE wool in every shape and form. It must be in my Scottish blood. I met face to face with Blue Faced Leicester, and it changed my life.

I bought "The Audrey" kit in Celadon sport weight from Lisa Souza Knitwear and dyeworks. It was candy for the hands and the eyes. Soft and gently hand dyed with a delightful leaf border on the sleeve, collar and bottom edge. It was a dream to knit, although I have to admit that I altered the pattern. I did not like how the top of the sleeve turned out, so I ripped it back and reworked.

It took about 3 months to make, and I finally met Mom in Rhinebeck at the Beekman Arms and gave it to her over a delightful lunch. I hope she likes it and wears in good health!

The weather was perfect, so we explored a bit and ended up at Wilderstein Historic site for a lovely tour of the restored home of Daisy Suckley, a little piece of heaven overlooking the Hudson River. The tour guide was very interesting and knowledgeable. It was an peek into a lifestyle of another time. I am glad I got to share it with Mom.

The Hudson Valley Antique Auto Association had there show the same weekend, so there was eye candy of another kind in the parking lot, a 1931 Ford (not in original colors). It was the source of great interest. Unfortunately I was not fast enough to get a photo of the 50s pink Cadillac.

Fiber events

Here is reminder of year-round fiber events!

From chickens to cloth, almost

My weaving journey continues, with side trips. Last weekend we stopped at Lenny and Kathy's house to see their new chickens, the Marys. (long story) It was a beautiful day and we just talked the afternoon away. Knitting and weaving came up, all of a sudden Kathy's daughter Paulina brought out from their stash a box of novelty yarn and beads. A perfect solution to my next FIT class assignment.

With a mistake comes success

Last year I acquired a countermarch Harris Folding Loom, sans instructions (see July 4, 2011 post). This put me on a part-time quest -- between life's tasks and work and other distractions, like knitting -- to figure out how to put it together! Oy, the diagrams for the treadles just did not make sense.

I joined the NY Guild of Handweavers, where I attended a talk by David Van Buskirk — My Weaving Education at Handarbetes Vanners, Stockholm with Age Faith-Ell. It was an inspiring lecture on his time studying weaving in Sweden with Age Faith-Ell, and the place of women in design in the early 20th Century. I spoke with him after, he suggested I take a course at FIT, and that was a game changer.

At first I was skeptical that I would find the key to my loom problems in class. But I put my head down and started weaving again, a series of samples for presentation, due April 2.

• Plain weave
• 2/2/ Twill -Right Hand
• Reversing 2/2 Twill
• 2/2 Broken Twill
• 1/3 Filling-faced Twil
• 3/1 Warp-faced Twill
• 3/1 Reverse Warp-faced Twill
• 1/3 Reverse Filling-faced Twill
• Combination Stripe: 3/1 and 1/3 Twill
• Basket Weave (oy!)
• Double Cloth (very cool)
• Rib Weave (my fav)
• Basket Weave and Rib Weave
• Reversing 2/2 Twill in 2 colors
• Combination Stripe: 3/1 and 1/3 Twill with chenille) and...
• "Not" Basket Weave…it is a variation of Plain weave! (I actually like it a lot, and a very happy accident)

I spent hours getting the sample cards hand lettered and samples cut apart and affixed. Then I discovered a huge mistake… My basket weave sample was WRONG! The weaving did not match the draft chart. Oh no!

With no time to return to the studio and do another (I think I had removed from the studio loom the warp to start the next assignment) I looked at my loom and decided that NOW was the time to conquer the treadle problem. I had to weave another basket weave sample that was the correct structure before class.

I took a deep breath, pulled out all my found-on-the-internet instructions and my scribbles of what I thought the treadle chart meant, got down on the floor and started to make sense of all the sticks and strings. Step one to treadle success. (They probably need some tweaking… but I had to get to the next step of warping on the loom.)

I wound my first very short warp out of old pearl cotton that I had in a stash in the garage (yes, the garage). Took a deep breath and tied it onto the loom, sorted thru 120 thread heddles on 4 shafts with the required POINT DRAW, END AND END and STRAIGHT DRAW as per the original assignment. I prayed that it would work. It did. I wove my first sample on MY loom. I will always remember what BASKET WEAVE is, and how to chart its structure. I am thrilled. With panic I found the courage to face the demons that held me back. I can now start weaving. I am so excited.

What I learned about Harris Tweed at the last NY Guild of Handweavers meeting

Eco-designer Lusmila McColl of McColl & Clan spoke at the March meeting of the NY Guild of Handweavers. What a fascinating and inspiring woman! She relayed the story of Harris Tweed.

to learn more about the fiber drama of the 21st century, watch this 3-part Tweed BBC documentary on Vimeo
Part 1: Trouble Looms - http://vimeo.com/7505746
Part 2: Harassed Tweed - http://vimeo.com/15901604
Part 3: Hanging by a Thread - http://vimeo.com/7669212

Lusmila handed out a flyer: THE PROCESS OF MAKING HARRIS TWEED FABRICS (see below)

Shearing

The creation of Harris Tweed begins with fleeces of pure virgin wools which are sheared from Cheviot and Scottish Blackface sheep. Although most of the wool is grown principally on the Scottish and UK mainland, in the earl summer the island communities still join together to round up and sheer the local sheep to add to the mix. The tow types of wool are blended together to gain the advantages of their unique qualities and characteristics.

Washing & Dying

Once sheared the wool is scoured before being delivered in large bales to the mills of the main tweed producers where it is dyed in a wide variety of colors for blending.

Blending & Carding

The freshly dyed coloured and white wools are weighted in predetermined proportions and then thoroughly blended by hand to exact recipes to obtain the correct hue. It is then carded between mechanical, toothed rollers which tease and mix the fibers thoroughly before it is separated into a fragile, embryonic yarn.

Spinning

This soft yarn then has a twist imparted to it as it is spun to give it maximum strength for weaving. The spun yarn is wound onto bobbins to provide the ingredients of weft (left to right threads) and warp (vertical threads) supplied to the weavers.

Warping

This vitally important process sees thousands of warp threads gathered in large hanks into a specific order and wound onto large beams ready to be delivered, together with yarn for the weft, to the weavers.

Weaving

All Harris Tweed is hand woven on a treadle loom at each weaver's home usually a single width Hattersley loom or newer double-width Bonas-Griffith loom. The weaver will arrange hundreds of heddles to a specified pattern before the beam of warp yarn is tied to the loom by hand.

The weaver will then set up the weft threads, pulling bobbins of yarn through a series of guides to be woven into the warp threads by flashing "rapier" or shuttle. Once ready, the weaver begins to weave, always observing, correcting, mending and amending their creation until complete. All Harris Tweed is woven by hand, using a manually powered loom driven by a simple pedal mechanism.

Finishing

The tween then returns to the mill in its "greasy state" and here it passes through the hands of darners who correct any flaws.

Once ready, the cloth is finished. Dirt, oil and other impurities are removed by washing and beating in soda and soapy water before it is dried, steamed, pressed and cropped.

Stamping

The final process is the examination by the independent Harris Tweed Authority who visits the mills weekly, before application of their Orb Mark trademark which is ironed onthe fabric as a seal of authenticity.

Links

Harris Tweed Authority: http://www.harristweed.org

http://www.thecarlowaymill.com/index.html

WOW, I am blown away with kindness

The Internet is an amazing thing. I acquired a Harris Folding CounterMarch loom, unassembled. I scoured the internet and found the original manufacturer who sold me the missing Flax Loom Cord. They (Elaine and Kevin) suggested getting a copy of LOOM MECHANICS, Monograph Series, Number 3 from the Handweavers Studio in London (www.handweavers.co.uk) [ kudos to Hillary who gave me much advise on the universal tieup ] Cord and pamphlet arrived from England a week later. It was magical. Then found a lovely woman named Suzanne (and Michael-for tech support) who is trying to sell the same loom (see below). She sent me these images that will be a huge help in tying up the treadles! WOW... this is so wonderful. 10 years ago this would never have been possible.

Suzanne's loom is for sale

33. Harris Folding Floor Loom

Four shaft, countermarch, Harris folding rug loom. Height 42", width 43", Depth 35". Weaving width 34". Includes 34" 8 dent reed, 38" raddle, 2 x 18" ski shuttles, 2 x 29" flat shuttles, warp sticks and cross sticks. Bought new and hardly used. £500 (buyer collects from Weymouth, Dorset) Contact: Suzanne Davies Tel: 01305 829 294 Advertised Since: Sunday 06 May 2012

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I have (with the help of Mom) gotten the shafts tied up so far. To be continued. and for those who are looking for more information about this loom, I found this Midland Spinner who was kind enough to send me a copy of her assembly instructions and this fact-filled post with photos and diagrams on looms. There is a bunch of stuff on Google and YouTube. Harris Loom: Elaine Neil, Office Manager Emmerich (Berlon) Wotton Road, No 2706079 Ashford, England, Kent TN23 6JY Workbenches, Tools and Looms. www.emir.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1233 622684 Fax: +44 (0) 1233 645801

Heady news!

I just received the GREATEST phone call from my niece Megan. She finished her first knitting project, a lovely headband made from the Cotton-Ease we purchased over the weekend at the Lion Brand Studio in NYC. I am so happy for her. The mother-of-pearl button came from my button box, a big beauty that has been a part of my stash just waiting for the perfect project. You go girl. Guess I better send the sock pattern I promised! She's on her way... look out world, here she comes.

Knitting on the Ferry

Oh, what joy knitting can bring. Megan and I had the BEST time last weekend. A knitting retreat in NYC! She came into Port Authority and our first stop was the Lion Brand Studio to pick up materials (yarn, needles, tools, patterns) and we were on our way! Next stop the Staten Island ferry. It was a PERFECT weather weekend and we basked in the sun as we stitched away.

Saturday was chock full of activities, knitting on the ferry again, heading to the Met to see the The Steins Collect, amazing and worth seeing (ends June 3). Then on to a shop 'til you drop at the Crafts on Columbus fair, we saw a lot of really fun stuff and shared a lovely afternoon. Megan found hairclips that WORK, and some beautiful clothes. And I found a GREAT hat! We laughed a lot.

Then on to the High Line for a walk from top to bottom along with what seemed like all of NYC. It was glorious and I am always amazed at the inventive layout and the amazing plantings. Kudos to the High Line, a unique and amazing NY experience. And then back home for a quite dinner and KNITTING! ;-)

Sunday morning we finally got started on a gauge swatch for Megan's headband. I pulled out my button box and gave her a beautiful old mother of pearl button that will make for a nice finish.

Nice memories, hope we can do it again soon.

Our Desert Star is Shining Brightly

Our dear sweet Tully is now free, he passed March 19, 2012 and our Desert Star now shines brightly in the sky. He blessed our lives for over 11 years with humor and love. Tully was a gentle soul. 

He loved peanut butter and bagels most of all, hopefully followed by us, his girlfriend Leslie, his baby niece Rennie, sitting in front of the fire in the winter, resting in the garden in the summer and napping just about anywhere. 

He marked everything everywhere he went and then had to check to be sure that, "Yep, that's me." 

He was a talker, and a moaner. The moan could mean anything in the right context.... "I'm hungry", "I have to pee", "I need the sandwich that you are eating". When given instructions, he often talked back. 

He loved riding in the car, hated the vet's office. His favorite blankie was a striped Mexican number that we got in Provincetown, MA on vacation (and also got ticks). He dragged us down the trail on Isle au Haut from the landing to Moores Harbor. He loved waiting for the mailman for a chance to bark, and took his job of guarding the house seriously. The front door window was his large-screen TV. 

When Rennie (a lively puppy) joined the pack, he gently accepted her and put up with all her annoying behavior, and the two of them became inseparable. Tully was the first dog we ever had that was too lazy to chew, and required dental work. As a result, he was missing about 9 teeth, making eating a very messy process. We had "snood time" at every meal -- which meant, finding the snood and getting it put on.... almost always a comical event. 

Tully flunked obedience, he could never sit still for the required 3 minutes. He LOVED to kiss. And always seemed so proud. Buddy (a.k.a. Tully-Bullie, Big Dog, Baby Boy, Delicate Flower, Boo, Willis), we will MISS you. There is a giant hole in the house and in our hearts. Thank you for the time we had together. We were blessed.

Knit for brains?

My artist husband is always finding ART on the web. This is a unique one --- knit brains -- "Soft Brains" by Sarah Illenberger, http://www.sarahillenberger.com/index.php?c=editionsshow&p=24... navigate to 6/25 (click the arrows to the top right)... very cool!!! Looks like a whole lot of iCord.

Freebie: Care instructions and parody gift tags link

As a member of the NYC Crochet Guild, I get a flurry of crafty emails full of ideas, suggestions and just plain fun. Here is a link to some truly useful gift tags for your craft items. http://undergroundcrafter.com/blog/2011/12/03/freebie-care-instructions-and-parody-gift-tags/ There are downloadable pdfs that you can print out and attach to projects given to loved ones (reminding them of all the love [and toil] that went into them).

An item to check off the bucket list

I am a graphic designer who never had the courage to become a fiber artist. I back-burnered my interest in weaving, until now. I am a member of a spinning and weaving guild, having gone to meetings for almost a year I finally decided it was time to get started. I bought myself an Ashford Knitters Loom on the recommendation of a guild member and I am on my way. I am so excited to learn how to make lush and beautiful fabric. This is my first attempt, much to learn and a long way to go, but I will report in from time to time on my progress.

This is so cool.... ;-)

This from http://knittaporfavor.wordpress.com/ posted 11/7/2011 who got it from http://mixingreality.com/ WOW!!!!! makes me just wanna crochet ALL THE TIME!!!!

Seventeen Evergreen - Polarity Song from Lucky Number Music on Vimeo.

And this from Mixing Reality, Dutch product designer Merel Karhof uses the wind to knit a scarf?

NYC Crochet Guild meeting - November

Last night I attended the crochet guild meeting in Manhattan, it was a packed house. Jack from Lion Brand Yarns was there showing, among other things, the new Martha Stewart line of yarns. VERY NICE. Saw a lot of natural fiber yarns in yummy colors, making me want to knit knit knit! Ok, so I don't need a whole lot of inspiration.... but wow. a good time was had by all.

A highlight of the evening was the show and tell, take a look at these ANGRY BIRDS crochet hats. When I got home I googled the subject and found this great youtube video

Good deed for the day

Inspired by the ladies in the Staten Island Spinning and Weaving Guild, I made a few hats for donation to the battered women's shelter. Did some stash busting, and found a great use for the left over superwash sock yarn with the preemie caps.

Good time had by all at Mets Stitch N Pitch, 'cept the Mets-- they lost

Go team, stitchers that is. How cool is it that a crowd of crafters can gather and celebrate their handiwork? Here's a shot of the knit banner for the event sponsored by The National Needle Arts Association and Warm Up America! Free needlepoint kits featuring the Mets or Yankees logos were distributed to the first 200 attendees... and they "sold out" -- yeah! Free yarn and knitting needles were handed out so attendees could make 7x9 inch squares for Warm Up America afghans that are donated to charities. Of course the colors were blue or orange, in chunky yarn from Lion Brand, it worked up fast and 2 cartons of squares were donated... MANY THANKS to all participants.

Here's a shot of Lily Chin sporting her Big Apple outfit, it had HOME RUN worked into it. Notice the crochet baseball glove on the gentleman sitting next to her, the "baseball" scarf and baseball cap--all crochet in the Mets colors --- now that is team support. ;-).

There was yarn bombing all over the stadium, you can see examples wrapped on the railing. There was a beautiful moon over the stadium, the weather was close to perfect.The night was sublime.

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By the way... I found this http://craftzine.com/images/extras/113/baseballsocksinstructions.pdf -- great socks if you are a baseball fanatic!

Happy Day!

My niece had a baby shower on the 13th of August. I thought I had at least another 2 months of knitting time. Nothing like a deadline to get things done. YEEKS! So I switched into high knitting gear and plowed thru. Driving to the shower with a few rows to go, and I finished it off at the party. Whew! My wrist was a little sore, and I had to ice it for a couple of days. But it was worth if for this smile.
Got a lovely thank you card from Erin.... for a gift made with love... ;-)

Yes, it was, and hope and joy and best wishes.

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Here's to free patterns on the Bernat website, and this lovely Knit Baby Blanket (fyi, you have to sign up to get access), done in Softee Baby, which is Machine dryable and Machine washable. The pattern is a simple 5 row repeat, and it feels great. The yarn had a tendency to pull, but with a tug or two restores itself.

On the train...

Quiet time, away from it all (well, as far as one can be -- with technology), I finished this cutie for Amanda W.. I love Amtrak and took advantage of the 2.5 hr ride to finish up a gift piece. I took last week off (almost...) to read "Cathedral of the Sea" and knit. Spent some quality time with a dear friend.

Caught up on movies... All About Eve (what a ruthless story) - loved Bette Davis, she was really beautiful. The Hangover - far better than I expected. Tried watching The Red Shoes, but couldn't finish. Snatch was great fun as well as The Fifth Element, but my dear friend thought it was not so hot... viewed thru her eyes, I guess she's right. It has become a cult viewing in our house, as my husband LOVES TFE. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow. You could call my week off the "Austen Week"... for I watched as well Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley on the train headed to AC. Watched more movies this week than I have all year.

Starting the next baby project--a blanket, for a baby boy due in October... stay tuned for photos. Happy Knitting.

To Rip or Not to Rip, that is the question

Okay, we all get faced with this... a big stupid mistake. The thought of ripping this time was too much so I dropped stitched and got out my handy-dandy crochet hook and remade the rib pattern that I had forgotten to continue after I turned the heel. I was not focused on this pair, it took me a long time to get one done. I think because I really didn't like the color and feel of the yarn. My gamble worked, the ribbing is restored and --other than those of you who read this confession-- no one would know. ;-)

I have managed to complete yet another pair of socks since this green pair and now the garden calls. My beans are just popping through the soil in a miracle of new life. My onions are almost a foot tall. Garlic is on it's way and I wait with excitement for my organic flowing potatoes to sprout. I pray the weather is amenable and the garden flourishes. More to come...

Whew! better late than never

Hey, Erin, Happy Belated birthday!!!!

Erin's birthday scarf is finally done. and now to get it packed up and sent off... only a couple weeks late. The yarn is a beautiful nylon microfiber from Tess Designer yarn . The wavy scarf pattern is created with dropped yarnovers. The pattern as written is a narrow scarf, if you want wider, increase in multiples of 10 stitches. I discovered Tess at the Vogue LIVE! event at the NY Hilton in January. The yarns are breathtakingly beautiful.