Category Archives: Fine Craft

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Yesterday I went to see the woven cloth made from spider silk at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Emails about this amazing cloth have been flying around the internet for about a month, and the descriptions at the museum website are quite intriguing, including a wonderful video which I will post here.

The cloth is under plexiglas in the grand gallery.  When my friend Susan and I entered the gallery we had a hard time finding the exhibit!  The plexiglas case is tucked against the wall at one side of the gallery, with very little signage to attract attention to it.  There is one small display of photos and a brief description at the front of the case.  Clearly, if you want to know as much as possible about the whole process– the spiders, collecting the silk, making the thread and weaving– you have to go to the website, which seems odd to me.

Yet there is no substitute for seeing this amazing woven cloth in person.  In the late morning October light it glowed brilliantly, like a saffron dyed robe, and yet its glowing golden color is the natural color of the spider silk!  Breath-taking!

My son visited during the last hour of the museum’s day, just after 5pm, and he said the piece is not well lighted.  To him, it was a dull gold, not glowing the way I’d seen it.

This is not my first experience at learning a little about spider silk.  During my younger son’s last year at the University of Rochester, he had a job working in the laser lab, and he arranged for me and his dad to get a tour.  It happens to be the largest laser lab in the world, which must be the best kept secret! Professor Bigelow described to me that spider silk (purchased from spider nurseries) is used to hold a single atom in place in the chamber where it will be ‘shot’ with the laser.  I don’t know anything about the spider nurseries, but I found it amazing that in Madagascar, the golden orb spiders were collected from the wild, ‘milked’ for their silk, and then returned to the wild.  Amazing!

I can’t go to the Museum of Natural History without visiting all the wonderful textiles in the Central and South American exhibit!  I can’t imagine a time when these textiles won’t thrill and inspire me!

After lunch, my friend and I went to Loop of the Loom, previously in Englewood, now on 87th and 3rd Ave.  What a lovely spot this is! I wish I’d taken photos to share.  It is a basement shop, yet so filled with light!  The shop is dedicated to Saori weaving, which is not my style, but I’m always so intrigued with how personal the finished items are.  I’m always drawn to the work people do on these simple looms.  Actually, I have to say that I’m really quite moved by the strong evidence of the ‘maker’s hand,’ so prevalent in Saori weaving.  I highly recommend stopping by if you are in Manhattan!

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In the midst of chores today, I am making a safflower dyebath in which I hope to dye a knitted sock blank yellow and then a silk scarf blank coral!  Both of these projects have further work after the safflower dye.  I want to do some shibori on both.  For the sock blank I will do some binding (haven’t decided what yet) and dip in indigo.  For the silk scarf, I want to do a lot of stitching, which will probably take me some time, before overdyeing with madder.

I understand that safflower is not terrible fast, so in the case of the scarf, as the safflower fades the madder will remain the dominant color of the scarf.  I am counting on some safflower color remaining.  I just don’t care for the look of shibori when the bound areas are white.

The first safflower soak is taking place here.  Great golden color, isn’t it? The safflower is wrapped in an old handkerchief. After I get all the yellow out of this soak I will use this bath for my sock blank and start a new bath for the pink/coral I want for the silk scarf blank.  I’m following Jenny Dean’s recipe which recommends making the second bath alkaline with soda ash. I may also follow her further directions to bring the bath back to acid to get a pinker coral on silk.  More photos will follow!

I just joined GoddessKnits’ upcoming fall mystery sock KAL (starts early Nov.) and have decided to spin my own yarn for it, based on techniques I learned from Judith McKenzie quite a few years ago at a workshop during the NY State Sheep and Wool Festival.  I’m using three colors of merino top and creating my own color sequence.  I plan to make a cabled 4-ply yarn for my sock project.

Bob is leaving today to sail our boat to Annapolis with a crew.  I will pick up everyone (including Bob! …since he’s working in his Manhattan office and will take a train to CT, where the boat is waiting) at various train stations on my way to the boat with provisions later today.

I will then have four days on my own in which I hope to get a good amount of spinning done, spin and weave with a couple of friends, finish weaving a scarf that’s been on my AVL for a year, and make plans for my next tapestry.  As long and slow as tapestry weaving is, I think deciding what to weave is the slowest part of the process!

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Well, I guess these aren’t the clearest photos.  I have not got these postcards in hand yet, just the digital file with poorer resolution than hoped!

The Details:  Tapestry: Ancient Art for Modern Times
                   Clifton Arts Center Gallery
                   900 Clifton Avenue
                   Clifton, NJ  07013
                   973.472.5499

              September 23 – October 31
              Gallery hours: 1pm – 4pm, Wed. thru Sat.

Okay, I posted this because I’m tooting my own horn.  How shameless!  Out of the 16 images on this card, four of them are mine!  This has never happened to me before so I’m reveling a bit!

Here are the image credits:
Top row: Helen Gold, Alta Turner, Helen Gold, Don Burns (all works from ‘Not Gone for Baroque’ collaborative piece)
2nd row: Alta Turner, AnnaByrd Mays, Don Burns, Brenda Osborn (moi!) (again, these works are from ‘Not Gone for Baroque’ collaborative piece)
3rd row: AnnaByrd Mays, Brenda Osborn, Susan Martin Maffei, and Barbara Burns (all individual works)
Title row:  Brenda Osborn (my Stone Buddha!)
Bottom row: Carol Bitner, Annelise DeCoursin, Brenda Osborn

Now…back to my regular life of chores…..

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Visit the website and their real home, with gallery, in Topsham, Maine, if you possible can!

BEAU-CHEMIN PRESERVATION FARM, Waldoboro, ME.
JoAnn and Wayne Myers.

Left: field of heirloom plants, where JoAnn gave me copious woad seeds!  Right: three Leicester Longwool ewes stampeding to greet us!

Beau-Chemin Farm, Leicester Longwool ewe with nursing lamb and Leicester Longwool ewe in the pasture.

Left: Soay ewe at Beau-Chemin Farm. Right: owner JoAnn Myers telling me about her work in preserving heirloom livestock breeds and heirloom flowers and vegetables.

SPRINGTIDE FARM, Bremen, ME.
Wendy Pieh

Male kids rushing to greet us!

Tyler, the male kid, with his adorable bangs and goatee!

Left:Owner Wendy talking about her goats.  Right: Donkey guarding the rams.

Rams.

Ewes, who are guarded by a Great White Pyrenees whom I did not photograph!

I also visited two fiber artists, but did not get photos.  In Rockland I stopped by Maine Island Rag Rugs, where weaver Mary Ann  Small has a wonderful fairytale studio with her loom and a display of colorful rag rugs sits in a beautiful shed built by her husband and surrounded by lovely gardens.

Last stop of the day was Botanical Shades, where Jodie McKenzie dyes some wonderful hues on beautiful wool and wool/mohair blend yarns that are stunning!  She is in between homes right now so I cannot give her address!  Hopefully she’ll be settled soon!

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I’ve been away from blog writing for some time now….too long!  And almost everyday I’m writing blog entries in my head, but not at the computer. 

But hasn’t it been a glorious summer!  Since I’m not a fan of hot weather, I have loved the lush, cool days with or without rain.

I am spending most of the August on board Pandora (where you can see our sailing adventures in Maine), with lots of knitting and spinning projects. Yesterday was a glorious day, part of an exciting weekend of open studios of members of the Maine Fiber Arts Association!  I only managed to visit four of the 80+ listings for this event, but I made really good choices!  I must make this annual event a priority in future!  I will post photos of that next!

Before arriving in Maine on Aug. 3rd, I spent a long weekend in Gettysburg, attending the biennial Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association Conference which was held at Gettysburg College.  It was an awesome weekend!  Attendees took one 2 1/2 day class from a stellar line up of choices:  Sharon Alderman, Inge Dam, Su Butler, Jason Collingwood (to name only a few).  I was so engrossed in my class that I neglected to take the photos I should have!  It was a terrific event, with late night shopping at The Mannings nearby and  Just Our Yarn, Serendipity Farm and Lunatic Fringe in the vendor hall (again, I’ve only named a few!).  There was a Saturday evening impromptu fashion show, the second annual one, where you just show up in your creation and walk the runway.  This unplanned, un-rehearsed event has worked very well and is a highlight of the weekend! I wish I’d taken a photo of Karen Donde’s wonderful ruana.  It defies words, so hopefully I’ll get a photo from a friend shortly and post it. 

Left: Students admiring Inge Dam’s work. Right: Susan Wilson displaying her crackle samples.

I took a class with Jason Collingwood on 3-end block weave and shaft switching which was completely enthralling to me!  I’m inspired by the freedom of design, the simplicity of the shaft switching technique, and Jason’s affable teaching style!  I hope to christen my Toika loom this fall with a rug!

One of Peter’s  design samples and one of Jason’s.

Jason demonstrating weft clasping.

The photos I didn’t take:  The vendor hall where several bags of corriedale fleece from Ruppert’s Farm sang enticingly to me (I brought that on board to spin!), the three friends of mine who shared my dorm suite and kept me up ‘til 2 am three nights in a row!…the open studio evening where we visited other classes and saw their work.  And I wish I had more photos of Jason teaching us, but I was busy writing notes and weaving samples!  Hopefully something very fruitful will come of that!

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Gardening, sailing, knitting, weaving, beautiful weather!  I’ve even managed to spin a little.  It is a lovely summer!

Sailing on the Mystic River during the Wooden Boat Show.

Alpaca and fiber at the Casey Farm market in Kingston, RI

July 4th on board a friend’s boat for the fireworks.  We had our own bagpiper!  Next morning this little sparrow sang to use from our stern lifeline.

The Spring ‘09 GoddessKnits Mystery shawl blocked and finished!  I’m taking it to the MAFA (Mid-Atlantic Fiber Assoc) Conference later this month.

A window box at Mystic Seapot and my dream house and garden in Watch Hill, RI

My next lace project from Renaissance Dyes. A farm in RI where llamas are used as guard dogs for the flock.

Nappatree Beach in Watch Hill, RI

Fringed poppy in my garden at home…. a braid made for a friend…..and lastly, the slow but steady progress on my latest tapestry….

I’m off for another long weekend sailing in Rhode Island.  I hope to visit the alpaca farm I mentioned at the beginning and also, hopefully, a couple of RI weavers!  

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A soft Sunday morning in June with a cup of capuccino, my Goddessknits mystery shawl in progress, and lots of blooming shrubs, vines and trees in view from the porch!  Does it get any better than this?

I was trying to capture how dramatic the light was.  There were ominous dark clouds, left over from yesterday’s deluge, and the first brilliant rays on sun hitting the clematis and andromeda while the maple tree nearby was still in deep shade!

A short while later there were blue skies and bright sun!  It’s been a glorious day, and I spent it all outside knitting and weaving!

My lace shawl is not worth photographing yet…it just grows into a larger spongy amoeba until I can block it…

(I tried, unsuccessfully, to include the word “idol’ as well.  I’m sort of a language nut…can’t help myself)

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I haven’t been here for almost two weeks.  That sailing trip already seems like a distant memory (good thing!)….

Today the Wednesday Group had an opening reception for our current exhibition called “Tapestry: Ancient Art for Modern Times” at a gallery in Medford Leas, Medford, NJ. 

It was virtually a perfect event!  The gallery was a lovely venue for our work, the lecture hall was modern and comfortable, the crowd was positively large…how exciting for a tapestry exhibit!  Archie and Susan each gave a thoroughly compelling lecture, one on the history of tapestry worldwide and one on tapestry’s value today.

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Today started as lovely as any day you can imagine.  The sun rose in a clear sky, there was only a gentle breeze, and we left the river on an ebbing tide to sail to Mystic, where we will leave the boat for the next two weeks.

This odd combination of attached cottages was Katherine Hepburn’s summer place. It sits at the mouth of the Connecticut River.

Our sails were set ‘wing and wing’ for the trip east. Unlike last Friday, when there was not a single other boat on the water with us, today there were plenty of sail boats and power boats out to enjoy a beautiful weekend.  There was a flotilla of fluffy cumulus cloud vessels in the blue sky, and the water beneath us was almost the color of the Caribbean.

House on “Little Dumpling” Island in Fisher Island Sound.

            Entering the Mystic River.

Bob’s big chore on arriving in the Mystic River was to find the sunken lines on a friend’s mooring which we could then use until our return.  Bob got in the dinghy with his grappling hook and began dragging the mooring field near our friend’s usual spot.

Hours went by….Bob made a few phone calls to our friend in Florida who owns this mooring.  More hours went by.

Just before the sun sank behind the trees on shore, Bob finally had the mooring up in the dinghy….probably the worst mess I’ve ever seen.  There was still work to be done adding lines and a float, more work to be done cleaning the dinghy and  Bob.  We may have to throw away his clothes! It’s 8pm and we’ve had nothing to eat all day. Neither of us feels like going ashore for our last dinner as planned, and cooking at this hour will be Spartan at best.

Tomorrow will bring its own challenges as we struggle home with large duffle bags in a variety of transportation modes which will include a dinghy, two trains, and two cabs before we reach our car.  Is this the fun part?

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We are sort of stuck in Greenport, which is a lovely place to be so I’m not really complaining. I am complaining about the wicked East winds and nasty chop.  It’s too rough for either reading or knitting at this point, and it’s very risky business for me to get on and off the boat in these rough conditions! 

Greenport, which looks like a ghost town on this last week in May.  Merchants have told us that Memorial weekend was ‘hopping’ but you wouldn’t know it now!

Bob and I did the self-guided walking tour of Greenport today.  I want a house like this when we retire!

The deserted marina.  We are the only visiting boat here.

The gardens here are so ahead of what’s in bloom at home!  The roses are full of flowers, the iris are at their height, and as you can see there are cranesbill and daisies blooming.  This must be a luscious climate for gardening!

Now and Zen is here!  It’s always nice to come ashore and find a yarn shop! I bought two skein of Blue Sky alpaca/silk and a coordinating Koigu to make a scarf.