spinning – Page 2

Weaving Adventures

December 3, 2013 | 4 Comments

I’ve neglected mentioning some of the events that have inspired me this fall. First would be the 18th century tapestry series titled “Weaving the Myth of Psyche” on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

There are some stunning images in these tapestries. Look at this donkey….

And the spinner….

And Cupid’s wing….isn’t that something? I am going to have some fun with this image!

The museum asked for some guild members to demonstrate tapestry that day, and three of us participated. Here one guild member is luring in the children with her spinning.

A couple of weeks later, the state guild meeting featured the boundweave work of Rebecca Arkenberg, called “Tales from the Loom.” Her boundweave figures are whimsical and creative, and it is obvious she is having a great time combining boundweave with a sense of humor. She said that people often can’t see what she is portraying, and she’s learned to let that go and just enjoy herself. What terrific advice!

Rebecca has a great knack for reducing world wide cultural images to the barest essentials.

This one is particularly fun! Navajo women, rugs, and Churro sheep!

And how about bunnies with angora tails sitting in rows of carrots and beets?

Cat and mouse….

A highlander in kilt!

The Scarlet Letter….

I had so much fun at this guild meeting and came away buoyed with ideas for returning to my own boundweave project that has been neglected for some time now!

Mid-Spring

May 31, 2013 | 1 Comment

Is there anything with as much promise as mid-spring? My gardens, my projects, my whole world is all hope and possibility.

I’ve completed pear #4 in my ‘Trail of Pears.’ Each pear has brought harder color decisions, and #4 caused me to call on the advice of both my husband and younger son. I had every shade of gold in my yarn palette out and none of them worked. Chris helped me let go of my preconceived notion that the pear had to be in the yellow family. That pear is a tan that I would never have considered if not for Chris. Now it’s finished and soon the background around pear #5 (the final pear) will be finished as well, which will mean making the final pear color choice. I plan to be at my Wednesday Group class next week so I can get some input from all the weavers there. Whew!

When I’m not weaving the pears I’ve been spinning some silk. Does anyone remember Carol Weymar who called herself the silk worker. I can’t find her anymore! I used to buy her handpainted silk roving, so I have a little collection of them. I always wanted a bit more than 2 ounces from her, but she never had more than that of any given painted way. I took this as a challenge to me to learn to spin finer, hoping to get 1,000 yards out of that 2 oz. Well, I still can’t do it!

So, to the latest colorway which I will call ‘mid-spring’ (all the colors of a spring garden, except blue) I am adding a strand of luscious 50/50 merino/silk. The merino is a warm natural color, something I might call ‘almond,’ and the silk is a shimmering white. Spun together I’m getting a lovely shade of cream and I hope it will be stunning plied with the 100% painted silk from Carol. I’d like to start plying right now, but I will force myself to let the newly finished merino/silk set overnight. Boy, I can’t wait for tomorrow!

It’s 90 degrees outside today, one of those abnormally hot spring days we sometimes have. My basement studio is a cool respite on a day like this, and the view cool and green.

Have I mentioned that I live on the edge of a large nature preserve? May offers up so many beautiful sights there…. lady slippers are in bloom and we found a robin’s egg on the ground! There are dragon flies everywhere, and the hummingbirds arrived. I’ve seen eagles soaring above our house.

Yes, it’s all hope and promise around here.

There’s No Place Like Home…

May 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment

There really isn’t. And to top it off it’s May in New England.

My sister had offered to meet me at the airport. It would just be the two of us; we’d have dinner afterward so she could catch me up on her family and her long solo stint of taking care of our aging and difficult mother.

Instead, she and my sons planned a larger family gathering to greet me. Seven family members were waiting for me when I arrived, and because my flight was late all the other people waiting for loved ones had gotten in on the act. So, I arrived to a crowd of clapping bystanders, who were shouting, “Welcome home, Mom!” I was completely confused, which is a very good thing, because otherwise I would have cried…

Mother’s Day weekend was about as perfect as possible. The kids and I went to the annual Garden Club sale at the little park in the center of town, and we worked in the garden cleaning up the debris from winter and planting my purchases from the sale. It was a wonderful homecoming!

Today I plied the brilliant saffron mohair that I spun in the Bahamas. Here it is with the mohair skeins from Persimmon Tree that I plan to use with it. I’m envisioning a fall jacket….

Chillin’

April 21, 2013 | 1 Comment

A few more days in Hope Town. Sailing friends have also arrived, so we are now joined by Nati, Meltemi, and Firecracker. Take Two is still anchored just outside the harbor. We all seem to be reluctant to leave this idyllic spot, where relaxing is as easy as breathing the tropical air…

Ways to chill in Hope Town include visiting the newly opened Hope Town Marina where everyone is welcome at the pool.

Visiting Hope Town’s famous lighthouse involves just a little more effort if you want to see the view from the top, but it’s not too strenuous… that narrow spiral stairway is challenging for claustrophics, like me!

Lovely view from one of the windows on the way up…

Spectacular view from the top with Pandora front and center!

Other ways we have found to relax here include driving around the island in a golf cart, walking the oceanside beaches, walking through the quaint town, and eating out at several delightful restaurants! This is the bar at Firefly looking west at another wonderful sunset…

Walking the quaint residential streets in town…

I’ve gotten my spinning wheel out again (properly known as an electric spinner since the wheel is a fly wheel attached to a motor, and there is no treadle!) and am enjoying working with some intensely saffron dyed mohair. It is the color of energy and sunshine and happiness. Zen in my hands!

Sights on Rum Cay

March 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Pandora on the dock at Sumner Point Marina on Rum Cay. This is our first use of a dock in the Bahamas, and it is free!

Each day when the fisherman return with their catch and begin cleaning the fish the sharks come in. They can be tempted right on to the shore for a treat. Yikes!

Sunsets on Pandora!

In case you cannot find your way to the food store, which is just around the corner from this town square!

An osprey in flight right near our marina

There is lots of flora on Rum Cay. In the gardens we’ve seen bougainvillea, hibiscus, vinca and morning glory vines which are perennial here, even an occasional rose bush. But most exciting is seeing what grows wild, like this passion flower!

These are everywhere! I have been asking what they are, but don’t have an answer yet. Fleshy flowers, somewhat similar to hoya flowers, but these grow on a woody plant that can get as tall as a medium sized tree. They are in bloom right now.

There are lots of cotton plants here from the days of the loyalist plantations. Mostly the cotton bolls are open, but I did see a few lovely yellow cotton flowers on our way to the beach yesterday. I should have photographed them!

We found wonderful shells on the eastern beach which faces the Atlantic. It was a calm day, and we were there at about half tide. Low tide would have been preferable, but this week that occurs early morning and after sunset…not so convenient for us!

I spent this morning spinning, finishing up the alpaca batt I brought with me from home. It is a blend of creamy white and fawn that is making a wonderful heathered yarn. What a delightful way to spend a morning in paradise!