This weekend CJ and I were invited to set up our booth in front of a LYS "Magpie Yarn" during the Woodland Art Fair. This is a great chance to get our woven goods some much needed public eye and finally make our business more retail than freelance than we have been. I think we'll make a good team, I love Magpie's taste in yarn; everything is such high-quality and obviously shows that it's all hand picked. The fair is the 15th and 16th of Aug giving us plenty of time to make lots of goodies. We will have a good mix of summer and winter wears and a little something for everyone's budget so no one is "left out in the cold."
Because of this lucky windfall we have had to start shopping for set-up items. Now I have been wanting a dress form forever (mainly to make dresses that fit the first time as I have a "real woman" sizing) but recently I've wanted more of a display. Nothing will show the fold of material like seeing it on something. I stoped by a local antique store yesterday and luck me found something better then I thought I wanted. Thighs, waist, bust, shoulders, and a head. All this covered in a lovely white material and I have just what I wanted; she's that shape we all hate twhich makes everything look good. She'll be making her self known later this weekend when I start adding pictures.
One more exciting addition to the Silver Wheel Yarn Equipment list is a 32" Rigid Heddle Loom. I've been looking to get one for a while but haven't gotten around to that spurring motivation I need for a big buy. Well, it came yesterday with a good price and now its on its way. I already have a bunch of projects that will be perfect for the "gentile touch" of a rigid heddle. Its also perfect to actually set up and festivals. I can't wait!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This Past Weekend
I took a quick trip up to Frankfort Monday to get some supplies and look at some equipment that we are thinking about up-grading to. As I love to get lots of things done in one trip I also managed to talk to a woman about some raw fleeces we want to buy after shearing and mention my plans for the next Rigid Heddle class. Whew, lots and lots of planning and plenty of projects for the future.
I'm really looking forward to next month, since we are going to take advantage of a lucky fall of days and get some higher quality equipment that we have been living without. Since we got the Strounch Drum Carder we have been in love with the quality of the equipment. Quality is always worth the money you put into it, but these have the added plus of being beautiful.
Beauty isn't a "have-to-have" selling point for us, but I've learned that I use something I think is beautiful more then something that isn't. I work in a world that needs to be inspired by curvy lines and deep woods. It certainly does not hurt that I am always seeking that "weaver in residence" position and having beautiful equipment is a plus.
CJ (my husband and fellow weaver) has the loom right now and is working on a beautiful pattern for a scarf. I just finished spinning some Surino roving into lace. Turned out really nice, nicer then I thought it would, and I certainly got enough out of it for someone to make something; 570 yds. I'm hoping that FMFW buys the yarn, but if they don't I'll keep it and use it for a swap, a contest, or I'll weave with it. Its that nice.
I'm really looking forward to next month, since we are going to take advantage of a lucky fall of days and get some higher quality equipment that we have been living without. Since we got the Strounch Drum Carder we have been in love with the quality of the equipment. Quality is always worth the money you put into it, but these have the added plus of being beautiful.
Beauty isn't a "have-to-have" selling point for us, but I've learned that I use something I think is beautiful more then something that isn't. I work in a world that needs to be inspired by curvy lines and deep woods. It certainly does not hurt that I am always seeking that "weaver in residence" position and having beautiful equipment is a plus.
CJ (my husband and fellow weaver) has the loom right now and is working on a beautiful pattern for a scarf. I just finished spinning some Surino roving into lace. Turned out really nice, nicer then I thought it would, and I certainly got enough out of it for someone to make something; 570 yds. I'm hoping that FMFW buys the yarn, but if they don't I'll keep it and use it for a swap, a contest, or I'll weave with it. Its that nice.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works and Surino
It looks as if we might be joining forces with Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works, creators of Surino. We are in the development phase, but it looks like we will be producing fine weaving for the fashion scene and developing knitting patterns for kits.
For the past week and the following two weeks we will be testing their yarn, Surino. It's a special blend of US grown Merino and their own Suri Alpacas. I have been knitting with it for a week now and feel I have a good idea about how the yarn works and reacts. I can confadently say that who ever uses this yarn will, more-then-likely, love it. A good, tightly spun yarn is easy to work and does not come apart with the rough use of cables but is giving enough to look lovely as Fair Isle. The colors are earthy at a distance, while close-up there is a variety of shades that add depth and intrest. The yarn is warm, but the coolness of the Suri, adds that extra softness that is unmistakable of that breed. My only complaint (if you can call it such) is that the yarn does have a thick-thin problem and is slightly different from skien to skien. This certainly doesn't seem to be a problem, for the yarn seems to fluff-up and soften with working and I can not tell a difference even after doing Fair Isle. I will certainly give it 4.9 stars out of 5. It's the best yarn to work with the qualities of strengh, softness, forgivness, and beauty.
Nice work Flaggy Meadows.
For the past week and the following two weeks we will be testing their yarn, Surino. It's a special blend of US grown Merino and their own Suri Alpacas. I have been knitting with it for a week now and feel I have a good idea about how the yarn works and reacts. I can confadently say that who ever uses this yarn will, more-then-likely, love it. A good, tightly spun yarn is easy to work and does not come apart with the rough use of cables but is giving enough to look lovely as Fair Isle. The colors are earthy at a distance, while close-up there is a variety of shades that add depth and intrest. The yarn is warm, but the coolness of the Suri, adds that extra softness that is unmistakable of that breed. My only complaint (if you can call it such) is that the yarn does have a thick-thin problem and is slightly different from skien to skien. This certainly doesn't seem to be a problem, for the yarn seems to fluff-up and soften with working and I can not tell a difference even after doing Fair Isle. I will certainly give it 4.9 stars out of 5. It's the best yarn to work with the qualities of strengh, softness, forgivness, and beauty.
Nice work Flaggy Meadows.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Organic Cotton is here.
Yesterday we received our organic cotton sample. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be playing with it. Plying, dyeing, and weaving with it to see how it handles the work load. If this all turns out we hope to be using it in our weaving for place-mats and napkins, and sure as the world I'm going to make enough cloth from it to make a dress. I also want to offer it to coustomers so they can use it since organic cotton is so hard to find right now. I'll report my findings as they come.
Monday we are going to visit Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works at Sunshine Farm in Springfield, Ky. We hope to join forces and allow the high-quality fibers they produce and my skills weaving to take us both to the great place of high fashion. We'll see how everything goes, but they seem very nice and have ambitious goals for the future; I like that.
Monday we are going to visit Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works at Sunshine Farm in Springfield, Ky. We hope to join forces and allow the high-quality fibers they produce and my skills weaving to take us both to the great place of high fashion. We'll see how everything goes, but they seem very nice and have ambitious goals for the future; I like that.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Begining Weaving Class
The date has been finalized for my first weaving class with the Woolery. Its quite an exciting deal for the new weaver. Not only do you get a class you will actually go home with a loom of your own. It might not be the most expencive that you can buy but I've been using it (to learn some tricks) and I am happy with what it does. Its great for scarves and if you don't mind sewing things together then you could make clothes. The class will be on July 27 and Aug 3, 3 hours each day at 5:30.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Organic Cotton
All day I've worked back and forth with the cotton sellers and the spinners. See how hard I work for you lovely friends of mine. I hope by next summer to be able to offer my coustomers organic cotton yarn by the cone and pound. Yes! You read right real, soft, American grown cotton yarn. I'll certainly offer some hand-dyed in lovely Earth-friendly dyes by me, but for those of you that are dyers this will be an awesome chance for good-weighted organic cotton to knit or weave with.
Horray for the Earth!
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