Mid-May Fiber Day with Friends

Mid-May Fiber Day with Friends, originally uploaded by confections.

Yarn, books, spinning, tea, coffee, friends...

Tropical Liqueur Hand-Dyed Superfine Merino Wool Roving (Three)

Tropical Liqueur Hand-Dyed Superfine Merino Wool Roving (Three), originally uploaded by confections.

The blue and green colors in this hand-dyed merino wool roving remind me of Midori Melon and Blue Curaçao liqueurs. This will be available in my Etsy shop soon. The superfine merino wool is next-to-the-skin soft and would make a great scarflet once spun up. It needlefelts beautifully, too.

Basket of Wool (two)

Basket of Wool (two), originally uploaded by confections.

Just a quick Warholized photo post of a basket of wool in my studio....

Ragamuffin Handspun Yarn, Gauge Swatch

Ragamuffin Handspun Yarn, Gauge Swatch, originally uploaded by confections.

I spent some time yesterday working up a gauge swatch with my Ragamuffin cotton rag yarn for a rug project. This is knit in garter stitch on size 15 (US) knitting needles. I may tweak it up to a size 17, because the garter stitch is so dense. This would make a great bath mat or small rug near the kitchen sink.

I decided to use the golden ratio to determine a pleasing rectangular size rug. I'm no mathematician, but the fiberarts often encourage me to branch out and apply all that stuff learned in school.

I'll alternate colorful yarn skeins every two rows or so for a stripey effect. I gravitate toward the scrappy look in quilts, too.

Blues and Greens, Handpainted Wool Yarn

Blues and Greens, Handpainted Wool Yarn, originally uploaded by confections.

Just a little glimpse of some handpainted yarns from a recent foray into my dye studio....

Watercolor Inspiration

Detail, Watercolor by Lenora T. Karen, originally uploaded by confections.

Many years ago when I was a member of the Clairemont (San Diego, California) Art Guild, I purchased this watercolor by fellow member Lenora T. Karen. I was a budding fiberartist at the time, and the painting evoked the sense of peace I always feel when working with yarn, cloth, and fiber of any kind.

She has been presiding over my piano for a long while, and it is time to get her properly framed and give her a place of honor in my fiber studio.

Seascape Roving Hand-Blended with My New Hackle

Seascape Roving (Four), originally uploaded by confections.

Here is my first roving hand-blended with my new hackle from fiberwish/punkie doodle do of Etsy.com.

I used some of the fiber and flash included in my order and added in the hand-dyed turquoise Blue Face Leicester from my stash.

This was a great exercise in instant gratification. I still do plan to own a drumcarder one day, but in the meantime, my hackle and handcards will keep me busy creating new blends of fiber and color.

Basket Full of Potential

Basket Full of Potential, originally uploaded by confections.

A small basket full of fiber ready to spin: included here are Merino, lambswool/Corriedale, handpainted Blue Face Leicester, and handpainted Targhee in the "Clematis" colorway (the latter from Susan's Spinning Bunny).

The solid color rovings were spun into the wrap-and-roll technique coil yarn featured last week.

One of my favorite spinning tools, the bottom-whorl hand spindle shown above, was handmade of old wood by Rick Reeves and purchased many years ago in Pennsylvania at Autumn House Farm.

Enjoy your spinning and creating!

Green Tiger Press Vintage Ephemera Now Available

 

A few vintage Green Tiger Press postcards are available in my Etsy shop as of today. More of the above images will be coming during the week. Please drop by and check out the art yarns and needlefelted items as well.

On Friday, I got a new spinning tool from a fellow Etsy seller whose shop is called Heavenly Handspinning. It's the Mother Marion Kick Spindle, and I have a partially done skein of yarn on it right now. I'll post photos later on after the sun rises! It's a beautiful, functional spinning device, which would be great for kids and beginners who want to spin heavier yarns. It's also great for old hands like me who love to collect and use all kinds of spinning tools. If you want to get a glimpse of it, please see this listing in her Etsy shop.

Have a lovely Saturday doing what you love to do!

A Confectionery Video

Here's a little video of some of my Etsy shop products that I made at animoto.com. Enjoy!

Collage of Tapestry Bobbins

Collage of Tapestry Bobbins, originally uploaded by confections.

I photographed some of the tapestry bobbins that I own in the last bit of afternoon light yesterday. I haven't taken up tapestry weaving (yet), but I am enamored of all tools of the fiber arts.

I often make collages with my photos, but lately I've enjoyed trying out the multi-exposure collage tool in Picasa. This first photo is the result of superimposing about a dozen photos one on top of the other.

On the novel-writing front with nanowrimo, I reached the magic number of 50,000 words early on Sunday morning! It's definitely a landmark to celebrate, but I'll be continuing to write every day this month and beyond, because my story is still unfinished.

Big Doings in Brooklyn, New York!

EtsyFASTtrunkshowflyer, originally uploaded by confections.

The Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (EtsyFAST) is having its big trunk show at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, New York, tomorrow, November 16th, 2007, from 6 - 8 p.m. EST.

If you are in the New York metropolitan area, please join us live for the event. Otherwise, you can participate online through the Etsy website. A contest with sweet prizes is part of the fun, and there will be a webcam at the festivities to peek at all the merriment. Enjoy!

Fiber Arts Trunk Show on Etsy

untitledthing, originally uploaded by sweetyprize.

This poster heralds a fiber arts trunk show that will take place at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, New York, on November 16th. Members of the Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (EtsyFAST) are participating online as well in our individual shops. Thanks, Sweety Prize for uploading the EtsyLabs poster to flickr.

Beginning today (November 1st) and continuing through the 16th of November, Etsy fiber artists are featuring sales on fibery goodness. If you haven't checked out Etsy yet, now is the time.

Once you get over there, you can search using the tag "EtsyFAST" to find delightful items. Please see this very informative post by fellow fiber artist Fearless Fibers for tips on how to create your very own wish list on Etsy for yourself or loved ones.

Happy Stocking Stuffing!

Collectibles Collage

Collectibles Collage, originally uploaded by confections.

I am a collector of many things. I have Gemini at my midheaven, so I am known for my collections. I can't help it. I was born with this lovely affliction. Among the things I collect are books, tea pots, tea cups, sugars and creamers (really, all manner of tea accoutrement are fair game), Belleek, yarn, fabric, fiber, beads, baskets, buttons, sewing patterns, snails (they are my husband's and my totem animal), percussion instruments, jewelry, rubber stamps, stationery, scrapbooking items, photographs--whew! Many of the tools I collect pertain to my fiberarts--looms, spinning wheel, yarn skeiner, spindles, niddy-noddies, umbrella swifts. I'm sure there are a few more, but I'll stop the litany there. Collecting--it's what life's about!

The basket pictured below is one that I made at a workshop nearly four years ago. That was an addictive class. I may enroll in a basket-making class this fall to add to my ever-growing collection of Peterboro and other baskets. The class runs for six weeks at a time and you make a new basket each week. Sounds like a Gemini midheaven's dream-come-true!

Collage of Fiberarts Tools in My Studio

Collage of Fiberarts Tools in My Studio, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is an array of equipment and tools from my fiber arts studio. In addition to my designated studio area at home, I can sometimes be found working in the yard, on my little porch, at a community center with a few of my fiber friends, or at my local Starbucks. My little bungalow is bursting at the seams with my fiber goodies!

Missing from this collage are the many volumes of books and magazines in my personal library. I'm gradually cataloging them all at LibraryThing.

Fiberarts are the answer.