It didn't follow me home

There is an art festival this weekend, which my SO and I attended last night. It's on Broadway, part of the so-called "art district". One store we stopped in is called Delaney's and offers up oh-so-much in the way of antiques - three stories of estate sales, it looks like. There was a spinning wheel that looks like it has all the parts (although some of them are underneath in a box), but I did NOT bring it home. I already have an unassembled loom in the garage - I don't need yet another stray fiber tool. I did post it on FB, though, so maybe someone will give it a good home.

Knitting: Started a pair of Arched Gusset mittens with one of the painted yarns from the dyeing workshop. Despite cataract surgery, I'm having a hard time seeing this dark yarn.

Spinning: Last month I purchased some turquoise roving at the monthly spin-in, so I started spinning that at today's spin-in. I have a plan for using it with the murky handspun.

Weaving: I decided against continuing double-width weaving with string heddles - that's just madness. Instead, I purchased a second 10-dent heddle. I think I can just cut off what I have woven so far and re-heddle the existing warp, just for demo purposes. And while it does not feel like weaving, I am still stitching together the panels of a blanket I wove on the SampleIt.

Lately, I have had the urge to knit a sweater but haven't found the "right" pattern yet. I checked this book out of the local library, to see if anything grabbed my attention.

Nothing appealed to me, plus I was put off that almost every pattern was designated as being for the "experienced knitter," even the baby blanket. I'll keep looking.

Tunisian crochet practice

When I think about attending a fiber festival and look at the classes offered, I just get tired. I don't need to buy anything fiber-related, and I just don't feel like learning something new.

And yet, here I am, doing something new. I've mentioned Tunisian crochet before, and for some reason decided now is the time to give it a go. Initially, I tried to make a narrow sample on a regular crochet hook, but that did not work out very well.

The longer ones work better, but for a large project, hooks with cables are recommended.

Curling is an issue, obviously. I'm using Redheart acrylic yarn here, which I'm sure does not help. I do love the resulting fabric, though. So textured! And Tunisian crochet is easy peasy.

Speaking of acrylic, I purchased a LOT of it when my granddaughter expressed an interest in crochet. She has since lost interest, so I've been using it to practice colorwork. Now I'm done with that (for now) and decided the acrylic is going to be offered up at the fiber arts club meeting, for free. If no, or not enough, takers, it will go to Goodwill. Life is too short to work with yarn one does not like.

Crochet: See above.
Dyeing: Not actually dyeing, but dealing with dyed yarn from the recent workshop; I niddy-noddy'd each skein, then wound them into cakes, each one being about 130 yards and 50 grams, so DK weight.
Knitting: The third headband is finished - well, almost - all three bands need to have ends woven in and blocking - and I'm finished with this exercise as well.
Spinning: A spin-in at a friend's house resulted in my finishing the murky roving I have been working on for what seems like forever; time to ply!

Our new LYS, Bad Cat Knit Goods, is experiencing a lot of early success. It seems the local fiber community has been hungry for just such a venue. May the success continue!

Fun but not what I expected

This past week I attended what was billed as a "self-striping sock yarn" workshop. The yarn was not sock yarn - it was superwash sportweight or DK merino - and the results were not self-striping but painted. It was also supposed to be over by 12:30pm but ran late into the day. I had a guild meeting that night - and I'm the president and have the key to the building so I *have* to be there - it was a long day.

Dyeing: See above.
Knitting: Working on the second pair of "quirky" socks. Almost done with the second colorwork earband (headband? not sure what to call it).
Spinning: While listening to zoom presentations, I spun on the Fold e-spinner.

I'd tell you more about those zoom presentations, but I bailed on them both after a while. Both had technical difficulties that were more annoying than usual, but during one, some of the members of the audience could not seem to keep themselves muted, so we overheard phone conversations and other background noises during the presentation. Very rude, people! Also, don't eat while your camera is on - it's not a pretty sight.

My fidgetspinner

I've been so busy lately that I found myself rebelling by just sitting and knitting. For me, knitting is soothing, even when it doesn't work and I have to rip it back. Knitting is my fidgetspinner.

Dyeing: More indigo dyeing.
Knitting: I'm continuing to work on the snowflake headband. I started another pair of "Quirky" socks - toes finished. The previous pair is done-done.
Spinning: I demo'd at the farmer's market again this past week, using both the e-spinner and a spindle; both last week and this I was (jokingly) told I was "cheating" by using the e-spinner.

Many (30+) years ago, I purchased a quilt at the now-defunct L.S. Ayres. It shows the many years it spent on my bed. A quilting friend of mine thinks it is beyond repair (or attractive repair - there is always "visible mending"), but I got it into my head that I could make a quilted jacket from it. Finding a pattern that matches what is in my head is another matter. The one in this book comes close:

My only concern is my sewing skills - they may not be up to this jacket.

My house, my studio

There is an annual "rural studio tour" in these parts every spring. When I was taking a pottery class, I expressed the wish for an urban studio tour. The instructor laughed and said his entire house was his studio. It happens to all of us.

How I spent my summer vacation

Indigo dyeing stuff at the near end, weaving stuff in the middle, spinning at the far end. I feel like I am in the middle of a lot of projects. And this photo does not include the other three rooms that contain at least some fiber and/or equipment (plus the garage). Yikes.

Dyeing: I dyed Cascade 220 with purple basil and am *very* pleased with the results; separate post to follow.
Knitting: The quirky socks need to be wet finished, then they will be done. Started a headband to practice colorwork.
Spinning: I figured out how to get the power pack to work with my Fold e-spinner, so I took it to a "fiber friends" gathering plus demonstrated at the local farmer's market.

The annual challenge for the spinning guild is to check out a book from our library and use something in it for inspiration. That is rather vague on purpose, as the primary goal is to get people to use the library. I took out a book on knitting hats with the triple goal of setting a good example, practicing colorwork, and using up some of the acrylic I purchased for my granddaughter to practice crochet with (which she has lost interest in). I have done colorwork before, but for some reason it is kicking my butt this time around. Hands cramping up from arthritis does not help.

"Idle" Saturday

For once I had nothing scheduled for today, so I started a purple basil dye bath, wet finished the Neapolitan scarf, and finished the weaving of the clasped weft towel experiment.

What experiment, you say? Well, it occurred to me that I really like weaving on the SampleIt loom, but it is only 9.5" wide, limiting its usefulness. But what if I did something like I do on my 24" loom: weave two halves of something and sew them together? Hence, the clasped weft towel experiment.

At the weaving study group, when I asked what others would like to learn about next, someone said "double width weaving". It took me a minute to figure out what they were talking about. Then came the DUH moment - I could weave double width on the SampleIt. It takes two heddles of the same size, plus some pick up sticks. Once the loom is warped, the process is repeating just four steps. I'm eager to try it.

Dyeing: 900g of purple basil in three gallons of water, "cooked" for an hour.

Knitting: The Quirky socks are at the cuffs; listening to an audio version of the novel Slow Horses.
Spinning: Still working on the murky roving; I ran out of bobbins, so had to chain-ply some of it. I'm spinning yellow roving on the Fold e-spinner; I think I need a different power pack, as mine does not seem to have enough voltage - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Weaving: The clasped weft towel is off the loom; the two halves are surprisingly equal.

This week I tendered my resignation as president of the spinning guild, effective at the end of the year. Technically, I could serve another year before stepping down, but one year was enough for me. Instead, I volunteered to be vice president, as that person is in charge of programming. I'm planning a kind of "Sheep to Shawl University" series, with the old guard (OG) as the faculty. The guild has a lot of younger, less experienced members, and we oldsters want to pass on some of our knowledge.

Another loom?!?

One of my fiber friends is a shopping genius, rarely pays full price for anything, frequents thrift shops and estate sales for bargains, etc. She spotted a Schacht Cricket on FB Marketplace and relayed the info to me. Not that I needed another rigid heddle loom, but it was such a deal I could not resist. So now I have three(!) rigid heddle looms.

It came with plenty of accessories: heddles (including a variable reed one), shuttles, pickup sticks, dividers, warping peg, a stand, plus a cute bag to carry everything in. My SO asked where I was going to put it. Somewhere....

I pre-ordered a book by Alexandra Brinck on mending: Knit Repair: A Comprehensive Guide to Invisible Mending for Knitwear. The ship date is not until November :-( but in the meantime I am subscribed to her Patreon account. Not that I have had time to look at that lately...

...because I have been dyeing with the indigo vat. Some of my results have been less than stellar, but I seem to be getting the hang of it. I have to remember to be careful and patient.

Dyeing: See above.
Fiber prep: I attended a mini wool washing workshop that the spinning guild sponsored; now I have some clean fiber to process.
Knitting: One sock is almost to the cuff, the other about halfway there.
Spinning: Still working on that murky fiber. I bought a telescoping stool for the e-spinner.

Weaving: For the rigid heddle study group, I demonstrated clasped weft weaving.

Whew! It was a busy fiber week. Summer is almost over, so things are going to pick up even more. It's both exciting and overwhelming.

Fold me up

The EEW (which stands for Electric Eel Wheel) Fold arrived earlier than expected. I needed to follow the video to figure out how to put it together, etc. Otherwise, it is easy peasy. Today I took it with me to a spin-in and spun some Polish merino for two hours without missing a beat. I'm very pleased with the device. If you are interested, visit Dreaming Robots.

Another participant has a Nano, which is smaller than the Fold, so size does not matter. She mounted hers on a tripod with a 3-D printed platform while I just put mine on the folding chair next to me. However, I will order a collapsible stool for it, something I can throw in my bag along with the wheel and away we go.

Dyeing: I ordered a boatload of Cascade 220 blanks from Darma Trading because I like to experiment with natural dyeing and this is the yarn I prefer to use. I also ordered a short-sleeved tee and a long-sleeved tee with plans to dye them with indigo.
Knitting: I worked on the Quirky socks while waiting for my granddaughter to finish a tennis lesson, until my hands got too sweaty to knit; I'm listening to Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
Spinning: Tour de Fleece is over, but I'm still spinning the murky roving on my Joy 2; there is a lot of roving to get through.

I missed attending a transparency weaving workshop, but stumbled over this book, which I purchased. It just arrived today, so I have not had a serious look at it yet.

I'm still working on Don't Call It Art. I get a little tired of being told how creative I am (or could be), but this quote resonated with me: "When you are not worried about wasting your precious supplies, you don't have to worry about being perfect." In other words, you can always buy or spin more yarn! It's not a finite commodity.

So I bought some more fiber today at the spin-in. Isn't that a luscious color? Four ounces of Polish merino.

I've been neglecting my weaving and the indigo vat. There are only so many hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the month, months in the year, years in a lifetime. Even when the calendar looks relatively open, stuff happens to fill my days. Better than twiddling my thumbs in front of the TV, I guess.

But is it art?

Periodically, the question arises over whether crafts like knitting or weaving are art. Some say the difference between just making and making art is the latter "says" something. I know what pleases my eye, but unless I know the context behind the creation, I might not appreciate what I'm looking at. That's one reason I like to attend gallery and museum openings where the artist is available to discuss their work.

As for my own creations, what I make is usually from a pattern, so not art. I don't think I have anything to say anyway. But I don't let that stop me from enjoying the process, even when it is frustrating. (I'm talking to you, log cabin towels!)

So I'm happy when I run across a book like this one, which encourages us to get in touch with our inner child and just make something. I haven't read much of it yet, but so far, so good.

Dyeing: I picked more purple basil blossoms and applied some heat, but the color did not look promising. I did a cold water mordant with alum (a la Wild Color) with the Cascade 220 skeins from last week, will probably use them with daylily blossoms I've been gathering from the backyard.
Knitting: Turned the heels on the Quirky socks while listening to Christina Applegate's memoir, You with the Sad Eyes.
Spinning: Still Tour de Fleece'ing; only two days left, but there is more fiber to spin, so I will hopefully keep at it.

I'm frustrated over the results I get dyeing cloth with the indigo vat. The problem is surely me, but I'd like to know what I am doing wrong before I start dipping some of my precious handspun. I've just been too busy lately to pursue the matter.

My Fold e-spinner is due to arrive on Monday. Squeee! I'm a little worried that it might be too small, but I'm still excited.

Grandma hobbies?!?

In the news: Young people are taking up what the media refers to as "grandma hobbies". I am a grandmother and I have hobbies, but I took up fiber arts long before I aged. I guess I was ahead of my time. No matter. I'm happy to see young people becoming interested in such activities. Besides, knitting and its cousins are reputed to fend off dementia.

The Michigan guild's monthly lecture was by a woman who wove a color gamp from naturally dyed yarn. She "foraged" for the dye materials over the course of a year (some of the foraging was in her own kitchen). Her presentation gave me an idea for what to do with the bits and bobs I have from various dye experiments, but I wanted to create something smaller and simpler than she did. Of course, I didn't have the right loom to execute my idea, so I purchased this one from Beka for around $25. A bargain!

Dyeing: I indigo dyed some clasp resist items, but didn't like how they turned out, so I redyed them. Gathering daylily blossoms to dye with. The purple basil blossoms finally gave up some color, so I poured hot tap water into the pot to further it along. Some Cascade 220 has been divided into smaller skeins for dyeing with (once it is mordanted).
Knitting: I finished the second set of tie-dyed dishcloths. Some progress on the socks.
Spinning: Still Tour de Fleecing.
Weaving: Added a single crocheted edging to the selvages of the Neapolitan scarf; debating on what to do about the fringe. I actually worked on the log cabin towels, but I need to do something more about the tension - sigh.

There is a website to check out if you inherited unfinished objects or would like to help others in that boat. It's called Loose Ends. I have no experience with it, but it sounds like a great idea.

How to get something done

The Maiwa online classes give the students three (3!) years access to the class materials. I know of at least one person who finished just under the deadline. I didn't want to be that person, so I committed to providing the weaving guild with a January Zoom program on my indigo journey. I will probably have an encore performance for the spinning guild as well. That is one way to keep on keepin' on.

Dyeing: I dyed some indigo - bound resist examples - and prepped more cloth. I also plucked blossom clusters from the purple basil and soaked them in water, to see if any color leached out (it did not, despite my purple thumb, but it smelled great, unlike some soaked dye material).

Knitting: The socks continue - almost to the heels.
Spinning: I've spun or spindled everyday so far, for Tour de Fleece. Eagerly awaiting my e-spinner.
Weaving: Warped the SampleIt for a scarf, to have something to work on during the rigid heddle weaving study group, and finished the weaving; it's off the loom, to be finished someday.

Speaking of finishing, Rebecca Mezoff dropped a blog post with the question, When does a WIP (Work In Progress) become a UFO (UnFinished Object)? I would say spinning that is off the bobbin but not yet wet finished, or a weaving that is off the loom but requires some finishing work, or knitting that is off the needles but awaiting something more.

But what about those projects that are languishing, that spend years on the needles, for example, abandoned for all intents and purposes? I have a few of those, but many more UFO's just laying around, taking up space (physically and mentally). How about you?

It's not fair

My schedule finally opens up, and what happens? I get sick, with an ear infection that is not responding to treatment. Over a holiday weekend, no less. Not fair! I'm not letting it totally incapacitate me, though.

I'm still able to keep up with watching/reading the indigo lessons, and today I have actually started the banana vat. It will need to sit overnight, so that gives me time to add resists to some of the fabric pieces provided in the kit.
Dyeing: See above. My SO made these resists for me.

Knitting: The Quirky socks are on their way; I knit on them while listening to Wiser than Me podcasts.
Spinning: I decided to participate in Tour de Fleece this year, and work up all that murky roving that I have been re-blending. Today is day 1.

Weaving: I checked the warp for the log cabin towels and fixed a couple of things; it's tied on and I'm ready to actually weave.

Hope you have a happy 4th!🧨🧨🧨

A Fiber Fling

For several summers now, the spinning and weaving guilds have demonstrated fiber arts at the local county fair, something we call the Fiber Fling. The home ec club likes having us there, so much so that this year they asked us to come an additional day. So this past week we were there both Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

Wednesday was a bit chaotic, as there were several other activities going on in the same building (including the pie auction). Saturday was much calmer. No matter - several interested passersby may actually show up at a guild meeting one of these months (which was my motivation for starting the Fiber Fling - new members!) We also had some interesting conversations with other fair-goers as well as amongst ourselves. A success.

Then there was the open exhibit to which I urge guild members to participate in by submitting entries. I was not particularly proud of my projects, but I wanted to set a good example. In past years, I provided the judges with guildlines, as they didn't seem to know their way around a knitting needle, but this year I forgot. Oh well!

Dyeing: I am still caught up on the indigo videos and reading, but I need to actually DO something, like add resists to some fiber and, oh, I don't know, CREATE A VAT.
Fiber prep: I took my drum carder to the Fiber Fling on Wednesday and worked on adding lighter, brighter color to some murky roving.
Knitting: I finished the Splash socks. Started another pair, from yarn called "Quirky". Also, cast on a second dishrag (although I think I have neglected to blog about the first one).
Spinning: On the second day of the Fiber Fling, I brought my wheel and spun some of the roving I carded. I also spindled a bit.
Weaving: I retensioned the log cabin towels, using a tensioning device (made from PVC pipe); now I need to double check the warp threads before beginning the weaving.

The Ideal rug loom is still in pieces, and it would be anyway, since I left behind some bolts and a crank, which my fellow guild member brought to me after he purchased the other loom. If my daughter and I can get the garage cleaned out a bit, maybe we can get the loom put back together. It needs some repair before it can be used. One step at a time.

Bits and pieces

I was half right - the fiber equipment hoarder did lay claim to the Leclerc rug loom, while I came home with the Ideal, made by the Reed Company of Springfield, OH. My daughter and her truck were necessary, and we had to take the loom apart to get it up the stairs from the basement. And I left a few bits behind, which the hoarder picked up for me. The loom pieces are in the garage while I figure things out.

Someday my loom will look like this

Dyeing: This week I scoured the cotton, linen, and wool for the indigo workshop.

Knitting: I am just short of the cuffs on the socks.
Spinning: Once again, I took that pilly fiber to the farmers market to spindle.

It is Knit in Public Day, but my knitting was done on Zoom. The Austin guild had another meetup about weaving with handspun. I'm impressed with the effort these folks put into their presentations.

One of the presentations was about the efforts by The Livestock Conservancy to preserve heritage breeds, with guild interest focusing on sheep in the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em initiative. If you are interested in helping preserve heritage sheep breeds, please consider participating in this program. Their web site includes instructions on sheepy things like washing fleece and wool classes.

A loom too far?

Someone in the area has two rug looms she wants to sell. I'm currently rather frustrated with my 24" rigid heddle loom and (probably erroneously) think I would prefer a floor loom, even if it has just two harnesses. We've exchanged a couple of emails, but right now I am waiting to hear from her. Something tells me one my my weaving friends may have beat me to those looms, which is okay. He has become a hoarder of fiber equipment and is better suited to getting these looms up and running than I am. We'll see.

The idea of needing to find space for a floor loom has me rethinking how everything is arranged in my house. Also, I need to set up a work area for the indigo dyeing workshop. Initially, I thought the garage, but it will be hot out there this summer. The laundry room is cramped, but there is a utility sink there. I'll have to ponder all this to come up with a workable solution.

Knitting: About halfway up the legs of the socks; now listening to Horseman, Pass By, by Larry McMurtry.
Spinning: I took my spindle and some roving I wish I had not purchased to the Salomon Farm farmers market, to demonstrate; the roving is very pilly.

Weaving: I think I am going to re-tension the log cabin towels; otherwise, weaving them will be a HUGE pain.

The weaving guild had its last meeting of the year, so that has lightened my fiber obligation load a bit. I've been skipping informal fiber gatherings as well, because of the yard/garden; I feel both guilty and relieved by that decision. There are just not enough hours in the day or energy in this old body.

Not according to plan

At a recent spin-in, I planned to sit next to the spinner we all consider the best and have her show me how she pre-drafts, but she was knitting, not spinning, that day.

The roving I brought to work on is a bit felted and is producing a very dark, unattractive yarn. So the spin-in was not a very satisfactory session for me. I plan to run the rest of the roving through the drum carder with something else, to see if I can lighten (and loosen) it up.

Knitting: Inching along on the socks.
Spinning: See above.
Weaving: See below.

I wanted to warp a set of log cabin towels before the next rigid heddle weaving study group since the topic was to be color weaving. Following the directions in an issue of Little Looms, I worked my way across the loom, but when I reached the end, I realized there was a mistake. The error turned out to be near the beginning - it's hard to see white yarn against a white heddle - and I debated on how to fix it. In the end, I UNwarped the loom and started over.

Now I find that all that abrasion on the yarn has produced a couple of broken warp threads. *sigh*

Another leadership idea... for me

Between the yard, the house, my family, my friends, the pets, the guilds, etc., I feel a bit overwhelmed these days. So when someone suggested the spinning guild needs a study group in fiber prep and spinning techniques, I nearly collapsed. However, later I thought that instead of a separate group, we (and by "we" I mean the Old Guard) could teach these skills in a series of programs... NEXT YEAR. The guild has a lot of younger members these days who are not very adept at skills like flick carding, hand carding, plying techniques, spinning techniques, etc. so there is a need. If we old(er) spinners don't share our knowledge, it may be lost at the local level.

Dyeing: I zoomed in on a talk about dyeing with invasives, presented by a member of the Austin fiber guild, which got me looking up local invasives I could dye with. Dame's rocket is on the list, and guess what? I have a volunteer patch of that in my yard. Not much online about using this pretty biannual as a dye source, but I went ahead and plucked the flower heads, which are soaking in tap water (and getting a bit stinky).
Knitting: During a spin-in this past week, I managed to get to the heel turn on both socks. People think I knit a lot of socks (and maybe I do, compared to others), but it's my portable project.
Spinning: I finished spindling and plying the remainder of the fiber from the class I attended. I'm amazed at how balanced the yarn is.
Weaving: The houndstooth towels are off the loom, laundered, and awaiting hemming.

One technique I am not very adept at is pre-drafting and drafting. One of my fiber friends is considered the best spinner among us, as her yarn is very consistant. Her trick is careful pre-drafting. The other night, I watched our resident spindling expert as she spun, and she is very careful with her drafting, so her yarn is very consistant as well. At spin-ins, I need to park myself next to these experts and learn from the best.

Potholders!

The program at this week's weaving guild meeting was about weaving potholders. The best part - we all had the opportunity to weave a potholder. I didn't have time to finish mine at the meeting, but I did so the next day. Fun, but a little hard on my arthritic hands and wrists.

There were lots of examples of patterns one can weave on a potholder loom...

... including houndstooth.

Not sure how one weaves this house.

There were also examples of what one can make from the potholders, like a bag...

... or some balls.

One of the presenters had on a top that looked like it was made from potholders, although it wasn't. Wish I had taken a pic. If you are potholder-curious, here are some resources:

• Facebook groups: Potholder People, Potholder Design Genie, Radical Potholder Weavers
• Friendly Loom Wizard
• Online community, loops, books, patterns, kits at Kate Kilmurray
• "Make a potholder loom" with Kelly Casanova
• Piglet's Potholder Patterns

And of course there are many YouTube videos to help you along this path.

Spinning: I 2-plied the yarn that was on the spindle.
Weaving: Besides finishing my potholder, I finished the mug rugs - separate post to follow.

An item on my fiber arts "bucket list" is to dye with indigo. I've done this in a class or two over the years, but I don't really understand the whole process. Maiwa School of Textiles offers online classes, including one called Journey into Indigo. I'm very tempted.

Colorway inspiration

Every year the weaving guild issues a challenge. This year is to create a warp wrapping using colors from a picture. Not wanting to purchase any yarn, I contemplated "reverse engineering" the colors, choosing ones that I would match with a photo after the fact. Instead, I am inspired by the colors of spring blossoms in my yard.

I also decided they did not have to match 100%.

I think I like the bottom one the best. Thoughts?

It's been a busy week regarding fiber gatherings. I volunteered to take over the librarian responsibilities for the weaving guild next year. That was met by the 90-year-old current librarian not only with tearful relief, but it has also led to helping purge the library books, as our cabinet is FULL. The evictees will be offered to the guild members for 75% off their online used book value.

This past week was also the inaugural meeting of the rigid heddle weaving study group. One never knows how these things will work out, but I could not have asked for a better response from the group. We helped each other, learned something new, socialized, etc. The May meeting is already scheduled, and we may continue into the summer - that's how much fun it was.

Yesterday was an easy fiber gathering, at least for me, as it was a spin-in at the Little Shop of Spinning in Roanoke IN. All I had to do was show up. Ditto today's fiber club.

Knitting: At the above mentioned spin-in, I worked on the current pair of socks.
Spinning: Almost every day, I practice spindling.
Weaving: Warped the SampleIt at the study group using the yarns from last week's sample and wove a couple of mug rugs both then and at today's fiber club.

At the fiber club today, I sat at a table with an inkle loom weaver. The two of us generated a certain amount of interest, so perhaps we will have some new weavers in the future.

A-spindling we will go....

Many (MANY) years ago I took a class in how to spin using a spindle. It didn't take - too slow - so I bought a wheel. Recently, after watching a weaving guild member spin on a supported spindle during a meeting, I became interested in spindling again. Fortuitously, a spinning guild member offered a class through the local parks and rec department. That - and a few YouTube videos - got me going, so now I can spin on a spindle. (Plying is another story.)

(An aside: as you recall, I could not find my supported spindle a while back. When I did find it, I put a newly purchased spindle with it and tucked them in a safe place, or so I thought. Now I can't find them. The class fee included a spindle and fiber, so no problem there, but I would really like to find the missing ones.)

Dyeing: I dyed a couple of skeins in a dye bath made from avocado pits and peels; separate post to follow.
Knitting: Still working on the socks.
Spinning: Just the spindling, ma'am.
Weaving: Finally put on my big girl panties and wrestled with the poor tension on the houndstooth towels; the added weights help... sort of.

Wove a sample using some handspun for the weft (not sure if the warp is handspun - if it is, it was spun by someone other than me), that may lead to a table runner.

As if that is not enough, I am also experimenting with cyanotype on this lovely sunny day. Fun stuff!