Windowpane Woven Scarf

My latest free weaving project for Schacht Spindle Co. is live. I think I neglected to post my previous project as well. Ah well. Click here for my thermal scarf project and click here to learn about weaving a blanket out of smaller panels. Off to get some holiday weaving done!

Limited Edition Billy Jader Shelves from Ikea

Ikea is pretty close to the top in my list of "most dangerous places for weavers". All of those storage solutions under one roof. Ahhh.... 
 
Kevin and I took an impromptu trip to our local Ikea a couple of weekends ago to get some super long curtains for our massive windows. Somehow, the car was packed to the gills by the time we left. The next thing I knew we were rearranging our entire living space around a new chair. It's a nice chair. Of course I didn't leave without some new shelves for my studio. Things were getting a bit out of control, and I was in danger of being lost beneath the fiber-y rubble. Not to mention the only available floor space seemed to be occupied by my trash bin which managed to get itself kicked over at least once a day.
 
Well, I was completely smitten by the limited-edition Billy Jader bookcases covered from tip to toe in snippets from Billy Shakespeare himself. Had to take them home.
 
Ahh...for organizahhhhtion.

Looking through the Berlin Wall, Summer 1990

When I was in high school I traveled, on an educational program, to several countries in central/eastern Europe including Hungary, Czechoslovakia (at the time) and Germany. 
 
It was the summer of 1990. One of our stops was Berlin. We arrived the day after The Wall concert. And though I missed the concert, I did find a slightly trampled pink mask that was handed out to concertgoers with instructions indicating that it should be held up to the face during certain points of the performance. And while that is certainly a unique souvenir, the little bits of the wall that I chipped away for myself are something I treasure much more. I took a bit from each side: chips decorated with colorful paint from the west and somber gray from the east. The wall had two very different sides.
 
I still shake my head when I think about being there, worrying that my 17 year old brain didn't take in as much of the experience as it should have, amazed that I was able to walk through a hole in the wall.

Click here to check out the review I wrote for WeaveZine about Joan Ruane's DVD "Cotton Spinning Made Easy".
 
 

Photo by Syne Mitchell

Syne Mitchell, has assembled some beautiful bookmark weaving kits using Tencel hand painted by Just Our Yarn. The kits are available through her etsy shop. I just bought one of the kits in Periodot, though it was tough to choose a color. The last batch of kits sold out lickety split, so get 'em while they're hot.

Spunky Wool Rug

I just got an email from Habu indicating that they'll be at Stitches East. If you're headed down, they'll be in booth #813. They also sent a link to new yarns and designs that made my Habu-loving heart skip a beat. Check it out here. 
 
We had a great weekend up in Maine at my brother's place. Kevin and I came home with country life envy yet again.
 
I am working on a wool rug using Spunky Eclectic dyed unspun spinning fibers. It's going to be super soft. I am using several colors I had on hand, but am already scoping out some of Amy's painted organic merino top once I figure out how much I'll need per foot of rug. Project details to follow.

Fiber washing gizmo inspired by Beth Smith

Well I was going to do a nice little write up about Schacht Spindle Company's 40th anniversary contest and celebration, but the lovely and incomparable Beth Smith decided to do it for me (scroll past Miley to get to the good stuff). If you are a spinner and/or a weaver and you don't know Beth, well here are a few reasons why you should:
 
1. The Spinning Loft - This is my favorite place to buy beautiful fleeces, and right now Beth is having a sale, and I spent an entire month's paycheck. True story. 
 
2. This washing and spinning of fine wool article inspired me to make my own version of the tulle washing gizmo. In fact my love of the raw fleece is all thanks to Beth, brilliant spinner and enabler and Margaret Russell, brilliant weaver, fellow guild member and writer of the rare breeds column in Wild Fibers Magazine. Subscribe. It's fiber-y eye candy and excellent writing.
 
3. Her fantastic spinning videos. Beth's videos are 3-D. Ok. Not really. But it feels that way.
 
4. I saw her latest knittyspin design in person. It's lovely. 
 
5. And she wrote this awesome article about longwools and lace spinning.
 
6. She sells spinning fiber kits that contain a few ounces of several different breeds in one handy box. This is seriously the best way to get to know your fiber animals. The super fiber sampler contains 18 different breeds! 
 
OK, so I could go on and on about Beth and her overall brilliance, but don't take my word for it, check her out for yourself.

From Ralf Hartwell's stash

Two weeks ago I hit the weaving jackpot. Ralf Hartwell, designer of the official tartan of the State of New Hampshire and recent guest speaker at our guild meeting, decided it was time to destash. I came home with 21 pounds of weaving yarn and a stack of weaving magazines, and I'm embarrassed to say how little I paid. I now have enough linen and cottolin to keep me weaving for a long time, as well as a few good additions to my wool stash. Ralf is a lovely man and a talented weaver, and I am grateful for his generosity.  

Honeycomb Library Bag

My latest free project for the rigid heddle loom is posted over at Schacht Spindle Company's website. It's a shoulder bag woven in a honeycomb pattern using my 20" Flip rigid heddle loom. The cells of the honeycomb showcase some yarn that I dyed at NEWS this past July. It was actually just a bit chilly this morning, and this bag screams fall to me. I love fall. I'm going to go make myself some cocoa and get my loom dressed for fall. 

Someone posted a link on Ravelry to this very cool project you could easily weave up on a rigid heddle loom. I most definitely have idea envy and will be making a version of this bag for myself in the not-too-distant future.