I've been getting reacquainted with my old spinning wheel this week, and enjoying it - I'd forgotten how slow and relaxing the treadling rhythm of this one is compared to the Hitchhiker. Since I got the Hitchhiker, I'm afraid the old one hasn't gotten used much. Partly because I felt like I should do most of the work on the new wheel, and not risk breaking the antique one, and partly because the new one is portable and so it came with me places and always had something in progress as a result.
I've been back on the old wheel because next Sunday is a rather fun demo that the Weaving and Spinning Guild was contacted for. The Algonquin College Theatre has an event on from Odyssey Showcase, called A Musical Taste of our Canadian Heritage. And for a few hours before the show, they are setting up an 18th C trading post in the lobby, and getting us to do a little weaving and spinning there. So I get to go and spin, on my old wheel, in costume, and talk to people about how you turn sheep and plants into clothes. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Showing posts with label fiber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiber. Show all posts
Monday, 10 February 2014
Friday, 18 October 2013
Fiber Factor
Just to let you know, first off - we found the mouse that escaped. He was hiding behind the flour bin. One of the cats drew our attention by staring at that corner, and we saw the mouse, managed to capture him in a sour-cream container and let it out in the field. He may still be running, or he may be telling tales to all his mates at the mouse pub; we don't know, but it's a happy ending for all (except for the cat, who didn't get to eat the mouse).
Anyway, my holiday is over. Back in the city, back to school. It was a gorgeous, fiber-y week, though. Got a lot done. Two classes (spinning and dyeing) at the ranch, with enthusiastic students. And a lot of prep for the OVWSG show, which is now only 2 weeks away.
Who says prep is work, though? It was gorgeous weather, warm enough to pick fleece or spin on the front porch, and admire the scenery.
Never any shortage of helpers for making sure my wool didn't escape, either.
Got several skeins of wool spun, and did two days of dyeing, got some lovely colors out of it (not that purple and pink stuff, but the rest is this week's work).
I did a bit of knitting also - finished the yellow and teal mitts and started the brown and white ones, and did a pair of booties in-between, except I haven't taken pics of those yet.
That is brown on the mittens, even if it's so dark it looks black. I dyed that last week with the new crop of black walnuts, and they are definitely strong. (My fingernails will be attesting to that until they grow out, probably. It looks like I've had a French manicure but in black instead of white).
Anyway, my holiday is over. Back in the city, back to school. It was a gorgeous, fiber-y week, though. Got a lot done. Two classes (spinning and dyeing) at the ranch, with enthusiastic students. And a lot of prep for the OVWSG show, which is now only 2 weeks away.
Who says prep is work, though? It was gorgeous weather, warm enough to pick fleece or spin on the front porch, and admire the scenery.
Never any shortage of helpers for making sure my wool didn't escape, either.
Got several skeins of wool spun, and did two days of dyeing, got some lovely colors out of it (not that purple and pink stuff, but the rest is this week's work).
I did a bit of knitting also - finished the yellow and teal mitts and started the brown and white ones, and did a pair of booties in-between, except I haven't taken pics of those yet.
That is brown on the mittens, even if it's so dark it looks black. I dyed that last week with the new crop of black walnuts, and they are definitely strong. (My fingernails will be attesting to that until they grow out, probably. It looks like I've had a French manicure but in black instead of white).
Friday, 31 May 2013
Busman's Holiday
After a week of cold and wet, it's nice to have a change in the weather. As it is, I spent part of yesterday at work moving flats stored under tables, because they were going moldy from the cold wet conditions.
Monday and Tuesday, however, were just about perfect - dry and sunny and not too hot. I had the two days off, by request, because Monday was the annual shearing day at L'Ourse Qui Danse. Busman's holiday indeed - I traded in a job where I'm on my feet all day for a shearing bee where I'm...on my feet all day. It makes for a long day (8 am when we arrived, and dusk when we left) but it's great fun, great people - and great food, as it's a potluck lunch and supper. (Wish I'd taken a picture of the spread). Most of the team has been at shearing before, so it goes smoothly. A whole system in place and a (superhuman) shearer, and all 21 animals got shorn and skirted before supper.
A couple of the younger guys were in charge of catching and moving alpacas. For the ones in the further barn, they have an enclosure of scaffold and snow fence which gets pulled to the shearing site, and works very well. We stopped skirting to watch the parade go by.
They use the same contraption to bring them back again - except this year, one of the alpacas, Cayenne, refused to wait, and bolted back to her barn the minute she was done being shorn. All we saw was a streak of brown, followed a minute afterwards by a guy in hot pursuit.
The boys turn the alpaca over to Tom the shearer and his team. They strap and hold the alpacas in position on the table, while Tom shears and calls the rough grade (quality) of each section. While the animals are down, they also get pedicures and shots.
One person is in charge of collecting the shorn fleece, and turning it and its rough grade over to Johanne (the boss) and her sister. They sort and pack it into bags labeled with the animal's name, grade, and the year, plus keep samples out for their records, and the mill.
The bagged fleece comes to the skirting team (that's my group!), who have lots to do:
weigh and record quantity of each grade, and record color, texture, staple length, lustre, crimp, and guard hair presence in the first-quality fleece,
then pick hay, second cuts, and off-texture bits out of the fleece. (And ooh and aah over the texture, of course).
And at the end of the day, we had a studio filled with bags of fibre!
Monday and Tuesday, however, were just about perfect - dry and sunny and not too hot. I had the two days off, by request, because Monday was the annual shearing day at L'Ourse Qui Danse. Busman's holiday indeed - I traded in a job where I'm on my feet all day for a shearing bee where I'm...on my feet all day. It makes for a long day (8 am when we arrived, and dusk when we left) but it's great fun, great people - and great food, as it's a potluck lunch and supper. (Wish I'd taken a picture of the spread). Most of the team has been at shearing before, so it goes smoothly. A whole system in place and a (superhuman) shearer, and all 21 animals got shorn and skirted before supper.
A couple of the younger guys were in charge of catching and moving alpacas. For the ones in the further barn, they have an enclosure of scaffold and snow fence which gets pulled to the shearing site, and works very well. We stopped skirting to watch the parade go by.
They use the same contraption to bring them back again - except this year, one of the alpacas, Cayenne, refused to wait, and bolted back to her barn the minute she was done being shorn. All we saw was a streak of brown, followed a minute afterwards by a guy in hot pursuit.
The boys turn the alpaca over to Tom the shearer and his team. They strap and hold the alpacas in position on the table, while Tom shears and calls the rough grade (quality) of each section. While the animals are down, they also get pedicures and shots.
One person is in charge of collecting the shorn fleece, and turning it and its rough grade over to Johanne (the boss) and her sister. They sort and pack it into bags labeled with the animal's name, grade, and the year, plus keep samples out for their records, and the mill.
The bagged fleece comes to the skirting team (that's my group!), who have lots to do:
weigh and record quantity of each grade, and record color, texture, staple length, lustre, crimp, and guard hair presence in the first-quality fleece,
then pick hay, second cuts, and off-texture bits out of the fleece. (And ooh and aah over the texture, of course).
We get supervised, because sorting's an important job, and because there's a lot of temptation to just take the fleece home and roll in it. Chantal's dog and Johanne's cat are on duty here.
Monday, 11 March 2013
New Toy
Back in January, Kari (one of the local knitters/spinners, and co-host of the Two Tangled Skeins podcast) borrowed my drum carder.
Like most spinners, her reaction was, "Ooh, I want one!"
So she put out the word, hoping she could find someone destashing one. And lo and behold, she did. Someone she knows was getting rid of a few fibre-related things, and Kari, lucky girl, is now the proud owner of a Pat Green carder.
I saw her at knit night, and practically the first thing she said was, "Hey, I've got a medieval torture device you might be interested in." I though maybe she wanted to show off the carder, but no! Turns out that her friend threw in(!) a picker along with the drum carder, and she figured I might have more use for it than she would.
So, yeah. I have a picker now! It needs a bit of cleaning up (doesn't look like it's seen much use), but it's solid, and I'm looking forward to trying it out.
Like most spinners, her reaction was, "Ooh, I want one!"
So she put out the word, hoping she could find someone destashing one. And lo and behold, she did. Someone she knows was getting rid of a few fibre-related things, and Kari, lucky girl, is now the proud owner of a Pat Green carder.
I saw her at knit night, and practically the first thing she said was, "Hey, I've got a medieval torture device you might be interested in." I though maybe she wanted to show off the carder, but no! Turns out that her friend threw in(!) a picker along with the drum carder, and she figured I might have more use for it than she would.
So, yeah. I have a picker now! It needs a bit of cleaning up (doesn't look like it's seen much use), but it's solid, and I'm looking forward to trying it out.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Lots of New Stuff
Nice to have survived last week. Everything got done that needed doing - hopefully in a creditable manner! Seeing that some of my classmates had tales of staying up until the wee hours Wednesday to finish the project and study for the midterm we had Thursday morning - after fighting to get home in the snow Wednesday - I feel I did pretty good there, since I went to bed at midnight.
After finishing class and job interview Friday, I headed for the country to recharge over the weekend. Mom and I stopped in to Value Village on the way home, and I found some books on gardening to add to my collection, and some definitely vintage fingering wool.
One of the books we found that I don't have a picture of is a fascinating one, titled "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady". It's a facsimile edition of someone's actual journal from 1906, in Warwickshire, England. Filled with a whole year's worth of lovely notes on which flowers are blooming, and what she sees in her travels, quotes from favorite poets - and the most amazing watercolour illustrations of the flowers and birds and insects.
Saturday was errands - drop off the last month's knitting at Johanne's (she and Chantal were very happy with everything), and start another pair of mitts for them.
Then a quick visit to a friend's mother, who had a gift from her daughter in New Zealand to give to me. (Lovely bale of local alpaca roving - thank you, Sara!) Topped off the afternoon with a stop at the organic bakery to pick up a couple loaves of bread and the news - a lovely finish.
After finishing class and job interview Friday, I headed for the country to recharge over the weekend. Mom and I stopped in to Value Village on the way home, and I found some books on gardening to add to my collection, and some definitely vintage fingering wool.
One of the books we found that I don't have a picture of is a fascinating one, titled "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady". It's a facsimile edition of someone's actual journal from 1906, in Warwickshire, England. Filled with a whole year's worth of lovely notes on which flowers are blooming, and what she sees in her travels, quotes from favorite poets - and the most amazing watercolour illustrations of the flowers and birds and insects.
Saturday was errands - drop off the last month's knitting at Johanne's (she and Chantal were very happy with everything), and start another pair of mitts for them.
Then a quick visit to a friend's mother, who had a gift from her daughter in New Zealand to give to me. (Lovely bale of local alpaca roving - thank you, Sara!) Topped off the afternoon with a stop at the organic bakery to pick up a couple loaves of bread and the news - a lovely finish.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Brin de Culture
This post's pictures are coming to you via my Dad's camera. Mine decided on a murder-suicide this weekend - first it screwed up my card, and then it died. I'm not terribly pleased about it, you may imagine.
Anyway, I spent Sunday afternoon with my borrowed camera at the vernissage for the show Johanne and Chantal put together, called Un Brin de Culture / A Strand of Culture. Object being to celebrate the alpaca and its fibre, and show the steps involved between the animal and the finished product. I got to spend the afternoon demo-ing spinning and chatting with people - there was quite a good turnout, for sure! And they did a great job of setting up the show.
It always looks so much more impressive with a fancy invite, and a write-up in the gallery pamphlet. The alpaca who modelled was apparently Pivoine Jolie (Pretty Poppy), who has a gorgeous, fine black fleece.
The Salle Alfred Langevin, where the show was held, is in The Chateau in my hometown. Back when train travel was a big thing, this was a fancy hotel. After standing derelict for a while, it now houses the municipal offices, a cafe, and the gallery space.
Entry to the Salle Alfred Langevin
A huge old barn loom dominated the center front. I do not envy anyone the job of set-up and take-down for that. It's taller than most people, pegged-together timber, with a back beam the size of a telephone pole, and string heddles.
My spot was just near the entrance, on a bit of a stage.
Around the perimeter of the room, different stations showed fibre, tools old and new, a weaving project in progress, natural dyes and the alpacas' colour range, finished products and yarn, and a slideshow of the alpacas and last year's shearing.
If this is the newest trend in modern art, I'm all for it.
Anyway, I spent Sunday afternoon with my borrowed camera at the vernissage for the show Johanne and Chantal put together, called Un Brin de Culture / A Strand of Culture. Object being to celebrate the alpaca and its fibre, and show the steps involved between the animal and the finished product. I got to spend the afternoon demo-ing spinning and chatting with people - there was quite a good turnout, for sure! And they did a great job of setting up the show.
It always looks so much more impressive with a fancy invite, and a write-up in the gallery pamphlet. The alpaca who modelled was apparently Pivoine Jolie (Pretty Poppy), who has a gorgeous, fine black fleece.
The Salle Alfred Langevin, where the show was held, is in The Chateau in my hometown. Back when train travel was a big thing, this was a fancy hotel. After standing derelict for a while, it now houses the municipal offices, a cafe, and the gallery space.
Entry to the Salle Alfred Langevin
A huge old barn loom dominated the center front. I do not envy anyone the job of set-up and take-down for that. It's taller than most people, pegged-together timber, with a back beam the size of a telephone pole, and string heddles.
My spot was just near the entrance, on a bit of a stage.
Around the perimeter of the room, different stations showed fibre, tools old and new, a weaving project in progress, natural dyes and the alpacas' colour range, finished products and yarn, and a slideshow of the alpacas and last year's shearing.
If this is the newest trend in modern art, I'm all for it.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Rhinebeck 2012 Rundown
OK, so because I need a break from studying, you get the Rhinebeck rundown and loot viewing today. I was a good girl and studied in the car and at the hotel in the evenings, and I think the schedule's under control...
All the leaves have been falling here, so I was thinking we might miss seeing the fall color on the way down. There was plenty left, though. This is part of the Adirondacks on the way there, before those clouds came down and started raining.
It poured for hours, and when we got to Red Hook, we had to grab umbrellas and scamper to get into the antique shops without getting soaked. I found some National Geographic magazines from the 1920's, so those came home with me.
The rain let up for the evening, and we got checked in at the Delamater. See the arrow? That's our room. Right on the main drag in Rhinebeck, super nice, plenty of space, comfy beds, walking distance to the Festival. There was a kitchenette and a sitting room for the guests, too. Only downside was that the breakfast was mediocre. And no, you can't have it - we booked on the way out for next year!
The weather for Saturday was bright and sunny - in fact, too hot for most people to show off handknit sweaters by the time we got to the fairgrounds. It was a little disappointing to find that my expected supplier for indigo and thiox wasn't there. That was the main thing on my shopping list. Not that I had any problem finding things to buy. I picked up some gorgeous merino/silk roving in red and purple jewel-tones, undyed sock yarn in an alpaca blend, a huge skein of burgundy merino/silk laceweight, some books and magazines, and some lavender hand lotion.
We found a bit of time Sunday to say hi to the sheep and goats,
checked out the sheep-to-shawl teams,
and looked at entries for the Make it with Wool competition.
But that was it - Sunday noon we had to get going, to get home at a decent hour. But there is one more pretty to show you. Johanne got her yarn and rovings back from the mill last week, and I got a couple bags of the cria roving to spin for her. Colors like chocolate and dulce de leche, with a light streak in each. Super soft, and I can't wait to see how it spins and knits up.
All the leaves have been falling here, so I was thinking we might miss seeing the fall color on the way down. There was plenty left, though. This is part of the Adirondacks on the way there, before those clouds came down and started raining.
It poured for hours, and when we got to Red Hook, we had to grab umbrellas and scamper to get into the antique shops without getting soaked. I found some National Geographic magazines from the 1920's, so those came home with me.
The rain let up for the evening, and we got checked in at the Delamater. See the arrow? That's our room. Right on the main drag in Rhinebeck, super nice, plenty of space, comfy beds, walking distance to the Festival. There was a kitchenette and a sitting room for the guests, too. Only downside was that the breakfast was mediocre. And no, you can't have it - we booked on the way out for next year!
The weather for Saturday was bright and sunny - in fact, too hot for most people to show off handknit sweaters by the time we got to the fairgrounds. It was a little disappointing to find that my expected supplier for indigo and thiox wasn't there. That was the main thing on my shopping list. Not that I had any problem finding things to buy. I picked up some gorgeous merino/silk roving in red and purple jewel-tones, undyed sock yarn in an alpaca blend, a huge skein of burgundy merino/silk laceweight, some books and magazines, and some lavender hand lotion.
We found a bit of time Sunday to say hi to the sheep and goats,
checked out the sheep-to-shawl teams,
and looked at entries for the Make it with Wool competition.
But that was it - Sunday noon we had to get going, to get home at a decent hour. But there is one more pretty to show you. Johanne got her yarn and rovings back from the mill last week, and I got a couple bags of the cria roving to spin for her. Colors like chocolate and dulce de leche, with a light streak in each. Super soft, and I can't wait to see how it spins and knits up.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Studio Opening
Well, Johanne's opening for the studio and store at her L'Ourse Qui Danse ranch went wonderfully. It looked a bit like rain, but ended up being great weather - very important for anyone wanting to go say hi to the alpacas!
I hadn't seen the studio since before they started fixing it up, so I remembered it as a cement-floored, ladder-to-the-loft, cobwebby outbuilding. I got updates on the progress of the renovations, but still, you never know quite what to expect until you see the results. Let me show you the new look!
You drive up or walk up, and see the front of the studio.
Then you get to the honey brick doorstep, and open the door. The main floor is divided into two parts, with the store area right in front of you as you walk in. Racks and antique cupboards hold alpaca yarn and products from the ranch.
As you walk in to see the things at the back, the space opens out on your left into another room with stairs against the back wall. This is the workshop/social sort of space - cozy, furnished with chairs, a table if needed, and the makings of tea on the antique stove at the corner, and two windows, one looking out onto an alpaca pasture. I spent the day spinning in the corner by the window, where you see my wheel.
Up the stairs there are more alpaca things on the wall and on the landing, then you enter the studio space, with looms and equipment.
It's a super cozy, homey space, and I think a lot of the people who came felt that also. Granted, quite a few people knew either one of the ranch team or other visitors, but it really seemed more like a party than a store opening. There were snacks and drinks, and people chatted and admired, and signed up for classes - and I don't think anyone just came, toured, and left. I swear most of them stayed for at least 2 hours.
The only drawback to the day was my cold. 7 or 8 hours of talking - or croaking - to people (mostly in French) and spinning proved to be tiring, and by the time the guests were cleared out and we all had a chat about the day, I was definitely not up for my cousin's reception. Mom and I went home and had tea and supper, and I tried knitting a bit, but I was falling asleep. So, rather amusingly, the parents got dressed up and went out to party, and I said goodnight, have fun, and rolled into bed at 9. It proved a good call - I was able to garden all day Sunday!
I hadn't seen the studio since before they started fixing it up, so I remembered it as a cement-floored, ladder-to-the-loft, cobwebby outbuilding. I got updates on the progress of the renovations, but still, you never know quite what to expect until you see the results. Let me show you the new look!
You drive up or walk up, and see the front of the studio.
Then you get to the honey brick doorstep, and open the door. The main floor is divided into two parts, with the store area right in front of you as you walk in. Racks and antique cupboards hold alpaca yarn and products from the ranch.
As you walk in to see the things at the back, the space opens out on your left into another room with stairs against the back wall. This is the workshop/social sort of space - cozy, furnished with chairs, a table if needed, and the makings of tea on the antique stove at the corner, and two windows, one looking out onto an alpaca pasture. I spent the day spinning in the corner by the window, where you see my wheel.
Up the stairs there are more alpaca things on the wall and on the landing, then you enter the studio space, with looms and equipment.
It's a super cozy, homey space, and I think a lot of the people who came felt that also. Granted, quite a few people knew either one of the ranch team or other visitors, but it really seemed more like a party than a store opening. There were snacks and drinks, and people chatted and admired, and signed up for classes - and I don't think anyone just came, toured, and left. I swear most of them stayed for at least 2 hours.
The only drawback to the day was my cold. 7 or 8 hours of talking - or croaking - to people (mostly in French) and spinning proved to be tiring, and by the time the guests were cleared out and we all had a chat about the day, I was definitely not up for my cousin's reception. Mom and I went home and had tea and supper, and I tried knitting a bit, but I was falling asleep. So, rather amusingly, the parents got dressed up and went out to party, and I said goodnight, have fun, and rolled into bed at 9. It proved a good call - I was able to garden all day Sunday!
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Epic Book
I had a bit of birthday money, so I took a trip down to the bookstore, and came home with this.
I've been eyeing it for a few months, and this was the perfect excuse to get it. And I am happy to report that it is worth every penny (or every nickel, since apparently we're phasing out pennies. Soon they'll only exist in phrases like the above.)
One of the notes mentions the authors spent 4 years on the book, and I'm only surprised it wasn't longer. Sourcebook is an accurate way of describing it, but I think I will be referring to it as the Fiber Bible. They researched and found pictures and wool samples, and prepped and spun fleece, and had micron counts analyzed, and generally put together an amazingly thorough look at the fiber characteristics from pretty much every sheep breed known, including a lot I'd never even heard of. Lonk, Ouessant, Steigar, Zwartbles...the list goes on and on. Heck, I didn't even know there were so many sub-types of Merinos.
And then they have samples and info for just about every fiber animal that isn't a sheep, as well. Right down to possums, cats and wolves.
They have maps of where different fiber animals originate. Definitions of terms used. Charts showing what breeds to look for if you want certain characteristics and end use suitabilities. Bits of history and lore about particular breeds and areas. A lovely bibliography and list of donors and supporters which includes sources for a lot of fleeces shown.
Highly, highly recommended for anyone interested in fiber. I'm reading it cover to cover, and I know I'm going to be looking out for unusual breed fleeces from now on, there are so many types in here that look interesting.
I've been eyeing it for a few months, and this was the perfect excuse to get it. And I am happy to report that it is worth every penny (or every nickel, since apparently we're phasing out pennies. Soon they'll only exist in phrases like the above.)
One of the notes mentions the authors spent 4 years on the book, and I'm only surprised it wasn't longer. Sourcebook is an accurate way of describing it, but I think I will be referring to it as the Fiber Bible. They researched and found pictures and wool samples, and prepped and spun fleece, and had micron counts analyzed, and generally put together an amazingly thorough look at the fiber characteristics from pretty much every sheep breed known, including a lot I'd never even heard of. Lonk, Ouessant, Steigar, Zwartbles...the list goes on and on. Heck, I didn't even know there were so many sub-types of Merinos.
And then they have samples and info for just about every fiber animal that isn't a sheep, as well. Right down to possums, cats and wolves.
They have maps of where different fiber animals originate. Definitions of terms used. Charts showing what breeds to look for if you want certain characteristics and end use suitabilities. Bits of history and lore about particular breeds and areas. A lovely bibliography and list of donors and supporters which includes sources for a lot of fleeces shown.
Highly, highly recommended for anyone interested in fiber. I'm reading it cover to cover, and I know I'm going to be looking out for unusual breed fleeces from now on, there are so many types in here that look interesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)