An Inspiring Person...............Or Persons!

Who Inspires You?  The person who gives you challenges to achieve? 

Every time I visit with my weaver friends, I'm looking at inspiring people.

 

dainty drawings on an egg--

intricate inlays on a woven cotton towel

core spun wool weft on a linen warp

And truly inspiring--first weaving from a new weaver!

a weaver of one year who has advanced beyond his years!

All inspiration to admire!

My SuperPOWER!

 

 

 

WOW!  Me thinks I should be eating corn flakes instead of Wheaties!  Isn't this the greatest Superpower of all time!

I would like to have super Powers!

I would like to yarn bomb something totally unique and unusual!

I would like to paint wacky photos for tall windows!

 

I would like to plant a backyard full of wildflowers!

Oh yes--all these things can be done and maybe, just maybe, I don't need Super Powers to do these things..............But, let's get real--I'd rather

eat corn flakes and look at this box--

 

 

 

Fiver (5) Years Ago...........................

What were you doing Five years ago?  That would make it April 10, 2010--it has a nice ring to the date--but, can I remember what I was doing five years ago!  NO!

That's where a blog comes in handy--it's a journal; a writing of memories so here I can give you a flashback to five years ago--a popular topic in my book! 

April, 2010..........................................

One Pot Dyeing or the Tale of a Lazy Dyer To dye or not to dye? That is the question; and when the answer is 'to dye', the lazy dyer is willing! First, look to see if there is some dirty fleece in the fiber closet--definitely, dirty fleece. We are talking fleece right off the animal. Fleece that hasn't touched water or soap--dirty, loaded with wonderful lanolin. We are happy to report there is one dirty fleece just waiting for those colors-- Please don't ask the breed--there is no information available in the bag and the memory is faulty in that regard. But, we can certainly tell it is most likely one of the prize winning fleeces bought at Estes Park Wool Market. The staple is silky, long and soft; excellent for spinning and more importantly, dyeing. This fleece has a nice gray tint.
Set up the dyepot with all the proper equipment (plastic gloves, mask, dyepot, covered work space, vinegar etc). Now, cram, yes cram, that fleece into the dyepot. Make sure there is a little top space. Glug, glug some vinegar into the dye--we are talking lazy now. If you prefer, you can measure vinegar. Cover the fleece with cool water. Add water just till it covers the fleece. Do Not fill to the rim of the pot. We are ready to add color.
We are using three primary colors (acid dyes)--yellow, red, blue--thinking about the migration of colors--what colors will you get with this mixture? Oranges, purples, greens and a varied cross selection. We are sprinkling the dry powder right onto the top of the fiber. This is where you put on that mask. You can do a cross with dye or triangle, square, one section, any way you want. Here we have used a cross with the yellow dye, which takes a little longer to activate for some reason.
Now, sprinkle the other sections with other chosen colors. Most often I use only three colors but you can use more. Make sure all the dye powder has been dissolved in the water by gently pressing down to get it wet. Now, you are ready to cover the pot, turn the burner to low, very low and wait 30 minutes. Make sure it does not boil or you'll have muddy colors. Patiently, waiting................
Look what was pulled from the first pot!! Pull the fiber from the dyepot and place where it can cool. DO NOT DISCARD the remaining water. There is more dye in the pot. Repeat the process of cramming the fiber into the pot, cover with water, sprinkle dyes (you can use different color range or the same), add more vinegar, heat on low, cover the pot and wait 30 minutes..... Second pot color. Okay, let's do it again! DO NOT DISCARD liquid--cram more wool into pot, repeat process. We continue to do this until there is no fleece available. Third pot! WOW! what color ranges! Now, the fingers are itching, just itching for this fiber to dry so we can take them to the spinning wheel. After fibers have dried completely, rinse in warm water until color runs clear. The dye liquid remaining could also be frozen for another dye. Too bad, there isn't another dirty fleece in the fiber closet. And that is the way this lazy dyer gets her color.

From Where I Stand........................

 

Well, I'm standing knee deep in history!

and my eyes wander to the walls

that are lined with tapestries!

Rich silk threads woven through wool threads....

From where I'm standing I'm thinking about the person or persons who

spent many an hour of their lives creating these beautiful

masterpieces!

 

Lovely works of arts that were worked  in dark rooms

with little lighting

working fingers through the warp

Gobelins_Manufactory --royal factory supplying the court of Louis XIV and later monarchs

Chateau de Vincennes 

Yes, from where I'm standing these tapestries bring to life for me the weavers of early years!

could I be such a weaver at that time? 

 

What Nourishes You??

 

What nourishes me--besides food, water that my body needs?

 

To nourish me, all I need is to see an advertisement slapped onto a marble pillar outside one of the historic buildings we are visiting in Paris!  I really perked up!

Yes!  An Indigo exhibition right here near the location where I'm standing!

 

Indigo: un periple bleu  How exciting!

 

Then on closer examination--I see the times and dates--ah, dang it!  I'll not be here at that time--

oh well for a short time, I was nourished with some textile sense................

BUT--there is hope this exhibit will be coming to our neighborhood in the future!

 

What nourishes you??

TOUCH

April 7--1969 was the day I touched my newborn baby boy!  What a joy!  What a pleasure! 

 

Happy Birthday--Baby Boy!

 

 

He has 'touched' our hearts and lives in many ways!

 

Other ways you are touched...............

the sight of crosses at the Normandy Beaches Memorial..................

 

 

 

or the Remembrance quilts at the 9/11 Memorial

 

And then there are these that you can physically touch..............

 

colorful fibers that ooze with touch ability!

 

AND the ultimate Touch!

 simple touch from a celebrity that causes you NOT to wash your hand for days!

 

We have that ability to touch with our hands, our eyes, our senses--

What would we do without touch?

 

My Favorite Color

 

 

 

As if you can't tell from my photos--what is my favorite color?!

There is nothing like the refreshing orange color of this fruit--and of course, it is called the color

ORANGE!

 

and the color of fresh carrots!

and in the shop windows of Paris, the color of spring does please me--ORANGE!

My friends have always razzed me about liking orange--well, I say--there is nothing like a little orange color to give your spirits a lift!

Good Night!

Easter

Happy Easter!  

Shadows

The shadows of present cast onto the past!  

Quote of Inspiraton

We took the journey to Normandy beaches 

and said a prayer for the fallen 

Here is photo of poppies painted on wall and with that 

We read the poem by John McCrae, 

"In Flanders Fields the poppies blow"

My Favorite Flower

While on our walks through Paris, you will see many flower shops

These are my favorite flowers of the walks--

Full blooms

Happy Spring!   

My Morning View

We walk from our hotel down Champs Elyses, so this is our first view of the day.

Even in Paris you can find Stabucks

We can see

A breathe of Spring 

Spring lives among the city buildings

Our hotel view from our balcony 

What is your morning view?

Paris in the Springtime!

This Knitting Mystery was appealing to me--Why?  Because today I'm in Paris!  Yes, Paris, France! We are on a River Cruise along the Seine River!

When I saw that Cindy Garland was featuring a mystery shawl pattern based on Paris, I just had to sign up--of course, the pattern begins until April 1.   I've ordered my yarn, beads etc. so I can begin knitting on April 1st. 

Join with me on this exciting knitting adventure! 

Journey Along With Books

As we travel, I try to have plenty of books on hand to read--who knows when you'll miss a flight, be stranded on a desert island, need some quiet time to be alone, or just plain bored!  I think I have plenty to keep me busy !  Plus there is always the Kindle reader on my I-Pad.  

Good reading to you!   

One Day We'll Never Forget!

I'll never forget this day.  We made our ways to Freedom Tower and the fountains that remember the fallen.

Names are stamped into the panels surrounding both fountains where the twin towers once stood.

Deep into the 9/11 Memorial, we pass through sights and sounds from that day 

Remains of the retaining wall

It looks like an art piece, but it's actually twisted beams from the Towers.

I'll never forget that day!