Heading to the Loom

It is time for the warp to hit the loom! Earlier this summer Handweavers Guild of America had a selection of yarns, Convergence 2010 Commemorative Yarn handpainted by Teresa Ruch Designs . It was hard to resist this yarn. And since there is another year till the conference, there will certainly be time to weave a scarf to wear during the fashion show event. Yes, there will be time to weave, but first the loom needs to be warped; it just doesn't warp itself--we wish!

The yarn is bamboo. Plans are to use silk sewing thread for the weft and the warp will be sett warp faced, maybe 30 or 36 epi. The weaving should, we write should, go quickly once it has been warped.
Okay, the yarn has been balled from the skein and now winding on the warping board.

Looks pretty cool, huh? Stay tuned to see if this will be woven this summer.

Non Fiber Related!

Some mornings we walk along the 'greenbelt' area. The greenbelt is really along a wildlife preserve and no mowing has taken place this summer along the walkway so you will walk through towering bamboo and other shrubs. There are some small trees along the walk as well. The kids play in this area, which could simulate a jungle, a forest or just a plain good hiding location. We can envision youngsters snickering as they crouch behind a tree or in the high brush. There are numerous bunnies munching along the pathway and some nights, especially during a full moon, we can hear the call of coyotes. There must be deer and other interesting creatures hidden there as well but never seen with the naked eye. Birds flutter from wildflower to weed, of which there are plenty. The thistles are six foot in height and they loom overhead. Knowing they are a true weed, they are still flowering beautiful and will provide food for birds and other wildlife. There is little sounds except for the occassionally dog bark and the tweeting of the birds that visit to search for their meal of the day. It is a pleasant walk, down hill, but we always remember that we must walk home UP hill once we finish the 'greenbelt'.

Shopaholic?

Are you a shopaholic? We watched that movie the other night--"Confessions of a Shopaholic", a definite chick flick for sure. As we were viewing what the movie classified as shopaholic, the thoughts running through my brain said 'NOT'!
Shopping is not one of those passions my soul possessions----unless, shopping in a fiber shop! Doesn't matter what type of fiber shop--fabric or yarn--the resistance is very low on the scale. Last week a stop was made at one of the fabulous quilt shops in town. Of course, the thought was to just see what was new on the market; maybe, touch and smell the fabrics, browse through the new kits and books. Then look at the price tags and say "whew, that's too high" but that didn't happen! The prices looked just right!
It seems stitching is back--hurrah!! Stitching combined with quilt blocks look to be riding on a magic wave right now and of course, those are big temptations in my book!
There were the wonderful patterns--

One company that brings temptations to the soul is Crabapple Hill Studio
And the quilt kits; all the fabrics and pattern included! What is better than that?

It is harder to get in your car and drive to the actual quilt/yarn/fabric shop so the internet has made shopping much easier for those who call themselves "shopaholics", but that doesn't include me......oh, yeah there were the dyed rovings that were purchased last month and the books that were just ordered and the............must we go on?

Stitchin' in our blood

It seems the hands want to do more stitching; maybe because it is easy to carry along project and there are the lovely threads that are available for just those perfect little designs. Recently, on an Internet search, these wonderful designs were found. Classified as BOM (Block of Month), the patterns would appear around the fifth of each month. Not on the first, but the fifth--making it something to look forward to after the first of the month chores are out of the way. There will be a total of 9 blocks. You too can find these free (yes, free!) patterns on the website of Gail Pan Designs Gail is one of those talented Australian designers that keep us 'in stitches'!

In the mail box last week was the annual arrival of the International Quilt Festival catalogue. It is a ritual of the summer to peruse the pages and pages of this printed matter to find the perfect workshop/class/lecture/tour. This year the event will take place earlier than in years past. Well, that is just fine as later in the month of October the fest is always bumping right next to the mother-daughter trip. The Quilt Festival group has been branching out all over the US. Some of the Ex-pat gals are attending the festival in Long Beach, CA during late July. Check out the website at Quilts

Three Sisters Scarf #2

Finally! The first roving (Mother & Child) received from Roving Arts has been spun and plied. The roving was split and spun along the length. To finish the yarn, it was balled and then plied from the ball, taking yarn from center pull and outside of ball. This gives an interesting look to the finished yarn. To decide upon a pattern, a search was made through Ravelry . The pattern was from Smoking Hot Needles . There were three scarf patterns that would fit with the yarn. Each pattern was titled Three Sisters Scarves #1, #2 and #3. Okay, which one to knit? Each has a nice chart for the pattern design. Let's do #2 at this time and save the #1 and #3 for the other rovings that need to be spun.
The chart is up front with yarn overs and decreases, slating one way or the other. Pattern repeat was over 12 stitches--not a problem. Off to cast the yarn onto the lovely needles from Knit Picks .
Going okay until row 7 of the chart; not enough stitches. Count, recount, frog and start over again--how many times did this happen? No reason to do a true confession here--it was plenty. Disclaimer: There was just a little distraction going on in the house--the arrival of three teenage grandkids! We can handle this situation--think, think! Then, it was like a light bulb went off! Why not do as you should--separate each pattern repeat with a marker? Well, that worked very well and no stitches have been lost or miscounted. Now, there is no reason to make a mistake even though card games, loud music and dvds or interesting TV shows.

Birth of a Nation!

Happy Birthday to US! Let Freedom ring!

Day on the fiber trail!

What can be grander than a day roaming the town visiting different fiber shops and seeing some exciting fiber art? Nothing can beat that in my book so that is what transpired on hump day. The last thing DD said as my feet walked through the garage door--'don't buy anything that you don't need'.
First stop was a visit to a local quilt shop, Great American Quilt Factory .


In the front window was advertisement for upcoming quilt show, which sounded interesting.

In a later blog entry, there will be a posting of 'stuff' that was purchased and very much 'needed'!
Down the street is Tactile Arts which was hosting a wearable art exhibit: Inspirational Effects of Texture in Wearable Art. Weaving, quilting, felting, silk painting garments were featured in the gallery space. Too many lovely garments to photo.





Next stop was to west side of town to meet knitter friend, Judy, at Knit Nack



What a great place to 'hang out'--coffee bar, comfy sofas and lots of lovely yarns to browse through. The temptation was too much and a book just had to jump into my hands, recommended by friend Judy--Hand Knitting Collection, Book #2 by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton
After lunch at the next door bar and grill, we moved onto Posh, A Yarn Boutique , located in a little yellow house that once hosted a French restaurant. One really had to put their blinders on here as there was a small back room that was marked with Sale over the door frame: all the yarns were 25% off! As we sat in the enclosed sun porch, knitting and sharing thoughts, we noticed the clouds gathering in the west. So rain was approaching and the hands on the clock read it was close to traffic time and time for us to head in different directions to end my fiber trail day.