Wool Blending Board

I guess there are times I feel so left out of the fiber world! Where have I been? why can't I keep up with the trends? The latest and I assume the greatest in the fiber (spinning) world is a blending board. Have you seen one of these boards? I had seen the 'rolags' produced but had not seen the board in action, so I was happy to see one of our vendors at January Spin-in demo-ing what actually takes place.

Valarie of Dreaming Dragon Alpacas had loaded up her board and I stopped cruising the room to watch as she worked the fibers.

She has the wool fibers lined out nicely on the board and she is using a dowel rod to lift a small amount of the wool

She continues to lift and drafts away from the board

Now, she has the rod completely covered and is ready to take off the rolag

Neatly done!

And you have your rolag! Valarie is able to get many rolags from one blend on the board.

Here is the additional tool she uses to process--you can also see her locks of fiber to the side

Hello Purl has a wide variety of rolags

And blends!  Now, if you think you would like to dive into this interesting part of the fiber world--how about creating your own board?  DIY Blending Board

Happy blending!!

WEAR RED DAY!

Friday, February 7, you can make a difference by wearing red! Go Red For Women is an organization that brings to the fore front the topic of heart disease in women.  So, in celebration of 'wear red' day, I've chosen these wonderful woven items to bring to your attention.

At our recent weavers' meeting Pat brought her yardage to show off--she has different sections suited for placemats and towels. 

We love this weaving structure!  So here is Pat's hand at giving us RED for the day!

In this towel she added purple in the weft--hard to tell it's purple, but it makes a nice contrast to the red and white

 

Her selvedges are grand-- 

How about the plain weave in between the sections?  This will give a nice hem

Dottie showed her latest handwork, counted cross stitch, on hand-woven fabric.  She will turn this into a pin cushion as an exchange gift

We are discussing our next study--rug mats.  Now, there are various ways we can go with this topic so Rosemary bought several of her double woven mats to give us some inspiration

Rep Weave

Stuffed double weave

 

Rosemary has a weaving student, who is a pianist.  He is making great progress with his weaving.

He has the weaving 'bug'!

Go out and wear red on Friday and remember--every day is a good day to think about your heart health! 

What's Up With Those Ex-patchers??

It is always a treat to meet with the expat quilters. Especially when we have been together for some time. We have much to share; not only in the quilt talking, but also in our latest adventures, family matters, health issues and just plain good news.

This gathering four of the gals were taking a workshop the following day and they were sharing fabrics

There was a long list of supplies and 2" squares needed

They were making this Texas wall hanging

Sandy was pressing the strips on her latest quilt and the talk turned to what iron we each received for Christmas............

Here is the quilt top that Sandy was pressing

Now, this is a Texas Flag!!

Judy M had recently finished quilting on these little cuddly quilts.  These are going to someone who will snuggle up with comfort

Wonderful swirls

And flowery effects 

This is one of my favorites!

This is a quick way to make a top

And there is the warmth that Judy M's studio gives off--another good day with friends!

End of Year Video

End of the year video--wow!  how much did I do this past year--some of it summed up with photos from my Google albums.  Too bad there wasn't any from the end of the year fun.

Workshops, conferences, gallery shows, concerts, visits with friends, attendance at livestock show, travel to presidential libraries, gatherings with friends!  What a year! 

Spinners Everywhere!

It's that time of year again--January Spin-in 2014 held every full weekend in January at The Palms Conference and Resort, Destin, Florida. We have been gathering for 26 years to spin away four days.

Our theme this year was "Toot your own horn"!  A perfect time to let everyone know what you have been doing for the past year.

Can you pick out the different wheels in the photos?  We have spinners from several states and Canada.

We enjoy our time in the ballroom spinning yarns--every type of fiber you can imagine

There are few brief times when the wheels are given a break as the spinners circulate throughout the room to visit friends and vendors

We are lucky to have vendors that can supply our every need

We learn from each other as we treadle into the night

One of our fun things is the door prizes

The table is laden with items that participants willingly bring to trade

Do you have a lucky number?  come sit and spin with us for awhile.

Silk Cocoons + Silk Rods = Necklace

What do you do with silk cocoons, silk rods, thread, beads?

I've always collected beads--more components filled with various sizes, colors and styles

And there are the various accruements one needs to work with beads 

And then I found these silk rods that were hidden away in the closet

Here are many dyed silk cocoons--let's get creative!!

to build a necklace!

The white cocoon is the only one that is 'complete' while the others are open ended--what fun to make this creation!

And now I have a lovely silk cocoon/rod necklace!