PROGRESS REPORT 35

J E N N E

Remember the vest from Progress Report 29?  Sewing in the ends at last.  It has been a year of flux and change and finally after landing in the Pacific Northwest and figuring out our daily routines and day to day stuff I feel like I can dive back in and really get work done.  The first half of 2016 is about applying KonMari (SPARK JOY!) to my creative life, either finishing things, following ideas or just axing them and moving one.  Two socks frogged, a couple pattern drafts trashed and now finishing details on a couple knitting projects including this vest.  I started it at I think a 3 year old size and yeah, that is a couple years too small for my kid now.  Thankfully knit stretches and I can add whatever length to this to make it a dress so it will be worn this weekend!  Clearing the decks to make room for designing and playing with natural dyeing and patternmaking and weaving and sashiko and getting back to working on a mix of it all.  Happy new year!

A L I S A

Weaving and surface-y stuff. I've been working with these small wooden shapes to use as frames and bases. They are all in the 4" x 6" range and I drilled in holes to use to warp into. The holes are off and the warp is off, but I like it. I'm thinking of playing with skewing it even more. The structure doesn't matter as much because it's supported by the frame and, also, because they are small. I love wonky and awkward things and I'm feeling more attached to these then I have with anything in a while. Which is great! I have more to do!

PROGRESS REPORT 34

A L I S A

I have been thinking about Earth Looms a lot lately and how much I would like to build one somewhere in my community. As luck/fate would have it, I was approached by a wonderful organization here called The Guelph Enabling Garden - a community garden that is accessible to all. I recruited my brother to build the loom and the following week, I had a group of people come warp it and weave on it. Participants walked around the garden and were able to pick things that they wanted to weave into the loom. I'm excited because there are several group weavings planned for the future! I'm looking forward to the winter one where we will use evergreen and weave in strands of popcorn for the birds. 

J E N N E

Beautiful Gotland Shetland cross fleece that I found at Fiber Fusion, a local fiber festival.  My daughter insisted on getting this one, and Im glad I listened to her reasoning, this sheep lived in Coupeville where we had just visited for a weekend and "probably ate lots of mussels" (probably not!) because that just what we did.  

PROGRESS REPORT 33

A L I S A

I really love combining techniques in creating my puppets and dolls. I am currently working on a budgie doll and decided I wanted to weave the wings. I've used a sewing ham to secure the warp and then packing the weave tightly to create a woven shape. I really love that I can create these types of shapes. 

J E N N E

Heading into Autumn, feeling the need to make some warm woolies for everyone.  Wool socks are a necessity and not cheap, but somehow over the years I have amassed a stash of quite a lot of sock yarn and it makes more sense to just make them this year.   Its the first time I have made socks completely from math and measurements and though they look pointy they fit my kid better than any other socks I have made for myself from a pattern.  I love this time of year, the slowing down and working on home projects and turning a bit inwards, it suits my hermit-y craft pursuits.  

PROGRESS REPORT 32

A L I S A

I've been working on this great shawl called Sea glass. It's been a great carry around project of join-as-you-go crochet motifs. The best is that Kelbourne Woolens declared this summer Crochet Summer 2015 and there have been some amazing projects tagged. I used a very fun multi-coloured yarn and, as I usually do, ran out of yarn just in time for the border. This happens to me a lot and I really like that it does. It gives me a chance to get creative and add a fun new colour or texture element. This time, I'm using some fun hand-dyed yellow yarn that I had in my stash to finish it off! It's the perfect fall colours and I can't wait to give it a bath and wear it!

J E N N E

Merino, spun woolen, feels like spiderwoman spinning chewing gum so fine.  Its really my favorite way to spin wool, the ease of pulling the wool into place, letting it fill the twist as it will.  4 bobbins full to ply and then dye in a rudbeckia bath, then to overdye some of it in indigo as a test.  

PROGRESS REPORT 31

A L I S A

I've been working on a bunch of stuff lately. Some weaving (you can see some of it in the background of this picture), prepping for some cool classes I'll be teaching starting in a few weeks and dolls. The dolls have paper heads and I use weaving, hand-sewing, crochet and embroidery for the bodies. I'm trying to add some birds and reptiles to the bunch. I'm also thinking of making some of them into hand-puppets.

J E N N E

Aaannnd we are back!  It has been a record hot summer in the Pacific Northwest and we moved back here right in the middle of it - it has been great for starting some dyeplants in the garden to quickly harvest and dry to work with when the rain comes (and rumor has it thats tomorrow.)  I took a natural dyeing class from farm to field with Local Color Fiber Studio on Bainbridge Island a couple weeks ago in which we harvested from the dye fields in the morning and dyed in the studio in the afternoon.  I never really had the space to really get into dyeing anything until now in our new house, and this class renewed my intense love of playing with color and learning about what can be grown here in this usually short growing season.  Already planning next years dye garden in a borrowed plot, indigo and other things but for right now just cutting and keeping dahlias, marigolds and rudbeckia for days.  Heading out on a hike to look for hawthorne berries and oregon grape tomorrow, hoping to forage some to try too.  

PROGRESS REPORT 30

J E N N E

Playing with color in different mediums.  I love watercolor and unearthed some watercolor crayons to play with.  Drips and drabs, wet brush dry brush moving the paper around.  Not much to report this week except for more play!

A L I S A

I'm enjoying making theses dolls! I've pretty much finished the Cat. I was concerned that there was too much going on with all the different colours and textures and was assured by my friend and studio mate Frances that in fact the Cat needed perhaps a Peter Pan Collar or an Elizabethan Ruff - thank you Frances and you're right. I'll be working on finishing that soon! Now I'm working on the Rabbit. I'm thinking about ways to make stands for them as well. I would like them to be scrappy looking too and may use some wood scraps and dowel. I'm going to consult with my brother who is a talented cabinet maker to see what ideas he has. For now I'm having lots of fun!

PROGRESS REPORT 29

J E N N E

A reknitted/revision. I had this little vest along with me while traveling all of last month and realized my daughter is just growing too fast for my knitting, that I need to add another 3 inches at least to make it a "dressvest" as requested. But it "has to end with the pink and then the blue" so I found another ball of Noro Kureyon and unknit it and am now adding length with the green yarn. Its nice to have a constant companion of a project like this one while contemplating the new possibilities of moving north - new energy, new directions. How to incorporate the forest into craft? How to marry the same divine presence felt in a redwood circle to the effortless energy of weaving weft into warp?  How to keep learning, keeping your mind and your hands happy. Planning, reknitting, revisioning.  

A L I S A

I have been working on homework for my spinning class a lot lately - it's just that time of year. Anyway, it's not very exciting to photograph or talk about. It's very methodical and specific… I'm taking a little break with some more freeform stuff. Finishing making some dolls that I've had kicking around for awhile. I'm very excited about the combination of techniques and materials I'm able to use - paper, weaving, crochet and, likely, some fabric too. Here's a little peek of a siamese cat I'm making.