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 20

A L I S A

I often get bogged down by what I "should" be doing during my studio time. This is very anti-Craftophilia and I'm glad when I can be reminded of the mandate that rules my creative life - Commit to Process. Sometimes, it does take a little push though. This one came from the necessity to create some "samples" for a class I'm going to be teaching in October on doll making. I'm no stranger to doll making as an art form - in fact it's something that I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past. I was a bit scared to do these samples because my doll making skills are rusty and I felt I no longer possessed the ability to get lost in the process. I over thought it. Then, I did it. I sat down and got lost in the process and it was great! And, I produced something that I love. So, please meet the Birds that Hang Around my Feeder - The Grackle, M. Cardinale, Woodpecker and Mama Jay.

J E N N E

Today is the Fall Equinox and I feel an itch to get back to working with wool, back to spinning, weaving and knitting and working with felt.  There seems to be a seasonality to what materials I tend to want to work with - this summer I have been on a major sewing and sashiko stitching jam (with some weaving and knitting) but now on this very overcast first day of Autumn I just want to cuddle up with some sheepy yarn.  In  the "inspiration comes from pretty much anywhere" department, I was stuck on what to do for my next weaving.  At first I wanted to try something monochromatic but as I was winding that warp I was not feeling it.  Then I thought maybe I will try to play with color in the weft but use a black and/or white warp.  Also did not feel it.  Not enough COLORS.  My jam is a kaleidoscope of colors.  Mixing it up, matching, contrasting, making crazy rainbows.  In the "this is not a tangent" department,  my jam for the month of September is the song "September" by Earth Wind and Fire.  Some people get into their pumpkin spice lattes or candles or whatever (sorry, not me) this time of year I have "September" on REPEAT at FULL VOLUME starting September 1st.  The video for "September" was posted to Sarah's Facebook wall this weekend which I was stoked to watch, singing along, digging in yarn bins in my studio and yes.  Inspiration can be totally like this.  Go watch it.   I am totally using gold metallic thread and this assortment of yarn and am so PSYCHED to make this weaving now.  

PROGRESS REPORT 17

J E N N E

Sashiko has become the work of the summer. I spent a week working on clothing for my daughter and I decided to make a dress with sashiko stitching on the bodice. With sewing you have transformative powers in your hands, in your needle and thread.  You don't have to follow a pattern to the letter or use the fabric as is.  I have been trying to use up everything in my fabric stash and in this case made a new fabric out of a cut of denim that honestly doesn't match the rest of the pieces of the dress. (Look carefully at the skirt fabric, its more teal and the back has darker pieces.  Maybe only I can see it, I spent years scrutinizing shades of color in my last job and years of printing color in the darkroom)  Add handstitching, or block printing, or any sort of surface design is a way to make something imperfect more imperfectly perfect - a sort of wabi sabi magic that I am completely embracing right now.

A L I S A

I've been taking this six year long course through the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild in hand-spinning. It runs for 10 days a year in a beautiful place called Haliburton at a beautiful school up there. It is much more than hand-spinning though. I've been learning all about the properties of fibre, both natural and synthetic dyeing techniques, construction techniques and, of course, all aspects of spinning on a wheel. I'm going into my fourth year this year and I'm finishing up some homework. Homework for this course is pretty intense and very specific. The planning portion for each project is much more in-depth than anything I would do for work outside of school. This picture represents a fair amount of hours of work in fleece selection, spinning, weaving and crochet. It's going to be an angora goat puppet! I will post more pictures here as I progress….

PROGRESS REPORT 15

A L I S A

I've decided to use up all my stash before I purchase anything new. I also have a (newish) rule to only purchase enough stuff to make a whole project because, when I first started spinning, I would buy a bit here and a bit there… so, I have all these bits laying around and decided to put them together to make enough yarn for a sweater. I have four different colourways of some nice merino and I'm spinning them to create a yarn with very long colour repeats. I have two brights with neutrals between. I'm ready to ply up a skein to see how it looks - I'm sure it will be fine because I like things a little kooky anyways!

J E N N E

Trying out new stitches and techniques is fun, but what to do with the samplers when done?   Make pillows of course!  On the left is a sashiko embroidered pattern (a preprinted pattern from Olympus.)  I loved making this piece - it was a sort of a test for sashiko that I want to incorporate into other sewing  projects.  Its different from the embroidery that I did for the Alabama Chanin inspired dress - though the running stitch is the same in sashiko its approached as an allover pattern vs. embroidering motifs into a pattern as you go.  The right is the completed Nigerian reverse applique piece which has such a rad 3D quality to it.   Quilted stained glass.  I am having a lot of fun learning these techniques - and have figured out a way to possibly a very exciting project combining them.