Wednesday, September 23, 2009

I'm A Sucker For Sock Yarn

By Leigh

Especially the odds and ends I find in clearance bins. Consequently I couldn't pass up these ...

New sock yarns!
No, they aren't the same colorway, similar but not the same. Still, these are colors I like, so I bought them both.

Having odd balls of sock yarn isn't a problem for me however. In fact, I have a growing collection of them...

My sock yarn stash
I really need a small project that I can pick up and set down easily. Something light and easy to take with me.

I'm thinking about this as a possible combo for socks...

A possible yarn combination for socks?
Whatever happened to my Lucy Neatby Chequerboard Socks? Well, they are on a long term hold at the moment. They need to be fixed and that would require more brain power than I have to spare these days.

Until I get back to those however, these will keep my sock needles from getting rusty.


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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

By Leigh

In my case, the tunnel is house renovation, and the light is finally catching a glimpse of what it will be like to have a huge project in the living room done, tearing down the old fireplace and putting in a new hearth and chimney for a wood burning stove. This has not just meant spending most of our time on this, but it has also meant an upheaval of our living quarters. Because deconstruction and working with bricks and mortar is such as dusty, dirty job, we've moved all of the living room furniture to other parts of the house. We've been sporting that "just moved in" look for months now!

The tearing down phase seemed the quickest. The rebuilding part is going much more slowly. Still, we're finally getting to a point where I can visualize having our living room back. And with that, I'm starting to think about weaving for it.

What I'm currently contemplating, is weaving drapery fabric. I've never attempted anything like that before, but when we first bought the place, I immediately started to think about all the things I could weave for it: kitchen, bath, and table linens, rugs, curtains, drapes, throws, upholstery fabric, etc. Although I haven't yet given much thought to design and weave structure, I have been contemplating color.

Here are the colors I have to work with...

This is the fabric on my couch.
Coordinating fabric on cushion (came with couch)
Area rug - actually matches perfectly.
The colors are roughly accurate on your computer monitor.

Plus, I've been collecting paint chips for wall color ........

image fail of paint chips

......... well, never mind the paint chips. They would neither photograph nor scan anywhere near their actual color. Suffice it to say that they are coordinating pale to light neutrals for my walls. I also have one burgundy chair and my furniture is a medium/dark cherry.

I'm inspired enough with this that I would like to dig through my stash and pull out various colors of yarns to compare with my sofa, rug, cushions, and chair. Unfortunately, my stash is another matter, because I can't find all my yarns! Thanks to the current state of chaos in our home due to our project, some yarns are in my studio hidden behind piles of boxes, others are still packed away ............. somewhere.

Though we still have a long way to go on any number of house projects (especially kitchen and bathrooms), weaving is something to contemplate as cooler weather approaches. As much as I've loved being out of doors this summer, I am also looking forward to spending time indoors this winter, cozy with that new wood burning stove, and fibernating.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Coming Soon, To A Spinning Wheel Near You

By Leigh

Did anybody else know that this Saturday is World Wide Spin In Public Day? If so then consider this a confession about how infrequently I get to go blog visiting anymore. Anyway, I found the button and link over at Janet's blog and thought I'd at least help spread the word.

Lately I can barely find my spinning wheels and fiber let alone use them. Why? Well, putting in a new hearth for our wood heatstove has meant putting all the living room furniture in the dining room and my studio. Not to mention the dust! September 26th though, is our annual Guild retreat and I'm really looking forward to that.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

August Guild Meeting

Handwoven by Bobbie KelstenBy Leigh

I don't usually talk much about my weaver's guild meetings, but I absolutely have to tell you about yesterday's. (OK, lately I haven't been talking much about fiber arts at all, but if you've been following my other blog and know about the fireplace, then you'll understand that my studio is full of living room furniture and boxes at the moment!)

We always start with a business meeting, followed by Show-&-Tell and then a program. For many, Show-&-Tell is a big favorite. It gives everyone a chance to share what they've been doing and it is always inspirational.

For some reason, there were a lot of double weave projects shown. I've been thinking a lot about double weave lately, having taken a class on it a long time ago. It just seems to be drawing me to a self-study this winter.

Then Bobbie Kelsten showed us her double weave pick-up pieces; Hamsa Houseblessing wallhangings which she had recently completed. Bobbie's work is gorgeous, and she sells it at the North Carolina Arboretum gift shop. She was also recently juried into the Southern Highlands Craft Guild.

Anyway, I was absolutely drooling over those pieces and thinking how much I really wanted one. Then she said, "...and I want to give one of these to Leigh for her studio, for everything she has done for the Guild." I couldn't believe my ears!

You can click on the above image to enlarge, but here is a detail shot too....

DetailIt's approximately 6.5 by 17 inches, including fringe.

And here is the blessing that comes with it......

The Blessing
Bobbie, thank you! It will always have a place of honor in my studio. I feel very blessed indeed.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Beaded Fringe Scarf

By Leigh

Ta-dah! I've actually finished something! My summer & winter beaded fringe scarf....

Finished S&W beaded fringe scarf
To relax after working hard all day, Dan and I have resumed a long time habit - he reads aloud while I do handwork. He just finished reading Little Britches by Ralph Moody to me, and I just finished my scarf.

I've already written quite a bit about this scarf. You can find the project details here, and details about the fringe, here.


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