I spent last night writing down all the things I have finished in the past couple of months. I feel better about my craft, I guess that I really am getting something done. I'll try to share some of it with you when I get pictures taken.
Today I am just going to show what I did this weekend. I had a wonderful time at the Great Basin Fiber Fair. It seems to just get better each year and I was amazed at the place this year. It is held in the Salt Lake Equestrian Center arena. Not the best venue, but I am pleased with just how nice it is. We have booths around the perimeter of the arena, but at the rate it is growing, they will soon need more space there.
I had thought I could let people weave on the loom I brought, but I decided I wanted to have the towels for myself and I wove most of the warp. I think I will get five towels off the warp...maybe I can "gift" a couple.
The warp is 8/4 cotton and makes my heavy towels. I had one man feel the finished towels that I had in this weight and he said they were "man" towels. I mostly used black weft and wove in random, or border stripes in them. I think that there is one more on the warp and I will probably weave the full weft in rainbow stripes for a plaid like effect.
I had a lot of fun talking to old friends and students, some I only see a couple of times a year. It makes me want to go to more of the festivals to "meet-up". I was also able to meet new people and hopefully get some people to take my weaving classes, I love making new weavers. Several of them talked to me about the looms they have and how they can get them working and make things on them, I hope I was able to send them in the right places to get them going.
And yes I did make some purchases, I should have kept them all in the car instead of taking the first day's purchases home. It's like I forgot how much I had purchases and on the second day I started all over again!
I knew I would not get away from Carolyn's booth easily. I love spinning her hand-painted rovings. They draft beautifully and her color lines just speak to me. I started by getting two more braids of "Jumbleberry" (I have two from her fiber club and want to try a "faux ikat" warp), Then I spotted "Peacock" I wish there were more of those, I only got two and may have to contact "Greenwood Fiberworks" for more (I have a beautiful blue cone of yarn that I accidentally bought two of, so I need a multi-colored yarn to weave with it), then I felt the new 50% yak/50% silk...wow...I got three braids of "Bountiful" and I don't know what I will do with it, but right now just rubbing it on my body is enough.
I was also mesmerized by a couple of her "Carded Sparkle Batts". Her daughter often does them and I really enjoy spinning them, although I seldom have plans for them when I purchase. These are purple and red...they look like the "Red Hat" ladies...maybe that means that I need to do something for Mom with them.
I also succumbed to some yarn she had. I first of her hand-pained yarn I bought was some sock yarn last summer and I really enjoyed the color movement as I knitted it. This time I got 2 skeins of "Calypso" a wonderful combination of lavender, green and blue. It is an alpaca/silk combination and is 875 yards per 100 gr skein. It should weave up great...I don't think there is a repeat that I could use for "faux ikat", so it will probably just be a random color piece.
I discovered a "new to me" knitting shop in the valley, "Knittin' Pretty". She carries a great selection of yarns, but the "Mountain Colors" called to me and I got two rovings and two skeins of Weaver's Wool Quarters. I love the colors in this companies line.
I spotted a new spindle at "Greensleeve's Spindles" the first day...on the second day it was still calling to me, so I finally bought it. I think it is perfect to spin that wonderful yak/silk for a lace weight yarn.
I also got a button from my favorite glass button artist...Jodie Mcdougall Studios, but this is an assignment from her. I need to design and weave a bag to put this wonderful button on. It has two koi swimming at different levels in the button...what a great challenge to make something to show off this button!
The last thing is a couple of bobbin lace pillows, book, and bobbins. A woman was selling the lot for a good price, and I plan to take it to bobbin lace guild to pass it on to someone starting out. It is a great price for a couple of pillows, a really good way to get started. And I have too many pillows for me to work on.
Well, this blog ended up being a shopping list, but maybe in the next year there will be some of the woven, spun, or knitted pieces from this collection of fun.
Today I am just going to show what I did this weekend. I had a wonderful time at the Great Basin Fiber Fair. It seems to just get better each year and I was amazed at the place this year. It is held in the Salt Lake Equestrian Center arena. Not the best venue, but I am pleased with just how nice it is. We have booths around the perimeter of the arena, but at the rate it is growing, they will soon need more space there.
 |
| My rainbow warp at the Fair |
The warp is 8/4 cotton and makes my heavy towels. I had one man feel the finished towels that I had in this weight and he said they were "man" towels. I mostly used black weft and wove in random, or border stripes in them. I think that there is one more on the warp and I will probably weave the full weft in rainbow stripes for a plaid like effect.
 |
| A bit of the weaving with a yellow stripe |
And yes I did make some purchases, I should have kept them all in the car instead of taking the first day's purchases home. It's like I forgot how much I had purchases and on the second day I started all over again!
 |
| Two Days Full |
I was also mesmerized by a couple of her "Carded Sparkle Batts". Her daughter often does them and I really enjoy spinning them, although I seldom have plans for them when I purchase. These are purple and red...they look like the "Red Hat" ladies...maybe that means that I need to do something for Mom with them.
I also succumbed to some yarn she had. I first of her hand-pained yarn I bought was some sock yarn last summer and I really enjoyed the color movement as I knitted it. This time I got 2 skeins of "Calypso" a wonderful combination of lavender, green and blue. It is an alpaca/silk combination and is 875 yards per 100 gr skein. It should weave up great...I don't think there is a repeat that I could use for "faux ikat", so it will probably just be a random color piece.
I discovered a "new to me" knitting shop in the valley, "Knittin' Pretty". She carries a great selection of yarns, but the "Mountain Colors" called to me and I got two rovings and two skeins of Weaver's Wool Quarters. I love the colors in this companies line.
I spotted a new spindle at "Greensleeve's Spindles" the first day...on the second day it was still calling to me, so I finally bought it. I think it is perfect to spin that wonderful yak/silk for a lace weight yarn.
I also got a button from my favorite glass button artist...Jodie Mcdougall Studios, but this is an assignment from her. I need to design and weave a bag to put this wonderful button on. It has two koi swimming at different levels in the button...what a great challenge to make something to show off this button!
The last thing is a couple of bobbin lace pillows, book, and bobbins. A woman was selling the lot for a good price, and I plan to take it to bobbin lace guild to pass it on to someone starting out. It is a great price for a couple of pillows, a really good way to get started. And I have too many pillows for me to work on.
Well, this blog ended up being a shopping list, but maybe in the next year there will be some of the woven, spun, or knitted pieces from this collection of fun.
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