27.8.09



Hub saw deer in our yard today. They stayed for a long time.

14.8.09

studio!!!

i'm soooo psyched about my new space! i got most of the stuff moved in today and although i'm not yet all unpacked/organized/arranged, everything seemed to fall into place. the window spaces are coveted in this building and i was happy with an interior space. here it is:


and the view out toward the front:

the bare part was just vacated by a stained glass artist who moved across the street. the weavers will be moving into that area (see all those looms up front?!!) and then the front spaces will be taken by painters.

and here's is what i set up today in my studio!!

the rug was actually there already, and at first i wasn't sure if it fit with my long-awaited dream studio aesthetic, but then i thought it worked pretty well. i haven't carted my precious Fantine (that's my Rose wheel) down there yet, although since it's going to be my main craft space, i guess i will. i'm told it's perfectly safe and it has a lock and all that, but maybe i should see about insurance first?

here's the view out toward the back of the building (two painters have that gorgeous space behind mine):


and here's my new carding station, thanks to a quick ikea run! i swear, the expedit shelf and desk must have been designed with carding in mind.


and my desk from home, repurposed as a sewing table (i wanted to move it anyway to make room for hub's daughter, who is hopefully coming to stay with us. whole 'nother story, that).


and some fixins and sewing supplies:


i have the space defined by an awesome thrifted sofa! so comfy. this pic is taken from another spinning station (a chair's better for spinning on that bulky babe) on the other side of the carding table.


i can't believe the amount of space and the peace i felt hanging out there today. there is no wifi, which will take some getting used to, but plenty of room think and breath and create. this is the nicest thing i've ever done for myself.

9.8.09





I'm so happy with how this shrug turned out. Even though the weather isn't cooperating today, these colors put me so in the mood for Fall. I've seen small hints, sounds and smells that Fall is on its way, but it hasn't hit us here in the South like it has for those lucky bloggers in the Northeast. I hate this heat for the bunnies, too, although most days they seem just fine, but today they look fairly miserable. Still, it's cooler in the barn than it is in the house (except for the one room where we have a window unit and it is hogged by dogs). Lately I've been thinking about how all the righteous folks who strenuously argue that pets should live indoors, they must be blissfully unaware that *I* barely live indoors. Of course, it's not that we're not privileged - it's a choice that we made to be cheap and environmentally conscious (love when those things coincide!) Rather than spend $14,000 on central heat and air, at least by one estimate, we went with the woodstove and fans. I'm not sure why it seemed so romantic and virtuous to me when sometimes the heat and cold are downright debilitating, but often I revel in being open to the elements, especially when I'm falling asleep.

So I've been feeling some malaise with my spinning and I hope it's just the heat and not that old boredom creeping in. It's been my longstanding pattern to go all-out with my interests and then burn out on them, but usually it takes a few years. And it's all cyclical, I've been around and around among the same things over the years - fiber, farming, photography. There is something about fiber projects that's different - sometimes I get the feeling that there's no there there. I mean, I always look for layers and depths of meaning in art, and usually that's what keeps me delving and fascinated over a long period of time. With fiber, I'm thinking it's stubbornly resistant to symbolism, even though art yarnies try so hard to create themes and narratives - and they are beautifully successful at times. I dunno though - sometimes I feel like that's the whole draw with fiber, at least for me - the tactility that overshadows any cerebral venture, the insistence on process. That's what seduces me but then lately I'm left feeling a little empty, casting about for concepts and politics as per usual. That's how I've been trained and (therefore?) that's largely what satisfies. But what do I want out of fiber art? I guess I'll find out, since the new studio (complete with central heat and air!) will be ready for me next week.

8.8.09

Bride in Longwool

I've been so interested lately in the concept of preserving the look of fleece, so that garments hearken back to the fiber animal rather than effacing them - but this may be the single most glorious example I've seen to date (click to biggify those locks!)



The (very British) bride said, 'I want to prove to people that wool is not just something for knitting bobble hats from, and that our native breeds can have just as big a presence today as in the past.'

Found via tweet from Moonwood Farm. Read more here.

7.8.09





One thing I rediscovered at camp was the pleasure of roving. I almost always buy raw fleeces, sometimes washed or dyed fleeces (and of course I treat myself to batts), but I felt like I was cheating or something if I bought the commercially processed stuff - and where's the fun when it spins up so quickly? But damn, I was way off on all that. First of all, you pretty much need some roving as a base for the crazy carded batts. Or at least it makes for a great sandwich. And then you'll never get the same beautifully rounded wiggly ply without roving. So I scooped up some of the gorgeous hand-dyed roving I'd been eyeing by Cloudlover and spun it up into a thick-and-thin single for the snuggle shrug KAL on Ravelry. I got a good 120 yards out of one braid, which is impressive. I am so enamored of the color variations (and so is Ruthie apparently) and it is wonderfully soft. I needed some new addictions - oh and she also turned me on to BPAL.

I've been feeling quiet lately with more bad news on my dad's health. Oh, how I love my Papa. I was just talking to him in his hospital room and he told his nurse that I was a senior at Notre Dame. If only!

2.8.09

Sunday afternoon


Cosset's crazy coat...


and babies almost as big as their mama (that's Daisy on the left).

1.8.09

camp faves



Finally home, washing yarn and taking pics. Also farm chores and meeting today about studio space!