Room to Spin

Like a mad dervish, in whirling and swirling succession, I left myself go.....

Spin how you feel...
Sexy....

This yarn is called Paris.
Paris is sexy.
Superwash merino in pinks and blacks plied with nylon with glass beads.

How do you spin "Silly"

I call this "Wild Child"
A core soft merino loaded with mohair locks in odd and fun colours.
The twist is not set, deliberately over spun.


I feel adventurous....

This is "Sea Slugs"....
very West Coast. It sums up my whole experience of living in BC.
Organic, alive, funky, original.


I feel Sedate....
So spin something simple, yet striking....


"Simplify"
Black and white merino plied together,
small lumps of the black slightly overpowering the white.


I feel pretty.....

Superwash merino plied.
One colour- lavender with little wool neps
2nd colour - green, cream and a bit of lavender.
"Lily Pad"
So soft and pretty.

I've therapeutically spun out all my emotions.....now I think I'll spin "elated"......

Presenting....... A Clean Studio

Yippee! hurray for me. Thanks Mike, thanks to all who participated in the cleaning, sorting, tossing and otherwise organization input for this room. Finally a place to create.

It's Hard to be an Original

I try to keep my blonders (blinders) on when it comes to the work of other textile designers. I want to admire it, touch it and rub it up against my face and yet I do just the opposite.

When I see other people's textile I run in the other direction. I do not want to be inspired by other people's work. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about inspiration-----however I would rather garner it from an alternate source. Tree, waterfall, weird colour combinations, textures of sand and soil.

I took a free form crochet workshop with Prudence Mapstone in July and I was terrified at what might happen to me after prolonged exposure to a room full of textile people (especially while we are all being taught the same thing) My fears were groundless and I came out of the course with the only 3 dimensional piece (a hat of course). Because what I see will be filtered and interpreted by the hat eye in me, the thing, the burning curse that wants to see most things on people's heads.

And for the record, the learning experience and that new form of inspiration--which was simply in watching other artist's faces light up when they realized they had done something new and different was quite over the top for inspiration. It was almost like their energy was electric and it actually passed through me. So exciting, that it made me sign up for another course with Lexi of Pluckyfluff fame.

I enjoy her reckless handspun, I enjoy her work. It really is ground breaking to have doll pieces, paper, scrub pads and the kitchen sink thrown into wool. I don't think that way when I spin, it all has a plan, and I definitely do not want to make doll yarn, it just doesn't have any point to me, even as a knitter. But, I want to have that feeling......

I have now discovered that there will be a few people I know in the course, too close to home, all textile people, local people and even some in the same shows and venues as I will be in. I'm not comfortable with that cross contamination as it were. I want my work to be my own, not sucked up into the great craft continuum. Oh hell, I don't know what I want. It's hard to describe what I want to achieve when I spin.

Wait......

I want to make something with whimsy that will make a knitter scream, please let me knit something, I know exactly what I want to make with this wool. I must own it and will stare at it for weeks before I knit it because it is precious to me.

At least this is what I thought the first time I picked up a ball of Ozark Handspun, yards and yards of nothing but unspun and dyed mohair locks. It was outrageously priced, but dreamy and I'll never forget how much enjoyment it gave me to knit it.

If you design, you become so protective of your work, but to the point of not connecting with other people who will be inspired by you....that's just wrong. Sharing your work is part of what makes this artisanal lifestyle so appealing. We do it for the love baby. I'll have to keep trying to remember that.

Well, brain, heart, mind, open yourself again....Endless possibilities await.

Grapes of Wrath

Let's get right to it, shall we? No fooling around. Today seemed like the perfect day for this yarn. I spun this more than a week ago and left it on the bobbin just trying to enjoy the grapiness. Inspired by the purple, and my new felting tool from Clover.....I decided to needle felt some grapes (I mean bleed to death). Thank God this fleece was purple!

I popped in a few bits of green in a nice perindale to give it a bit of umph and then decided it needed grapes. But what are grapes without the curly vines and the grape vine leaves..???

The leaves are knit in Misty Alpaca and the vines are crocheted in the same variegated wool. All of this was threaded on to the ply thread ( a beautiful lime green embroidery thread)

This view is on the spindle.

On the niddy noddy.

Now skeined up with a coordinating trim wool. Single ply thick and thin hand spun merino.

Total weight 150 grams
Grape yarn 89 yards
Trim yarn 33 yards

I can already see that hat! But this time I won't be the one knitting it.

Why Farmer's Markets are Cool

Friendly Tomatoes

I haven't been to Trout Lake in a while. The weather was incredible for personal comfort, but not so great for hat selling. Except for yesterday. Thank you to the people who think your seasons fashion wear in advance!

Joan and I have been sharing space since the beginning of the season and I love how our stuff works together. Her polymer clay buttons are a necessary part of anything I knit that needs buttons and her knitting needles are to die for.

...Joan manning the booth

Probably while I was taking pictures of my talented neighbour Laura (who was also my neighbour at the Filberg Festival)

Her objet d'art...the colours!

Now the most important reason for loving Farmer's Markets.....the people who come out rain or shine every week and support their local growers and makers. Since I didn't get permission for these photographs, I only shot feet! If you recognize your shoes, I apologize for any improper usage of your footwear.

And now the best reason of all

I was going to take a picture of the cheese and onion scone I bought....I ate it before I could pick up the camera...Oops.

Please support your local makers and growers.

I am a Dirty Girl

My studio is filthy. I can never work in it (which is really why I am always looking for destinations to knit in). It has always been more necessity than "danger knitting". In retrospect, it would be more dangerous to knit in my studio.

I have been forced to clean it. It's a long story but suffice it to say there have been threats, tears and just complete frustration at not being able to find things I know I already have. I have been gearing up for this for a week, purchasing "cute" things to store stuff in and a couple of really funky peel and stick wall murals....faux murals....(furals) ---something fun to look at while I am in the studio, besides the space channel.

I am dirty because I am cleaning...My lungs are completely felted now. I have choked up multiple hairballs and I have wool in my eyes. I can actually feel it rolling behind one eyeball. Hey, it will be gone by morning, right?

First wall mural in the spinning corner.....Cartoon tree and birds sprouting from the table. It already makes me happy. Please note enormous full bobbin with 1.2 lbs of spun wool just waiting to be plied.

Table also contains small enamelled planter pots in coordinating greens and teals which are now responsible for holding, trims, buttons, silk ply yarn, ridiculous notions (of the spinning kind) and more sundry sillies.

More sundries, vintage hat block, silver flowers ( a great gift from my brother) in a vase from local potters and friends Jean Marie and Michelyn.

More birds and branches. The one and only time this wall will be empty and clean, and now with the shelving back in place and a bit more organized....

New, freshly new custom blended and carded roving. The blends are primarily mohair, angora and merino, and how they spin, my lovelies.....there are no words to describe....

I call the above photo, everything that is important to me is on the shelf......Joan, Leanne (maker of ham) you know who you are.....

And as if I haven't bored you with enough photos, two completed projects now properly photographed.

This scarf is called Elspeth, we are dating. Please see previous post for dating history.

Desiree.....My new darling. Decadent, delicious......my darling.....hand spun natural suri alpaca, plied with silk and bamboo. The trim is energized camel down and silk crocheted with the natural coils intact. The side buttons are made from carved deer antler .

Well, I'm completely spent......

Lost in the Craft

Lists longer than yard sticks, obligations to be met and that certain special project kept calling to me. The conversation was something like this....

Project - "you've walked by me 3 times now, you know I'm in this satchel"

Me - of course I know you are there, you sexy project you.

Project - "then don't deny what you know you want the most"

Me - "but, John, the laundry"

Project - "you know they can't give you what I can"

Me - No, but I'm crocheting you to sell, so there's no point in getting so attached.

Project - "as if...I'm cashmere, angora, and hand spun camel. You spun me with your own hands.

Then me, 3 hours later....spent, no housework done, PST remittance not completed, but with a curious need for a cigarette. Damn you evil project. BTW, now complete and I better be selling this scarf this weekend....If not, we will need a hotel.

Help me, please.

Thank God for cotton and Kindness of Olympic Proportion

Firstly, let me say wool is not an easy sell when you are looking at 34 degrees of molten heat at a Farmer's Market and yet, selling must go on and you have to be prepared for all contingencies (including the extreme heat).

I now, more than ever, appreciate my cotton wares that I would normally turn my nose up at in favour of glamorous, fancy, sexy wool. Also bamboo and silk blends from France have now taken a more prevalent place in my display. No matter how much foresight a shopper has--NO ONE wants to try on wool on a day like Sunday. For those that chose fashion over heat prostration, I thank you for your purchases!

As the Olympics have carried on.....11 Medals --- Canada Rocks ---- and my own knit Olympics are wearing down, due to my own body wearing down.... Seriously you can overwork those knitting, crocheting and spinning muscles. But I have realized that am surrounded my Olympic quality people, particularly this weekend who I am awarding GOLDS to.

Pearl - gold in your own version of a Triathlon or Decathlon, you choose, or perhaps both, yes, both....

John - gold in a single event this weekend (only because you didn't do the driving) and stay the extra day....

I am assuming you will both pass the drug testing!

In your face world --we have 4 medals!!!

My hope and spirits have been renewed. Three medals within 45 minutes. I am so glad I stayed up all night watching the Olympics (again). Now I feel like such a weanie for complaining about being tired and almost giving up on my knit Olympic dream...

Having Pearl and John in tow has made this trip really exciting. Having a gorgeous (free) condo to stay in even more so.... The best breakfast ever at 2pm... Pony Espresso in Pemberton. Latte larger than fetus and John had breakfast and lunch. This is his sandwich --they bake all their own bread!

The goal of the day was to embroil Pearl in one of our danger adventures, but being a bit more tame and not properly outfitted for White Water Rafting, we settled for a hike at Nairn Falls.
It was grueling, but beautiful. One mile lake is actually much further --totally misleading and I am definitely writing a letter to Parks Canada.


Knitting at the destination and just taking it all in stretched afternoon into early evening.


Some groceries, back to the condo and settled in for an evening of Olympics. I know and apologize, it will all be over soon and I will return back to my original knit reporting. In the meantime I am sucking up all of the fantastic scenery and camradery. I might even have some fun at the Whistler Market tomorrow. I am hoping that Pearl and I will have a surprise visit from Judy and that there will be time to get to the Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre which has a massive display of native textile design and cedar baskets.

If not tomorrow then Monday morning...Oh yes, Pearl and I have managed to wrangle another day here. Hot damn. It's 10pm and still 70 degrees with a breeze.

Competing priorities instead of competing for Medals.

I may have to call an end to my Knitting Olympics as my laundry list of things to be done piling up. My tree hat is taking much longer than I remember it taking in the past, and this is only one of my web orders. I also have some tea to mail and an order to ship.

Top that off with heading out tonight with Pearl and John to Whistler for the weekend. Don't get me wrong. I missed being at the market for two weeks, but I find the set up and the planning monumental. I just don't go to the market and toss up the tent and my stuff on the table.

The set up is actually based on that week's inventory, weather, season and which vehicle is going --grid wall challenges. So today I have to spend a good amount of time deciding what gets put into a van tonight, as well as a weekend's worth of clothing, knitting to finish, linens, snacks, making sure the cats are taken care of ....you name it.

Oh and finding the charger for my sexy brand new wireless visa machine. Oh and flowers to crochet and yarns to ply. I think I am going to lay down and have a small seizure now. Pearl, I don't think you'll see me in the store for several hours, if possibly not at all....I didn't realize how much I had to do today...Friday is the day I usually go to work with Pearl so I can be surrounded by yarn. That may not help me today.

Finish the tree, finish the tree!!!!

UPDATE----The tree is done...Off to the post office.

Settling for Bronze

After a wild ride and the elation of giving myself gold, how do you settle for a bronze? Mike and I haven't gotten together in ages, so I piled all my knitting into a bag and headed for the beach...

Yes, this is what the inside of my knitting bag looks like. There is a drop spindle, buttons, labels and about 6 pairs of needles also in this chaos. I considered the beach knitting an homage to add the great beach volleyball players currently working towards medal standings. Kidding, again, not considering that an Olympic sport any more than my knitting really is.

And while only achieving a bronze due to having fun and hanging out....I am proud of the work put out there.

A hat from my own hand spun stash....


A cherry blossom scarf finished, the weaving in of ends alone was deserving.....

Two fall hand spuns. Time to start introducing the greens and rusts back into the fold.

And for my own non competition round...continuing on my free form scarf. Which Habib is enjoying hiding under...

I am at least going for silver today.....Well rested ample ambition and inspired by the absolutely wonderful performances of our men's gymnastic guys yesterday. Really strong performances, great outfits, but just not quite enough.........Baseball however-----we rock----seriously 10-0 game....Go Canada!