Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Country Christmas in Port Gamble




For the past 3 Saturdays, the town of Port Gamble has celebrated "Country Christmas" with an old-time flair. There were arts & crafts, heavenly baked goods, tractor-pulled hay rides with Santa, and a Christmas Tree lighting celebration followed by an amazing fireworks display. We had carolers strolling through town --they even came into the shop several times to sing for a while, and warm up of course. If you haven't made it out to Port Gamble yet, it's worth the trip.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Country Christmas in Port Gamble


Just a reminder that Port Gamble Country Christmas starts this weekend, December 1st and 2nd, and continues for 2 more weekends in December too. We put the tree up at the shop this past weekend and will finish decorating it this weekend. I hope to see many familiar faces these next few weeks at Port Gamble, and many new faces too.

If you haven't been to the shop in Port Gamble yet, we are in the old red Fire Hall across from the General Store (next to the yellow Post Office building). Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weekdays are by appointment only.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Duck at my Door



When I arrived at the shop one morning last week I was greeted by a Duck. A lone duck, quacking and pacing back and forth along the front of the shop. A friendly duck looking for attention maybe, but more likely food so I fed him my bananna (it was that or an apple and I decided to save the apple for MY lunch). The duck stayed around for a while, waddling back and forth outside the front of the shop. He peered in through the overhead door a few times, then just wandered off. He didn't appear to be hurt physically, and he certainly had a good appetite as he devoured my entire bananna in seconds! I guess he was just a very friendly duck passing through Port Gamble ... likely heading south to warmer climates.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Rebecca's Shawl



A little while back my dear friend Karen B. introduced me to Rebecca, who is an absolutely extraordinary person, and an artist too! Rebecca and Karen came to spend the day and "play" at the shop in Port Gamble. Rebecca's goal was to learn to spin, which she did on a drop spindle - yes, another spinner was born!

Here is Rebecca wearing one of my felt shawls, correction.... now her felt shawl! Thanks Rebecca!!

Friday, August 17, 2007

A Week's Work



I wanted to take a picture of this past week's dyeing - lots of yarn and the usual fibers... 8 colorways of dyed top - Corriedale, Blue Face Leicester, and Merino. I also dyed tencel and bamboo for the first time... different process using fiber reactive dyes so learning along the way. I did achieve some beautiful colors so it was a success! I dyed some baby alpaca top that is dreamy soft; more silk, and mohair locks in new colors (well, they are all new since I don't try to repeat and I always mix my own!) So, here it is, what is going to the shop in Port Gamble tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

My Dyeing Day




Well, I've been busy over here, dyeing up a storm... yarn, yarn, and more yarn, and a little silk top and some mohair locks too. Summer weather disappeared so I've got a fire in the wood stove and the yarn and fiber drying on a nearby rack. Good grief, August and I have a fire going!!!

I also made my first attempt at dyeing silk chiffon fabric and what fun that is! The blue and green piece is my favorite and I named it the Goddess Scarf. Maybe it is just me, but it looks like there is a Goddess in the center with her arms outstretched! Does anybody else see it??? Anyway, I decided I have to do more of this..

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Wrist Distaff & Yarn Caddy... Felty Staff?



Okay, here is another one of those "creations"... you know, the 2 a.m. and you're just knitting along and well... whatever. So, I tossed it in the washing machine and out came the "Felty Staff". (No, I didn't name it, a friend did.) The original Felty was smaller and seemed ideal for finer fibers like cashmere and yak and bison, Oh my! Hmmmm, but I knit too... so the next Felty was large enough to hold an average size center-pull ball of yarn. I can free up my hands in an instant without having to put it down, just poke my needles or spindle into the felty and slide the loop handle up my arm - voila, hands free! I knit this one from some of my hand-painted wool yarn and finished it by embellishing with beads.

Pieces Shawl


I've had a lot of comments on this creation so I thought I'd post it. What started out as knitting a "swatch" of one of my hand-painted yarns evolved into a shawl. It is simply stockinette stitch - no sewing involved as the 2nd and 3rd pieces are knit directly onto the previous piece. The border (3rd piece) is yo's and k2tog's over 7 stitches and is knit right onto the edge of the rectangle. The beads are added as you knit by placing the bead on the stitch with a tiny crochet hook. The beads provide just enough weight for the edge to hold it's shape and drape nicely. For those of us that fear lace this is an interesting alternative. I am writing up the pattern.... Once again I should have made notes as I was knitting it. Now, how many times have I said that!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Romney Batts


These are enormous batts, certainly nothing I could produce! When I learned they were batts of Romney fleece raised right here in Kingston, Washington, of course I had to have them. I wanted to dye them in one piece, which obviously would be a challenge as they weigh over 2 lbs. each. I managed to fold and scrunch them enough to squeeze them into the pot. Whew! Now, what to do with them? Maybe a "felting day" on the patio in front of the shop... I think they would make interesting felt rugs!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Finishing Felt


Near the end of day 2 and the work is nearly done. Yes, we are tired and sore from the endless pounding and rolling but we are not fighting over felt... this is actually part of the finishing technique!

Felt as Art


These are just 3 examples of the beautiful artwork created over these 2 days...

Friday, July 20, 2007

Felting Workshop



To all my friends that were around me for the past couple months "I'm sorry". I had literally worked myself into a heap of nerves (worse than usual, that is) in anticipation of teaching this two-day workshop on laminated felt using merino, silk, and cashmere fibers. You can see a picture of one of my pieces in the Summer 2007 issue of Spin-Off in the Handspun Gallery of Felted Items (Page 90-91). I lost track of how many yards of silk I had to mordant, and I have absolutely no idea how many pounds of cashmere, silk, and merino I dyed, oh, and lots and lots of kid mohair locks too!

Well, much to my amazement, the workshop went well and everyone went home with a beautiful finished project. So, "Thanks" to Suzanne for the opportunity to teach this technique in a workshop environment; and "Thanks" to fiber enthusiasts Amy, Kathy, Robin, Linnea, Katie, Liz, Lisa, Roxana, Cathy, Tiffaney, Judy, Susanne and Spring for signing up giving me the opportunity to share this with you. It was simply too much fun!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Last of the Sheep to Sweater AMP - Felting !


Our two days with The Bush School students nearly over and only one project left... Felting!! We did a small wet felting project over a resist and all the creative energy was flowing like a river run wild. No two projects were the same! Thanks to all the students for allowing us to share our knowledge with them .... and also teaching us so much in the process.

Wheel Spinning...





After everyone had their try at hand carding and drum carding we had a group lesson on drop spindle spinning. That afternoon everyone was spinning their own yarn on drop spindles... a few even went on to wheel spinning!

More on the AMP... Hand Carding & Drum Carding

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Sheep to Sweater AMP at Rainshadow Farm

Marcia assured us that Homer was quite comfortable....

Last month's Sheep to Sweater AMP with The Bush School was a tremendous success. The AMP (experiential education at its acronymic finest) led by Lisa Keller (Head Librarian at The Bush School) was designed to immerse 13 high school students in the process of yarn and feltmaking from sheep to finished product. Marcia, Claudia, and I had two days to show them our stuff and boy did they get an education (and so did we!).


Marcia kicked off the event by demonstrating her famous "sheep flipping" technique, then proceeded to shear her ram, Homer.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Constance and the Basket of Bison


Constance was again with us at the shop on Sunday, her last day before the big move to Morgan Hill. Linda, who has Constance following her around like a little puppy, decided to take Constance outside to do her "business". We decided that day 3 in sheep life is the discovery of running and jumping, as Constance leaped out the door and began trotting across the parking lot as if to say, "Look Mom, No Fences!!". Linda caught up with her and safely returned to the shop where curious Constance seemed to be attracted to the basket of Buffalo Gals Bison fiber.

Constance


This is Constance, just 2 days old on Saturday! She is Linda's "Bottle Baby" who for reasons unknown, was rejected by her mother. Linda, on the other hand, bonded with this sweet lamb immediately and has been bottle feeding her every 4 hours, so she was at the shop with us all weekend... The word was out on the street early Saturday that we had a 2-day old lamb (Jacob Breed) in the shop. She was quite the attraction as people entered the shop asking "Where's the Baby?".


By the end of Saturday afternoon there was an adoption offer on the table from a friend and local B&B owner, Marcia Breece. Marcia's sanctuary, Morgan Hill Retreat in Poulsbo, is already home to a family of fortunate critters, and I personally couldn't think of a better home for Constance. Linda slept on the offer (and checked out Marcia's references) and agreed to the adoption (with visitation privileges I am sure!) . I heard that Marcia spent a sleepless Saturday night waiting for Linda's decision and researching the Jacob Sheep Breed!


Happy news is that Constance will be moving to Morgan Hill Retreat (www.morganhillretreat.com) on Monday afternoon, where she will be most wanted and lovingly cared for by Marcia, her new shepherdess.





Sunday Spinning at the Artful Ewe


Last Sunday we made a new fiber friend, Vickie, who is also a member of NwRSA (Northwest Regional Spinner's Association), and has been spinning for about 20 years. She was so excited to find us and said she would be back. Well, one week later she was back, with her wheel, and spent the afternoon spinning with us!


It's an Open Invitation to Spinners/Knitters/Fiber Enthusiasts! Bring your wheel, needles, or whatever you're working on and spend the afternoon.


We're Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday


(Weekdays by Appointment - Please call me at 360-297-3493 or 360-643-0183).


Oh, and we don't have a lot of chairs yet so please bring your spinning stool or something to sit on!!!

Fiber Station


Is it a Fire Station.... or a Fiber Station???
We're Open!! Our first weekend and wow was it busy. The building we are in was part of the Port Gamble Historic Home Tour on Saturday. I can't count how many times we were asked "where are the fire engines?".

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Just a couple more pictures...




This building is such a cool space to work in!!!

Setting up at Port Gamble

We're pretty much set up at Port Gamble and ready for the Historic Homes Walkabout tour today (Saturday). Still a few things left to do this morning but we should be ready by 10 a.m. Linda and I are Looking forward to sitting and spinning today!

Weekends at Port Gamble

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Old Fire Hall at Port Gamble

Here's a couple more pictures of our progress setting things up. Between me, Linda and Laurie I think we've managed to make it feel comfortable and inviting. I especially like the sitting area where you can spin, knit, read or whatever. Woo Hoo! There's even a view of the water!!!

Our fingers are crossed that we'll at least be there through the summer... maybe even longer. Having a workshop or two... hosting a spin-in.... or simply enjoying the many events the town has planned over the next few months. Every Sunday there is the outdoor market and antique market, May 5th (Saturday) is the Historic Home Tour, and the 10K Spring Fling is on Sunday the 6th.

June is hopping with the Medieval Faire on the 2nd-3rd; Old Mill Days Country Carnival from 8th-10th, and the Civil War Re-Enactment on June 22, 23, & 24th.

You can check out the Port Gamble Calendar of Events for the entire year at www.portgamble.com. So come on out to Port Gamble! We're in the old Fire Station across from the General Store - Open Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Weekdays (M-F) remain studio hours by appointment only - please call 360-297-3493, 360-643-0183.

Home from Whidbey... Well Hello Miss Molly!


As if the day wasn't full enough, I came home to find out that we had a new kid! A baby goat kid that is. Miss Molly was born that same Sunday morning, April Fool's Day, without any human assistance (or intervention depending on how you look at it). fact, by the time Frank found her in the shed, Emily's motherly instincts had kicked in and little Miss Molly was already clean, dry and wobbily walking about investigating her new world. By the time I got home Sunday, it was already dark, but I wasn't waiting until morning to see the new baby kid. Flashlight in hand, Frank and I walked up to the goat shed. I sat down on the straw and held tiny Molly in my arms. Oh my gosh, how sweet is this !! I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. Okay, Okay, to all you shepherds, shepherdesses, farmers, and others that witness this birth thing on a regular basis, cut me a little slack here. I am a Newbie Goat Mom, and a sentimental one at that. I will forever be amazed and humbled by the miracle of life, no matter how small. Honestly, I had the same kind of reaction when this little nest of baby birds hatched in the rafters of our front porch last year! Doesn't she tug at your heart, just a little? (Molly - 1 Week Old)



Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Desperate Spinner


Not a whole lot of explanation needed here I'm afraid. I believe this is evidence that I've gone over the edge... Sunday afternoon heading home from Whidbey, we just missed the ferry so it was nearly 1-1/2 hours until the next one. It was pouring down rain so stuck in the truck we were. Linda had her knitting to occupy her time, I on the other hand had forgotten mine, along with my drop spindle. Linda had also won a fiber door prize (she had also won an amazing door prize at the Edgewood Spin-In.... hmmmmm... she was holding both of our tickets...) and I was curious how it would spin up. I had dp needles (used to make camelid fiber punis in the workshop) but no yarn. I attempted to spin Linda's wool by rolling the dp needle along my leg to build twist... a hopelessly lame attempt to create any reasonably sound yarn. Linda, watched me for a moment then grabbed a baby carrot from the bag of veggies, "Here, use this!" she exclaimed as she handed me the baby carrot. I quickly stabbed the dp needle into the carrot and voila! The carrot spindle was born. Honest, it really did work!!! It was a little wobbly, but a bit more precise placement and perhaps a nibble off one end would have made a more balanced tool, but usable "as is" it most certainly was...

Monday, April 30, 2007

Whidbey Spin-In



There was a cluster of local spinning events the first part of 2007 and I ambitiously attended all that I could. The Spin-In on Whidbey Island was memorable and quite simply, too much fun! Whidbey 2006 was what I considered to be my first "real vendor" event and "Deer in the Headlights" pretty much describes how I felt doing this a year ago. This year, much, much more relaxed. I also have to say how much I appreciate the awesome fiber friends I've made along the way. It's those friends I think of when I'm loading my truck at 5 a.m. in the pouring rain... the ones I know will be there... with a smile... and ready for their next "fiber fix"! (You Wooly Yarn Girls know who I'm talking about...). Okay, so I dyed what seemed to be a dump truck load of fiber the first few months of the year. My hands were perpetually purple and fiber was everywhere! This photo was our dining room just before the Whidbey Spin-In.

Bi-Annual Blogging


Returning from the depths of bad-bloggersville (it's been almost 6 months since I have updated my blog). Here is a brief and condensed account of what has been going on in my world. To some of you this is very, very, very old news. Please bear with as there is more exciting recent news to follow!!


Many of you know that I was lucky enough to share a booth with Judith MacKenzie-McCuin at the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat (Tacoma, WA) in January. Wow, what an experience that was for a total newbie (me). Thank goodness Linda J. was along! Here is Linda chatting it up with customers!