One Sheep Sweaters

I just heard about this interesting artist -and I am intrigued – https://christienmeindertsma.com/One-Sheep-Sweater  as the work I am currently doing with my spinning, knitting, weaving and dyeing, is all based around the most local and a from start to finish process beginning with a raw fleece, and ending up with a knitted or woven work from the spun or felted fleece. But I love how Christien has also documented her process. Also, take a look at the Idaho conservation project:  https://christienmeindertsma.com/Idaho .

For me, the process is a bit messier – the Sheep below are well loved ewes and lambs from Cortes Island, while I also have fleece from Galiano Island sheep. I am planning on a new weaving project with this batch of yarn. Not likely a one sheep weaving – maybe a two sheep weaving – stay tuned.

Finding Local wool from happy sheep: http://www.saltspringislandwoolco.ca/preparing-the-fleece/4534780155 

Just treated my self to a new (very old) wheel, in need of much love.

but I have a tip about who may be able to guide me: https://www.csnf.com/2014/10/restoring-spinning-wheels-with-reed-needles/https://theknitknack.wordpress.com/tag/antique-spinning-wheel/

Cortes Ewes – ethical and sustainable wool

I have finally met (virtually) the ewes whose wool has been through my fingers and onto my spinning wheel for the past months.

 

These lovelies have shared their fleece (roving) with the likes of me and others. Thanks to Joy Shipway – we have more roving to spin and felt for the coming months. I am thrilled to learn more about these sheep and lambs, along with working their wool into various things for warmth and beauty.

 

Knit City!!! 2019 I’ve found my people!

You know when you go somewhere, and the people speak your language, you know their customs and they know yours; you know when they care about the same things you do, and you can you feel like they know what you are thinking even before you say anything … well, perhaps that is what happens in a village or a family. Well, at Knit City, Vancouver, I found my people.

The marketplace was filled with keen textile folks and friends. There were demonstrations galore, and plenty to see and do (and of course buy). My focus is on sustainable textiles, and learning by doing, and being (with others). The longer I chatted with any person there, the more they seemed to be in line with my thinking. Local colours, natural dyes, embodied learning – all these good things. And, And, on top of that all, there were beautiful – okay stunning wools, yarns, spindles, looms and samples of knitted and crocheted gorgeousness everywhere!

Some of my favourite stores were: Crafty Jaks boutique, Urban Yarns, Wet Coast Wools, Angela George Coast Salish Weaver, Custom Woolen Mills, Raveled Sleave (have a pattern for ‘thatch’ satchel to knit then felt!!) Twisted Fae Fibre works (bought another drop-spindle) and Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works (a family enterprise – with too many gorgeous textile items) !!!

Summer inspirations

This July and a little bit of August, I was boating with my sweetie,  and connecting with our gorgeous west-coast. On my journey, I had time for some  connecting me with other textile artists and their work. Over this summer I also began spinning wool, (thanks to the InSEA conference at UBC), enhanced my nalbinding techniques, and found some gorgeous wools and quilts while on Hornby Island. All in all, an inspirational summer.

Galliano wool – not yet carded

testing out my home made drop spindle with my carded wool

my lovely little Turkish Spindle – (Etsy find)

More of my drop spindles 🙂

Shannon at InSEA conference at our workshop – Weaving Indigenous and Slow Pedagogies

Nalbinding lace wool

My nalbinding alpaca wool with my new antler needle made by Allan Tosh – love it!

early morning – me in my happy place on the hook

‘cafe 360’ we’ve dubbed our boat – everywhere you go, there is an amazing view every which way you look

a wall hanging at my in-laws – I love the twists and turns in the organic form.

At the Hornby Island Market – I met Cedar – whose work I have enjoyed for years – I have a link to her blog on the textile artists page

Cedar’s wool magic

More of Cedar’s silk and wool

Cedar’s eco dyeing sild

eco-dye silk

My wool, carrot top dyed (actually Cedar’s wool, but I have it now in my collection for knitting)

these gorgeous merino are all mushroom dyed! I must learn how to do this.

Annual Hornby Island Quilt show! This I am rather sure must be part of the quilt artist’s master’s thesis.

Hornby Quilt show cont.

More from the quilt show.

this is the artist statement for the redlined sea floor looking pieces

LOVE this one – very jazzy

Vintage hand-quilted!

detail of vintage hand quilted and cross-stitched.

These are monthly challenges amongst their group on Hornby – very fun!

Dye, stitch, weave … a fall of fun

Throughout the fall term (winter term1) at UBC, we have been exploring a range of textile art processes with a new project each week. This means that my own studio at home has a new project on the go each week, with my family never sure what’s brewing.  This weekend it was onion skins, wool yarn, and wool roving. “Very witchy, Mom,” they told me – and then confirmed that this was a good thing.

wool roving and yarn ready for dyeing

onion skins

soup is on 😀 low simmer for an hour and sit over night

While that was cooking, We had some textile stamping and image transfer tests.

Nest week, I’ll share some of our term’s highlights.

November 2019 Events in Surrey

If you haven’t already taken in the exhibition at the Surrey Art Gallery, it is time to head there now. Internationally known textile artist Maggie Orth is giving a talk on Saturday November, 3. For details about where, when, and more about Maggie: see here:

Maggie Orth – website: http://www.maggieorth.com/

Natural Dyes -from a walk through the park.

It was a particularly windy day with clear skies and the smell of dried leaves in the air. I stopped my bike on a wooded trail and gathered a few pine cones, a couple sticks (for stirring) some acorns, and once I got home, I clipped a few fern fronds from my yard. The resulting ‘soup’ was rather delightful.

The pink is from avocado pit and skins (one avocado, but not from the walk). The warm  yellow was the from fern soup. Browner hues came from the nuts and cones, but the darkest brew was a result of all the green stuffs together (with added iron and onion skin) love the grey brown on cotton! (See the rt. side at the back of the drying bar).

Mixed dye pot with bracken

Subversive knitting and Radical Crochet?

Art writer, Alexaa Gotthardt recounts a growing movement of textile artists to look out for in online magazine ARTSY . Take a closer look at the works of Haegue Yang, Orly Genger, Stephan Goldrajch, Jim Drain, Ernesto Neto, and others.

Take a look at some of the many textile artists making work today and find what resonates with you. Share your thoughts with us, and recommendations for artists to check out – especially those emerging artists.

knitting, knotting and crochet

We know that these tasks / art forms result in more than fancy scarves and fuzzy socks. Brain research shows more:

PBS brain and knitting

The history of knitting was a surprise to me.

And more – https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/3014004710/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>rare sheep, spinning, knitting and yarn dyeing

There are several blog posts about the history of knitting – but some of the facts may surprise you. Here is one such blog – easy to read and interesting.

We should also look to the Coast Salish Knitters of BC (this link is to UBC open collections – excellent images and text from 1987). They have a long tradition of knitting – the Cowichan Sweaters that are famous in our area.

Please feel free to share (in comments) other interesting facts about knitting, crochet and knotting.

Beginning with Knots – macramé and more.

When thinking about textiles, one may think of fabric and sewing. But if we look closer – what about the very fibres that construct the cloth, we may think about how the threads hold together to form fabric in the first place.

As we look around us, we begin to notice textiles in multiple shapes and forms. As a sailor, I use ropes as a halliard to hoist a mainsail, sheets (more ropes) to manage the headsail, and other ropes (painters) to tie my boat to a dock. Knowing the ropes and the knots that go with them is essential for any boater. For me, this was a reminder of my once loved craft of macramé.  I memorized the most common sailing knots, and then began on the decorative knots.

I have been inspired by the resurgence of popularity of macramé in home decor and fashion.

I have retooled my kit and have begun in earnest. Fortunately, others have as well, with many folks world-wide posting their video tutorials, Pinterest images of their completed works, the resources are rather endless. I will review and share some of my favourite images and links to some of the best videos and webpages for your easy reference.

Paracord: https://youtu.be/BbLJP8Gzgsw

Macramé: large scale – and basics:

awesome website with video and examples

small scale – jewellery: video – macrame

I suggest building your own Pinterest board to save and organize your own favourite knots. Pinterest