SAORI weekend

This past weekend I drove to the Spinning Seahorse in Pensacola, FL for a fun filled weekend of weaving! Anna hosted SAORI and Beyond weaving workshop by Jennie and Cheryl from  Weavin' Place Saori Style in Folsom, LA.

There were 15 of us with all different skill levels. 

I was able to learn some new techniques and gain some inspiration. 

I also felt able to give some instruction to a couple of the new kids. Confidence growing ;)

I think the real inspiration came from the little fashion show Jennie gave us. Her garments were beautiful and had lovely drape. 

It made me want to run home and wind up some bobbins and start weaving fabric right away. 

Deb and I had brought our rigid heddle Cricket Looms and learned a trick for warping it with the Saori pre wound warps. 

When Jennie clamped the heddle to the table I went "ah ha!", that just made much more sense to me.  It was like warping front to back instead of back to front. Of course I had to see it to understand it.

Then a small station break for some triangle loom demo-ing.

I kept trying to record Debra from picassos moon but I have so much crap on my phone I had to stop and delete some pictures before I could take more. 

Sadly I had the same problem with the fashion show, not enough memory :-/

Here I are two very brief videos I managed to take with my abbreviated iPhone memory.

                                     

                                     

 

I don't think I will win any awards with my film making but you get the gist of it. ;)

As we were packing up I heard the clip clip of horses and ran outside to see this go by.

I took a walk the last day so I could take some water pictures but really, I spent most of my Florida weekend in doors. 

And of a local lady fishing from the wharf.

Alpaca land

Apparently I got lost... Um somewhere. I thought I had been here but then logged in to see I hadn't. 

We had been working on Alpaca Land and busy trying to bribe the new fur kids to like us.  Let me just say...it is a lengthy process.

This is the look I usually get from Juliet who happens to be the Elder. The others seem to ask permission from her first.

Cousin is the nicest one, which is ironic since the lady I got him from said he couldn't get along with her chickens and goats. I don't have any chickens for him to not like but he is by far the best behaved,

And being a young alpaca male. He was immediately put in his place by the three girls. 

Brodie was introduced but they all merged on him at once and he ran away like a scared little girl.

Then, oh horrors, made him pose with those really big doggies... 'You stay on your side and I will pretend you are not there.'

Johnny has become the horse whisperer.

And well this is Luna, who is usually a very nice horse. 

Except for last Sunday when I was riding her.

It went down like this... First I lost my hat, then my stirrup, then my boot flew off and she kept gaining speed... 

I could see two logs and a barn in my immediate future. 

I think maybe she didn't understand my Yankee accent because she just wouldn't WHOA!

 Then I picked what I hoped was a softer spot than the logs and bailed...at full gallop!  I discovered I don't bounce as well as I used too.

I have been 'recovering' ever since and concentrating on clearing up some in progress stuff... 

Xoxo

The journey continues

Work continued on the pen this week to make it more secure. My son had to replace few feet of fencing then viola it is ready for habitation!! Actually as it turned out, he used about 80 feet of fencing. But it is all good and the pacs have a safe and secure home.

I prepared my fiber for the wild side of my Golden Fleece module 7 yarn, my responsible single already spun and waiting.

I think my blending board is my most used tool. I love to paint with fiber!

I started with combed top, then added schlubs of SoftSilk and some dyed locks then some more combed  top.. 

Arty Rolags 

Spun into my "wild" single with some wild feathers spun into it.

Then plied with my "responsible" single.

And it turned out practically perfectly balanced., like Mary Poppins

I am quite please at how this one turned out. 

I am almost sorry to see the end of this particular journey. Only one more module left to do.

And of course I managed to squeak in another hat, this one for Jesse in Maryland. Every time I post one, I get another request.

Fibering on...
xoxo

marching on

Time marches on. I find that when a person takes an extended leave of absence from work, one is left without a sense of urgency to preform a task.

Apparently I need to have the pressure of limited time off to motivate myself to get things done.

 Time tends to pass in a blur and before you know it, the week is over and you haven't accomplished squat!

OK I haven't exactly been idle but I haven't been getting my yarn stock produced like I should either.  or those niddy noddys. And some days I just plain don't do diddle. Of course now that work is looming over me I am panicked about my mental to do list.

I feel a bit like I am cramming for finals. Tuesday I went to the clerks office and got my local business license for RaineyDay Fibers, Friday I took care of the state paperwork so now I am all legal like in the state of Tennessee. Of course so far not a sale in this state.

I did also get the poncho off in the mail ( they don't seem to have an 24 hour Post Offices here, just sayin')  and Nikki's Rikki Hat also off in the mail to Chicago Burbs.

Ever since I posted all the Christmas hats I have been hat bound (orders). So here is the one for Jesse (who is in Maryland) in progress. and I should get this one done this week end. With one more hat order after that to do...this next one for Nadine in Arizona. She wants some of my hand spun done up.

I'm not complaining but I am getting tired of the hat scene.

 Lots other happening since last Sunday...did I mention I got some new furkids? No??? Well that is what my other project is. Getting the over grown pen ready at my cousin/brothers place for the new residents.


I planned on starting out early but then it snowed first thing. And my son vetoed that for today.

 

Late in the afternoon I was feeling a bit panicked again so I went over to my cousins and started work myself.

No one has lived in it for some time and it took me a good 15 minutes to hack my way through those creepy "I'm taking over the world" kind of vines.

Then I hacked my way through some um, pig weed, milk weed or what ever  kind of weed thing my cousin called it.

 

I got a goodly bit finished before I was too pooped to go on. And I discovered a ginormous old satellite dish in the pen. I reckon the previous occupants  (goats) were good with it being there but I said it needs to go. Can you recycle those I wonder?

Now I won't post pictures yet of my new residents, but if you stop by my Facebook Page RaineyDay Fibers  ( that I very recently worked so hard to set up, and yes this is a blatant bid for page likes) you will get the sneak preveiw.

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I even managed to get my first single for my Golden Fleece Module 7 spun and my rolags made today for the wild side of 7.

 

Did I say I hadn't done diddly? I must have been mistaken because I am even more tired after reading this entry!


This girl is ready to crash so happy fiber-ing

xoxo

on the journeys trek

Catching up on my Golden Fleece Course. These are my Module 6 yarns.  A re-visit of my Module 1 yarn which represented breaking free. I started off making my rolags on the blending board then core spinning over some ugly commercial dk yarn I had laying around.

One small skein is core spun as a single.

The rest of the rolags I decided need a little bit more ummm...texture. And lo and behold, I happened to have some colorful buttons sitting around just waiting to be used.

 They cried out to be used in this yarn. Plied with thread and added the buttons. 

And Module 6 is complete and submitted!

Fiber on xoxo

poncho-licious

It has been a while but I finally got on the stick and worked on that woven commission piece!


I had been weaving on it from time to time but not steady.  I had some difficulty with it because it was wool yarn on wool warp. Lesson learned, I did not enjoy the making of it. I discovered the wool yarn grabs too much on the wool warp to make smooth motions.

I had actually made three pieces of fabric. The first one was too short (faulty guesstimating), so that one I consider my practice piece. Maybe I will play around with it and some pins and see what it wants to be.

It has been a long time since I sewed a poncho (or anything for that matter), and I was feeling a little rusty and nervous. I think it had to do with it being commissioned. Pressure and all that. I had to hang it on the mannequin for a few days pinned together. 

Then I switched the fabric around and pinned it again and then mulled it over some more. I wasn't liking the stiffness but I was sure it would soften up. Just being my usual pickiness. Yep, yep I think I like it.

 Today I told my son (and myself) I am getting that poncho done dammit!!

I trimmed, pinned and sewed and then I tried it on. Perfect!  Presently it is hanging out on the porch drying after the last nice warm bath. Oh an it is not stiff at all!

I do love how it turned out! I wouldn't mind keeping it myself if she doesn't like it. I kind of have a hard time letting go of my creations some times.

Next project...duh  another Rikke hat! This one was a request. 

Now I must must must get back to my Journey to the Golden Fleece module 6!
 Fibering on Loveies!
xxoo