Weaving Workshop, part 2: In which I twist fringe and weave on a really old loom

On Saturday we had part 2 of the Beginning Weaving workshop at the Charleston Museum, taught by the talented Judy and, as near as I could tell, enjoyed by one and all.  For the most part our weaving was finished when we got to class, so we learned what happens next: how to take them off the loom, deal with The Fringe Question and account for any loose ends.

We also got to go into the store room at the Museum (a magical and wonderful place) and see some woven textiles in the Museum's collection, then out into the exhibits to see the enormous 4-harness loom and even more woven textiles.  Plus we got to watch as Judy pinpointed the patterns using her grandmother's weaving pattern book.  History in the making, folks!

AND THEN! We got to weave on a different 4-harness loom (from the 1850's, I think).  It was more complicated than our rigid heddle looms, but made sense now that we are bonafide weavers. 

All that was left after that was to compare our finished scarves. We decided they were ALL quite lovely!

Examples of fringe on Judy's scarves, woven from yarn she dyed in my Indigo workshop (shameless plug alert).

Demonstrating fringe twisting on my scarf.

Judy explains the finer points of removing a project from the loom.

Some woven coverlets in the Museum's collection.  So much variety!

The large 4-harness on exhibit.  My kids have woven on it during Homeschool History Class, because our museum is awesome like that.

Jacquard weaving on exhibit.

See how it looks like I know what I am doing? See how close an eye Jan Hiester, Curator of Textiles, is keeping on me while I touch the valuable antique?

The awesome Claudia, showing the smaller 4-harness loom who's boss.

Sweet Lynn, who can do EVERYthing, weaving while Judy looks on.

Angela used her own LYDIA Yarn to weave her scarf. It's SO soft!!

These were both woven with similar yarns, but with different techniques.

The beautiful Jessica with her beautiful scarf.

I love how Emma Lee's turned out with silvery-blue and white!

Kristy got creative with fringe knotting!

My finished scarf! Plaid tidings!

Weaving, Part 1: In which I branch out into alternative textiles.

First of all, let me reassure you that I will not be giving up knitting in favor of weaving.  It just ain't gonna happen.  If, however, the universe brings me a rigid heddle loom, I will now know what to do with both it and a whole lot of bits of yarn I have yet to knit...


Secondly, let me introduce you to our instructor Judy...

I love this pic of her because she looks so happy.  And you know what?  I'm happy that we crossed paths at one of my indigo dyeing workshops, because that led to this beginning weaving workshop at The Charleston Museum.  Plus it meant I got to hang out and learn from someone who has been weaving since she was a wee slip of a girl, in addition to studying Navajo weaving in Colorado for several years.  I told y'all that interesting people show up at my workshops--now do you believe me??

 These are only a few of the things she has woven--not all on a rigid heddle, but all gorgeous.

Once we put together our Ashford looms, we had to learn how to put the warp on.  There is probably another term for this, but I didn't retain it.  There were strings going EVERYwhere up in there!

Somehow I ended up doing mulitple warp colors and then weaving with more than one color, too.  It might be because I took 5 different colors with me since I couldn't make up my mind before the class started....

Before tying them down.

After tying them down. But before re-tying, since I didn't do it right the first time....

Me shuttle's been wrapped, arghhh, I'm ready to weave!

Say, "Weeeeave!!!!"

 

And presto! Weaving!  It's uneven and might be really really wonky when it comes off the loom, but it's been a fun project to play with.  My friends and I have been texting each other pics of our weaving and egging each other on, and thank goodness for that because the first time I turned that one wheel thing to give myself more weaving space, it darn near went ALL to pieces!  (As you can see, I could have paid better attention to the vocabulary. Sorry, Judy!)

The workshop concludes this Saturday and I will find out how well I did on my very first project.  If it's terrible, you can plan on seeing how all my friends' projects turned out instead....

More inspiration--N.Charleston Arts Festival

I recently went with my daughter to the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, something I've dragged my kids to for years in hopes that they will embrace art in multiple forms. The Festival itself takes place over many days in many venues around town, but on the weekend they have a whole mess of arty stuff in one place with free admission and free parking and really, it's hard to beat for an afternoon's cultural enrichment.

There seemed to be fewer vendors this year, or maybe it was just set up differently--I think there were more vendors in the exhibit hall BEHIND the rock and mineral show, which frankly made no sense to me and seemed like poor planning on the part of the Festival.  If you're reading this, North Charleston Arts Dept, please put folks back out in the open so we don't miss anything!  Love you!

(I had hoped to run into Bean and Bug Babyknits or Thrifty Sister again, but if ya'll were there, I didn't see you!)

The first thing we saw when we walked in was this:

If you guessed Bangladeshi folk dancers, you were right.  In the 14 years I've lived in this area, this was my first Bangladeshi dancer sighting.  Very cool. And about time, don't you think?

And then there were "lamps" made from empty (liquor) bottles.  I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

There was a lot of gorgeous artwork and photography. Plus this painting of knitting--nice!

And antiques!  I love browsing through antiques.  These, however, were definitely "man"tiques. 

 Proof that art is subjective.

At first I was like, "Cement sheep!  We NEED one of these!" But as I have had occasion to look at this photo, I am reminded a bit too much of the Weeping Angels on Dr. Who and no, I shan't be acquiring a cement sheep now.  Nor will I be blinking...

I saved the best for last.  Talk about inspiration! I absolutely love the work of this year's Arts Fest Design Competition winner, Amiri Gueka Farris. This is "Lowcountry Soiree." These mixed media beauties are still on display at the Performing Arts Center, so if you're local, go! If you have any other chance to see his work, do it!  

There was much more--dance, music, puppets, magicians and a large dollop of people watching.  Plus, I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was immersing a kid in culture again, and that always makes me feel like a good mom.

In which I talk with the owner of an exciting new hand-dyed yarn company, part 1

My favorite: Limeade: 40% Alpaca, 40% Wool, 20% Silk: 1 ply: DK Weight

As a knitter, knitting instructor and knitwear designer, it is very often my privilege to come into contact with some Pretty Amazing People Who Love Fiber.  Occasionally, I manage to become good friends with some of those Amazing People, and then I get to follow along on their fiber journeys as well.  This is so much fun for me.  Because I work hard at what I do, when I see other people work hard as well and create new worlds of textile in their lives, it inspires me to keep plugging away at my own little corner of the knitting universe.

Angela Cline is one of these Amazing People and is the founder and owner of LYDIA Yarn LLC.  She took time out of her busy day of dyeing scrumptious yarns to talk about the new company and whet our appetites for eye-popping color and fabulous fiber.


KnitOasis: Where does the name come from? LYDIA Yarn?
AC: It stands for Luxury Yarn Dyed In America.

KnitOasis: What do you think will make LYDIA different from other hand-dyed yarn companies?
AC: It goes back to the first word in the name LYDIA: Luxury.

KnitOasis: So, Luxury? What does that mean for you and for your customers?
AC: I love the feel of good quality yarns and it is so easy to tell when something was made really well, that is what LYDIA yarn customers are looking for. I think of luxury as the yarns that are made out of rare and amazing feeling materials such as Cashmere or Mink but I also think of luxury when looking at yarns that were made really well. The animals were well taken care of and the coat has an amazing healthy feel to it. The processing of the yarn and the materials used were well thought out and the finished product is sturdy and will last a lifetime. At LYDIA this is what we look for in yarn before giving it the tag “luxury”.

 KnitOasis: What experience do you bring to this venture?
AC: In my spare time I started getting into dying when taking classes with friends at the Charleston Museum. I learned about different techniques and processes that can be used from natural materials, such as leaves and walnut shells, to chemically processed materials, like pre-reduced indigo and powdered acid dyes. I found the entire process fascinating. After experimenting on my own with dyes and discovering effects I could create, I started to research the market for this yarn. I found a whole world out there and a community of people who do this for a living; it was exhilarating to discover this. I have an employment background in large manufacturing so I am very comfortable with lean production systems. This experience helps when it comes to running any type of business that produces products for retail. I also have an education in management and business and that really comes in handy when it comes to running the daily activities of a business from an accounting and procedural point of view. I just wish I had LYDIA yarn when completing my MBA because of all the business plans I had to write then.  I could have saved so much time!

Oyster Shell: 70% Superwash Merino, 30% Silk: Light Fingering Weight

KnitOasis: Describe your initial Etsy shop offering.
AC: Now that the Etsy shop is open LYDIA is selling a wide array of yarn bases in colors from all corners of the spectrum. Everything from the delicate light fingering weight yarns in a soft purple/red color “Oyster shell”. To the thick, warm cuddly yarn made out of sturdy superwash merino and nylon in the earth tone colorway “Grandma’s Couch.”

Current Offerings;
2 ply yarn – 1 ply Alpaca: 1 ply Merino: Fingering Weight
40% Alpaca, 40% Wool, 20% Silk: 1 ply: DK Weight
80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon: Sock Weight (High-twist)
80% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon: 1 ply: Bulky Weight
70% Superwash Merino, 30% Silk: 1 ply yarn: Light Fingering Weight

Peacock: 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon: Sock Weight (High-twist)

Check back tomorrow for part 2 of my chat with Angela, and learn about what inspires her and what she has planned for the future of LYDIA Yarn.

Inspiration everywhere: Quilt Show

Back on March 1, I went to a Quilt Show. (And thought I had blogged about it, so imagine my surprise today to realize I had NOT!)

It was an overwhelming display of creativity, talent, color and the result of having a LOT of time to quilt.

This show was sponsored by the Cobblestone Quilter's Guild, a local Guild that puts this show on every two years.  Plan ahead now for 2016--it's well worth your time!

I love going to things like this because to me, knitting is an art, and being around other artistic people and works of art (textile and otherwise) is always inspirational.  Always.

This is my favorite.  All that grey, a punch of color...oh my goodness I love it!!

Made from men's shirts. LOVE!

I could knit something like this...on a smaller scale!

 See the olive fabric? So cute!

This one was amazing in person.

All the blues and tans!

This is so cool. This makes me want to knit, too.

My First Trip to SAFF, part 2: Before it's yarn, it's fiber...

...and before it's fiber, it's sheep! 

Or maybe it's alpaca, as shown here enduring a friendly pat from one of my pals--the brave pal, who pet an alpaca.

SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair) is less about knitting and more about becoming a better yarn consumer.  It also helps you become a better consumer overall.  I realize I was only there one day, but it made a big impression on me.

Having had a couple of weeks to develop some hindsight about my trip, I look back now and realize that one of my biggest takeaways is a finer appreciation for all that it takes to make a simple skein of yarn.  It helped immeasurably that one of my activities that weekend was a class on using the Turkish spindle.  Whereas before I never looked twice at roving or bats of un-spun wool, this time I paid attention.  I was charged with the task of not only buying a Turkish spindle for class, but also in finding roving--but not just any kind.  I needed BFL, which for the "Un-Spun" among us sounds like it abbreviates something nefarious.  BFL is Bluefaced Leicester, named after the sheep breed from which it is sheared, and it is an excellent fiber to use as a beginner due to its long staple. Or so I was told.  Being as I am still a rank beginner, I wouldn't know any different!

I found some seriously gorgeous BFL at Gale's booth.  She had some stunning colorways in her hand-dyed roving!  I ended up with these that looked like sheep :)

My gorgeous BFL!

Ready to get this party started!

I mentioned in an earlier post about the amazing spindles made by Subterranean Woodworks.  Mine is lovely, isn't it?  It did NOT come with a guarantee that I would be a natural at spinning, however.  (If you're listening, guys, you might want to think of adding that bit of magic to your product line.  It's too late for me, but others will benefit in the future. Just promise you'll think about it.)

They tell me that "thick and thin" yarn is premium stuff that costs way more at yarn shops.   Y'all, spinning "thick and thin" is SO easy!  It's getting it to be uniform and just one (or even just TWO!) yarn weights at once that is incredibly hard....at least for me.  As you can see, most of our class--made up of members of the Flowertown Knitting Guild, a super-talented bunch-- seemed to have gotten the hang of it (or the spin of it, as the case may be!) after several hours.

The bottom line is this: If you think that everything starts with the finished product you see on a store shelf, then a trip to SAFF next year will do you a world of good.  You'll meet small farmers (well, they weren't all short, but most of them had small farms...hahaha) and business owners that operate on a scale that won't put them on the top 100 sellers on Amazon.  You'll see craftsmen and weavers and spinners and yes, even knitters.  Look past all the smiling faces and beautiful fiber and you'll see heart and passion and a love for the job that you won't find just anywhere.  This, I believe, will make you (and me) a better consumer.  I think that purchasing decisions are made a little differently when one considers the life, the passion and the talents, behind the item.

(For part 1 of this post, go HERE)

An Indigo Morning

Last week I was privileged to accompany staff members and volunteers of the Charleston Museum to an Indigo class.  Actually, it was more like a slice of a PhD course in Indigo.  Father John, our gracious host, gourmet chef and knowledgeable instructor, has been studying and experimenting with Indigo for the past 8 years, and he's still learning and experimenting.  This was so encouraging to me, since it feels like the more I learn about this ancient dyestuff, the more I realize I don't know. 

His Indigo plants are so tall! That's Jan Hiester on the left and Susan on the right (Awesome Museum Volunteer and All Around Fun Person).  Father John is describing the types of Indigo historically grown in SC, plus how he has managed to have such thriving specimens.

These Indigo leaves have soaked overnight in water.  See how blue the water is now?  Once the Indigo water has been drained off, the leftover leaves (in back) can be used as a fertilizer/compost.

If these folks ever ask you to go to a class or lecture with them, do it. Charleston Museum people rock :) L to R: Neil Nohrden, Assistant Curator of History, Jan Hiester, Curator of Textiles, and Stephanie Thomas, Education Coordinator.

Once the leaves are removed, it is necessary to aerate the liquid.  Father John used a fish tank aerator.  The blue on the bubbles is what will eventually be the Indigo dye.

After aerating, it settles.  That blue sludge on the bottom? Yep, Indigo! Next step is drying, then crushing into a powder, then mixing in water and various chemicals to further reduce the Indigo so that it will dye cloth or yarn.

He dyed 10 yards of cotton for us--and made it look easy.  See how yellowy-green the fabric is inside the vat? Awesomeness in the making. Also note the fabric hanging on the walls, all perfectly Indigo dyed by our host.

Finished product, framed by the beautiful yard at Father John's place.

 These photos only give you glimpse into our morning--and if I hadn't lost the rest of them off my phone with the lastest iOS update (my fault--I should have backed them up sooner, but I didn't foresee issues and well, I'm grateful I had already emailed these to myself!), you would see so much more.  I took copious notes and have been telling everyone who will listen about how much I learned and what a lovely time it was.  Father John even served us a gourmet lunch, in the midst of teaching us so much about dyeing with Indigo!  It was an experience I'll never forget.

I'll be passing on more of what I learned, plus giving you a chance to do some dyeing yourself at my next Indigo Dyeing Workshop at the Charleston Museum,  Saturday, October 19, from 10am-12:30.  More details and registration info at their website.