Fiber Investments

After the IWC Knitting Workshop

2011-10-23T00:15:00.000-07:00

Double knit, single strand scarf, knit with Noro Silk Garden--photo taken in backyard

I have completed two scarves using Valentina Devine’s double knit technique which utilizes only one strandof yarn. The scarves before they were blocked were about 4 ½ inches wide by 80 inches long, after I washed them they grew to 89 inches long! I think I made a mistake in rolling the scarves in towels to get the excess water out of them.

The scarves were knit on a #7 knitting needle using Noro brand Silk Garden yarn, which is 45% silk, 45% kid mohair, and 10% wool. Noro Silk Garden is not the softest yarn, but the color changes are great and they made up as nice looking scarves. And of course, it is always nice to finish a project, which is not always the case with me.

Double knit means that there are actually two layers of fabric. The scarf is knit in a circle so the center is hollow, then the knots from the color changes in yarn can be pushed to the center of the scarf to be hidden.

Same scarf with photo taken against stucco wall

The whole scarf consists of four different rows of knitting. The first row you cast on an even number of stitches.

The second row: knit the edge stitch through the back of the knit stitch, *yarn over, knit through the back of the next stitch*, (repeat the yarn over and knit through the back of the next stitch until the last stitch in the row), the last stitch slip the stitch as if you were going to purl it. Turn knitting.

The third row: knit the edge stitch through the back of the stitch,* slip the next stitch as if to purl it, knit the third stitch in a regular manner*, repeat the slipped stitches alternating with the regular knit stitches across the rest of the row including the edge stitch which is a slipped stitch as if it was purled.

Continue knitting as in row 3, changing colors at will. I always knotted at the edge, but that isn’t necessary. If you look at Valentina Devine’s example of double knit edging and cuffs on a black jacket in the last blog, many of the new colors were introduced in the middle of the line. As long as the knot is hidden it doesn’t matter where the color change takes place. Knot yarn, and then knit for a few rows before hiding knot in center of scarf.

When scarf is desired length begin row four binding off. Bind off first and last edge stitches as single stitches, but treat the knit and purl pairs of stitches as one knit stitch in binding off. After binding off the last edge stitch single, cut the yarn leaving a two inch tail and put the tail through the last loop. Hide this knot in the center of the scarf.

Lightly wash and lay out scarf to dry, blocking out to the scarf’s measurements.

IWC - Knitting Workshop - Part 2

2011-10-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Statue on Ft. Lewis Campus, site of IWC - Durango, CO

Although IWC is called a weavers’ conference it’s all about fiber. The selection of workshops is pretty eclectic. Besides several weaving related workshops, others were on dyeing, spinning, designing, basketry and sewing. The workshop that I took was Free Form Knitting and was taught by Valentina Devine of Los Alomos, New Mexico. IWC’s format of workshops is a person signs up for one workshop for the span of the three days, rather than several shorter workshops. Depth versus variety.

Valentina taught us about four different basic knitting techniques in the three day workshop. She also covered embellishments and the construction of some basic garment types. Her methods utilized both knitting and crocheting stitches and a vast variety of yarns. Valentina was always concerned with color, texture, and basic shapes.

Valentina Devine demonstrating adding clusters of French knots as embellishments

For each of the techniques that Valetina passed on to us, she illustrated the result with numerous examples that she brought with her. It was a treasure chest of yarns and garments—our own “trunk show”.

Valentina was less concerned with gauge; sizing was generally based on the fit of known garments. Her style of garments has a loose, comfortable fit definitely not tailored.

V. Devine's sleeveless long vest - example of a loose fit using blocks of log cabin

The four basic shapes, which determined the technique that we used, were the rectangle/square as in log cabin, round as in swirl, irregular shapes, and strips from a double knit variation.

A previous student's jacket done in log cabin using sock yarn

V. Devine holding an example of Swirl technique done in a top

Valentina on left showing an example of irregular swatches edged in black

Valentina's double knit strip of many colors used as an edging and cuffs of black jacket

Valentina’s philosophy of knitting was very freeing and made a person adventurous combing yarns and colors outside of their normal comfort zone. I’ve included some examples of her designs and then shown what I completed during the workshop. My examples are rather incomplete as I am a slow knitter. But I was also trying to take decent notes and photos as my short term memory is getting shorter as time passes. I found Valentina to be a flash knitter, of course knitting continental style, and having done it for a living for many years with the cliché “time is money”, being a slow knitter wouldn’t get a person a very good paycheck.

My unfinished sample of log cabin or linear shape

My unfinished sample of swirl or round shape

My unfinished sample of an irregular shape

My unfinished sample of single strand double knit using Noro Silk Garden

Intermountain Weavers' Conference - Part 1

2011-10-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

The end of July the Intermountain Weavers’ conference (IWC) was held in Durango, Colorado. IWC is a regional conference of western states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. It meets every two years in the off year that the national conference, Convergence, meets.

The past 4 conferences have been held in Durango at Fort Lewis College on a plateau above the city. It’s a beautiful campus, usually cool temperatures with a terrific backdrop of mountains.

A land formation seen from the highway while driving through New Mexico.

Driving there through Arizona and New Mexico is like driving through a western movie set, the vistas are vast and unbelievable. One year my roommate and I drove through a “brown” thunderstorm in Monument Valley.

A modernistic Navajo rug ready for sale at a Trading Post

My own Navajo "rug" 5"X 7" woven by Lorraine Mark

We enjoyed the stops at the Indian trading posts throughout the reservation, looking for yarn and weaving tools. Some of the posts had rugs for sale that were beautiful works of art.

AAA puts out a terrific map called “Indian Country” that covers the huge Indian Reservation at the Four Corners Region where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet. Besides the roads and highways, Indian Trading Posts are indicated and the normal tourists attractions of parks, monuments, museums, etc. If you’re going to travel in the area, the map is well worth while obtaining.

Blue to Dye For

2011-10-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Kathi stirring the indigo pot to mix the ingredients

The natural dyeing workshop is an annual meeting in May with the Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild. Originally they held it up on Mt. Charleston, just outside the city where it was nice and cool. But it was a pain carting everything up there and then setting up and then bringing it all back down the mountain. So for the last several years Nancy has hosted the extravaganza in her front yard. Her set up is unbelieveable and gets better every year. It’s getting to be a burden for her as she nears 80 and requires help from others in the guild to keep it operating, but what a tradition it’s been.

A row of about 10 propane stoves with 2 pots each for dyeing. Two outdoor craft sinks for rinsing and a drying rack. Crock pots have been added for Kool Aid dyeing and this past year they added a tent with indigo dyeing. Plus Nancy serves tacos for lunch, and has tents set up while we wait for the pots to do their thing. People sit around and spin, knit and talk up a storm.

Bev and I were so taken with the indigo dyeing that she is going to try it in her dyeing efforts in Cedar City on Saturday, October 15. Some of the complexity of the indigo dyeing has been taken out with kits. We were able to pick some up on clearance at JoAnne’s and also found some at Dharma’s on the Internet.

Skimming the waste materials off the surface

The yarn has to stay submerged in the solution, not agitated.

Then when it is brought to the surface it is green.

A person quickly lets it drip out as you don’t want oxygen to get into the solution. As oxygen gets to the yarn it oxides the solution on the yarn turning it blue. It’s amazing to watch.

First dip = light blue

If you let the yarn dry a bit then you can redip it to get a darker shade of blue. The blue is the color that was originally used in blue jeans. If you don’t work with plastic gloves it does a great job of dyeing your hands blue too!

Second dip = darker blue

Did We Skip Fall?

2011-10-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Formation in New Mexico on way to Weaving conference

The summer was a busy time with visits with grandchildren, a flight to Wis. for a HS class reunion and catching up with relatives, driving to a weaving conference in Colorado, and working at a pop corn/cotton candy stand at the county fair.

Relatives in southern Wisconsin

Relatives in Green Bay area

Along the way we (Bev, a weaving friend, and I) participated in a natural dyeing workshop in Las Vegas in May, a tri-loom workshop with our own Cedar City weaving group in July, and a felting program this past week in October. In Sept. I was back in Las Vegas for a rep weave workshop with Joanne Tallarovic of Flagstaff, AZ.

The fall was warm with above normal temps, and Bob’s garden has done well with swiss chard, kohl rabi, onions, green beans, carrots, and finally tomatoes. Then this week it abruptly came to an end with snow. Flurries in our backyard and 17 inches in the mountains east of here at Cedar Breaks National Monument. So the mountains now have their white caps on, and the sheep are back at the University Farm two blocks down the street.

The Weather in Early Spring is Crazy

2011-03-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

After living in the desert climate of Las Vegas valley for the past 24 years my husband and I are rather amazed by the differences in the weather of Southern Utah at 5800 ft. in the spring time. One day we get 9 inches of wet snow and everything is a Currier and Ivies print. It’s really beautiful, but horrible to drive in. Twenty-four hours later the snow is almost all gone!

We wanted to plant a dogwood tree in our yard, but the lady at the local nursery explained that the tree gets too confused by the weather and doesn’t do well here. The weather warms ups, the tree buds out, and then it freezes and/or snows and kills the new growth. I finally understand. So instead we planted a dogwood bush, a variation which does much better but still has the white blossoms. [This is our Juniper tree that has the bird feeders--the local McDonald's of the Thistle Seed.]

When we want a change of pace, or want to thaw out we drive down to St. George, 45 miles south and 2500 ft. lower to warmer temperatures, and visit Costco and Barnes and Noble. About 15 miles south of our house the altitude starts dropping and the snows start disappearing. It’s really quite amazing what a difference a few miles make.

A few weeks ago we had two birthdays in the family. Jordan , Dustin and Erin’s youngest daughter turned one, and Carlee, our youngest turned one year older.

Carlee and Tom celebrated with a weekend in San Diego minus children. Sleeping late and visiting the aircraft carrier, the USS Midway, headed the list of activities for the weekend. In the meantime Katie Jane had an “unbirthday” day at Winner School. Tom’s been enjoying the above average snow pack in the mountains for his Friday ski day. (Those four day work weeks for Utah state employees are something to be envied.) Jack at age 7 is pretty accomplished on skis too. Check out this video that Tom posted:

Jordan and invited guests had a special cup cake party with the birthday gal really getting into it with frosting everywhere. She’s taking her first steps so what she’s not getting into now, she soon will be. She’s a really cutie, but then I’m biased.

This past month Dustin with the help of Grandpa Bobbie, made Paige’s Park became a reality. Paige loves to play outside. Now if we can only teach her to leave the woodchip outside in the yard.

Mile High Spring In Southern Utah

2011-03-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Bob and I had to make a second trip Thursday in the same week to Las Vegas, and we woke up ourselves before the alarm went off. (He never sleeps too well the night before a dissertation defense of one of his students.) It was good we woke up early, as the electricity was off and the wind was howling. Bob said there was snow on the ground, oh whoopee. The electricity was “clicking” on and off and the answering machine on the kitchen telephone was issuing instructions on how to set up. We might as well get up.

Spring at 5800 ft. is not a straight line, it is a series of dashed lines, and some are smudged. Snows in the morning, melts in the afternoon. Sun shines the next day, and then another storm blows in.

We drove to Vegas on Tuesday morning with two inches of snow on the ground, and saw two trucks in the ditch on the Interstate at our entry exit. We came home at 9:30 that night and the snow was all gone.

We left home Thursday morning with the electricity out. So there was no hot tea for the trip, and Bob had to manually open the garage door to get the car out. There wasn’t that much snow but there was a bit of ice under the ice when the rain turned to snow. Fifteen miles down I-15 we left snow behind as we lost altitude. Spring in southern Utah.

(The photo is our neighbor’s fence to the north, that Thursday morning.)

Trying to Revive a Local Fiber Guild

2011-01-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

I have a licenses’ plate holder on my Honda CRV that says “I’d rather be Weaving”. That’s kind of an exaggeration for the Procrastination Queen, but it sounds better than “Slightly Warped”, which might be closer to the truth.

Just before the Christmas holidays we had a stretch of heavy rainy weather that produced flooding in the St. George area south of here. One day I rushed into Staples office supplies store and forgot to lock my car. Locking your car in Vegas is second nature, in Cedar City not so much, but old habits are not necessarily bad. Anyway, when I came out of the store I found a note on the driver’s seat from a new resident of Cedar City who was also a weaver and wanted to connect with me. How great was that! Can you imagine if I had locked my car door it would have been a lost opportunity to meet a fellow weaver? Who, incidentally, has turned out to be a very nice lady about my age from California who has been in Cedar for about a year. We’ve really hit it off and are “partners in crime”—not really, but we are working pretty closely on a project.

Both of us have come from active fiber guilds and miss the give and take with other fiber people. So we decided to try and find the weavers and spinners that we know must be here. Both of us were surprised to find that Iron County is sheep country. The University Farm is just “down the road a piece” from my home, and I go by their flock every time I go into Cedar City.

During the summer the sheep from the surrounding ranches spend the time ‘up on the mountain’ and the different flocks are herded or trucked up to the higher elevations east of the city. One Saturday afternoon on the way to church we were almost late because we had to wait for a flock of sheep to go down the same road ahead of us on their way to summer grazing. They were being herded by a young girl on an ATV and an Australian sheep dog, now that’s a little different than Vegas.

It's getting close to spring, even though it's suppose to snow tonight (!), and this ad appeared in the local paper today.

Then in late October Cedar City has a Heritage Festival when they bring the sheep down from the mountain. The Main Street is closed down and the sheep do down the center of town. The sheep end up in a stock yard west of town where some ‘winter grooming’ takes place. Nearby in an arena there are the typical festival attractions of food, demonstrations, and craft booths. All of this was totally new to us.

So, in the past month or so, my new weaving friend and I have been deciding what we should be trying to do. We decided to sign up for a meeting room at the public library to hold an organizational meeting. Then we found out that there had been a local guild some years ago in the area, but was now inactive. It had been made up of weavers from Cedar City, St. George and smaller surrounding areas. Another weaver, Ann Nelson, is a local librarian, and long time resident, her family long involved in raising sheep in Cedar City, was a member of the old guild. She gave us a list of members of that still lived in the area.

So we started with a mailing to about 25 households, and then we spent two days visiting businesses in Cedar City explaining out project and leaving small fliers. We even took out an ad in the student newspaper at the local college, Southern Utah University. I tried creating the ad, but finally asked my son, Dustin, to improve on what I had done. Dustin is a graphic artist, so maybe our college investment would start producing dividends. He was generous and said his payment would in the form of my babysitting for Paige and Jordan, a real hardship.

I think the ad turned out pretty nicely. I even printed some on a sheet and replaced a few of our small fliers with the new fliers.

So this week Thursday evening we’ll see if anyone else is interested in reviving a fiber arts group in this area. Regardless, my weaving buddy and I have decided to start a less formal weekly get together for fiber people at the local coffee house, The Grind, at 19 N. Main Street on Wednesday mornings from about 10:30 until lunch time. The guild in Las Vegas had such a group that met in the local yarn shop and we called it the “WOW Group” (the Weaving on Wednesday Group). But Cedar doesn’t have an independent yarn shop anymore, so The Grind will be the next best thing.

Updating a Cutting Table

2011-01-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

My daughter-in-law, Erin, gave me an interesting book for either my birthday or Mother’s Day while we were in the planning stages of the Cedar City house. The book was Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space, Sewing Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget by Lois L. Hallock, Martingale & Company, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478, 2005. It really had some good ideas, and I actually read it completely. While the book was aimed at fitting a sewing room to the needs of its user, a lot of the principles of lighting, space utilization, shelving, etc. could be used in setting up other craft rooms.

I paid close attention to the sections on adequate lighting and electrical outlets. That input helped in making suggestions to the builder when it came to designing my craft room. I wished I’d followed through with more outlets in the rest of the house every time I vacuum.

In the craft room there are 6 cam lights in the ceiling, plus lights in the ceiling fan. I’ve added Ott lights for addition light in specialized areas, like the ironing area, by the sewing machines, and weaving loom. The basement tends to be darker, and as I get older I like lots of light to get rid of the shadows. The craft room outlets are set up on two separate circuits so there is less chance of blowing of a fuse while in the middle of a project.

One of the other sections of the book that caught my attention was the adjusting of tables, counters, ironing boards and sewing machines tables to the height of the user to prevent strain and backaches.

The sewing machine table could be modified by using an adjustable chair, which is what I did using an office chair on rollers. So not only does it go up and down to the correct height, but it will move around on the concrete floor in my craft room.

However my cutting table is a folding table like the ones that used to be used in cafeterias. I like it better than the newer plastic tables now sold at Costco. The plastic tables’ tops aren’t as stable for cutting fabric with a rotary cutter as the older plywood or fiberboard table tops. But my table was too low to use as a cutting table, and I wanted to be able to move the table around in the room. I’d read in Studio magazine by Interweave Press that several crafts people like things in their craft rooms to be on wheels so that they can be more easily shifted around. So I’d been slowly collecting plastic storage drawers sets on rollers to fit under my cutting table for more efficient storage using those coupons from Michael’s and Joanne’s. Now my goal was to come up with “something” that would raise the level of the cutting table and make it easily moveable at the same time.

I came up with the idea of stacking blocks of wood with rollers attached to the bottom of the stack. The top block would have a hole to fit the table leg in, but snug enough so it would stay on. The stack would be wide enough for the wheels to be screwed onto the bottom of the stack.

I got a drill press for last Christmas and finally got it set up in the new workroom in the basement. It worked really well for this project. I have to admit Bob helped drill the holes for the table legs, but I did the rest of the project. The idea worked and the cutting table is just about the perfect height. I was able to pick up a nice stool at Ross’s just in time for Christmas projects.

Here is how the craft room looks today, crowded, and messy, but working out pretty well.

Winter in Cedar City

2011-01-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

[Family and Friends Friday]

Winter in Cedar City could probably be summed up in one word: cold. But that sounds pretty harsh. It is cold, but it’s also sunny and unbelievably beautiful with snow on the surrounding mountains. The sunrises and sunsets are pretty awesome.

It’s true we do enjoy our shopping trips south to Costco in St. George, UT. What a difference 45 minutes south and 2500 ft. lower in elevation can make in the temperatures.

We’ve found that if you have the right clothing the cold doesn’t bother a person as much, and staying in the sunshine helps. Cedar City hasn’t really gotten that much snow this season and what it has gotten usually has melted before too long. In the surrounding mountain that is another story, the skiing at nearby Brian Head Mt. has been pretty good this year with 62 inches of snow.

Our largest snowfall, about 8-10 inches, arrived over Thanksgiving weekend. Of course Bob and I were spending the holiday with our grandchildren in Las Vegas where it was a bit warmer. On Sunday we were fine driving home north on Interstate 15 until we were about 15 miles south of our turnoff. We were on Black Ridge where the elevation increased and the rain changed to snow and we hit fog. Needless to say, the last leg of the trip was a white knuckle ride. The traffic slowed to stop and go in both lanes, and we saw 3 cars and a semi in the ditch. There was ice on the highway under the snow and it was slippery, as the people in the ditch could tell you. Once we got off at our exit, we were able to breath easier and travel better. When we got home we learned that the Interstate conditions were like that all the way north to Salt Lake City, normally a 3 ½ to 4 hour drive. Who knows how long it took those people driving in blizzard conditions. And guess what? Monday was a beautiful, sunny day! It was just a great day to shovel out your driveway,

That following week it was sunny almost all week and by the weekend the snow was almost all gone! We had a brown Christmas Eve, but it did snow over the holidays, just a few inches. However it’s been so cold that the snow has been slow to melt and it’s been rather pretty. I’ve decided I’d rather have a snow covering than all that brown ground.

We spent about 4 days at Christmas with Carlee’s family in Salt Lake City. How the red headed rascals have grown. Jack is 7 and Katie Jane is now 4. We spent a day in Cedar City to recharge and then spent 5 days in Henderson with Dustin’s family, helping them move over New Year’s. Their blondes are growing like weeds too. Paige will be 3 in February, and Jordan will be 1 in March.

Back in Cedar City to start 2011, we’re back doing volunteer work. I’m the Toy Lady at the Catholic Thrift Shoppe, and Bob is the Dishwasher one day a week at the Senior Center. Bob has joined a rock hound group that goes out on field trips once a month searching out interesting rocks in the area. While I’m searching out other weavers in the area so I have someone to talk fibers with. So far I’ve found about 5 other weavers. Now we’re going to work on getting together.

The Yard is Coming Along

2010-07-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

[Family and Friends Friday]

After two weekend away we get to spend some time at home in Cedar City and enjoy the cool temps in the basement, upstairs in the real world is another story.

Over the Fourth of July we visited Carlee and family in Salt Lake City. They had their annual friend’s picnic-party with lots of kids and fireworks in the street. Here is a picture of Katie Jane helping Carlee make some sugar cookies for the party.

The following weekend we visited Las Vegas to attend Erin’s sister’s wedding on Mt. Charleston. Nice place to have a wedding in the summer in Vegas, since it’s usually 20 degrees cooler up on the mountain. Erin was in the wedding party and so was Paige as a flower girl. Here is a picture of the family after the ceremony. Baby Jordan is now about 4 months old.

Before we left for the two weekends, most of the landscaping was completed. Bob’s planted about 18 trees on the lot, some lilacs and other small scrubs. The stone and fence were added. We’re just waiting for a bit of fence to be finished and the artificial grass in the back yard by the patio to be done. It was suppose to be completed today, but they never got here. So I assume something will happen early next week. These are pictures of the back patio area, the front west side yard and finally the east side yard.

The next phase will be to add some small bushes, scrubs and grasses. The ground is so hard that Bob has to use a pick axe to dig the plant holes. Evidentially this area was once a lake bed and is mostly a fine clay soil that is like a rock when it dries. When it is a dust it is so fine that it sneaks in the house when it is windy, which is pretty often.

I haven’t gotten any weaving students yet. But I will keep trying to find places to post notices about The Bloomin’ Loom and beginning weaving lessons. It is so warm, mid 90’s, that I don’t imagine too many people want to get out and do things. Will keep you all posted.

Bloomin' Loom Has Moved

2010-06-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I found out from two sources that a weaving shop/studio was opening in Cedar City. Needless to say I was pretty happy hearing about that. A Utah craft store, Roberts, had just closed down after serving Cedar City for 23 years. Sew Swanky, a yarn and quilting store had morphed into Stitch It Up, a cross stitch and quilting store. So the yarn stores were on the losing end of things. Here I was moving to town and the yarn stores were disappearing. I was starting to get despondent.

Ann Nelson, a Cedar City weaver, along with her daughter, Becky, and son-in-law, Jesse, have opened a combination weaving studio-gift shop called The Bloomin’ Loom. Ann raises sheep and also sells some roving, and will be selling weaving yarns. But the main inventory is their handwoven rugs and hand towels.

They’ve recently moved to a new location at 491 S. Main St. in the Crown Pointe Mall, suite 204. I visited it last week and it’s a much nicer shop than they were first located at. It’s airy with a raised ceiling, and has lots more room. And it has an additional room for a classroom.

That is of special interest to me as they are interested in offering weaving lessons and I just happen to be available to teach to some beginning weaving lessons. Talk about serendipity. I was wondering how I was going to keep myself occupied once we moved to Cedar City and I wouldn’t be able to work at the yarn shop in Las Vegas anymore.

So after the 4th of July we are going to try offering a beginning weaving class, probably using my own frame looms since most of those interested don’t own looms. Now I just have to be able to find all my teaching materials in all of my moving boxes!

The Bloomin' Loom does have an online store, which you might want to check out just click here.

A Trip into Dixie National Forest

2010-06-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

[Family and Friends Friday]

After we spent most of the week unpacking boxes and getting settled, we decided to take Father’s Day off and go for a Sunday drive. Driving east of Cedar City on state road 14 a person goes through Dixie National Forest. About 35 miles from Cedar City is a resort settlement of Duck Creek and we headed toward that.

The elevation of Cedar City is about 5800 ft and the road east climbs to about 9 or 10 thousand feet. On the scenic byway are some spectacular views. Near the top a person can look south and see the edges of Zion National Park. I know this because the sign at the viewpoint told me, because I sure didn’t have a clue as to what I was looking at. I just knew it was quite a distance away and was a Kodiak moment.

Farther down the highway, the road overlooked Navajo Lake from quite a height. The lake was formed by a lava flow and has no outlet, other than through sink holes. What a beautiful color of the water.

The area around the village of Duck Creek is usually not accessable during the winter because of the high elevation and the snows. It looks like there was a lake there at one time and the grassland just grew into it. So now it resembles a bog with a creek running through it. Log cabins with metal roofs, green or red-orange, are a common building type. I thought the church on the far side of the “lake” was picturesque.

This week we have been buying trees and Bob tried planting the first two. He had to use a pick axe to break the ground up in our yard as the fine clay slit is very hard when dried. The larger trees, CO Blue Spruce, Austrian Pine, and the Birch clump were picked up by the landscaper, Greg Cox. He, thankfully, used his heavy equipment to dig holes for these trees. Today we bought a couple of more trees, Crabapple and a Choakcherry, which will probably get put in the ground on Monday.

Monday the landscaping crew is also going to put in the fence posts for the 3 rail plastic fencing. We’re looking forward for that to go in so that we can start letting the dog out through the dog door…provided we can get the dog to use the new dog door. We have a pretty cautious dog, and the fact that the door exits over a basement window well doesn’t help matters. So we have to revise the ramp so that it is especially sturdy.

In my next blog I’ll tell you about the weaving studio, Bloomin’ Loom that I found in Cedar City.

Getting Settled in Cedar City

2010-06-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

[Family and Friends Friday]

We’ve been here a little over two weeks and have experienced a hailstorm and a windstorm. Thank goodness those two days have been more than balanced by the bright sunshiny days in between. The temperate temperatures have been welcomed after moving from the 100 degree temperatures of Las Vegas.

Besides unpacking boxes, a seemingly never ending job, we’ve been slowly moving “stuff” from the garage into the correct room in the house. One day we actually took a trip to Hurricane and St. George, a trip to the big city, and came home with our first tree. Bob planted the Redbud in front of his bookroom. Hopefully soon we will add some others to our naked looking lot.

Some of the boxes that were really getting in the way and on our nerves were the big wardrobe boxes from our closet. We didn’t have any shelving or a clothes rod in the master closet, so that became a priority once the kitchen was in order.

So yesterday and today we were frequent shoppers at Home Depot buying shelving, brackets and rods to get the closet done. It was a challenge for Bob since the concrete walls can only be screwed into every eight inches. Hopefully the first hole hits in the right place so that the rest will follow. The end result turned out okay without any major errors, but it did seem like a master puzzle for awhile.

Bob’s side does look pretty neat, mine –not so much. But it meant we got rid of a bunch more of boxes. It’s the simple things in life that give us satisfaction. Like a job well done, and getting rid of cardboard boxes.

Las Vegas--Going, Going, Gone

2010-06-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

[Family and Friends Friday]

We have finally made the move from Las Vegas to Cedar City. Now we are slowing trying to dig our way out of the pile of boxes that we moved last Sunday. We spent Monday trying to get organized in Cedar City. Especially to get Utah plates for my card, as my registration ran out June 2.

Tuesday we headed back to Las Vegas to clean the house and get it ready for the Stanley Steamer team on Wednesday. We stayed the night with Dustin and Erin, Paige and Jordan. We had to get those last minutes of holding the baby before we left town.

Wednesday night we were back in Cedar and starting to attack the pile of never ending boxes of “stuff”. And of course it was like a treasure hunt looking for things you couldn’t remember which box you packed it in. I finally found my medicine bottles today in my craft room, even though the box was labeled main bathroom.

Before this last move my craft room was in pretty good order, looking nice and neat. This is how it looks today. I can barely walk through the piles of stuff. Straightening that mess will probably come last.

We got phone service yesterday, and got hooked up with Direct TV today, so both Bob and I feel a little more with it. There is only so much two people who have been married 45 years can talk about.

The weather here is nice and cool, it was only in the 60s today, after the 100 in Las Vegas the day we left, and we appreciate the change. Incidentally the air conditioning in Bob’s Mini wasn’t working, or he couldn’t figure out how to turn it on. I’m not sure which case it is. But the end result was the same, he suffered the four hours it took us to follow the moving truck. (It usually is a two and a half hour drive.)

Well, tomorrow back to unpacking. I finally got the pantry unpacked, tomorrow the spice cabinet. Don’t know when I will feel like weaving or knitting again. I can’t believe I am going to bed about eleven, that’s early for me. Hopefully Fiber Investments will get fired up soon.

The Waiting Game

2010-02-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

We’re all waiting for spring, which has got to be just around the corner. Yesterday I took a walk around the subdivision where we live looking for signs of spring. The first tree to bloom in the Vegas Valley is the fruit-less pear tree which has nice white blossoms, like the apple tree. But I didn’t see any in our neighborhood.

The ornamental plum tree also blooms early with small pink flowers and then develops its dark margenta colored leaves. The tree lines the streets leading into our subdivision, and they are just starting to show their blossoms.

The rosemary bushes are in full bloom with their lavender/blue tiny flowers. They don’t seem to be affected by the cooler weather.

The neighbor’s poppies were getting ready to open, and a second orange flower opened today. Some of the trees are budding out and other flowers add color to these dreary February days when it looks like rain. I like the sunny days much better.

Our family is also awaiting the birth of Paige’s new sister any day now. Here is Paige, newly 2 years old on Feb. 12, in front of her kitchen set that Santa brought. Jordan Clair is not going to arrive at 36 weeks like Paige did, as Erin in now at 37 weeks. But there have been a couple of false contractions so all cell phones are kept close.

I’m going to be traveling to Salt Lake City for a wedding and the following week to Chicago for Bob’s convention, so I will be taking a break from writing this blog for a couple of weeks.

Sadie and Mac, Our Live-In Crazies

2010-02-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

Sadie and Mac are our family animals, not counting George our desert tortoise who is presently hibernating. Sadie is a gray tabby about eleven years old that we inherited from our daughter, Carlee, three or four years ago when her husband’s asthma and allergies started getting serious. Sadie was adopted from an animal shelter when Carlee went solo with her first apartment.

As a kitten Sadie was pretty playful, chasing ping pong balls in the bathtub, tossing milk jug tabs, and unraveling toilet paper rolls. She’s still pretty active and will often attach my knitting or weaving yarns if they show any suspicious movements. This year when we came home we discovered Sadie playing with a little silver lizard in the dining room. The second time the lizard appeared in the house it was minus a tail. It seems to have survived as we’ve picked it up and put it back outside a couple of times during the summer.

Sadie is a live-in alarm clock, but not regular enough to be dependable. Around 6 AM Sadie will jump on the bed near my head and start loudly purring. If I’m really lucky, I’m laying facing her and she will start touching my face with her paw or butting me with her wet nose. I think she just wants someone to wake up and feed her.

Every time I sit down in my chair ready to watch TV and knit, Sadie runs over and tries to stretch out on my chest. Needless to say it is hard to knit with a cat lying on your arm. So we battle it out for about 5 minutes until she get discouraged and curls up next to me and goes to sleep.

Mac is our Heinz 57 mixed breed dog. We named her after Sarah Mac Kinsey, the TV JAG character, so we could call her Mac. She is the neighborhood dog and often makes the rounds on Saturdays greeting the neighbors when everyone is outside doing their chores. She is such a terrific watchdog that we often have to wake her up when we come home. But when we have visitors she is right there to greet them because she knows that they’ve all come to play with her. Thank goodness Mac isn’t a big barker, but she does like to talk to you with her special howling language. I always feel like she’s trying to tell me something, but I’m just not getting the translation.

Mac really loves water, maybe she’s part Lab. Last week we got lots of rain, more than all of last year. During the steady rain here was Mac standing out in the middle of the backyard just staring back at us in the house, like we were missing out on something. Strange. During the summer when we take walks around the neighborhood and come upon a lawn sprinkler working, Mac would stand over the sprinkler until we pull her away. Probably felt pretty good.

Now we’ve noticed that the cat is starting to eat Mac’s dog food, and Mac has taken some of Sadie’s food when the dish was too close to the edge of the table. How soon can we expect the cat to start barking and the dog to start purring?

Noro Circle Vest

2010-02-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks I’ve been on a kick knitting with Noro Silk Garden yarn. I finally finished a circle vest knit from a pattern in Elaine Eskesen’s book Silk Knits. Carla Giuffrida designed the Circle Vest done in the earthy tones, while Elaine Eskesen did the Circle Vest done in the light summer colors. My version was done in blues, Noro Silk Garden Color #37.

The vest pattern calls for the vest to be done on size #9 double points to get started and then on #9 circulars 16 and 29 inch to continue. I finally switched to a 47 inch to finish off the vest, as the 29 inch needle just got too crowded for my taste. The pattern recommended 7 balls of Noro Silk Garden for my size, Large. I thought I only used 6, but I’m not sure as I lost count of the wrappers.

It was as interesting pattern, and once I got into the rhythm of the knitting I was okay. But when I had been following the written instructions so carefully through the pattern of increases and got to the point where the pattern told me to continue the increases in a like manner, I did a low level panic. Once I got my head together and analyzed how the pattern of increases was working I then worked up a little cheat sheet to keep track of what I was doing. I’m the kind of knitter that checks off the rows with pencil and paper to keep track. I never got in the habit of using the row clickers. I couldn’t remember if I had clicked or not at the end of a row.

When I finished the circle vest it looked like a huge sombrero, with the mount in the middle. Thank heavens, after washing and blocking that went away; so did the curling edge.

But if I were to knit another circle vest I would make the arm holes longer. The present armholes are a bit snug. The armholes are made by knitting the required length of the opening with waste yarn. Then when the vest is finished the waste yarn is carefully removed and the live stitched are slip stitched with a crochet hook.

I enjoy knitting in the evening while listening to TV, if I watch too much I usually have to reknit something. Anyway I find it a nice way to relax, IF the pattern isn’t too challenging. I found I can’t do lace at night listening and/or watching TV, my counting never comes out correctly.

Next: Sadie and Mac, our live in crazies

Part 2 - Tapestry Class for the New Year

2010-01-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

As for yarn, the warp used in this tapestry class is a mercerized cotton, about sport weight. While the weft used is a single ply wool knitting worsted weight. I found that Lamb’s Pride by Brown Sheep duplicated the colors of Glasbrook’s very closely, so I’m using that for the beginning class.

The weft yarns are wound into butterflies to be used in the weaving, but tapestry needles or bobbins could also be used to weave the weft. Personally, I really don’t like weaving with butterflies and would rather work with a weaving needle or a bobbin. A weaving needle is a bit longer than a tapestry needle and still has a blunt point and a large eye.

My secret wish is to make my own wooden bobbins. I’ve tried using a dowel in a vise and shaving it to get the shape that I want. But it’s really labor intensive and a small lathe would really do the job much faster and better. I can picture a small lathe in my wood working shop of the future, but then I can picture a lot of things in my head. Whether it will really happen is another thing. A friend of mine once accused me of weaving only so that I would have an excuse to work with wood. Hmm, might be true.

Other tools that are handy for tapestry weaving are pick up sticks, a batten and a weaving fork or beater. This photo shows some really nice examples of items that I’ve picked up at weaving conferences and shops, and some of my own woodworking attempts. I’m sure you can tell which is which easily enough. One item in the lower front is a letter opener from World Bazaar that I cut teeth into the lower edge with a scroll saw to create a weaving fork.

As with my rigid heddle class the tapestry goes for an hour and a half for six sessions. We cover different weaving techniques such as hatching, shading, diagonals, stripes, outlining, and finishing. Like most introductory classes it’s just the beginning, there’s so much more to learn.

Next, what’s coming off the knitting needles…

Tapestry Class for the New Year

2010-01-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

The introductory level tapestry class that I teach through Wooly Wonders in Las Vegas has only one student this session. Not only is it almost like private lessons, but since the student lives relatively close to where I live, I’m teaching the class in her home.

This one of the few classes that I teach that uses a textbook. I like to use Kristen Glasbrook’s Tapestry Weaving (2004) published by Search Press, as it’s a good beginning book for tapestry weaving. It’s not a very creative teaching method, rather “cookbook” teaching, but the book covers the basic techniques in a very clear and concise manner with colorful photos and easy to follow instructions.

Another good beginning tapestry book is Tapestry 101 by Kathe Todd-Hooker (2007) self published by Fine Fiber Press, which features directions for a copper pipe loom, and large diagrams of weaving techniques. The spiral binding is also very convenient.

For further instruction and information on tapestry weaving I’d recommend Nancy Harvey’s Tapestry Weaving (1991) published by Interweave Press. I think it may be out of print now but copies are still available at weaving websites. The book has lots of tapestry examples and illustrated techniques, but I like the book for someone with a bit of tapestry background rather than no experience at all.

For my tapestry class I provide a frame loom very similar to the one used in Kristen Glasbrook’s book. For this class I made the loom out of 6 ft. piece of popular wood ½ inch by 1 ½ inch. I cut the piece into two 20 inch and two 15 inch lengths for the loom frame. Where the corners of the loom would overlap, the wood was cut to half of its original thickness. The corners were then glued in an overlapped position and nailed.

The top and bottom edges of the loom were notched with 4 notches per inch using a table saw. The notches will hold the warp threads in position more securely, keeping them spaced.

Next Tapestry class part 2…

Rigid Heddle Weaving Class at Wooly Wonders

2010-01-26T11:45:00.001-08:00

Last week to start the new year off I started two weaving classes, both beginning level classes, one in rigid heddle and the other in tapestry. Each class has only one student so it is like private lessons, but rather enjoyable.

For the rigid heddle class I lean heavily on the direct warping method that is covered in Rowena Hart's book, The Ashford Book of Rigid Heddle Weaving. There now is a second edition out that is an expanded version of the original book, with more projects and yarns. The Ashford books are very colorful and upbeat, with clear diagrams of the basic weaving techniques.

But for deeper and more complete information on rigid heddle weaving I rely on Betty Davenport’s book Hands on Rigid Heddle Weaving by Interweave Press. The book’s been out since the late 80’s but it’s still a very valuable source for the rigid heddle loom.

With the resurgence in rigid heddle weaving, Betty Davenport has recently revised her 1980 booklet Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom. The revised spiral edition with the addition of some color pictures and additional projects makes it a “must buy” the advanced rigid heddle weaver. The book is now distributed by Fine Fiber Press.

Over the six weeks of the rigid heddle class besides direct warping, we will cover loom controlled weaves (such as weaving vertical and horizontal stripes), weaver controlled weaves (such as lace weaves, tapestry stitches, and rya), and finishing techniques (such as knots, braids, wrapped warps and hem stitch). The hour and a half classes easily go over the time limit, and we do cover a lot of ground. But I think the students get a good foundation in the basics.

Next the tapestry class...

The New Year at Wooly Wonders

2010-01-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

Inventory has come and gone and the store is neat and tidy again. Some of the changes around the store are a newly repainted door with the adjusted store hours. Open Knitting on both Tuesday and Thursday evenings has become as popular as Open Knitting on all day Saturdays.

The shelves are fully stocked; and it’s hard to work without thinking of what I’d like to do with this or that new yarn. One of my favorite new yarns is Ella Rae’s lace merino. I’m trying to design a sweater and or a hat pattern using this Italian space dyed yarn. It’s an extra fine merino with a 100 gram skein running 460 yards—just gorgeous.

While putting some knitting needles away yesterday I found this set of bird nest Serendipity needles that I just couldn’t resist. The birch wood needles have polymer clay decorative ends in all sort of cute designs. I originally bought a pair to take on a cruise since there were so different and cut looking. But once I started using them I really like the sharp points for knitting, so I was hooked.
Next, the new year of weaving classes…

Second Christmas in Salt Lake City

2010-01-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas Bob and I drove up to SLC with the Mac, our Heinz 57 family dog, and a car load of Christmas presents from Southern NV. We by passed Cedar City for a comfort stop and pushed on to Beaver, Utah, the unofficial halfway point to SLC. Since the stop was brief we arrived in SLC earlier than usual so that I could buy a gift card for Carlee at a local quilt shop, an easy Christmas present.

We were lucky the weather was pretty mild and the roads were clear, although the weather was much colder than we were used to. It was relaxing to see the kids and grandkids again and unwrap more presents.

Six year old Jack received a Marble (Oops, should be Marvel) comic book action figure shirt from his Uncle Dustin that matches Dustin’s. Both Dustin and Jack love to draw.

Santa brought Jack a set of drums; I wonder whose idea that was? The drum set did end up in the play room in the basement after Christmas but got a workout before that from everyone including Katie Jane.

Grandma B. gave KJ a couple of Fancy Nancy books along with a scarf/boa to dress up with, which she seemed to enjoy. We had an enjoyable visit, but did have to leave a day early because of a snow storm moving through the state. We had to drive through a light snow fall all the way south of Beaver, and ended up staying over night at our house in Cedar City.

Next back to our old routines…

Last Peek In The House in Cedar House

2010-01-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

I hope you all aren’t too bored with hearing and seeing the new house in Cedar City, Utah. I promise this will this be the last posting until the outside landscaping happens.

The kitchen was interesting to work with, and I wished I had thought more thoroughtly about the design of the cabinets “internals”. The actual cabinet space was limited so we added a buffet built-in to one wall in the great room. The advantage was more cupboard space – the disadvantage was less wall space for art work.

We enjoyed working with the local granite contractors who gave us some good ideas and were helpful with their suggestions. We ended up with granite window sills, which I’m really happy about since the window wells are about 10-12 inches deep because of the type of construction. The kitchen island is another favorite with the rough cut edge, which you can see in the photo.

Bob’s bookroom has alder bookshelfs and desk. For Christmas I gave him a Tiffany style desk lamp that picks up the warm tones of the wood. The books shelves that he finished for our LV home wouldn’t fit in the new bookroom, which was a shame. But the new ones are pretty, kind of empty right now though.

That completes the tour for right now. The Murphy bed is still in pieces downstairs and we have to decide how to furnish the other guest bedroom. But we have plenty of time for that.

Next we will revisit second Christmas in Salt Lake City with Carlee & Tom’s family.

A Second Peek Inside the House in Cedar City

2010-01-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Now that the house is completed in Cedar City we have been slowly decluttering the house in Las Vegas and moving the clutter to Cedar City. It seems only fair to me to share the clutter.

My Schacht floor loom is temporarily sitting in the family room in the basement. As you saw in my last post there is no room for looms in the workroom. The electric fireplace is in one corner surrounded by “cultured” river rock.

Upstairs in the Great Room the gas fireplace stone and the cultured stone wall in the sunroom match each other. The wicker furniture is in the sunroom for right now, and looks pretty good there. But they will probably end up in the family room in the basement. Bob has gotten in the habit of eating breakfast in the sunroom and reading the newspaper on the weekends. The present patio table is too big so will probably have to be replaced by a smaller bistro table and chairs. For the present time the patio set serves as a dining set. It is a bit of a problem to furnish two houses with furniture from one house. Both houses echo a bit.

We now have shades on the windows facing south, and most of the windows facing west and north we will have shutters for more privacy and warmth. You can see the shutters on the window facing the street in the closet just beyond the bathroom. We haven’t figured out the arrangement for the closet yet, not looking forward to that job.

More about the rest of the house later…