http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/index/ en tina@bluemoonfiberarts.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-10T06:43:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/all_my_yarn_balls_are_not_in_the_air/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/all_my_yarn_balls_are_not_in_the_air/#When:06:43:00Z There are not enough hours in the day. There just aren’t and if there were I do not think I would have the energy to keep it going anyway. I intended to give you a play by play from SOAR and really I have great photos and had a good time. And then there is that Brown colour study I owe you and we are about to finally add spinning fibers to the website and I want to tell you in great detail why we are adding the ones we are and show you why I love them so and how I think you will. We are also going to have an online sale soon and you need the details on that and the 2010 Sock Club. But I have to leave here Wednesday morning and head to the airport to pick up Steph and then it is off to Port Ludlow and the “Dye to Knit and Knit to Dye Weekend” of fibery goodness. Please don’t get me wrong I am really excited. It will be a blast but it is a lot of prep and packing and prep to leave here. The list is massive and I should be working on it as we speak but I had to tuck in girls and then say hi to you if only for a brief moment. So… I am asking you to bear with me for just a bit longer it is all coming I promise.Cross my heart and hope to dye! See some of you real soon. thank you for your patience Here are some pics of the scary Halloween thing we had going on in the barn. Haunted Dye Barn little silk ghouls If you are int he Port Ludlow this Saturday between 1:30 and 6:30 we will have out little store open to the general public. The store is Carolina Homespun and Blue Moon. We are bringing all sorts of goodies including spinning fibers and Rare gems. Morgaine is bringing all things fibery which means I am in trouble. I have the loveliest little spindle from the last time I saw her. Turkish Delight and the packing continues. depraved dyer 2009-11-10T06:43:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/soaring_in_color/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/soaring_in_color/#When:22:16:00Z We are the beautiful Sunriver Resort at SOAR where everything spinning reigns supreme. Believe it or not this is my very first SOAR (a story for another time) and I am really excited and a little nervous. I feel a bit like when I was a kid looking forward to spending the week with my favorite aunt and her menagerie. You know when you have wanted something for a long time and then you get it there’s so much room for all of the built up hopes and dreams based on certain expectations to colour your experience.  Well so far it is exactly how I always dreamed it would be and I have not even had my first class yet. It’s just great to look all around and see spinning. I do not have class today so got to explore and scope out the whole/vendor booth thing. When I saw my booth space I had a bit of a spasm. I mean I knew it was small but did not really have the luxury of giving it much thought and now I have to figure out how to fit all of this and a little of this and maybe this certainly this...right? and ...probably some of this into an 8X10 space. Where there is a will there is a way right? Will I certainly have in spades. I have loved prepping for this and have not had such fun in awhile. I got to be a dyer again. I love being a dyer and where there is love and I have witnessed a whole lot of love here in this place of spinning fibers into yarn, all is possible. It has been over 6 years since I fit into a 8X10 booth space, but if Morgaine and Toni can do it I certainly can. Right?  General News 2009-10-26T22:16:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/show_prep/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/show_prep/#When:16:35:00Z Autumn is back to back, wall to wall show prep. We are trying to get Debbi out the door with everything she needs for helping at the Webs booth at Stitches East. The yarn is there and we are now scrambling to make sure all sample are blocked and dried.  Here in rain land where moisture is never an issue this is a bit of a challenge. We are scumming it up this fall with my beloved Pond Scum colorway.  The yarn is our new DeVine a magnificent 16-ply cable yarn perfect for a very cozy and warm sweater. The pattern is “Emerald” by Amy M. Swensen and is available at Knitty The model my daughter Rabia is embracing her waif- like bohemian artistic nature and decorating herself as such .Her younger sister refers to is as over-sizing. We have more samples going that way which I will add in here later today when they are dry. Right now have to go sew button on sweater and block these lovelies. Fanning the Flame Mittens by Heartland Knits in Jabberwocky ( finished one) and Tonalite (in progress one). Now where did I put that perfect button for this sweater? hmm… And here we have the lovely Sasha Skirt by Louet knit by the on so talented and clever Debbi Stone (aka cockeyed) We used 3 different yarns all in a different Raven colourway. Seduction and Socks that Rock lightweight and Silkie Socks that Rock. We have Rooky Thraven and Haida. General News 2009-10-19T16:35:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/color_meneutral/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/color_meneutral/#When:14:52:00Z Color—my favorite thing to talk about and play with and really do just about anything in relation to. As part of the Sock Club for the past two years, we have done some in depth color studies. I really love doing these, and do not really have the opportunity to do them with every shipment. So, I have decided that we should also do them here, where we can all be involved. Since it is fall and the turn back to the earth, we are going to start with the oh so warm and comforting brown. I have been musing over this idea and how I want to approach it for a few weeks now (I am a little slow these days). Right after Oregon Flock and Fiber, I received a very interesting email from another dyer with a question that at first glance seemed simple enough but the longer I sat with it, the more thought provoking it was. She wanted to know why someone so consumed with color wears such neutral colors. (I wore shades of gray that weekend.) It took a bit to answer her because it did give me pause. The obvious answer is I am not a small woman and honestly these are the colors that look best on me, or at least I think they do. I like to use bright colorful pieces like scarves as accents to my neutral self.  The more I thought about this and also about brown and color in general, I realized that her question gave me pause because she was curious as to how a person who obviously has a love affair with color did not decorate themselves head to toe with it. Since it is not the first time I have been asked this question, and most probably will not be the last, well back to the thinking… So why is this true for me? I have seen a lot of obvious colorful people all decorated on the outside with what I assume is an expression of what they (at least) like. And you know I admire those colorful souls that can pull that off and carry it well. That is most certainly not me. It actually makes me feel a little queasy, and I now know one of the biggest reasons why. I need to be neutral because what is true for me is I immerse my whole self in whatever palette I am exploring. I experience it on a cellular soul level and almost become one with whatever hue or shade or tone I am loving at that moment. I know it sounds corny as hell but nonetheless it is true for me. It’s actually my general approach to life. I am a full immersion kind of girl. This approach does create problems for me every once in a while but mostly it leads me to very rich and rewarding experiences. I cannot imagine life any other way and certainly not the color part of it. I would be very interested to hear from other dyers or artists as to their feelings and experience about our art. So stay tuned for my first installment of Color Immersion depravedDyer style beginning with case study #1: All That Is Brown. depraved dyer 2009-10-16T14:52:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/show_time/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/show_time/#When:03:12:00Z It is that time of year where there seems to be a fiber show or festival around every corner.  September has been just slammed with show prep. First there was Oregon Flock and Fiber in late September (a good time was had by all), then Rhinebeck (Toni Neil of The Fold carries all things Blue Moon here so look for her booth) and followed very closely by Stitches East (Webs will be carrying Blue Moon yarns for this show. They have added tow more booths and are flying Cockeyed ( Debbi Stone) in for this ) and in almost the same breath SOAR (Debbi and I will be womaning the Blue Moon booth here).  Holy smokes… that my friends is a whole lot of dyeing and well, dyeing, rinsing and bundling and labeling and invoicing and packing and shipping. Like a lot. Friday morning we packed the skids for pick up by a realy really big truck. See… I told you I could lift it. No problem really its a piece of cake. Ugh. It’s a wrap! Turns out our Becky is also an expert Skid wrapper. Who knew? ( Debra says she knew. I however, did not.) So East Coast knitters that is a whole lot of yarn coming your way. Hope you are ready for it. We made it just for you. I would like to take a moment and thank Toni Neil for all of her hard work in taking our yarns to all the shows she goes to. She has done us a great service over the years and we are all grateful for her kindness and generosity and friendship. I also would like to thank Kathy and Steve Elkins for adding Blue Moon into the Webs family of yarns. I am really looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship. Those of you coming to Sun River, Debbi and I will see you there. I am so very excited. It is our first Spin-Off Retreat and I have been wanting to do this show forever so… kind of soaring here. General News 2009-10-11T03:12:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/saturdayoregon_flock_and_fiber/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/saturdayoregon_flock_and_fiber/#When:13:42:00Z A very full booth right out of the gate. I love this part it just never ever gets old.  I love happy knitters and watching what you choose color-wise and how you do it.  And if I get to help you choose well...be still my little color heart. Meet Tuesday our best customer of the day and youngest. And her delightful mom who knit her such a cute dress with a rare gem. Patient... and supportive. On your mark. Get set. Ready?  Okay SPIN! Uh Oh, it is 7:00 time to head out for day two and to visit my new friend. Isn’t he beautiful?  ( I think it is a he. hmm) General News 2009-09-27T13:42:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/knot_hysteria/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/knot_hysteria/#When:19:07:00Z Friday November 13th (we don’t believe in bad luck) ST-1 (which now that Sock Summit is over, means ”Steph and Tina” rather than “Sock Team") are celebrating the formation of our new company “Knot Hysteria Productions” with a beautiful weekend of knitting, dyeing and fibre investigation in one of our favourite spots... Port Ludlow, Washington.  We really missed the intimate, intensive nature of real-time teaching at Sock Summit (we were a little busy) and one of our goals for this weekend is to enjoy the luxury having real time between students and teachers (that would be us, and you) that can only be achieved in a smaller group setting - with people who aren’t running a conference. (Apparently.) Level: Established.  Knitters attending should be comfortable knitting, purling, decreasing, increasing and be familiar with typical knitting instructions. (This means that if you’re a brand new knitter, you’re probably going to be overwhelmed in spots, unless you’re gung-ho and a fast learner. Some people are. If you’re a skilled beginner, don’t be put off.) The weekend begins when you check in on Friday night, and we all have an opportunity to talk, hang out (maybe have a drink) get to know each other, and you’re assigned to one of two small groups.  Saturday, Group one goes with Stephanie, for an all day exploration (9-5 with a break for lunch) of knitting and how to be really excellent at it.  We’ll look at knitting history, lever knitting, knitting for speed and efficiency, and problem solve knitting issues so we all walk out better knitters.  Why do you knit the way you do? What could you change to knit better or faster? What are the techniques and thoughts of the worlds fastest and most efficient knitters?  (Note: This class contains some of the same information as “Knitting for Speed and Efficiency”, but is expanded.  If you’ve always wanted to take that class, this one is close, and if you’ve taken this class and are wondering if you’ll learn anything in this one… you will.) Meanwhile, Group two goes with Tina, to a big room with a floor covered in plastic and loaded with dye and yarn, where you will spend the day invited into Tina’s dye and colour world.  There are (almost) no boundaries and the only rule is an open mind.  Tina will talk with you about colour, how she sees and uses it and how that relates to dyeing, spinning and knitting.  You will explore what colour means to you and how you see it and then interpret it in your own fiber work.  You’ll spend time at the dye tables working through your own colour inhibitions, challenging what you think you like, and dyeing your very own colourways to take home. Saturday night ST-1 gives a joint lecture on “How to tell if its good yarn, and what to do with it if it is” where we’ll talk about the properties of various yarns, how to pick the right ones for your project, how to care for it, and what choices you can make during knitting to make sure your project doesn’t droop, stretch or felt, and lasts as long as it possibly can. Sunday, the groups reverse places for the day classes, and then beginning with dinner and going into the evening (until Steph and Tina get too tired or everyone leaves) we’ll have a group Q&A to talk about knitting, dyeing, fiber, philosophy and what we all think of it. The price includes classes, fun, the joint lecture on Saturday night, and breakfast, lunch and dinner both Saturday and Sunday.  (We promise that there will be good vegetarian options.) Blue Moon Fiber Arts and Carolina Homespun will have a little store on site with a few things you might like, and Knot Hysteria will have a bookstore. Accommodations are separate and you will arrange those on your own.  We have negotiated special prices with Port Ludlow, and there are some shared accommodations (condos and town-homes) if you’d like to come with your friends. Simply call Port Ludlow and tell them that you’re with Knot Hysteria and the knitters, and they will help you get sorted with the special knitter price.  They are lovely and helpful people. Price for the two day/two class intensive with meals: $615.00.  All Materials (except knitting needles) Included. Gift bags, presents and surprises forthcoming. (If you’re a vendor and you’d like to put something in those, just drop us a line.) To register, simply send an email to registration@knothysteria.com and include your name, address and daytime phone number, and we’ll call you to arrange it. The first 40 knitters are in. WE ARE FULL!!  Thank you! General News 2009-09-24T19:07:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/oregon_flock_and_fiber/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/oregon_flock_and_fiber/#When:15:48:00Z This weekend (September 26th-27th) is Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in lovely Canby Oregon.  I love this Fibery Festival. It is one of my favorites. I like that it is at the fairgrounds and we get to be in the 4-H building and right next to my buddies at Carolina Homespun.  We met here years ago when it was both of our first time there and have been booth mates ever since. I think that one of the lovely aspects of this show for me is the community aspect.  It starts from the moment we pull up to unload and are greeted with gusto by the OFFF volunteers and all our fellow vendors and lasts until we put that last box in the truck say goodbye and head back to Scappoose. In between it is chocked full of great people, awesome fiber and color and cute animals (remember Henry came from here), lots of good classes and fun for everyone. It is a very happy fiber event. We hope to see you there.  Because this year has been so full we are not doing a Barn Sale (sorry).  So what we have decided to do instead is have everything (yup everything) at our OFFF Booth (except Mill Ends) be 15% off. Which makes it a BMFA 15% OFF for OFFF sale. See you there! General News 2009-09-23T15:48:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/dearest_gail1/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/dearest_gail1/#When:21:28:00Z Happy first day of Autumn Gail.  I know how happy this day makes you and am thrilled that we got to spend a little time together celebrating in one of our favorite ways. So my friend here is what I saw on our walk. Lots of leaves just starting their color journey. Seedy goodness Golden evening light bouncing, reflecting...warming.  Oh look and you. gotcha! Too many shades of brown to count. So darlin’ what did you see? Gail’s Website I know you saw spiders everywhere, just everywhere. My favorite was the one you made me poke to see if she really was sleeping or maybe not alive anymore. That I am the not squeamish one of the two of us just cracks me up so much. Look that cow was soo having at us. I knew she was giving us attitude with the way she was swishing that tail of hers. So how about you and me and our camera buddies take a stroll around Oregon Flock and Fiber on Sunday. I bet you can find some more spider friends. General News 2009-09-22T21:28:00-08:00 http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/weekend_play/ http://blog.bluemoonfiberarts.com/site/weekend_play/#When:19:30:00Z The last couple weekends have been laced with relaxation and play and have included some of my favorite summery events. The first important ingredient here is time (yippy) and following close on time’s heels, the appropriate weather for sitting on the back deck chatting, knitting, being entertained by wild life and sipping your beverage of choice as the day comes to a close and quietly slips into night. Here is one of our visitors; Attending the Art in the Pearl festival in the Pearl District of NW Portland where three park blocks are closed of to traffic and are filled with artisans, musicians, dancers and food. An end of summertime celebration that just makes your heart sing. I love meeting all the talented artists and experiencing life through their perspectives and mediums. My favorite this time was an archeologist who uses topographical maps as her canvas and then creates and image with dye and ink, adds words and bits from nature… and then magic. You could barely get in her booth. Her art really spoke to me, because it seems like it has risen from an ancient deep place. I bought one for a friend so no picture here or she will see it. And...then there is the music drifting in and slowly enticing you to move towards it. What finally lured me to the stages was a heavy passionate Latin beat. I love the guitar and especially anything Latin and these two men well… heartbreaking one moment and hip swaying the next. By the end of their set I was emotionally drained and very happy. I was not the only one either, I saw lots of tears streaming down happy moved faces. Toshi Onizuka and Mariano DeOrbegoso. They were both amazing musicians but I have never seen anyone play the guitar like Toshi Onizuka. A really fun and artistically diverse experience. Weekly shopping becomes a community supportive event here in the summer. Portland and it’s surrounding environs are rich with Farmer’s Markets.  Stalls loaded with everything from fresh picked veggies (a vegetarians dream) to bread still warm from the oven. There are flowers galore and cookies wine cheese farm fresh eggs… you name it.  I like to Market hop depending on my mood but my favorite and easiest to get to is in the park blocks on Saturday morning by PSU.  This week there were dahlias every which way you turned bright, happy dahlias. Oh and tomatoes… and...you name it. Bountiful harvest indeed. depraved dyer 2009-09-14T19:30:00-08:00