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Final Little Looms Project

The final project in Rebecca Mezoff’s “Little Looms” online tapestry workshop was to weave some letters. I decided to weave this sideways and leave some fringe. I designed the letters and while they didn’t look quite like this, you get the idea. It’s 2.5″ x 4″ woven 8 epi on my Hokett loom.
The green and bright orange yarns are natural dyed and the brown is natural fleece handspun. The background and the white are commercial, all from my yarn stash and the depths of history…

Love my little lettering tapestry.

Again, I’m happy with the results and the color but the jaunty charm is mostly due to my inexperience.

Back to Work

Need to get back to work. This has not been a pleasant month. Been doing things I can do by rote, dealing with my classes and students, and taking more long walks in the woods.

Signed up for a workshop on little looms with Rebecca Mezoff. Got inspired after doing the small weaving with the dyed yarns I had used to wrap my fabric bundles and while I’m pleased with my result I realize I need a whole lot of brushing up—also for some reason I’m terrible with half hitches… Seem simple enough when I try them in an isolated situation but then on the loom…. think it just takes doing, and doing and doing – like everything else.
Some of the students in this course are posting beautiful work…got my work cut out for me.

I’m starting with the small frame I used with the dyed handspun and have ordered a sm Hokett Loom which should arrive this week. That’s exciting. Long story short—workshops always shake me out of a bad place and get me going. So here’s hoping it helps now.

Starting anew and finishing up the old

I’m also finishing up the looooong green warp I have on the loom using the Moorman Technique – which is sloooow for me and I’m getting back to my stitches.

Oh, and working on some drawing. Here is the start of a charcoal drawing of leaves— from the long walks in the woods.
and then there’s my painting…

Textures on my Walk

Love getting up early and going for a walk. Usually in the Wissahicken Valley right here in Germantown, Philadelphia. Never know you are in a major city. Signs of fall everywhere but lots of summer hanging on. Textures everywhere – these are just a few.

Fallen leaves on the bridge path

Leaves changing, red berries and needles on path

Bridge made of stone – moss still bright green.

All this is in one little area – bridge over the creek about a mile south of Valley Green Inn. Some times I see vistas, today close up bits. Could spend the day here sketching, photographing, and just being…

Fragile Transitions

Love the bright fall colors but I find a special beauty in this later season.

Walked in the Wissahickon this morning, very damp, must have rained last night. The different colors of the trees as they change give a depth to the woods that is missing in the summer when they are all green – different greens but still they mass together, where as the reds, golds, and yellows, separate.

But these black leaves, still clinging to their branch looks like bronzed bats. The others are already on the trail yet still hold on to the remains of their individual colors. Tomorrow or later this week, that color will blend into tans. But this transitional stage of fragility is so poignant.

Transitions

Been a while

Been a while. Been busy with school – starting to work with life models and that’s a big jump into complicated drawing for freshmen. Then taking a break with the surface imaging work – seems everyone and her sister is going there and perhaps the main folk who benefit are those who have sites to upload work?? Not a bad thing as they help and offer a lot to designers but need to step back and think about it.

So, I’ve been working on my drawing and painting while all the above percolates in my brain

Been working with pastels.

Seeing where this takes me and working on my painting – think I finished a painting I did on Irish Skies that I’ve been looking at for a couple of years…Perhaps it’s finished…

The pastels are about seeing where things take me and making marks. Trying for something new but I see that my birds are showing up in one… The green one peaking out of the top is an outgrowth of a weaving I’m working on that is an out growth of a Theo Moorman technique I’ve been interested in – it’s all connected somewhere whether I know it or not.

Alpacas

While we were in Vermont I saw an ad for a yarn shop that sold alpaca fiber and after a number of fresh starts I found my self at The Green Mountain Fibers and Yarn Shop in Rutland. They did indeed sell alpaca fibers but they were already processed into rovings and I wanted unprocessed fibers that I can mix with some white wool that I already have. I spin as a meditative thing, not to necessarily produce a result (although that’s a nice byproduct) but it’s a process I enjoy. They have some beautiful shades of grey and tan but as I will mix this with white I wanted dark brown. Long story short, the very helpful woman in the shop gave me the name of their supplier, saying she didn’t know if they sold unprocessed fiber or not.

This was Maple View Farm, about 20 min down the road. So, down the road we went. I expected a small operation with a few alpacas and some fiber being hand carded… No, this was a major, if small, fiber mill specializing in alpaca, llama and wool. Thirty or so alpacas and a full fledged shop with all the professional wool processing equipment one could wish for. They process not only their own fibers but are booked up with orders from others.

I was graciously sold about 6 oz. of unprocessed dark alpaca fiber, enough to keep me happy with the small amount I need for the winter. I know I could purchase fiber from alpaca farms in PA, but this will also be a reminder of my time in VT as I spin this snowy winter.

After purchasing the fibers I photographed some of these wonderful creatures.
Very curious—nosy—they seemed to enjoy being photographed.

They had just been shorn.

Baby Alpaca

The gals and babies were seeking shade under a shed roof.

The guys were out in the field making faces.

Like This!

Handsom guy!

Nosy gal.