PICK 2 PICS

Picks 2 Pic was a great inspiration for this year's virtual exhibition. Lynn was my exchange partner and she sent me some really wonderful creative motivation, Thank You Lynn for your wonderful package it truly got my mind working and opened me to various new experiences.

My first inspiration was her beautiful hand spun, which triggered my spinning adventure. I am still in practicing but seem to be getting a bit better. I still love the art yarn that I'm creating and plan to use it later in the year for another project. I've also been told by experienced spinners that once I create true singles this art yarn will be forever lost as you will not be able to spin it this way again unless it's purposefully done.

My second piece was derived from a piece of dyed cloth that I pulled the colors to create an inkle woven wide band. I then took the band and sewed a small bag. This little piece of art has been to the Florida Keys and several trips to Miami Beach. I've gotten wonderful compliments on it and a few orders for others. It's inspired me to create more of them and a soon to come Etsy shop featuring the bags which are named Baja Bags.

The final piece was taken from the postcard that was a field of flowers, once I turned it on it's side I was struck by how much it resembled clasp weft weaving. Since it was a technique I wanted to try it was the perfect push in that direction. I'm planning to use this fabric to make a bag in for my smaller shuttles and card weaving supplies.

Thank you for stopping by my blog, I hope you enjoy the tour of Pick2Pics Virtual Exhibition 2010.

Books, inkles and Lots of Fun!!

The books my boys ordered came in yesterday, these are the Mom's day gift's from my kids, Card Weaving, Learning to Weave (I can finally return the borrowed book to the library) and Woven Treasures. I'm so excited, I've been reading the Card Weaving book and am planning to warp it on the RH, I saw a youtube video that was done this way and it seemed possible and easier than my small inkle. I've also convinced the plastic department manager at work that he needs to make me some cards out of 1/16" plastic, we have a router machine that can accomplish 30 perfect cards in 2 mins flat much easier and longer lasting that the deck I cut up. I will owe him a knitted cap this is what we bartered for, frankly I think I got the better end of the deal ;) . In Woven Treasures there's a book cover that my son has requested for his Bible, that will take top priority over the card weaving but it's all in the works because I plan to make a strips for the book cover to mark pages with.
I also need to think about a wedding gift for our friends they're getting married in August which gives me some time, but I'm a bit stumped on what to create for them, they have been previously married and have a house full of everything, I thought about a nice gift card to a restaurant but also wanted to hand make something for them to mark their special day, any suggestions? knitting although that's a close call or woven, give me some ideas please. With all that is going on creatively, Meg over at Megweaves emailed the deadline for Pics2Picks, aaaaacccckkkkkk, June 5 OMG... really... already!!! I have one more project I wanted to accomplish for the exhibition so I have to get my behind in gear and git-her-done (is that the way he says it?). That one will be a surprise so I can't show any pics until the big reveal.

But.... I can show you pics of my new inkle weaving based on the fabric swatch I chose. This is my own design and I like the colors and pattern, I may never be able to repeat the pattern but I like it, actually on second thought, I could if I wrote it down, I guess I need to start an inkle loom journal to match all the other weaving and knitting journals (yet another project, whew all this should take me well into the end of this year).

New Bag and Update

This is my new summer bag, can I just say I have a new appreciation for purse/bag seamstresses. This stuff's not and I do repeat not a piece of cake. Of course it would help if I knew what the heck I was doing but, live a learn. This bit here, was annoying I bought the hardware almost a year ago, you know I went into Joann's and they were like 60% off and I thought whoa, that's a great deal you never know when the bag making mood will strike. but don't let those little doughnut shaped things fool you, the screws on that are tiiiiiiinyyyyyyy.

This is my interior fabric "fun, sun and seashells", it's got generous pockets for sunglasses, cell phone and of course a set of knitting needles and yarn, should I be stuck some place in need of entertaining myself of a few hours.

What's that, did you hear that?! It was collective sigh of relief, Coach, Burberry and Kate Spade can breathe easy this is not going to be a new summer line, just one of a kind. I couldn't possible torture myself into make another just like it. LOL. But I do have another one I'm working on with jean material and some hand woven, yeah I was feeling masochistic this weekend and kept making bags. I plan to finish it tonight and maybe have some pics of it tomorrow and then the sewing machine is getting put away for another 6 mths or until I need to hem something.

On another more relaxing note, I've been weaving on my P2P project and I'm really loving the results. I ordered some new "clean" roving to start spinning from an Etsy shop owner. A huge thank you to all of you that had only kinds words and thoughts for me, I appreciate the support.

I'll take some pics of the alpaca stuff I got and the new roving I will receive so that you can see what I was dealing with and the difference.

Spinning? What was I thinking!

I got my drop spindle and the alpaca kit. The spindle is great (blogger won't let me upload pics today). I tried to start but when I opened the bag of the roving it has alot of particles in it, straw, dirt etc... The kit said it came ready to spin, but I don't know if that's true, there is no smell to the fiber (thank God) and I'm a bit put off by the stuff in it, but can get past that. I watched some videos on youtube and thought I got the gist. As I pull the fiber apart for the drafting part I get little tufts of hair no longer than 2". I grab a bunch and did the pulling thing and it all comes apart, I took small bits and tried to spin it but it kept breaking apart. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? The yarn didn't come in a long batt like this video (guess that's the word for it) so what do I do?

Thanks once again for any help.

I finished the raffle scarf for the Think Pink Donation and had Sexy Susy model it for me. I love the novelty yarn in is and after the was and dry was as soft as buddah. The fringe was for the first time ever fun to do, I like the different textures and yarns when fringing takes the monotony of twist, twist, turn twist. tie to a whole new level.

And I'm warping the inkle for the Pics 2 Picks, I think I'm capturing the essence of the cloth swatch. I'm loving the colors can't wait to start weaving on it.

Pics to Picks Part One - Planning Stages

I got my Pics to Picks package and I'll tell you, I can't wait to get started, I love all the pictures, swatch of cloth and the hand spun yarn that Lynn from Linnet Knits sent to me as my inspiration partner.
Sorry for the sideways pic blogger is not cooperating today!!Since I'm inspired by all of my goodies, I've decided it would be fun to do several projects from them. For my first project I thought I could do something really tactile and expand my knowledge, so I picked the yarn as my inspiration, I love the texture, color and feel of it. In the spirit of adventure, I ordered a drop spindle kit with some alpaca roving and will try (hopefully succeed) spinning some yarn, if I don't make a total tangled mess I will use both in the final project yet to be determined.

My second project inspiration is the cloth swatch, look at those wonderful colors really just so dreamy, it makes me feel like I'm in a watercolor painting with fluid moves of color. I want to take the beautiful colors and make a small bag, with the cloth as a liner. I'd like to experiment with my inkle for this one as a wearable art piece. (sounds so artsy fartsy)

The third I want to do some clasped weave project I love the daffodil postcard and want to use it as the jumping off point and get some controlled weaves in it also, am having some issues with how to accomplish it. I want to try something totally different with my RH I have time to think on that one so I'll let you know once I cross that strange bridge in which thought comes to practice and final fruition.