Weaving Inspiration Kris Abshire
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Weaving

I'm back exhausted, stimulated etc. from Association of Northwest Weavers Guild (ANWG) 2009 in Spokane at Gonzaga University.  My first (but not only by a long ways) inspiration came from my instructor Kris Abshire. http://www.krisabshire.com/ Kris is an excellent dyer, weaver, surface design person and showed us lots of her beautifully colored work.  I had seen a big piece with caribou in Tacoma in 2005. I still remembered it vividly and when I could take a 2 day dyeing class from her I signed up. I just wished I could have taken the Surface Design class she taught in the post conference workshop. An Alaskan Kris finds most of her inspiration in the natural world around her. Kris’s weavings combine warp painting with pictorial surface design elements. Fortunately for me Kris uses the same Sabrasett dyes I do.  I have 60+ colors currently mixed and look forward adding Kris’s formulas to my mix. She uses a lot more Navy in her mixes than I do, so it will extend my color palette. Like Nancy Roberts of Machine Knitting to Dye For fame, she uses a 2 % solution rather than the 1% solution which is my norm.  I’m still contemplating that.  I occasionally use 2 or 4 % solutions, but 1 % is my norm. Much of Kris’s work is with a 100 percent silk whereas I normally use a wool or wool/silk blend or other protein fiber blend.  Since silk is harder to permeate than wool, this is a factor also. My classmates and I dyed 2 warps and 2 wefts. The first was the more painterly approach using unthickened dyes.  The second used thickener to get more precise results on part of the piece. Our class and yarns are shown here as well some closer samples of our yarns. 

Each warp chain is surrounded by its corresponding weft.  I asked Kris is she has a “default weft”.  She said usually navy or black. She suggested being careful using one of the colors from the warp painting in your weft because those sections where the exact same color is both warp and weft will jump out.  For example if you want to use red in both some of your warp painting and weft, then make sure your weft is a different color red. She also says that picking weft is more about value and that using a darker weft will make the warp dominate and pop off more.  Also a 3/1 twill will be less blendy than plain weave.  She often uses a straight draw twill for her warp and then decides from there. More about Kris’s ideas later.  She says she will be updating her website with lots of hands-on info.  So keep checking back to Kris's website.  

 

 

 

 

Last day as ANWG membership chair
Mood:  happy
Topic: Chat
For the last 4 years, I have enjoyed serving as membership chair for ANWG.  This organization of weaving and spinning guilds in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan has almost 100 guilds.  I learned a lot as membership chair and enjoyed communicating with all the guilds and learning about them.  I'm also happy to turn over my duties to Daryl Reis from Great Falls.  I'll have to spend some time with Daryl turning everything over after the conference.  This last year as I have become increasing busy with Yellowstone Art Museum and serving as conference chair for MAWS 2010 in Billings, I feel I have slighted ANWG.  So I'm very happy to have served and very happy to take a break from the ANWG board.  Linda

Book Review--Knit one below
Mood:  rushed
Topic: Knitting

I LOVE fiber books.  For years I bought many of the knitting magazines and books on the market as well as spinning and weaving.  Those were the days when only a few knitting books were published each year and we couldn't wait for the books and magazines to come out as they were are only source of technique heavy information.  Things have changed and even I found a limit to how many knitting books I could buy.  But one I bought this year and can't wait to delve into thoroughly is knit one below by Elise Duvekot published in 2008 by XRX books.  I have had it for a couple of months falling in love with as soon as I saw it at my local yarn store Wild Purls and walking out with it immediately. 

Elise Duvekot explored k1b (knit one below) for 10 years for this book.  She divides her time between Canada and The Netherlands.  This knitting method is ideal for space dyed and self-striping yarn--two of my favorite dyeing techniques.  When you knit this stitch in a single yarn , it breaks up pooling and produces a subdued fabric.  When used with two colors, you can create column.  The feel of the knitting has a distinct hand-not tight or stiff.  It is also doesn't curl much. 

Like slip stitch, this pattern changes the ratio of the stitches to rows.  Elise says that depending upon the yarn the ratio is often close to 1 stitch per 3 rows which is quite different from to 2 to 3 or 5 to 7 ratio of stockinette stitch.  Because the stitch creates a wider stitch gauge than stockinette, you need a very loose cast on and has a special method for this.  For example instead of a 60 stitch sock, you would have a 40 stitch sock.  If all goes well, I'll cast on the hat this evening.  If not I'll take the directions along on my trip to ANWG.  Linda

Patterns dancing in my head
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Knitting

I have had a fiber immersion the last few weeks.  I have taught many classes including dyeing self-striping yarn  in Corvallis and spinning in Billings and Alberta.  On top of that I made some non-fiber trips.  My studio and desk are a disaster.  This is the first weekend I have stayed home and I leave again in 2 days.  Yet like all my traveling fiber adventures I've come back with so many ideas I'm just dancing from one design to the other.  I had dyed this self striping yarn in a very simple long skein method using analogous color scheme--also a safe bet.  I love to play with easy stitch patterns with self-striping and space dyed yarns to accent or obscure color changes.  I love this two row pattern and decided to include this scarf pattern and another one new one in a pattern called two-fer.  Both patterns are easy and will have directions for several weight yarns from fingering to worsted.  This one is almost done and is definitely mindless.  It will block flat.  But now is a bit bumpy as it is a rib relative.--Linda

CONTEST WINNER!!!!!!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Knitting

HURRAY!  We have a winner for the Pattern Contest.  I think Carol has hit on the botheration that most of us have faced!   Thanks Carol!

Hi,

I'd be delighted to enter your contest for a free pattern.

I have UFOs beyond number. It isn't that I don't *want* to finish things. I do. It's just that, well, things happen.  I'll be knitting a sweater for the holiday season, a gift, of course, and someone will have a baby.  The gift sweater gets put away, just "for now", while a baby blanket is crocheted. Then, having forgotten about the sweater, since out of sight is out of mind, I'll start something else, and oops! there's a birthday next week.  Best do something quick. So that project gets put aside, "for now". Or I'll get completely frustrated with a complicated pattern, and put it away "till I can look at it with fresh eyes", and concentrate for a week on dishcloths, which don't need eyes to do.

Once in a while, I'll go to my UFO pile, and pull something out, only to find that it will no longer fit the intended recipient. I'll sigh and put it back, only to start something else.  Occasionally, I pull something out and actually finish it, but I have to be very stern with myself - along the lines of "No new yarns for you, my girl, till you get this done!"  Or I'll start to finish it, and -you guessed it- someone has a baby.

Carol C

 ..........Stay tuned in for the next contest

 

Dyeing class April 25-26 Corvallis
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Chemical Dyeing

Missoula Weavers and Spinners Guild has me scheduled for Corvallis April 25-26. I think there are still a couple of openings. Good news about that is that I’ll spend the next week immersed in the dyepot (my favorite thing). Here is class description if you know anyone interested. It is for knitters, crocheters, weavers. They received a grant from the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners http://www.mawsonline.org/link text so it is pretty reasonably priced. If you know someone interested, please email me at Lindas5252@yahoo.com

Dyeing Self-Striping yarns and other variegated yarns. Dye several different self-striping yarns, matching semisolids, and optional space dyed yarn. Each colorway makes a hat, pair or socks, or scarf. Dye mock fair isle and explore uses for these yarns and how to accent their unique characteristics. Learn innovative methods to plan the length of color repeats for knitting, weaving, or crocheting using the teacher’s simple formulas. Design colorful yarns using common approaches including: split complimentary, triad, and analogous and pleasing proportions. This 2-day class includes 5 self striping methods including the peg board method, the big ball method, the big skein method, semi solids plus optional knitting machine blanks. Students will also learn about painted warps if desired and space dyed yarn.

Linda

Upcoming Spinning Classes in May
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Spinning

I’m teaching a beginning spinning classes on a wheel on May 4 Monday at my house at 11 a.m. This is for people that have a wheel, but can’t quite get it done. I also have 2 wheels that people may use that day if they don’t own one, but are interested in getting one.

On Friday May8 at 10:30 a.m at my house in the Billings Heights. I’m teaching a more advanced class called Novice Spinning. . For spinners who can spin but aren’t too experienced and need all of the main points covered. We will focus on a checkup on your wheels, spinning different fibers, appropriate plying, a little novelty yarn, basic dyeing, basics for fiber preparation and other topics depending on the classes desire. Optional–bring any fiber you have that you are having trouble handling and we’ll trouble shoot.

Both classes cost $25 and have a material fee of $9. If you are interested email me at lindas5252@yahoo.com

Yarn for a contest
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Chemical Dyeing

April 15 is over!!!  Since I still do a fair amount of tax work, I'm very glad April 15 is over.  I still have plenty of accounting work to do, but now it is on a more normal deadline.  I'm a basketball fan and participated in my first March Madness bracket pool on Ravelry.  I offered one of the prizes of some of my hand dyed yarns.  Here is a picture of the yarn I sent off to the winner of the pool.  She is Bethgirl on Ravelry.

I wasn't even close in the brackets, but it added lots of fun to the March Madness.  Some of my male friends made fun of me for a pool where the prize was yarn, but little do they know. 

I'm going to teach a dyeing class next weekend.  I'm very excited to get back in the dyepot as I prepare for the class.  Glad to be back blogging have plenty to tell about my fiber activities.  Linda

Early pattern testers
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Knitting

My second attempt at pattern writing was this easy garter slip scarf.  I designed it for knitalong that I used to attend.  Many knitters there knit it, but I didn't have enough sense to take any pictures.  One that did and who took her own picture was "our" Diana of this site.  I particularly loved the colors in this scarf even better than the ones I knit.  So thanks to Diana for knitting this, taking this picture and posting it on Ravelry. 

This pattern is known as Garter Slip Stitch.  It is a dead simple pattern, but as in all slip stitch knits a little slower than other pattern.  Slip stitch compresses the stitches, so you need to compensate with needle size.  For instance, I usually move up 2 needle sizes from the band directions for a scarf to give it more drape.  I also move up 2 needle sizes for slip stitch.  So in this case, we knit it on 4 needle sizes larger than a hat in this yarn.

When I was designing this scarf, I was on a deadline (of course).  I knew the pattern worked, but wanted an example for the knit along.  So I knit it in an semi sold yellow orange that I dyed as the main color and then a self-striping yarn I had dyed using a knitted blank in green and blue.  I thought complimentary colors right across the color wheel from each other, should be cool.  I start knitting and the first 4 inches was tolerable since that part of the colors coming together was fairly intense and seemed okay.  The longer I knit the uglier it became.  I couldn't stop because of the deadline.  So I knit on and on in slip stitch with ugly colors.  I made it in time for the deadline, but it is defintely not fun to knit ugly colors.  I showed it to the group and then immediately started knitting this sock yarn version in yarns from my stash so the group would soon forget about it (I hoped).  I showed that ugly scarf a few times to classes as what not to do and plan to unravel it.

Later I knit the purple  multicolored version which was my original concept for the scarf.  When I'm knitting my patterns I always come up with new colors and ideas I'd like to try in the pattern but then I get bored with the pattern and move on.  Someday, I'll revisit this pattern again with some new ideas.  But for now I'm on to new patterns.  That is one of the things I really like about pattern testers or others that knit my patterns, I get the pleasure of fresh exploration in colors and yarns, while I'm playing with something new.

Linda who likes this spring stuff.  I have crocuses blooming in the backyard outside my window.

Clover scarf--a wonderful pattern tester
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Knitting
I have had some pattern testers in the past and they have been helpful (more about that later).  But recently I posted for pattern testers on two Ravelry sites--Montana Crafter's and Wild Purls.  Bonnie (grizzlygirl) a knitting fiend who lives near Glacier Park volunteered to knit Clover scarf  I have never seen this pattern in a final form knit by anyone but me.  She jumped right on it and in a short time had the scarf knit in a wool/bamboo combo yarn.  She knit it at a slightly tighter gauge then I did and this yarn blocked wonderfully.  The 100% alpaca I did it in, just didn't stay blocked as well.  She immediately posted wonderful photos on ravelry and then mailed me lots of snail mail comments on improvements to the pattern.  Fortunately she didn't find pattern mistakes, but had quite a few formatting improvements.  Does it get better than that?  Linda