What am I doing with my time
Mood:  crushed out
Topic: Chat

I have a bit of a cold and hoping it is nothing more.  On Monday I went to doctor's office for a routine blood test.  It was swamped with people with masks on trying to figure out if they had the swine flu, regular flu, or a cold.  I put on a mask because I was paranoid to be around all these people.  Then I went home and took care of twin grandbabies that have colds.  Today I took a 4 hour nap and right now my aspirin has kicked in and I have a little bit of energy.  Enough whining. 

I'm the conference chair for the Association of Montana and Weaver's conference June 4-6 in Billings.  This is a big undertaking that our local guilds do every 12 years.  We have been busy and here is an update. 

Billings Weavers Guild and Prairie Handspinners invite you to our conference Under the Rims, June 4-6. 2010. We have booked Montana State University—Billings www.msubillings.edu as in our previous two conferences. We love that housing, food, and classes are all in one building. Plus with dorm rooms at $26.50 for singles and $21.50 and affordable nearby motel housing, this makes MSU-B a great option for our out-of-town guests. Our instructor list looks great.  We plan to run 11 classes simultaneously during the conference with preconference workshops and postconference workshops as well. We have 4 internationally known presenters.  Nancy Bush, author of Folk Socks, Folk Knitting in Estonia, Knitting on the Road, Knitting Vintage Socks and Knitted Lace of Estonia will teach 3 different knitting classes: She will share her vast knowledge of historical knitting in Traditional Estonian Socks,  Swedish Twined Knitting, and Estonian Triangular Lace Shawl. Jane Fournier is the author of In Sheeps Clothing and holds her COE in spinning. She has written many articles for Piecework and Spinoff.  She regularly leads Interweave Press fiber trips to her native New Zealand. Yarn Design: Spinning by Choice not by Chance, Plying, Blending Fibers, Spinning Flax, Spinning Short-Stapled Fibres. Robyn Spady www.spadystudios.com holds her COE in weaving and has written many articles for Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot, Handwoven and Weavezine.  In her post-conference workshop Robyn will teach There’s Two Sides to Every Cloth. From three shafts on up, weave weave versatile fabric that possesses a completely different appearance on each side. During the conference she’ll teach 4 half-day workshops The Fab Four, Jewelry from Thrums and “Weftovers, Less is More using inkle looms in distinctive ways, and Putting Together a Novelty Act  to learn to use those special yarns in your weaving.  Kathryn Alexander www.kathrynalexander.net is a spinning, weaving, and knitting innovator and has been featured in Knitting in America and Interweave Knits and Spinoff. Best known for her colorful wearable art, Kathryn will teach spinning and knitting classes. She’ll teach Understanding The Energy In Singles Spinning, Energized Knit Surface with Commercial Yarns, Knit Surface with Entrelac’s Shapes, knitting embellishments in Doo Dads and Finishing in Knitting.  The list doesn’t end with these great classes. We have other talented instructors teaching Bookmaking, Dyeing, Knitting, Tatting, Bobbin Lace, Tailspun Yarns, Beaded Fringes, Embroidery, Crochet, Felting, basketmaking, Handwoven garments with Minimum Cutting, 10 Different Treadlings on your Original Threading, Surface Design, Identifying Superior Fleeces for Spinning, and other fun classes.  On Thursday June 3, in addition to preconference classes and children activities, we’ll open the vendors both at 4 p.m. and hold a Spin-In. Classes run all day Friday, June 4. On Friday night we’ll head to the Yellowstone Art Museum for a dessert party and to see Polly Apfelbaum’s Show www.pollyapfelbaum.com. More classes on Saturday June 5 and then our Awards Banquet and keynote speaker. Sunday morning June 6 we’ll hold the Fashion Show Brunch. Sunday afternoon we’ll see the start of some post conference classes for those lucky enough to stay over. Post conference classes end June 8. Of course we’ll have guild booths, cool goody bags with guild and other gifts, and a beautiful display of fiber art in our show. And vendors, vendors, vendors! Join us for fiber, friends and fun in 2010!

On top of that a bunch of local dyers and I have created Under the Rims Signature Yarns and Roving for sale.  Stay tuned for the next installment when a perfectly well Linda unveils these to the world wide web.

 

Linda

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

Upcoming classes for Linda
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Chat

I am running these days.  Between my grandkids, designing knitting patterns, my "real" accounting work, and my volunteering at the Yellowstone Art Museum, I am in a frenzy.  Diana asked me my upcoming class schedule and I realized with a start I have one again next week at Wild Purls.  So here it is.

March 14,21 2009  Knitted Applied I Baby Blanket  Wild Purls, Billings

March 19, 26 2009 Beginning Spinning Wild Purls, Billings

April 4, 2009 Kumihimo Fill the Gap Braid Prairie Handspinners

April 25,26 2009 Dyeing Self-Striping yarns—Not for Socks only Missoula, MT Weaving and Spinning Guild

May 14 Spinning—Not Your Usual Fiber Sheep Creek Weavers and Spinners near Calgary, AB

May 16 Spin Your Own Stripes  Nanton Spinner and Weavers Guild near Calgary, AB

This upcoming weekend I'm busy with both my spinning guild monthly meeting http://www.mawsonline.org/prairiehandspinners/  and also the 41st Annual Art Auction at the Yellowstone Art Museum. http://yellowstone.artmuseum.org/ No company this weekend for a change.  I also want to start madly spinning some yarn for an upcoming contest in Spinoff magazine.

No rest for the wicked.  Linda

I can do the splits
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: Chat
I was very busy running around my office/studio to clear out space for my new dye kitchen.  I bought 23 big plastic clear boxes to store fiber in and my adjacent bedroom hadn't looked that good in months.  Saturday I did a banana peel type slip  and did the splits for the first time in my life.  I ended up with a major hamstring sprain and perhaps partial tear.  Both the doctor and I thought I'd hardly be hobbling by today, but so far so good and I can walk short distances and am lots less sore than yesterday.  No more cleaning up for me for a while.  So the good news is that I did the splits for the first time in my life.  Now I never want to do them again.  I had a couple of knitting projects that really needed attention, so I'll be at that for a while because spinning and dyeing is out for a while until my leg is better.  One good thing about having lots of interests is that I can turn to one when something is hurting.  Linda 

Back HOME
Mood:  happy
Topic: Chat
Yeah--I'm back home from my last trip for a long time.  Had a great time in Seeley Lake with family.  Forgot how gorgeous it is there.  The whole state still looks pretty green.  How wonderful.  Now I can stay home and spin, knit, dye, etc. etc.  Oh yeah there are those responsibilities too.  I'll guess I'll try to fit a few of them in.  I even have a couple of Finished Objects which I need to post a picture.  Linda

Knitting at ANWG meeting
Mood:  happy
Topic: Chat

Have had a big knitting week while I'm off at family events and then to ANWG meeting.  We stayed at Gonzaga University for about 36 hours.  Nothing like a dorm bed and plastic pillows to make a person appreciate home.  They had a wonderful show and tell today with lots of woven items and some handspun items.  We voted on 4 categories to vote, but best of show was a nuno felt piece by Lyn Pflueger.  Wonderful inspiration.  I even got some good handwoven buys at the silent auction. 

On the road I started a baby blanket I have had in the brain for quite a while.  It has an applied Icord trim.  Make quite a bit of progress.  Part of the yarn I dyed, but most is a commercial light green.  I head off to Sealey Lake for another family thing.  No computers for 4 days--I'll probably make it.  I brought lots of knitting and a spindle and some neat fiber, so I'll be happy. 

Also saw some sun printing on silk scarf.  She said you needed a sunny day with no wind.  In Billings the sunny day is easy--no wind not so easy. Linda

Drawing Diversion
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Chat

This weekend, I went to a one day workshop, but not about all my usual fiber pursuits.  I'm active in our local museum, the Yellowstone Art Museum http://yellowstone.artmuseum.org/  Recently the museum started having a monthly adult education class.  This weekend it was a class called Freehand Sketching by local university professor, Neil Jussila.  It just seemed too good an opportunity to miss.  Now you will say, I didn't know that you knew how to draw?  Well that is the catch, I don't.  A few years ago I took a design workshop and for part of the day, we had to draw--a major stretch for me who had only tried a couple of times in grade and high school and didn't get any where. 

So for a few weeks I drew regularly.  It is surprising, it is really practice.  I got distracted by fiber things and I'm certainly no drawer yet, but everyone can recognize what I'm drawing.  Now this class was for more advanced students, but I sure learned a lot.  I would draw a lot more, if I wasn't so busy spinning, knitting, etc. etc.  But I'm still very interested in keeping working at it.  Linda

Good day if you're a duck
Mood:  bright
Topic: Chat

What a great day if you're a duck... Julie and Greg must be in town, they always bring the rain!!  Don't you just love the sound of rain on the roof and we need the moisture so bad.   I sure hope my garden isn't getting drowned though.   You can almost see the potatoes growing. I just planted spinach, carrots and corn last week. I guess they'll either sprout really well or drown and I'll have to replant.  Been there before!  I put in just four broccoli plants to see if they'd survive the chickens. So far, so good.   The sheep are even hiding out in the sheds. I guess they don't want to shrink.

 Congratulations on your new grandbaby, Linda!   A new little treasure in the world.   Where's the pictures?!?!

 I've gotten a lot of dyeing done of wool I've had washed since last year.  I did periwinkle, sage green, boysenberry, rust that turned out more orange cause I forgot I put some black in it last time.  When I was mixing the dye stock using the black, I dropped the whole little jar of black into the water.  Now, I have a whole jar full of black dye stock to use up.  What a mess! 

 There hasn't been any progress made on my fiber cottage cause DH has been setting up an auction at Ryegate which is a good thing cause those paying jobs are nice to have.  

 All the lambs are growing like weeds.  We had to bring the Jacob cross triplets and the two bottle babies into the backyard cause they kept going through the fence when they were out in the pasture. They're so small they can slip right under the fence.  The police even brought a couple of them home one day!  

 One of the bottle babies had a close call one day.  She bloated up after eating, I think we were feeding them a little too much.  She looked like a barrel with legs, poor little thing. I had to give her a shot and got some PeptoBismol down her and she came out of it okay.   They're such little pigs... they act like they're starving all the time but it's not good to overfeed them which is easy to do. 

 Well, better get to work. Hope you're all staying dry. It's a good day to play with some fiber!    Deb 

Grandbaby's, Idaho Falls teaching get in the way of blogging
Mood:  rushed
Topic: Chat
My new grandbaby 9 lb 3 oz Ramsey arrived on Sunday--a good mother's day present. We made a quick trip to see him in Bozeman and spent most of the weekend with 2 of our other grandkids.  I'm now madly working on getting supplies and kits made for Snake River Fiber Festival.  Only 36 hours until everything has to be in the car.  I did take time last Friday to dye some handspun, but I'll have to report on that later.     Linda

More Yarn
Topic: Chat
Did I come home from Barb's house with lots more yarn.  Youbetcha.  Barb hand about 20 cones lined up that she didn't want any more and sold to me for an obscenely low price.  Some will probably be seen in my designs soon once they are dyed.  Linda