Fibre Sauvage

Knitting In the Round

2012-01-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

"Why knit flat when it can be done in the round" is my approach to knitting these days. And just about every garments can be knitted in the round - making it easy to try projects right off the needles (especially on a pair of circular ones), and customizing them along the way. To knit in the round also means there's no seams and therefore less sewing of these tricky edges.

If following a pattern written for flat knitting, some slight modifications will be necessary but certainly worth the adjustment.

In the spring, I came across this lovely pattern on Tora Frøseth's blog and adapted it to knitting in the round.

Here's my version of Annefødder wrist warmers knitted in light purple and green with some sumptuous blue sky alpacas.

June, July ... December

2011-12-31T16:31:00.001-08:00

The other half of 2011 has been filled with lots of new knowledge and wonderful fibre moments.

The Maiwa Symposium - with the quality of its workshops, lectures and events - certainly was a highlight. I was privileged this year to assist Michele Wipplinger with her workshop and learned a lot about colour theory. I also learned that banana is a great reducing agent for the indigo vat. Who would have thought? Well ... Michel Garcia did and his workshop INDIGO: The Organic Vat was simply fascinating.

Beyond indigo, my explorations with the dye pot continued on the back porch with carrot tops, peonies, roses, rhubarb and much more from the garden.

All the while, the knitting needles were clicking away and small projects took shape. Socks, hats, wrist warmers were created and gifted along the way.

As for my time at the loom, it has been quite exploratory. Jumping from colour to lace, to texture and hand spun yarns. My various lengths of cloth are so different to one another, showing openness and tightness at the same time. The dress form is now ready to be draped, and ideas are forming around the design of these cloths.

Fibrations and a couple of SAORI-kai (gatherings) were also a source of inspiration this fall. And more recently, some time spent on Salt Spring Island.

My latest piece "Soft and Textural" was woven at Saori Salt Spring. Intrigued by a few weft variations and the effect of the comb reed, I first learned these new techniques and then played with lots of texture while weaving with a soft gentle touch.

So many variations ... so much more to discover.

Happy 2012 Fibre Explorations!

The Wondrous Work of India Flint

2011-05-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Shortly after taking Charllotte Kwon's Natural Dye Workshop at Maiwa, I discovered the stories and tales from the prophet of bloom - the words and muses of India Flint.

It is with great enchantment that I peruse India's blog - always discovering treasures and detours on and off the path of natural dyes.

To put it simply - I absolutely love India's work, especially her eucalyptus dyes and regional approach to dyeing. I can't wait to take a workshop with India one day. Hopefully down under where the gum trees abound!

But for now, I shall experiment with India's book at my side. A great source of inspiration, Eco colour is full of stunning images and information to guide me through my dyeing adventures - starting with plants and flowers from the garden. Thanks India for the use of your pix!

Saori Chime, Design Workshops, Lau Niu Weaving

2011-05-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

And what exactly do the chime, workshops and lau niu weaving have in common? San-gatsu - the month of March.

It all started with the completion of Maddy's Saori Wind Chime - a second window - also inspired by the elements of nature and unique to Maddy's connections to those elements.

Each piece was created in the likeness and reflection of my first Saori Wind Chime, but with colors, thoughts and additional inspirations that resonated with Maddy. Thanks to Maddy for this wonderful opportunity and to Stu for taking such great photos.

In the footsteps of the commission, followed the weaving of 4 meters of cloth for Marie's design classes. I first met Marie on Salt Spring Island last year. I fell in love with the garments and designs she presented to the Weaver's guild as part of the "Designing Women" series. And so with great excitement, I left for Marie's classes at Knotty by Nature in Victoria.

The Saori-kai and design classes were most inspiring and energizing as we all shared our weavings, ideas, and inspirations. On that weekend, I forgot my camera at home, however Terri has some great photos on her blog of both the Saori-kai and the Saori Design Classes.

I find the Saori design process to follow hand in hand with Saori weaving. In all of its creativity, the cloth speaks for itself, and as it gets folded, cut, tucked and sewn, further beauty reveals ... coming together ever so nicely.

My 4 meters of cloth has become a tunic with asymmetrical lines on one side and fringes at the back. It's nearly finished ... I'll post more pictures soon. Thanks to Terri for this photo.

And from Saori to lau nui weaving, the month ended in Hawaii where I saw this beautiful basket made with a small section of a single coconut leaf. It was a nice traditional ending to a busy weaving month of March!

Eastside Culture Crawl Commission

2011-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

In November, my Saori Wind Chime travelled to the Eastside Culture Crawl, and this month - by means of this wonderful event - I have the pleasure of weaving a commissioned piece rich in colours.

Thank you Stu for displaying my window above your wood work and for sharing this photo of our combined creations.

A Colourful Thrum Project

2011-01-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

" Painting with Thrums " is my latest piece of weaving and the inspiration for this project came from the desire of exploring what it would be like to weave an entire piece of fabric with mostly thrums of different lengths and colours.

In my post Treasuring Thrums, I touched on colours and textures with a couple of photos: a colorful warp created with the longest lengths of thrums, and the start of my weaving - weft with thrums of the same colours. I did not have to weave very much to discover that the blending of colours was going to be the true essence of this cloth.

Several more threads of fine silk and silk/wool blend got woven together; nests of tangled yarns found their way into the cloth, and knots from the warp ends were added for texture.

And like watercolours on a painter's palette, a multitude of colours were blended together and woven in the warp. I nearly made it to the end of the warp before running low on thrums.

A perfect opportunity to explore a different finish. I'm not sure yet what will become of this new piece of cloth, but for the moment - one thing is certain - I keep on treasuring thrums!

Treasuring Thrums

2010-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Thrums ... THRUMS ... Thrums
Thrums are full of colours

Thrums offer lots of textures
Thrums are simple treasures

Silk thrums in the warp

Silk thrums in the weft

Let's see where those thrums take me and as Misao-sensei would say

"Let's adventure beyond our imagination"

A Saori Wind Chime

2010-10-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

My Saori wind chime came together before traveling to the Oregon Coast ... and only recently was it installed outside near by our kitchen window. In creating this visual display of colors, my desire was to weave several Saori pieces that would dance in the wind. What I did not expect is the glowing of these colors in the morning sun.

The weaving part of my project was inspired by the Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the wind, and so I chose to weave with the five colors representing the five elements of nature: blue symbolizing sky/space, followed by white for air/wind, then red for the fire element, green for water, and finally yellow symbolizing earth.

I very much enjoyed creating this piece and really like that it is now part of nature. The weaving is very colorful when basking in the sun and dancing in the wind ... it is also a gentle reminder for more kindness, compassion and peace for ourselves, others and the earth.

Colours of the Oregon Coast

2010-10-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

I treadled a lot in August and September. However, it wasn't so much while seated at the loom or behind the spinning wheel, but rather on the saddle of my bicycle. A wonderful cycle touring adventure along the Oregon Coast and through Northern California. The coast line of Oregon was spectacular, the Redwood Forests majestic, and the pace of cycling ... well, perfect to immerse oneself in the moment and truly enjoy the scenery.

A pleasant discovery on my way to Cape Blanco was the Wild Rivers Wool Factory in Langlois, South Oregon. A gem of a store selling and featuring locally produced fibres and finished products from local artists and artisans. As I walked in, a colorful skein of wool cut my eyes and wanting to know more about my choice, I asked about the type of wool. "Well, that would be Romney and the sheep's name is Hyacinth - she lives up the road." Now, that is 100% local wool!

Another pleasant discovery awaited me in Portland - the annual festival Art In The Pearl. It is there that I discovered the textile work of Kimberly Morris , a local weaver who crafts amazing rugs with "the belief that all things functional, should be beautiful, easy to care for and last for a long time." The colours of her hand-dyed, hand-woven wool rugs are absolutely stunning! Her rugs have a story, watch this segment on Oregon Art Beat.

Coming Together ...

2010-07-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Spinning Artsy Yarn

2010-07-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Thick and Thin" ~ I simply love the beauty and irregularity of thick and thin yarn ... especially when it finds its way into my weaving! Inspired by the yarn of Carmen Craig-Martin from MelonHead Knitwear, I signed up in June for spinning classes at Birkeland Bros - my local yarn shop.

Hand Spun - first hank

At the end of our first class, Carmen had us spinning on the wheel and to my enchantment - I was spinning thick and thin. Well ... I was spinning exactly what a beginner at the wheel spins - flukey "uncontrolled" thick and thin yarn!

Hand Spun - 2 plys

Though in love with my first hand spun, my learning process was to spin more consistently so that I can eventually spin beautiful "controlled" thick and thin yarn. And to spin a more consistent yarn ... spinning and more spinning is the secret!

Hand Spun - ply with alpaca

Spinning - I did .. and lots of yarns - I got. I am still working on the control of my thick and thin .. though I quite like the uniqueness of each and every single hank I've spun so far. I am excited with the idea of weaving with my own artsy yarns!

A Fabulous Fibre Month

2010-07-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

June was an eventful fibre month with new projects coming along and my latest Saori pieces getting ready to be mounted in the window frame. I learned to spin wool on the wheel and met some wonderful fibre people along the way - but more about these topics in a different post.

June was also Victoria FibreFest and a day spent with Terri at her Saori booth in Saxe Point Park. It was such a great day and I had so much fun helping Terri and assisting people at the looms.

The children loved weaving on the Piccolo loom - the perfect size for them, while others chose to weave a section of the collaborative banner for The Saori Bridges of Elm Park project. Thanks to Terri for sharing the photos of the looms - Piccolo above and the banner in progress on the left.

June was a fabulous fibre month ... and an amazing Saori weaving day in the park!

Tabi Socks for Novelty

2010-06-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

No matter where I go, I like having a knitting project on the needles - and for that matter, socks seem to be the perfect choice. Small and compact - especially when knitted on circular needles, it packs into a tiny bundle that fits perfectly in the backpack.

So .. no stranger to knitting socks, I recently cast on some leftover yarn from Lorna's Laces that's been sitting in my stash. A few years ago, I knitted my first pair of socks with this yarn and quite liked the stitch pattern ... and so did grandma. I was pleased to give her my first pair of socks to keep her feet warm over the winter months.

My new pair of socks is based on the same stitch pattern as my first pair (the fuchsia sock in the photo), but with a new twist! I enjoy learning new knitting techniques with nearly every project, and this time it's all about tabi socks! I'll keep you posted ...

A tiny little wrap

2010-06-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Friends recently had a baby boy and I could not resist knitting this little wrap for him.
An easy knit, the wrap was knitted in one piece with a couple ties on the outside and the inside.
I simply love this turquoise in 100% pure new wool, the asymmetrical closure and the simple lines.

Photos of my "Cool Cross" Scarf

2010-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Very colourful - I love every single colour!

Flat - the way it was woven on the loom.

3-D - the warp off the loom

My "cool cross" scarf - a very "cool" way of weaving a three dimensional scarf. It is my new favourite!

My Saori exploration continues ....

2010-05-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a very refreshing weaving retreat to Saori Salt Spring with Terri Bibby. Our time spent together was inspirational in many ways and I learned a lot from her, and also from Jill who came from California to study Saori with Terri. Jill currently teaches sewing classes from her studio Heartgallery and will soon be offering Saori weaving workshops.

For four days, I fully immersed myself into weaving and really embraced the Saori approach to weaving. Terri shared with us the philosophy of Saori and stories of her recent trip to Japan - there's great photos posted on her blog. Needless to say ... I can't wait to travel to Japan and visit some of the Saori studios!

Back to Salt Spring Island - Terri shared with us some weaving techniques, Saori clothes-making ideas, and much more. I was encouraged by her guidance to learn from my own experience and to develop my unique creativity. I chose to learn and create a three dimensional scarf by weaving a cool cross scarf. Wow ... very "cool" indeed! The scarf is woven flat, but comes off the loom in three dimensions ... I will post some pictures soon.

In the meantime, if you are interested in three dimensional weaving, Terri is teaching a class this weekend at Knotty By Nature Fibre Arts.

A marvel of burnt orange

2010-04-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

I recently finished my Saori piece on the Artisat , and still marvel at the orange burnt colour. In working with one colour of a single yarn, I wanted to explore density by grouping the weft and by playing with different amount of spaces between threads. The contrast is fascinating - especially when the fabric is held in the light. It was challenging to capture the true essence of the fabric, but for an "aperçu" - here's a few pictures.

Gaining Perspective

2010-03-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

A first on the Artisat

2010-03-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I became the proud owner of a floor loom: the Artisat. Though new to me, my Artisat is nearly 30 years old, but in superb condition. The loom has aged so gracefully in the hands and care of its original owner that weaving on it has been a delight. My first Saori project on the loom: a scarf in one gorgeous colour ~ burnt orange!

Nature ... a source of inspiration

2009-07-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today, while gathering lavender, I sat in the garden and watched the bumblebees dance between flowers. The vibrant yellow of their bodies was such a beautiful contrast to the dark purple of the lavender flowers. And as I bunched up the sprigs of lavender to dry in the sun, a multitude of greys and purples suddenly revealed themselves.