P2P2

The "Big Reveal"! I love it, I have never participated in an internet share group before and it was great fun.  I liked how some weavers were quite and some blogged about everything. I liked how the deadline was right around the corner when we started and I am anxious to see everyones work.

My Big Reveal:

 This is the photo I chose as my inspiration. It is a Rome street photo sent to me by Holly. I like using photos and magazine pictures for color inspiration, for a while I was using every Martha Stewart Living Magazine cover for a series of weavings because she uses a lot of pinks.
 This photo is far from my normal color range but I enjoyed weaving it just the same.

  I very seldom do anything but plain weave. There I've said it, 30 years of plain weave.  I like weaving with many colors and the fun is in the designing not the weaving. I shouldn't even call myself a weaver.
 On this piece I tried to vary my beat to give the effect of cobblestones and all it did was look like bad weaving. Oh well, when it's made into a vest I will know they are cobblestones.

 This shot is of the whole cloth. In the grey part I used 6 shades of grey, using 20/2 silk 3 strands used as one. I like to keep switching out colors as I measure.

 There will be braids and piping trim and I will post as I go if anyone is interested in seeing the final results. I was going to try to finish the whole project but sadly work got in the way.

I hope Esmae had as much fun with my photos as I did with Holly's and we can all get together again next year.

P2P2

I am using the excuse of it being so hot today to not move around much, so I am braiding some trim for my P2P2 project.   There are a couple areas that I want to boost up and I also want trim for the edges.
I am doing an eight strand braid on a Chinese Braiding Stand with 20/2 silk in red and black, one strand per bobbin. Color placement is B R R R R R R B.  I call it the taillight braid and hopefully will mimic the taillights of the cycles.
I have left the fabric on the loom but I will cut it off tonight and wet finish it.  The end is drawing near!

Mud Cloth

Unpacking from the last trip I found a piece of mud cloth I did in the workshop in Durango last July. I was really pleased with how it turned out, however, now I want to make a larger piece but I don't have any of the black mud.  The black mud (Michigan swamp mud) was supplied by the instructor and there was only a small bit to go around.  I telephoned my brother in St Louis and asked if he would traipse out to the Missouri swamps to see if he can find black mud. This project will lay in the back of my mind until little brother gets me some mud.  When I called he had several friends over and after I told him what I wanted, he announced to everyone that he had one crazy sister but he's going to go out digging in the mud so who's crazy?

Off time

Went to Santa Monica yesterday for a meet up with our yarn supplier, then, since we were a block away and spent 2 1/2 hours getting there, we put our feet in the ocean. Another 2 1/2 hours to drive 50 miles and we were in the desert again.


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Location:Acton, CA

Off time

I took some time this week to visit some friends, help 1 friend move, visit my neighbors new babies. Today is our normal down day so I will weave. What a life!

This Mother laid her ears back, telling me to stay away.

This Mother made a face at me saying this was a private moment.






I don't want to mess up a fine week so we will go to the beach tomorrow, then it will be back to work. The Vogue knitting "LIVE" show is September 23-25, right over the hill and through the valley in Beverly Hills.

Library Sewing Circle

Today was the first meeting of the Acton/Agua Dulce Library Sewing Circle.   We have started with the idea of slowing down, meeting new friends, working on hand projects we have started or learning new things from the excellent craft section of our new library.

Since nothing was really planned for the first meeting except discussing what we wanted to do, we decided to make name tags by embroidering on card stock.

Mat, our librarian, was having so much fun he made 2, one for the meetings and one for his everyday job.

For our next meeting, Polly, who's a beginning knitter wants to learn how to knit socks, Mat wants to learn to put French cuffs on old shirts, Elff, Lisa and I will bring whatever we are working on at the time.

Mat will write a article for our 2 local newspapers and we will see if we can get our circle to grow.

Goofing off

I had a looooong lunch and gossip session with a super friend I haven't seen in months. One of the problems of traveling; we were gone on the big trip and when we got home she was leaving to paint in Taos, then she came home as we were leaving on our next trip. Email and phone calls are great but nothing like a good hug. Tomorrow I see another super friend and have to see the third one hopefully next week. Then things can get back to normal.

Only got a little weaving done and tomorrow afternoon, we start the old fashioned sewing bee at the library to make slow cloth. Should be fun.

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Location:Palmdale CA

P2P2

The next step in my process is to decide on a weft. I very seldom think about the weft until the warp is tied on and ready to be woven. Most of the time, what is in my head never looks the same on the loom, so why bother worrying about it. Looking at the warp on the loom, I'm pleased, even happy. My fabric will be finished tomorrow so there will be no more P2P2 pictures of the fabric until the "Big Reveal". Next week, however, I will start the next phase of the project, dyeing the lining and doing some braiding, I will post pictures of them.

Happy Hat

Have you ever purchased something because it just made you laugh when you look at it? I saw this little red hat in a booth at Sock Summit, while the vendors were still setting up. Once again I fell in love and had to have it; unlike the Chameleon, this item requires no care and it makes me happy!  The artist is, Sarah La Joie, at Attitude Hats. Most of her hats are for adults but this little cutie is a child's hat and is about 6 inches across and 4 inches high. So my next work will be designed around this hat.   I have designed clothes around a button, so why not a hat?

Done

Tuesday all the big orders were shipped. Today I just wandered around, at a loss as to what to do. Then a silk shipment came in so my afternoon was filled.

We have been eating RAW, so yesterday while in town for UPS, a trip to B&N was necessary. I love the cookbook section and found the book "Becoming Raw" by a bunch of dietitians, it's subtitle is "The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets". I am not a vegan all the time, sometimes sushi calls my name, and giving up eggs would be impossible but on the whole it's raw vegan. You get to eat a lot of food!

Location:Acton CA

P2P2

I decided to leave the warp as is, per usual, I would probably do it different if I were to do it over. I am warming up to the grey.

I always get a little sad at this point because the really fun part is over. I do enjoy the rest of the dressing process but then it's time to weave, not my favorite part.

I had a weaver friend who had a loom like mine, I would dress my loom, put it in my truck and take it to her house. I would drop it off and pick up her loom and yarn, bring it home and dress her loom. She would weave off my warp and we would do it all over again.  Sadly for me her child got in the way of her weaving. At least some people have their heads screwed on right.

P2P2

Just a minor change, still too much yellow but I'm running with it. The yellow grabs my eyes when I look at the photo, the yellow in the warp grabs my eyes too but now I don't flinch. I might darken the green and make it smaller. These little snafoos really slow me up.

Just as I thought, too much yellow and green. I should really try listening to myself sometime.

P2P2

I have the design part of the warp measured.  As I only need 3 yards for the vest, I decided to go front to back in dressing the loom. I am going to go through the reed to see if I like this part well enough to continue. It's looking rather garish at this stage, but then it's colors I don't normally use so we'll see.

The percentage of the cream in the photo is almost half but I have cut it way down, yellow and green can take over a warp all too easily.

P2P2

With only until the end of the month to finish, I have got to get a move on.

I have decided on the inspiration photo.

I have chosen the colors.














I have decided to weave fabric for a vest. It is hard to put my design ideas down as I see pictures of the finished product in my head and just work toward the end product. I design the color scheme on my warping reel as I go. This fabric will be mostly grey and I am using 4 shades of a black grey with some pure black thrown in.  The balance of the colors will be randomly placed through out.

Chameleon Project

Like a Chameleon, the photo never does justice or maybe I'm just a lousy photographer.

The scarf is finished. The warp is a hand spun single silk from Giovanna Imperia, it's very roughly spun, lots of texture but surprisingly strong. It was hand dyed by RedFish DyeWorks. Woven with 60/2 spun silk from RedFish DyeWorks. The hand spun sheds terribly, I hope washing will remove this problem.

Chameleon Project

I'm beginning to think I will never get it together! I got the Chameleon Project off my little loom but my camera batteries were all dead.

Now to begin P2P2.


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Location:Acton CA

Home

Had breakfast at the Hi-Lo Cafe in Weed yesterday morning, lunch in Sacramento, snack in Coalinga, supper in Acton. Eat, drive, eat, drive, eat, sleep, all in all a good day.
Going to my studio and weave.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Acton CA