Thumbing through Spin Off’s Summer 2009 Issue

Who doesn’t love the Spin Off magazine covers?  They always draw me in and beg for a few uninterrupted hours with a good cup of coffee…yesterday, while the drizzle came down here on the coast of Maine, I fully indulged in that pleasure by reading the magazine from cover to cover.

It was great to see that four of the articles were directly related to classes offered this Fall at Fiber College.

Robin Russo did an article on CVM’s…California Varigated Mutant.

Our own Wayne & Jo Meyers from Beau Chemin Farm in Waldoboro are one of the 25 breeders in North America of this rare sheep.  If Wayne’s not off making the world a safer place in September, he’ll be here at the College with a talk on rare breeds of sheep and he’ll bring a few of his favorite wooley animals.

Jo Meyers and Moe

As a matter of fact, just last week, FC faculty member Mary Jane Mucklestone and I drove down to see the Meyers new CVM babies.

We can tell you from personal observations that if you’re looking for a rare breed fleece or roving, now’s the time to visit or call the Meyers because the selection of this year’s clip is lovely.   Ask them about their latest research and plans to revive the numbers of a wonderful Icelandic goat, capable of producing fiber, milk and meat

Mary Jane is a professional photostylist among other accomplishments and taught the (sold out) class last year on Photographing Your Work…all of these photos are hers.

Precious CVM babies born a couple of weeks ago

Speaking of Mary Jane, knitwear designer and color coordinator extraordinaire…if you liked the hat Robin Russo’s snug CVM hat with all those lovely hues and designs but are intimidated by the thought of knitting with so many colors, Mary Jane will be teaching a class this fall in stranded colorwork knitting on Saturday from 9-1 PM.  You can bring 3-3000 of your favorite colors and learn from one of the industry’s best…you want to sign up early for this class because I’ve heard rumors that Mary Jane Mucklestone will soon the the highlight of one of the national magazines coming out in the fall…after the exposure she’ll be in high demand.

It's as soft as it looks and so many shades of beauty!

Then there was the article on the pleasures of inkle weaving by Gwen Powell.  This lovely, portable art has always been an intriguing way of making one-of-a-kind lanyards, belts, guitar straps and narrow ribbons.  Gwen took it one step further by sewing these ribbons together to make an inkle woven handbag.  If this artform catches your fancy, you’ll be happy to know that Dawn K Forde will be teaching two classes in Inkle Weaving…on Saturday Morning she’ll teach the fundamentals of Inkle weaving and on Sunday she’ll teach the more advanced technique of pick ups on an inkle loom.  Dawn will lend you the loom for the duration of the class if you don’t have one or we’ll have them available for purchase while you’re here.  Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to learn a technique that will stand on it’s own or lend itself to embellishing your other forms of fiber work.

If you’re like me, you always jump to the photo gallery section of the magazine first…I love to see the how many variations there can be on a project depending on how the yarn was spun.  This edition of Spin Off has a photo gallery of Quants this season…the only catch, you need to know how to entrelac…sounds like a dance doesn’t it?  Actually it’s a knitting technique that looks extremely complicated but is rather soothing once you get the hang of it.  To get started, plan on taking Kellie McKenzie’s class scheduled for Sunday, 12:30-3:30.  Kellie’s ever so patient and capable of knitting ANYTHING!  If you like to expand your techniques but want to be encouraged gently…she’s your instructor!

Spinning a better world, one thread at a time,

Astrig

Brilliant Natural Dyes…another note about Peru

Lesson by an Inca wall (that smells too much like pee)

The Peruvian women know how to use natural plants and insects to transform their rather ordinary wool from sheep and alpacas into rainbows destined to wrapped their loved ones in warmth.

One day, while waiting in one of the dozens of beautiful squares of Cusco, a women approached with a basket of textiles to sell.  She spoke mostly Quechua and my Spanish is broken at best but with traveler smiles, gestures and a few key words we managed to have a lively conversation…sharing a bit about our lives and our families.

Her name is Paulina Cullanaupa Contreras, she is the single mother of four children, 39 years old and came into the city of Cusco by bus every day from Chinchero so that her children could attend school in the city.  She learned to weave with her grandmother and her aunts and didn’t enjoy doing complicated patterns…she liked coloring the wool more than the weaving.

Honestly, the weavings she was trying to sell at the square weren’t particularly good.  Perhaps because she had rushed to bring things to market, or maybe she didn’t know how to do better work or more probably because the general tourist public doesn’t look closely at the workmanship  and she learned quickly that doing intricate work didn’t pay…who knows?  When I said I was hoping to bring home samples of finer weavings and natural dye color, she smiled, asked me to wait a few minutes.  She left me holding her bag of goods while she ran off for some other things she thought I might like better.

Paulina's Blanket

Think for a minute how trusting she was…we had only been conversing for a little while and yet she left me with all of her hand wovens because it never crossed her mind that someone would take them while she was away…don’t you love that kind of trust in the world?

Well we did wait and soon she was back, her cheeks flushed from running in the thin Andean air.  In her arms was this beautiful handwoven blanket.  It consists of two lengths of back strap weaving sewn together, all spun, dyed and woven by her during free time of the past two months.

I asked her about the colors and was astounded at the depth of her knowledge.  I’m only sad that we didn’t share a common language that actually allowed me to ask all the questions that were running through my mind about mordants and fixatives and seasons of harvesting the plant material…but still,  Paulina was kind enough to take my little notebook in hand and write down the different dye plants as they corresponded to the stripes of the blanket.

Paulina's notes

Each of the three shades of color is the result of the dye baths.  The first is the strongest, second a bit lighter and the third the most pale.   The plants she used were:

Nogal…Walnut (browns)

Chilca with Iron Sulfate (greens)

Cochineal (insect) (reds)

Indigo (blues)

Mixed cochineal and indigo (purples)

Lichens (oranges)

This blanket is the perfect primer for someone like me who is only beginning to understand the world of natural dyes…I have something to aim for now.  And the mystery was solved…Paulina certainly knows her craft, she simply doesn’t waste her precious time making things for the tourist market that she knows won’t pay a high return.  Luckily for me, she had this blanket stashed away and was willing to sell it…I’ll share it with you during Fiber College this fall.

Are you Crankin’?

Maureen wrote this week to announce a really interesting Fiber Event…and you’re all welcome to attend.

CSM=Circular Sock Machine… Crankin’ Socks

Have you always been curious about CSM’s or have one in a box somewhere that
you never learned to use. Here is an opportunity to get some free help.
Maureen Newell of Creative New England is hosting a one day event for Fiber
Enthusiasts.
May 16, 2009, 10-4. Join us for a good time of fellowship and learning. This
is also a good chance to get help with knitting, crocheting, and perhaps
spinning. Whatever your fiber hobby you are welcome to join us. Bring a
portable chair, bag lunch, of course a friend, and your favorite fiber
project. If bringing a CSM and have a stool or table for it please bring it.
For more details contact Maureen at creatne2@myfairpoint.net See you there.

We’d like your opinion for the next planning stage of Fiber College

Volunteers bring this wonderful weekend to life and your thoughts, opinions and ideas form the class offerings, lectures and demonstrations we enjoy each year.  Thinking ahead to our free scheduled demonstrations we need to hear from you and your friends…what interests you right now?  Do you know of anyone we should be contacting about sharing their passion with the rest of us?  Vote and let your voice be heard!

Inkle Loom Vendor Sought…

Inkle Loom from Above

This year Fiber College will be offering two Inkle Loom classes. Instructor Dawn Forde will be generously providing looms for student use during class but doesn’t offer them for sale…what’s an artist to do if the passion bug bites at the end of the class session?

Bookmarks by Zip Eye

There’s a niche that needs to be filled and it seemed logical that we’d start here with this blog posting.  Any vendors or wood workers who would like to join us?  …you’re certain to pay your booth fee before you even get started!    Click here for your copy of the vendor application.

Still thinking of Peru

A collage of textiles

Real life has kept me from writing the posts that dance in my head…so here’s another taste of what I’d like to share once the Fiber College website has been updated with the fantastic classes for 2009

Back from Peru

The Centre Traditionales de Textiles of Cusco

The our time in Peru was amazing and I learned so much about natural dyes,

Coccineal after a bit of time

spindling

Backstrap weaving with natural colors

and weaving

In the works

that my head is still spinning from the experience and the fatigue…

Finished Shawl from Chinchero

but I just wanted to share a few pictures before I head upstairs to take a nap…there will be plenty more posts about the journey in the days to come…

This weekend will be devoted to updating the Fiber College website with all of the Classes for 2009…thanks for your patience!

Taking Dad to Weave in Peru

My lovely wife and her dad have been visiting textile museums and weaving communities around the country of Peru these past few weeks. Each day has been full of new adventure, which she will write about after settling in back home for a bit and before we’re out raking the leaves mashed into the ground by the winter snows.

Astrig has not been able to send much info but here is a bit from an e-mail I received the other day:

Every experience is more amazing than the next…I don’t know if Ill ever be able to share it all…wish you were here. Yesterday at the weaver{s village we met the MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE of Peru…go figure…and today we{re invited to dine at his home in the mountains North of Cusco after we walk some of the Inca ruins that are not available to tourists because they are on his land…can you believe it. Dad’s been a trooper and I cant wait for each day to unfold…

….had an incredible day exploring Lima…Dad must have walked 10 miles without complaining…I am exhausted!

We had lunch in a famous ceviche restaurant La Mar where we ate all sorts of fish, conch, octopus and banana chips…washed down with cold beer and pisco sours…we are going to crash for a bit now and intend to head out for a late dinner and music…but we must leave for the airport at 4:30 AM to go to Cusco.

….decided to stay in Cusco a few extra days which gives me a chance to return to one of the weaving villages for an in depth dyeing workshop and on Saturday we´ll fly to Arepequ and take a two day tour of Colca Canyon to watch the condors….

…been staying in a some nice, accomodating hotels and the day trips have been dazzling so all is working well. Once we found an Aussie restaurant that served food more like home, Dad´s been more relaxed.

Beau Chemin Farmers interview at a Finnish Goat Farm

Beau Chemin Farmers Joanne and Wayne Meyers, Friends of Fiber College, visit Finland to research a rare Finnish goat that provides fiber and meat to small farms. Here’s the clip:

Extreme Sheep LED Art

Thanks to Debra Woolley for sending us the following piece “Baaa Studs”