Wednesday 26 September 2007

Thoughts……


Well the thought of not having anything in our show it now just that. One of our guild members has gotten us in! Just when I thought I was safe, now I have to get things finished gggg I have entered 10 items, not sure that I’ll get them all finished, but am trying. Eight of them are skeins of handspun, one knitted and one hairpin lace.


We had a very good day last Wednesday at our State guild, they provided us with a lovely lunch, and surprise, surprise of course I just had to bring some little souvenirs home :) I bought some little 25g bags of tencel, bamboo, milk latte, about 4 bags of each. I am looking forward to spinning these, but I want to dye them first. I also bought a couple of books for myself and 2 books for the guild.


At the moment Fibre Forum is on in Geelong (large town 20min down the road) this is a large Textile Forum, another one is held interstate around Easter with various regional ones at different times. I usually go to the one in Geelong (it's so close I couldn't not), but this year a friend and I went to a regional one earlier in the year, and there were no workshops I really wanted to do. All of these have week long workshops and the piece de resistance is the traders ;-) ;-). I went out on Monday to the traders. Of course I was naughty and spent money, but then again I save for this all year. I bought about 5 books and ordered some for our guild, and silk yarn for weaving. I have to go back tomorrow to pick up the books and maybe on Saturday - their open day.

Three of us from guild have applied to attend the interstate one next April, the other two have got their workshops back, but I was tardy in sending mine (like it only went in the post this morning!), but I don't think I'll have any trouble in getting my 1st choice, which is millinery. (I am a milliner, and used to have my own business, but haven't worked for about 15yrs) I am getting ready to open an Esty shop as I said in my last post. I hope to have it up by the end of the week or next week. I have photographed the work I have ready, now to set everything up.



Spread your Wings and Soar

Judy

Thursday 13 September 2007

What Have I Been doing?

I have been back home a week and I still haven’t caught up. I have missed the closing date for our show, so for the first time in many, many years I won’t have anything in the judged section.

I am still winding this very fine warp (2,000+ ends)! And I am now thinking of doing the Star of Bethlehem overshot pattern. Will I or won’t I???? So now I need to sit down and work out my threading, and how much yarn I will need. More math! The trouble is I’m not really sure what I want to do. It is for an Altar cloth, and I am trying to find something appropriate.

I also want to find time by the end of the weekend to photograph the wedding pieces and hats I want to sell on Esty. This means making up a photo booth, and I should also find a model of some sort. Not sure that that will happen for this time at least. I also want to get one of our wedding photos copied as I have bought a beautiful large glass frame. I have also bought a double heart shaped frame, but that is a difficult shape to fit. But these frames are sitting on my work bench in my studio and taking up room there!

I have finished the last strip of my hairpin lace, now to decide how to join them.

The wind has picked up today, and we are promised some rain over the next couple of days. I hope that eventuates. We are still desperate for water.

Spread your Wings and Soar
Judy

Sunday 2 September 2007

……..And 6 Months Later!

I don’t know where this time has gone, but gone it has. We are now heading into Spring. We had some quite good rain in July, but alas not anywhere near enough to break our drought.

I have been spending some time up north with Moira and I fly home this coming Thursday. It has been a very nice, quiet and relaxing break. I still struggle with the weight of my case! Trouble is I am on holiday and what do I like to do on holiday – read! And of course books weigh a ton! I only bought one knitting project – cancer hats for breast cancer victims. I am making a hair pin lace stole from my hand spun variegated silk, in the colours of the inside of a seashell. So that too has come, I’m hoping to get it finished for our show in October. I am halfway through the last strip and now have to decide how I want to join the strips. I have also bought a spindle that I am spinning very bright variegated silk on which will be plied to a similar colourway of “Optim TM” (this is the “silky” merino created by our CSIRO where twisted wool sliver is stretched some 40-50% making each fibre 3-3.5 microns finer. The reduced fibre is then chemically set in this finer form. The result is a fine, lustrous, silk soft and strong fibre. X-rays show that the processed fibre is closer to silk in structure while being stronger and finer that its parent wool. See: http://www.csiro.au/science/pps7m.html if interested)

I left my studio in a total mess. I had certain things I wanted to get done before I left, but …………… The trouble is I keep acquiring things that need to be housed and not getting rid of other things!!!!!! In other words I need a bigger space. Derek suggested I store some things in the ‘tack’ room, but I don’t really want to do that as I like to have everything in my studio where I can see it. Out of sight – out of mind – and I forget I’ve got it! As it is most of my fleeces are out in the caravan and there is even some cones of fine wool. My other big lack of is -- time! I just never seem to get anything done!

At the weekend Moira and I watched all the Harry Potter films, and Tuesday we went to see the latest one (again!). It was fun. Although I enjoy them, after having read all the books I find the films rather scattered and fractured. When I get home I am going to start re-reading all the books or at least listening to them. Moira is reading them now.

I have been naughty and been playing on ebay the last couple of weeks, I bought some cotton yarn, and some back issues of Weavers ( missed out on several auctions of issues I don’t have, Oh well I will gradually acquire them) and The Weaver’s Journal, and a couple of weaving books. Looking forward to the post again! J Now I need to stay off it for awhile. Unfortunately all but one item comes from the US, so postage is nearly as much and in some cases more than the item!!!

I have also been on the Esty site, Well actually I’ve been squandering too much time over there ggggg (managing not to spend anything) I am thinking about creating a store there for my millinery and some jewelry. I’ve been thinking about re-opening my millinery business for a couple of years, but don’t seem to have the enthusiasm or time to do it. Perhaps seeing how things sell here might give me the push. I have several hats and bridal pieces ready to go.

Spread Your Wings and Soar

Judy