Hello?

Is anybody out there? Sorry it has been a while. I have been sort of sapped of creativity lately. I am trying, and trying and trying super-duper hard to get back into the knitting, but it seems that every time I start a new project I get about a 5th into it and come to a standstill. It is infuriating! But on the flip side, I have my weaving to turn to. And with two looms, I have been keeping those puppies quite busy lately.

I had a renaissance of sorts with the rigid heddle weaving. You just can't get as creative and you can't play with texture and color as easily on my Wolf Pup! In the pursuit of the perfect spring scarf I produced this:

And this:
Both are plain weave on my rigid heddle and hand fulled. The latter also has a ruffle edge that was made by removing about 7 or so warp ends from each selvage.

And just this afternoon I finished the finest cheesecloth of a scarf that I have ever made using my own handpainted lace weight. I just had to try out my new 20 dpi reed for the Wolf Pup that is (I think) as high as they go for this loom. I will get pics up once it is dry.

And next? I am hoping to finally use up a bunch of Fleece Artist yarn that I got about two years ago, on a cap-sleeve raglan pullover. And then, if I persevere through my project impatience, I have an idea to replicate this:
Seen at Garnethill.com, only in a sleeveless version. Hmmmm......

Seafoam Hand-fulled Scarf

IMG_8456, originally uploaded by myfinn.

I was thinking about keeping this but I am not so sure...

It would make a great transitional scarf for spring. Lovely, pale colorway and lacey open weave to boot!

Wish me luck! I think I am going for a pixie cut tomorrow!! In the middle of winter-I'm nuts!

Good Morning! Stashbuster Poncho

IMG_8367, originally uploaded by myfinn.

I recently worked out an arrangement with a jeweler who is melting down a bunch of my old gold to make me a custom mother’s ring. She asked for a woven poncho in exchange for labor. The one I made for her was my first, and I really loved the way it turned out. So much so that I decided that I wanted to make my own. And it was the perfect way to use up a bunch of odd balls of handspun multicolored yarn from my stash! The warp is mostly my own handpainted yarn in a pink, turquoise and purple colorway.

Merry Christmas all!

Hitting my Stride. And Craving Chocolate.

I began yarn painting (dyeing) this past week. SOOOOO much fun! A bit messy, and imperfect (for now) but I am absolutely loving the way the painted warp looks woven up! Here are a few pictures of my first (I call this one "Embers").

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Much better.

This is what I have been going for: chunky, over-sized, undulating twill patterns. And finding the sett that would achieve a balanced weave was eluding me. Through trial and error I finally figured out how to make it "work".

DH tells me that I will look back on this some day and laugh. He seems to think that I have a lot of evolving to do.

Water, water, everywhere...

Here I am enjoying some delicious pan dulce that I managed to track down yesterday in an effort to satisfy my craving. A very absurd contrast to how I am feeling at the moment.

I have reached a very unwelcome artists block. What? You ask? Didn't I just become the owner of a 4 shaft floor loom that would open a whole world of possibilities to me???

I did my friends. And that is the problem.

When I got into rigid heddle weaving it was a new and novel craft. Everything I made was amazing! After a while I got a sense of what I liked and what I didn't like about it and had a few dead-end thread-ups; all part of the learning process. And with my rigid heddle I feel as though I have entered a realm where I am no longer figuring out what I am doing with it. On the contrary, I feel as though I have complete creative control and can conceptualize projects long before my yarn touches the loom. And now add this new machine to the mix...

I feel like I should just get it! And to an extent I do. I know how to thread patterns, I get the treadling, but the past few projects I completed were only half-length because I didn't realize that twill could take up so much yarn! And then, combining yarns of different gauges just doesn't work the same in twill/patterns as it did in tabby on my rigid heddle. And worse! I think that to achieve the "look" I am going for I may have to invest in a new reed which isn't cheap.

The past week I have made out like a bandit! I have swapped for so much amazing yarn! I have even bought quite a bit expecting it to work for me, but have threaded and unwoven, started and restarted so many times I am afraid that it might never work for me.

Perhaps I was putting the cart before the horse. But who can blame me when I have churned out nearly 100 FOs, handwoven, already?! I should be able to sit down in front of this thing and write jazz! Alas, I think maybe I need to take a break. At the very least I need to stop buying yarn. And somehow, some way, this needs to come together for me. Help me, Oprah, I need my "Aha" moment...

Pan Dulce!

Pan Dulce!, originally uploaded by Decayla.

Christmas time makes me think of the sweet breads we would have for breakfast before a day of tamale making. I miss tamales. I miss pan dulce.