Yarn Bits

Just for Us Originals- THE Wearable Art Show

Well, I have my head upbove water for awhile.  The Just for Us Originals show and sale (www.just-for-us.biz) took place last Friday and Saturday.  As yet I don't have final figures for attendance but the organizers are getting together next week and by then we'll also have gone through the questionnaires that the artists filled out for us and we'll have a better appreciation of how they all felt about the show.  The luncheon was fabulous and the staff at the Harbour Banquet and Conference Centre (www.harbourbanquet.ca) were great to work with.  We have tentatively booked next year's show which would fall on October 1 & 2, 2010.  I'm sure there will be tweaks to the parameters of the show as we adjust to the suggestions and critiques of all those involved. Here are a few photos to enjoy.  Many thanks are due to all those volunteers who helped staff the front entrance desk, ran workshops, delivered coffees and teas and relieved artists to give them a break now and then.  Special thanks to Allison who brought along her keyboard and provided our music during the fashion shows, Karen who was with us all day, both days doing whatever was asked of her and Kaye who arranged our table decorations which were gorgeous and helped stage our fashion show. We couldn't have done it without your help. More photos later. 

Fact and Fun

First a little bit of whimsy.  I have been working  on a tea cozy for the past few weeks and am really delighted with the results.  The book I found filled with yummy cozies had pom-poms to embellish and finish the piece, but the cotton yarn I was using was multi-stranded and would have just unravelled into a horrible mess, so I had to come up with a different finishing touch.  After some research checking through the various knitting books I seem to have accumulated I decided a little garden of knit flowers sitting atop the cozy would be just the embellishment I was looking for.  It really was a lot of fun and a relief from the tension of trying to make something that will fit a body.  Much easier to make something to fit a teapot.

On another completely different project, a weaving piece, I want to report in that orlec yarn works very well as a substitute for polyester in woven shibori work when you want to have texture remain in your work after washing.  This piece was handwoven, shibori-style, gathered and steamed for about 30 minutes or so and allowed to dry completely before removing the gathering threads.  It has been washed since and holds the pleats wonderfully.  I am so pleased because not only are there more colour choices in the orlec yarn, but a finer, 2/16 size is also available in dyed yarns.  Don't forget the images can be enlarged with a click.

Burlington Take Down

Today was the day to take down the "Solstice" wearable art exhibit at the Burlington Art Centre. www.burlingtonartcentre.on.ca  It's always amazing how quickly the exhibit or sales booth can be dismantled compared to the time it takes to arrange and setup the show.  We had been asked to arrange a window display in the same centre to help advertise their upcoming wearable art show in November, so we did most of that display today.  Lucy Slykerman, www.lucyslykerman.ca , weaver and dyer from Grimsby, is going to contribute a couple of scarves that will coordinate with the work already in the window and then I think she will send us a photo which I can pass along to you.  The show was well received with many complimentary  comments written in the exhibition journal.  You can view many of the pieces in an earlier blog entry.

Textile Terms in Everyday Language

I recently received the latest issue of "Selvedge" magazine, published in Britain, so it has quite a different slant on the textile field.  It is rather an expensive publication, but makes a wonderful Christmas gift or gift for any occasion really.  Each issue is themed and this particular issue has all the articles relating to language and literature.  Just thought I would pass along some of the everyday phrases and their roots from the textile field.

shoddy---poor quality workmanship, a textile factory term for the waste thrown off or 'shed' during the process of wool manufacture

on tenterhooks---a state of uneasiness, anxiety or suspense.  Tenterhooks were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth.  After the cloth had been woven it still contained oil and dirt.  To prevent shrinkage after washing the cloth would be hooked on a large wooden frame, a 'tenter', and left to dry outside.

at sixes and sevens---a state of confusion, disorder or disagreement.  The medieval Livery Companies were established in London and include The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors(Tailors) and The Worshipful Company of Skinners (Fur Traders). The precedence of the Companies was set in 1515, but these particular two disputed their positions until a compromise was agreed by which they exchange sixth and seventh place each year at Easter.

Hundreds of textile terms are woven into our everyday language.  Just to name a few......

button your lips, put a sock in it, zip it, bright as a button, sharp as a pin, by the seat of your pants, dressed to the nines, dyed-in-the-wool, throw down the gauntlet, eat my hat, bee in your bonnet, feather in your cap, laugh up your sleeve, big wig, and on and on it goes.

Knitting Art

I have just finished reading this exciting and inspirational knitting book.  Everything in this book could also be translated into weaving ideas as well.  "Knitting Art-150 Innovative Works from 18 Contemporary Artists" by Karen Searle is well worth a read.  I purchased my copy online through Amazon, along with a couple of other knitting books, and saved enough that one book was actually free.  As long as you order more than $39. worth of product the shipping is free.  What a great excuse to order more than one book at a time!!  It sure works for me.  Most artists described in Karen's book have websites and I'll list a few here that I found interesting.

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kathryn alexander  

arlene fisch

www.kathrynalexander.net

www.katharinecobey.com

www.libeado-designs.com

www.lbostudio.com

www.barbhunt.com

www.karensearle.com

Have fun exploring these truly inspiring websites.

New Website

It's a very exciting time just now.  Just for Us Originals has just launched our awesome new website. www.just-for-us.biz  This will be the third year for our wearable art event and there are a few exciting changes coming with this show.  The venue has changed because we have moved the show from the Spring to the Fall and could not book space at the Old Mill.  We will be holding our show in October, on the 2nd and 3rd and will  be at the Harbour Banquet and Conference Centre and Lighthouse Restaurant.  www.harbourbanquet.ca  It is a beautiful location, sitting right on Lake Ontario in Oakville. We have expanded the show to two days, including Friday night.  We have invited the best wearable artists in the country to show and sell their fabulous creations.  Plans are in the works for a lovely luncheon and fashion show both days.  More surprises are in the planning stages, so stay tuned.

Update from Paradise

Well it might not be your idea of paradise, when compared to the alternative of living in frigid, snowbound Toronto, the Florida Keys are definitely a more desireable destination.  Waking to bright, inviting sunshine and falling asleep counting an array of sparkling stars outside your bedroom window refreshes one's soul. Don and I haven't changed our day to day activities all that much, we've just moved them to a warmer climate. Don is still modelling buildings for his railroad and reading, while I knit and work on some weaving projects, as well as read.  We both have done some business related computer work on the laptop as this condo has wireless connectivity. I have finished gathering the shibori threads on another scarf and will probably do another today, leaving one more to work on.  I have finished knitting the vest I was working on and just have to put it together.  I have started knitting a simple little cardigan jacket with some variegated cotton yarn that I picked up at a knitting shop last week called "Elegant Stitches" www.tropicalyarns.com  Yesterday Don and I walked to a small bead shop, not far from where we're staying, and I bought a lovely pair of beaded earrings and also talked Jamie, the owner, into some lessons next week.  Next Wednesday afternoon I'll stroll over to "Island Flash Bead Designs" and see if I can put together a necklace under the guidance and tutelage of Jamie Daggett. I'll report in later with some pictures. 

February Blues

Not the usual February blues, but rather the gorgeous blues of the skies each day and the beautiful blues of the Atlantic Ocean we can reflect on from our condo balcony.  The temperatures are unusually cool for Florida today, so we'll probably enjoy the sun from inside for awhile.  Both Don and I brought along a few projects to work on during our stay-Don some modelling for his railroad at home and I brought some woven shibori scarves to gather up ready to overdye later and a knitting project, a vest for myself and also to use for display purposes at the shows coming up this year. One of the scarves was finished up last night, so there are four more to go.  At the same time I'm working on the vest and have finished the back and am now working up one of the front panels.  I'm using our 'Silken Twist' in the "ocean breeze" colourway (how appropriate considering the location I'm working in), with 3.75 needles, and I'm working some 2/8 dark teal along with the wool/silk blend.  I hand-dyed some solid dark teal 'Silken Twist' to use for one of the front panels of this vest.  I just thought the entire vest in the handpainted colourway might be a little much.  We just received an invitation to sell at the Knitters' Frolic in Toronto at the Japanese Cultural Centre in April, so that is incentive to finish this project soon, hopefully before returning home. We're soon off to explore the laundry facilities  here as one of the mundane routines of life rears its ugly head.  Where is the maid when you need her??

Current Projects

    I'm writing this from inside the state line of Florida after 2 long days of driving, about 11 hours each day.  It helped pass the time watching a few downloaded movies on the laptop and working on a couple of knitting projects.  Don and I hope to be at the Knitters' Frolic in Toronto at the Japanese Cultural Centre in late April and I would like to have more samples knit to display in our booth.  I have finished a stole in our "Hollyhock" colourway, using the new 'silken twist' yarn we now have in inventory.  I have finished knitting another stole in the 'english garden' colourway, but still have to join the individual squares together.  I'm now knitting a vest in the 'ocean breeze' colourway, along with dark teal tencel and have the back of it finished and hope to finish the rest while here on holiday. I have dyed some solid teal in the 'silken twist' yarn to knit one side of the vest front, while the other side of the vest front will be in the variegated as the back is. I have also brought along 5 woven shibori scarves that have to be gathered up ready for dyeing as soon as we get back home.  I'm involved in a textile show with 7 other textile artists, the ArtWear Network, in June at the Burlington Art Centre and 2 of these scarves are being prepared to enter into that exhibition. I love the uninterrupted time during holidays to work on all these projects. Hopefully they will all be complete soon. Wish me luck!    

Health Issues

Well, it has been awhile and this will be quite a brief entry.  I have been battling some sickness now for 2 weeks with little improvement during this time.  I finally visited the local ER on Sunday night and discovered that I have some infection showing in my liver, so there is a little concern I may have hepatitis, but we're waiting further test results before we know.  I would like to know exactly what is going on with my body and whether or not there can be some help with recovery.  I'll keep you posted.