Yurt work

 18.09.2020  It has been far too long since my last post and I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say it has been a roller coaster ride through the summer.  

I returned from the Tapestry Felted Traditional Mongolian Yurt Workshop in Bemidji, Minnesota on September 12.  Linda asked me months ago to do artwork depicting the steps to making felt for a Mongolian yurt.  The tapestry felting workshop (to make the felts for the yurt) was made possible with the Sustainable Sheep and Fiber Community of Northern Minnesota (SSFC) through a grant from Region 2 Arts Council.

When I arrived for week 2, Linda had me needle felt my initials on the last panel.

The first of two roof panels.  The last layer is mohair, which will peek through a layer of black and a
starry night sky.

Measuring the edge thickness.

Rolling and getting rid of excess water.

After each rolling in the field, the felt is checked, measured, rolled up and the rolling
process repeats until the proper level of felting is achieved.  

Taking the roll back to the truck for another go around the field.

I enjoyed riding in the back of the truck on a sunny day through the field of wildflowers.

I spent a couple of days spinning up some wool/alpaca batts to be made into rope.

Plying singles...

Rope-making.  Hold on tightly, Linda!

The handspun wool/alpaca turned into lovely rope.

13.10.2020 The yurt was set up for the first time at the Farm to Fiber Festival in Bemidji, Minnesota on October 3.  Jim and I camped at Itasca State Park and the weather was beautiful for the weekend.  We went into town on Friday to help to a set up in the parking lot across from the Bemidji Woolen Mills.  It took a bit of time, but once the wood frame was fitted together in the correct size the rest of the set up went smoothly.

It is bigger on the inside.

I love the finished yurt and was proud to be part of the project.  It is bigger on the inside!

Linda makes some last minute adjustments to the felt walls.

We added a starry sky to show on the inside.  

A state map with initials of those that donated wool and worked on the yurt.  Note the stars felted
onto the night sky.

A room with a view.

It's a process...

29.07.2020  Everything is a process, particularly knitting.  I have been working on the End of the Road Gansey since June.  It should have been finished by now, but the progress slowed once I got to the gusset.  The sleeve was a bit generous in size than I wanted, so after trying it on last night I decided to frog back to the beginning of the texture stitching.  Instead of starting the gusset at that point, I opted to work just over an inch and then began the gusset.  Keeping notes is so important when not working from a written pattern.  Before undoing the shoulder seams and frogging the whole texture section, I made notes of the row repeats, the neck shaping section and length to the new beginning of the gusset.  Good thing I use a pencil with a good eraser!

A minor setback, but the sleeve will fit better.  The photo was taken before I adjusted the numbers on the schematic.

End of the Road

02.07.2020 On June 1, I started a pullover, using the schematic and notes from my Camp Gansey.  A friend gave me 15 skeins of Rowan DK Tweed in a lovely colorway aptly named Bliss.  After knitting g a swatch, I decided to use the same stitch counts as the original sweater.  Using smaller needles and yarn, the fit will have just the right amount of ease.  Yesterday morning was perfect for knitting on the deck before the heat set in.  I finally snapped a photo that captured the color of that beautiful yarn.  The notes and schematic jotted down two years ago were enough to recreate the new version, which I dubbed End of the Road Gansey.

The texture stitch pattern is Ridged Rib (2 + 1 stitches, 4-row repeat) and works well with the weight and texture of the yarn.  

The texture and tweedy bits make this yarn one of my all-time favorites.
 Sadly, it was discontinued years ago.
This is how the color usually photographs, even in natural light.

Using my new dot journal for the schematic.  It is nice to have the other sweater as a guide.
The time of day and the light were perfect for getting a good photo.

❤️

Camping

15.06.2020 It was lovely and breezy today, although a change is in the air.  The next two days will be very hot.  The good thing is that it will not last as long as it would in Alabama or Arizona.  We squeezed in our first (short) outing with the Escape Pod II last weekend. We went to Jay Cooke State Park, a place I camped with Ben when he was new to the Scout troop.  The swinging bridge that replaced the one washed out by a flood in 2012 is good place to stop and observe the rushing water and snap some photos.  We hiked the two mornings nice and early while the weather was cool.  The ferns and early summer flowers were blooming.

Jim and Gus on the swinging bridge

The view from the bridge was beautiful.

The weather was perfect and the hammock comfortable.

Hiking early in the day when the weather was nice and cool.

It was a treat to see gold lady slippers on the trail.

26.06.2020 Last week at this time we were camping at the Winnie Dam Campground in northern Minnesota's lake country.  It is on Winnibigoshish Lake in the Chippewa National Forest.  Speaking of forest, we hiked one of the trails, the Lost Forty, where the old growth pines are 300 to 400 years old and were spared from being axed due to a mapping error in 1882.  It was so beautiful but the mosquitoes were ruthless and stopping to take photos was difficult.  It was cool enough to be wearing hats, long pants and jackets, and some of the beasties managed to bite around our faces.  I snapped as many photos as I could.  On the way back to camp, we stopped along the Lady Slipper Scenic Byway to see the Pink and White Lady Slippers, Cypripedium Reginae (Showy Lady Slipper Orchid), Minnesota's state flower in bloom.  There was an elevated walkway at an interpretive site so one could view the natural surroundings and the wildflowers in bloom without disturbing the ground.  

How can one resist a big fish building?

 Part of the interpretive center on the Lady Slipper Scenic Byway.  

Jim and Gus relaxing on Father's Day.

Knitting a sock by the campfire...

...and watching the clouds roll by at sunset.

First the big fish and then the big black duck in Blackduck.

The Bemidji Woolen Mill was open and a small Paul Bunyan (sans Babe) came back with us.

C19 Tapestry

21.05.2020  Businesses are opening, spring has sprung and we are still safe and well.  It has been nice to get out for walks and bringing Gus along for a stop at Dairy Queen for Blizzards and a Pup Cup.

On April 16, I began the Explore Tapestry weave-along through Schacht Spindle Company.   The WAL came at the best possible time because I had not used my new tapestry loom and the colorful mini skeins of handspun yarn were the perfect choice for the project.   The course ran for five weeks, from warping the loom to finishing the weaving.  Each week at least two or more techniques were featured by Jane Patrick with written instructions, photos and videos.  Having only made small tapestries on a hand-held loom, I was ready to learn how to use my loom.  When I saw the Arras loom, I thought perhaps I should have waited, but the it was released after I purchased the 25-inch Schacht tapestry loom.  Once I got the hang of warping and using a spacer at the bottom to keep the weaving from slipping, the loom was easy to use.  It is lightweight and moveable, a plus!

Thank you Jane and Schacht Spindle Company for the Explore Tapestry weave-along!

I was pleased with the results using the colorful mini-skeins.

The Ghiordes knots got a trim before moving on to the extra sections.

Weaving the circle was a slow process and had quite a learning curve.
 The sun in the section below came out oval rather than circular. 

Once I finished the circle the weaving was done!

Cancelled, but still occupied

04.04.2020  Today is a lovely day.  The sun is shining, currently it is 22-degrees F and the high for today will be 48-degrees.  We are healthy and keeping busy.

Today would have been the first day of the two-day North Artists Studio Crawl, 2020.  This week the powers-that-be cancelled Shepherd's Harvest Festival.  The cancellations are a good idea given the continuing rise of cases locally.  Jim and I get outside for fresh air and venture into a store for groceries and other necessities if we are lucky enough to find what we need.  I have some  cotton masks ready to sew this morning.  The last time I went to Target the social/physical distancing seemed to be better amongst the customers and there were signs notifying patrons that the carts are regularly disinfected in addition to the wipes available as you walk into the store.  The state department of health has a website with news releases, updates and information, which I find more helpful than the national network news programs.

02.05.2020  Best laid plans, I certainly waited long enough to post.  There is quite a difference in the temperature, although it is another nice day--sunny and 72-degrees F.  Jim, Gus and I have been well.  I sewed masks for the local hospital and then last week sewed more for the neighborhood fire department to distribute to assisted living facilities and nursing homes.  Around the cities there were hundreds, if not thousands, delivered to those in need.

Zoom has been a way to connect with my fiber friends and my artist friends.  I host a knitting group on Thursdays and the Rum River Handweavers Guild once a month.  Otherwise, life goes on, we stay busy and enjoy life.  Below are scenes from the past month.  Stay well!

Early into the shut down, Mary and I helped during the spring shearing and were able to cuddle lambs.
This one was a day old.  It was freezing cold in the barn, but the little lambs were nice and warm.

This little girl is Olive.  Her mama, Molly is on the left with Olive's sibling.  She loved to be held and would sneak out of the penned area to follow us around the barn while we waited for the shearer.  She caught sight of me and was running up to get a cuddle.  It was a lovely afternoon!

I managed to finish spinning and plying 4-oz of Romeldale/silk from Ewespun Fiber Mill.

I was preparing for a Lopi sweater class at BeWoolen when everything shut down, and I plan to reschedule the class.  It was cold enough for a few days and I was able to wear my new sweater, which was so nice and warm.  After stash-diving, I came up with some more primary colors and made Katie's Kep, the Shetland Wool Week 2020 hat.  Gus enjoyed stealing the blue ball of yarn multiple times.  I was not amused.

The star on top of the hat is so pretty.  I lightly fulled the hat to improve the fabric and the fit.

Schacht Spindle Company is having an explore tapestry weave along.  It came at the perfect time--I warped the new loom!  There were a few challenges during the warping and initial weaving, but I learned and adapted during that learning curve.

Week 1 was worked to the red and green section (adding the spacer at the bottom before the twining kept the weaving from slipping), week 2 is the color blending/gradient, and week 3 are the rectangles and the shaping.  I used string markers, which made the triangle much easier to shape correctly.

Week 3 completed!  Tapestry slits, interlocking and shaping.  

Navigating a new normal

25. 03.2020
Originally this post was going to be a very different subject.  The North Artists Studio Crawl, classes scheduled at AFW, a new class to teach at BeWoolen, time spent with artist friends at the Rumriver Art Center, and finishing personal projects and projects to add to my studio space.  The projects are still in the works, however, life as we know it has changed.  Earlier today, Governor Walz announced the shelter in place order for Minnesota for two weeks.  I figured that we would not be far behind Wisconsin.  During the Jim and I have been keeping a low profile during the past couple of weeks.  The last public event for me was a brief demo at the Art-a-Thon on March 14, and then the Gansey class at Anoka Fiber Works.  By St. Patrick's Day, both the Art Center and AFW were declared temporarily closed.  Ben's girlfriend, Andi, had been in Iceland with a friend and the friend was able to catch her flight back to Seattle, but Andi's flight to MSP was cancelled.  She made it to Chicago, but was just one of many people in the massive crowds trying to navigate through customs for hours. We were all very grateful to know she was back in the USA, and eventually Ben was able to pick her up and bring her home.  Yesterday Jim, Gus and I visited the kids bearing gifts of coffee and toilet paper.  We were able to see them at a safe distance.  Because of any unknown exposure during her trip back to the States, Andi and Ben have (now) five more days of quarantine.

Gus and Tater Tot meet for the first time.  We all were happy to have a short visit.

In the meantime, I have been working on new projects.   

The class at BeWoolen will be the Anniversary sweater, but for myself, I am knitting the After sweater.  I made one for a sample at All About Yarn years ago and always wanted one for myself.  

01.04.2020
Life as we knew it changed quickly since I started this post.  Non essential businesses are closed, students are schooling online (where available) and for the most part folks are being good about social/physical distancing.  We can still get out to get some fresh air.  We picked up the camper and then did a little yard work.

Thankfully, there is plenty to do and to make.  Working on cleaning and clearing out drawers, organizing the art and fiber materials and tools.  Hopefully, the art closet will soon have some shelving, which will help contain the containers and free up some space in my small workroom.

We truly are in this together.  Stay well and take care.

Class one of three went and I will reschedule when everything opens up again.

A bit of cleaning--I knew I had a few old hankies, LOL

Gus was my yoga buddy.

Tea break!