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!