Sunday Spinning

I spent a pleasant day yesterday.  I watched Animal Planet and Nat Geographic for hours while spinning some beautiful yarn.  So far it is 1 ply but I am going to fill another bobbin and make 2 ply.  This will make my third skein of yarn, the largest by far.  I think I might change hands when spinning.  Maybe it takes more practice but I keep feeding and drafting with the wrong hands.  It just feels backwards to me even though my right hand is my dominant.  I will give it a few more skeins before I change, I am sure it will change with practice.  Of course Pitbulls and Paroles always gets me crying so that doesn't help my concentration!

The felting class

Yesterday I taught a beginner felting class at Cool Bees in Alpharetta,Ga.  Very cool shop if you are ever able to stop by.  I only had one student but she was so enthusiatic and I felt like we were good friends by the end of the class.  We both made a scarf and almost everything that could go wrong did.  Of course this meant I got to teach several techniques that I hadn't planned on but all came out fine.  Here are some pics from the class.

a contest, if I can get it in here correctly

Duirwaigh Studios

15 October

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Last show

I did get into my last show of the season.  It is inside and in Nov.  It is kind of bittersweet that I got in.  If is one of my fav shows but with the colitis thing, I always feel washed out.

I have a class of one scheduled the Sat.  Am advertizing for more students but I do have the one confirmed.  She will definitly get all the attention that she wants.  I will work along side her so it will help beef up my inventory.

Ordered more of the Checz (sp badly)  I have heard that the price is going to triple sometime soon so I am trying to order some each time I have a few dollars left over.  These buttons are too beautiful to use so I need to figure out a way to display them so I can enjoy them.

Friday night my nephew is coming over for a pumpkin carving.  Since we don't have Jonathan anymore, I figured Jake would enjoy it and is so happy for the attention.
All for now, hope you are all getting the lovely fall weather we are enjoying in Atlanta.

last show

I applied for my last show of the season in August.  The decisions of who got in were supposed to be in Sept..  I haven't heard anything so emailed yesterday to ask about it.  No answer so far so I am taking this as a no.  Since I was diagnosed with colitis, I just don't feel great most of the time so this may be a blessing.  If so, I can set up a schedule to make things each month and really build up my Etsy shop.  My viewings have been low so filling up the shop should help.  I have so many ideas.  One that I saw today is to use some of my beloved buttons and place them in the middle of a multi- sized felt flower.  Looks easy and fun to do.  Maybe a few lower pieces will help out with Christmas gifts?  Anyone else having trouble with sales this year?

Cleaning

What a Sunday it has been.  I got up early (for me) at 9:30 and decided I needed to work on my studio.  With all the shows, I have just been craming all my stuff into one section and it was so bad, I couldn't find anything.  I took all my finished products and put them into Jonathan's closet, I still need to go thru those.  At the last show a lady gave me a really nice CD rack so I got enough out of the way that I could put all my Christmas CDs on it.  I almost filled the rack, found music I haven't listened to in several years.
I also went thru stacks of stuff that I hadn't opened in over 3 years so it was time to take out what I wanted and purge the rest.  I put together another Jo Ann's cart and loaded all of my batik, my irish lace, crochet pieces and some linens.  Nice to have those all in one place so I can use them and not buy more.  This created the beginning of a clean space so I can use my 6 ft loom.
Cleared off an area to put a new radio/CD player as my other one died.  Now I have music again. 
Still not ready to start any projects but at least I can walk in the place!

Octoberfest

The show I did last weekend in Helen, Ga was the start of Octoberfest which is always a favorite festival for Helen.  The show did not turn out to be as I had hoped.  We were told 10,000 people would walk thru the show and I estimate about 2,000 did.  Everyone was looking for a bargain.  It was almost like a flea market in some areas.  I had a good time and got some great compliments on my work but I only sold one piece.  Considering the $150 fee to be in the show, staying over 2 nights and eatting out, my pocket took a huge hit.

This is 2 shows in a row that have been bad for me.  I think next year I may not do shows and just build up my inventory and my Etsy shop. I don't like that idea but I can't keep throwing money away.  Many people at the show said they sold nothing.  Maybe it is the economy or the uncertainty of the elections coming up.

On a brighter note, I have Monday off.  Don't know if I will play or sleep!

Results of last show

I sold nothing but made a lot of new friends.  I am the proud owner of a batik rag jacket.  Only bummer was I took my last doll and someone broke off a finger but luckily it was found and I can apoxy it back on.
 Now on to the next show!

New doll

Friday!

Nothing like starting the day off in a ditzy way.  Got to work and had 2 different shoes on.  One a dark brown Mary Jane and the other a tan boat shoe.  Well I gave everyone a good laugh. 

Am having a show with 3 other women this weekend.  Starts tonight and goes thru Sunday.  I am not there tonight as there are 2 holding down the booth and it is really full.  It is a quilt show and is amazing.  There are rows and rows of beautiful quilts.  My fav was a wall quilt of Dracula in a coffin.
Of course I can't afford anything.  I did buy 2 parasols in blue and purple that I hope will help decorate my booth.

That's all for now. Hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it is here!

SAFF

I wasn't going to SAFF this year because I had planned to do a show in the mountains of NC.  Well I didn't get into the show but knew we needed a break before the holiday madness so I signed up of a spinning class at SAFF.  Am trying to book a cabin today.  This is a beginners class so I will learn how to do maintenace on my wheel and will get help with drafting which I really need.  I am excited to be going to the mountains in late October, there is usually still plenty of colour. 
  Other doings, I just found a new seasonal beer that is wonderful.  It is ShockTop Pumpkin Wheat.  Nice light beer with a little pumpkin and spice flavor.  Give it a try, really makes it feel like Fall is here.

Just got an email

I just got an email congratulating me for entering a project.  It has been accepted by the Brookyn NY library and will be cataloged with their other enteries.  Problem is I can't remember this project or what I sent.  I know I can be flaky but you would think I would remember.  Well maybe they will send me a copy of the catalog!

Disappointed

I had applied for a spot at a spa in NC mountains for an 11 person show for one weekend.  Got a confirmation that I was in so I already booked a place.  Today I got a notice that I had not been selected for the show so I went back to the first email and found out that I had only submitted my registration properly, not that I got accepted to the show.  I am so bummed, it was to be my last show of the season and since it was a captured audiance at the spa, right at Christmas, I expected to do very well.  So only 4 more shows for the season unless I can pick up another at this late date...  Oh well, I will have a nice inventory for spring!

nuno failure again

I just made a beautiful scarf in fall colors so this is the first successful nuno in 3 weeks.  I started another one today on very open weave polyester.  Sooooo did not work. I rolled it enough I thought but I haven't given up on it yet.  Think I will change over to felted soap and see if I don't have more luck.  I have a show coming up in 2 weeks so things better start working!

On another topic, we are still in court trying to get our visitation rights back to have Jonathan.  At 14 he has decided he doesn't want to see us any more.  The law says you can not break the divorce decisions so his mother has been held in contempt of  court once and it looks like she will be again.  What an emotional and money mess.  Don't even want to say how much this has cost with no end in site.  Wish us luck!

What a Thursday

Work was really bad today.  The pathologest on duty this week is trying to change the entire workings of the lab.  He keeps walking away with slides and paperwork that I have no finished.  He puts notes for others to do work that really should be mine so it is impossible to have a clue what I should really be doing.  This has got to stop.
  On a better note,  I have figured out a way to salvage my scarf that I was trying to make on Sunday.  I really need to build up my supply and I keep screwing things up.  I also bought some more displays to pick up this Sunday.  They will buy back my old display and I won't get enough for it but as least it won't be taking up any more room!

Wasted Weekend?

This has been a very frustrating weekend.  Yesterday I spent over an hour setting wool on top of a piece of silk to nuno felt.  The silk was from an old sari and was beautiful but unfortunately, too tight for the wool to migrate thru.  So after a couple hours of rolling, I faced the fact and pulled it apart.  Will make something else with the silk.

Today I laid out pre-felt, laid out a chiffon layer with threads and wool over it.  Guess what?  Not felting.  Still haven't given up on it but am leaving it alone for the rest of the day.  So I decided to give up being creative and dtried to organizing some.  Oh man, the things I have that I had forgotten about.  Time to put them on Etsy, why save them if I didn't even know I had them!

Yes I got another ticket last week.  If they pull my license, I can't go to work, right?  It was just alittle bump up, no one hurt and cars ok, just need to be buffed out.

batik

a great youtube video of batik making
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDsD5sQOF_A&feature=share

new work

I finally got back into my hot studio yesterday and felted some coasters.  I wanted to do more but the heat really drained me.  Am ready for fall but I have 3 shows coming up so I better get my butt in gear.  I have made 2 new vessels that I will share with you.  My review of said vessels is that I need to put more wool on the template before I start felting.  Ok will only show you one, I have the other one saved somewhere but can't find it.  Will show it when I find it.

Fiber stuff

My trip to NC and the felting class was such fun.  I stayed in a very primative cabin, the front door didn't even lock when you were inside.  No TV, no radio and my computer died on the first day.  Had planned to do lots of felting on the back porch but it was 100 degrees in the shade.  I ended up reading my nook and talking with the care takers. 
The class was fun.  I made the thickest piece of felt I have ever made.  It came out very pretty and when I got home I had all sorts of plans for sewing on it but it won't fit under the needle of my machine so it will be hand decorated.
  There are so many 1/2 finished projects in my studio.  I hope to find the energy to do something soon.  The heat really pulls the productivity out of me.  Does this happen to anyone else?

new felting class

I am finally going to get a break and go by myself to NC mountains for a long weekend.  I am taking all my stuff for felting but it is supposed to be 92 degrees so I may not get much done.  I am taking my Nook so I will be happy one way or another.  Am going to Random Arts in Saluda for a class.  The teacher is from Ca. and I have not heard of her but the class is Mongolian Felting and California Embellishments.  Couldn't pass that up!
Everyone stay safe on the 4th and I will try to post next week.

New Format ugh

I hate this new format. Nothing wants to work right and it cuts off my posts.

I am back

Sorry I haven't posted in so long.  As a family we have alot on our plate including a court case that seems to always be on my mind.  Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, not much creative energy etc.  I have subscribed to 2 Australia magazines that I have had finding in the States.  They are very expensive but worth the money I think.   Felt is bo

winds

We were supposed to have storms today that never happened but the wind kicked up. I came home to 3 trees down and partially blocking our dirt road. Good thing it didn't happen last night. I would not has seen it and damaged my car. Always an adventure living here.

Felting today

It is supposed to get up to 75 today in north Ga so I am outside felting. We have a bit of a breeze so that has not helped to put down the roving. I did something not so smart and am too far into the project to fix it. I used 3 different types of sheep wool and of course each one felts faster or slower than the others. I have had to be so gentle with my first rubbings and still some of the fibers want to roll out. I used lots more soap and that has helped some. So has frequent breaks to let the piece just sit for awhile. I am trying to make another bird house and the colors in this one are really beautiful. Fingers crossed that this works!

Oh and guess how many pieces a semi-assembeled Louet wheel has..... way more than I expected.

wheel

It is finally here and I am so excited to take it out of the box but am sure I will tonight.

I almost have the canvas with Larkin in a bride's gown finished. I bid on a Collier's Cyclopedia and one. It is from 1882 and is very fragile but there is a chapter on Wedding Etiquetic (sp) so this will be the back of the piece. I have worked on this piece so much I probably won't sell it but will make other pieces.

Work was Hell today. I have a co-worker who has harrassed me for over 20 years and today she went too far. I decided I could deck her (very satisfying but would probably landme in jail for awhile) I have left an hour early. Good decision because she had truly hit my last nerve. Will I ever be able to retire?

Spring in North Georgia

The weather here is really screwy. Below freezing one night, 45 degrees the next. My camelias are full of buds but the ones who have opened early are burnt around the edges. No daffodils here but you can see them all blooming where farms and homes used to be. My plum tree just starting blooming yesterday and my hellborius are blooming like crazy and probably need to be divided. My Christmas bottle tree is almost full and looks wonderful in the garden. So much weeding I need to do in that bed.
As for creating.... well I have finished several old projects so I have quite a few new things for the show in late March. I am stuck in my head on this one piece that is so cool but keeps changing everytime I work with it. Won't be selling this one, no one could afford it.
My birthday is coming up and we will be headed to a cabin in N.Ga. They allow dogs so everyone gets to come and have a good time. I have decided that I don't need anything, well maybe someone to come over and help me de-stash but I have also worked with Creative to help a Place to Bark http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/444607

This is a rescue group for disgarded cats and dogs. My friend Bernie Berlin has been trying to run this for year off her own money and her inheritance but they are in trouble now and I send them money as often as I can but of course it is never enough. Bernie does great work at re-homing animals.

wheel

Just got info that my wheel has reached the US. Only days now.
In other news, I finally figured out how to make felted bangles. They are so cool. I plan to bead them.
Looks like no one has signed up for my Sat. dyeing class. Oh well, I need the time to make more stuff anyway.

An angora rabbit story

The yarn shop where I teach bought a sweet 6 week old bunny named Ruby in Oct. They have a great cage for her, let her out regularly to hop around the shop. As she has gotten older, she has started to destroy rugs and wool she can reach to someone has to watch her when she is out of her cage. Well withing the past month she has decided she needs a boy friend. She has become more distant instead of friendly. She has bitten the owner several times. This week when she was taken out of her cage, she started growling. When she was put on the floor, she took off to find a hiding place. The owner had to go find her of course but when Ruby was found, it really pissed her off and she started chasing and growling at the owner all over the shop. I was laughing so hard when they told me about this, I didn't even ask how they got her back into her cage.

It is Friday Finally

What a long week. Had my evaluation at work and that turned out to be a very unpleasant experience for everyone involved. I put up with a lot but somethings I just can't turn my head and walk away as I should.

Creative wise, I have made several flowers and a start on a hair barrette. I think I told you I am trying to develope a line of felt that will work with spring and summer shows since scarfs and wraps just don't sell in the South when it is hot, obviously.

Yesterday I got in 7 ounces of multi-color Cotswald and some dyed silk of the same colors. I plan to start combing it this weekend. I hope to spin it in my wheel if it ever gets here. It was ordered from the factory in the Netherlands and is in transit across the Atlantic ocean at the moment. I know Cotswald felts hard but spongy if that makes sense but I have no idea what type of yarn it will make.

Next week I am teaching a dyeing class. We will dye silk, wool and yarn. Next class will be nuno with what we have dyed. I am using organic dyes since I don't want to deal with respirators for the whole class but the organic colors turn out pastel and not very bright. Maybe I can make up a couple pots of chemical dye to show the difference.
Well that is it for this week. Hope you have all had a nice one and an ever better weekend.

exciting box from UPS

Yesterday I came home to find a medium size box at my front door. I tried to pick it up and couldn't budge it. Just had to be my new spinning wheel. Finally pushed it inside the door and this morning opened it to start putting it together. Opened it and phooey, it was 50 lb of dogfood which I had just gone out and bought last night because we were almost out. Sigh. Hope my new wheel gets here soon, will show picks of me putting it together when I do get it.
I started a new class on Joggles last night about making coiled fabric bowls. I have always wanted to do this and from the first lesson, I had it figured out. Now to get rid of some of the excess fabric I just had to have....

Harley

Last night at 6:30 I had to put my oldest dog to sleep. She had been going down hill for a while but she would rally and things would be better. Well not last night. She let me know and by the time we got to the vet, she let us know it was the right thing to do. Well now I am worth nothing much at work. The house was very quiet last night and no one left my side. Guess it will be like that for awhile.
I am going to a felting retreat in Asheville this weekend so I am glad this is over and Phil did not have to make the decision alone.

a speaking gig

I have been asked to speak about my artwork. I am really honored. It is for the Sawnee Artist Association in Cumming, Ga. I met several of the members at a show in Nov and they had never seen felting before. I think I am going to make a PowerPoint show if they have the ability to show one. Will do quick demos as I talk and let any one who wants to give it a try. I have 45 minutes to an hour to speak. My hubby saws he may come to the meeting just to see if I can talk that long. Little does he know that when it comes to felting, I can talk all day, I do it at festivals all the time. They meet at a funeral home, hee hee.

Holidays are over......

and I feel like playing with wool again. I am considering buying my first wheel. A teacher is coming into town who teaches making odd art yarn and of course I want to be all over that. Her pre-class requirements are to be able to spin, have your own wheel and be extremely familiar with it. Her class would be the end of Feb so if I am going to do this, I need to learn really quickly. The local store will teach me how to spin if I buy from them but I am usually uncomfortable with one on one teaching soooooo that means I would have to get out my books and start studying. Wonder if I can pull this one off? It would mean I could go to shows year round as felting is mostly fall and winter here. Any spinners' with advice out there?