The Passing of Summer

"Have you seen........the Jack 'n the Green?" -Jethro Tull
This is my favorite picture from the summer. I'm still thrilled that I was able to capture such a moment. He's a stunning creature especially when sleeping.

New Items for the 2007 Market Season

Fresh Carrot



Finally Finished Derby

I'm positive this tote will be a hit.

Hard to believe there have already been four Markets this year.....only one missed for bad weather. This season has started out very strong and is a good time. I really look forward Sundays in Littleton, along the river.

About Time.

Seems at times you go along and nothing comes out quite as you had planned, or dared to hope. I’ve wanted to dye fiber all winter, but decided I was just too much of a novice and could really mess up my kitchen. Finally, I just threw caution to the wind and grabbed some Dylon, all-purpose dye and wool I had spun into yarn last spring. I had to get something to come out, right? Package said it would dye wool, but be a very light shade so I mixed it super concentrated and put it together.

I wanted to use some of my hand spun to make a baby jacket for my brother and sister-in-law’s first baby, a boy they are expecting within the next week or two. It turned out well for a first attempt of dyeing and making a baby garment. I think it looks pretty darling.

For Gemma

Three skeins of almost equal yardage can be split up to suit.

Got Syrup?

Our neighbor, a local farmer, plows our drive way. (He also hays most of the land abutting our property. It's always a pleasant time chatting with him about almost any topic. I love to hear stories about life in the North Country. He also happens to sugar and today he dropped off a quart of maple syrup. What a delight. Can't wait to make some pancakes or bake.

Spinning Targhee X

This fiber is so fantastic. Holds color beautifully, is not difficult to spin, and has a great elasticity. Color is called "Plush" and is a beautiful combination of pinks and browns.







Description by seller reads....

"The roving is very soft, lofty, and has a great crimp. It is strong and will make long-lasting garments. The sheep from which the fleece was sheared are mother-raised and fed organic feeds, resulting in high-quality fleece and rovings."

This 5.1 batch of roving spun up to be 140 yards of light bulky, 2 ply yarn. Again, I'm searching for a great project to use this yarn. Another hat?

Box 'o Sushi

Ode to my favorite cuisine......







Been in love with sushi and things Japanese since visiting the island over twenty years ago as a high school student. A few years ago I was given a miniature sushi calendar and needed to find a project using all the great images. Collage seemed to make the most sense and I had done many collages in my journaling before. It is a skill that takes practice and patience to look really good....so don't look to closely.
I had also never collaged on a three dimensional object, but I had this pine box from Ikea, bought over ten years ago, it seemed like a good canvas.....so I bought some Mod Podge and had at it. It's still being worked on, as I am applying layers of medium and lightly sanding when it's dry.

bitty

Finally had the chance to get some better pics of the cat, Thetis. She just looked so adorable and contented napping on the bed on this sunny Palm Sunday. She has a pretty good life in all, although acts persecuted most days. She doesn't much like our Brittany, Jack, and corrals him when he is upstairs.

Lastest Hat Project

I've always wanted to knit a hat with ear flaps.... there's so many patterns and traditional types I guess I couldn't decide. When I spun up this hand painted Targhee yarn I decided to use it for a special project that I would keep for myself. After searching the web for a while I found this great free pattern. I did have to knit it up twice, but it was quickly done on size 10 circular needles and I added a crochet edge. Thought about other embellishments but I love the fiber so much I decided against it.
This year at the NH Sheep and Wool there will be a display for lace work and, believe it or not, hats. This hat, I call Emelia, just may have to go.

Buying @ Etsy

Received the first fiber I ever ordered online yesterday....what a thrill. I usually only buy in person because it's a total sensory experience, drawn first by color and then sold by touch. I'm also fortunate to have several local wool sellers so getting my "fix on" is as easy as going to the grocery store. Something drew me to this fiber, however, on Etsy and it was the best experience.
Firstly, the seller shipped the fiber within an hour of purchase. (timing is everything) Secondly, she sent the package before she had received my payment....amazing. Felt like this seller understood that when you have your heart set on fiber it's severe penance to wait. What I ordered were two different batches of her hand painted roving. The fiber pictured is some Targhee in a color way named Elms and Maples, and it is simply beautiful. It's even more precious because it is dyed in such small amounts and can never really be reproduced. I had never spun hand painted roving or Targhee before so it's a treat on both counts. For those wondering...hand painted gives a truer variegated look while carder blended colors do just that, blend. Similar effects, but painted seems more random. The other roving is a Merino top and is equally as gorgeous.
Roving is now one of my favorite searches on Etsy....."your place to buy and sell all things hand-made" and there are many that hand paint. Also, check out www.yarnhollow.com
from some of this luscious roving and great customer service. Also see links to Etsy on this blog.

Felted Handbag Pattern

Summary- This is a tote bag pattern that I modified to have a strap instead of two handles on either side of bag. This is a pattern that I always adjust to suit the yarn I’m working with, or the mood I’m in, so I will try to convey options as I go along.









It’s such an easy project but making it your own takes a bit of forward planning.

** The main body of the bag is knit from the bottom up on circular needles and then strap is work on dpns and ends are woven together. The very bottom is worked separately in garter on straight needles and then sewn onto the bottom of the body with yarn. I think working these separate and then attaching gives strength and a squarer finish.

Yarn- Heavy worsted to bulky yarn works well and also carrying two lighter weight yarns works and can have stellar effects like making tweed. Usually 240-300 yards.

Needles and notions- #11 or #15, 24” circular needles, (depends on the yarn you’re working with and which needles you have. It won’t make that much of a difference) set of dpns of the same size, tapestry needle.

For felting….washer with extra agitation setting, like heavy wash, hot wash and cold rinse setting, set on lowest h2O level, and detergent, pillow case, and pair of jeans. I just let it go the entire cycle even spin and right after remove from machine and shape while it’s damp. Repeat until desired size or density.

CO 86 stitches in any method.

Next round ….. *knit 14, p 1, k 1, p1, knit 23, p 1, k 1, p 1* Repeat ** 2x each round.

Repeat rounds the same way for 12-14 inches. Bags usually shrink more with widthwise than lengthwise.

Start straps….knit 14, BO 29, knit 14, BO 29. When back to first 14 stitches begin working on dpns. I usually leave second group of 14 stitches right on the circular needles to work later.

For both sides of strap work this way…..

Row 1and all odd rows: knit

Row 2: purl 14

Row 4: purl 2tog, knit 10, p2 tog. (12 sts)

Row 6: p2tog, k 8, p2tog. (10 sts)

Row 8: p2tog, k 6, p2tog. (8 sts) @ 8 stitches work in stockinette until desired length.

Weave ends together with kitchner stitch.

Bottom or base:

CO 16 stitches (or whatever amount you used for short side and add two)

Work in garter stitch until it is the length of a long side and then BO.

Whip stitch to body of bag with tapestry needle and yarn.

In addition……if you’d like a knit or crocheted closure it is best to add it before washing. Just pick up stitches in middle of one side and make a tap with no hole, five sts is usually a good size. After washing, choose button and snip a hole to fit. I won’t fray because it’s felted fiber. Snaps are a great option for after felting and are practically invisible.

Ode to Spring ...for a Friend with the Winter Blues

I've been needle felting different birds lately, they go well with the birdhouses. And none inspires more warm weather feelings than the ruby throated hummingbird. So easy to make and, difficult to see clearly in the picture, the colors are blended with synthetic fiber that is glittery. I finally get to use my hand carders for a few projects. I sewed on glass beads for the eyes.
This is dedicated to a wonderful potter and great friend who's holding out for spring. Talk to you soon AB!

Moosie Spindle

Since getting a wheel I haven't used my drop spindles for many projects although it is where I began my journey into spinning and honed the basics of drafting. Demonstrating how to use a drop spindle is about the only time I take them out. I enjoy spindling and feel it is the essence of spinning, but the reality is that I can't produce a lot of yarn with one, so sadly they stay tucked away, and do not get the respect they deserve.
Enter the Moosie....a spindle that will command any spinners respect. Journey Wheel (http://www.journeywheel.com) makes these beauties in limited quantity each season and the entire experience of obtaining one is enjoyable....if you're not about the instant gratification.
Firstly, there is the list, you request a Moosie, either in person or electronically, and are put on it. I did it in person at the NH Sheep and Wool Show in May of 2006, and then the waiting begins. When you've waited and almost feel you may have been forgotten an email arrives that you've been placed in a herd and there is an estimated "date". You continue to wait. Seasons change, holidays come and go. This is where I am....living in limbo as it were. (props to Jimmy Cliff)
A friend, who had been in a few herds ahead of mine had this experience.....She was sent photos of the whorls when they had all been craved and were ready to be selected....oh, it was so exciting to see the pics, any one of which you would happily take. There is also a companion sheet that wonderfully describes each with it's variations, weight and markings that make it look like it's moose antler, and even suggestions of exotic wood choices that would best match each whorl, but ultimately it is you decision. This friend sent back her selection and in a few weeks....(at this point, who cares, the end is near) of waiting, received the most amazing spindle. Gorgeous in every way.....materials, design and craftsmanship. It is fabulous to spin, and restores ones desire for the simple process of spinning, often forgotten for the mentality of production.
I cringe at the number of projects I've sold that were rushed through to get "done".....dozens. They were great and finished and of good quality, but without much enjoyment of the process. Holding my friends Moosie spindle reminded me that anything worth doing is worth doing right and taking the time to savor the anticipation is part of that. Hope to remember this lesson when mine arrives...I'm still waiting.

Spinning a Yarn: Ancient Myths About Fiber

Wasting vast amounts of time on internet is a favorite past time, and when combined with my first love of all things fiber it takes on special significance. Finding new topics and material to search for is like finding a vein of gold, and you follow wherever it leads.

While looking longingly at the collection of wheels at the Golding site (knowing I’d never be able to afford one) I was struck by the name of a particular one...a Habetrot. Not completely fulfilled with the brief explanation at the page I went to the beginning point of any web wanderer…..Google.com.

Finding the Habetrot and Scantlie Mab myth of the lowland Scots was just the first dip in the well of interesting and extensive global tales of spinning goddesses.

The Anglo-Celtics had Habetrot as their deity. Spinning was used as code for casting spells and keeping the seasons of the year in motion. She also was associated with creation and the healing arts, as none who wore her garments would fall ill. Habetrot is even honored with a card in some tarot decks. Mab is her sister who spins lint into yarn. The pair find a young maiden a husband, but when he is shown what spinning can do to a woman's features he vows his wife will never spin again…apparently Habe and Mab were not real lookers. Of course the versions are varied and bizarre, but treasure to be sure.

Frau Holle, was the Germanic deity of spinning and her story very close to that of Habetrot, but with a “twist”, she rewarded the diligent spinner with gold.

One of my favorites was the Baltic worship of the goddess Saule, whose wheel was representative of the sun in that culture. Instead of the ugly depiction of hags and distorted women, Saule is dressed in fine silks and has golden hair, shawl and crown. Burial sites in present day Lativa and Lithuania have unearthed spindles made from amber, thought to have protected the spinners fiber from tangling and knots. Today Saule is remembered at the Winter Solstice festivals and shepherds of that region consider her a guardian and have many devotional prayers to her.

The Vikings had Sunna, who was also associated with the sun, and represented with a fiery wheel. Spinning was very important with Bronze era Norse whose sails were made of felted spun fiber. Slaves were forced to spin several hundred yard a day on their spindles, which have been found a archaeological sites. Scandinavian Countries today stories of Sunna are still told at Santa Lucia.

Arachne of the Greeks, the Navajo Spider Woman, plus others from Asia, Africa, and South America are all myths and tales to rediscover. I mainly focused on the northern European stories in this brief article, but I hope you will venture out and gather others that will inspire you to spin on.

-SMT

-27

....This is not with wind chill factor. This is actually air temp at are house as the thermometer read last night. It was a beautiful, clear night with a bright moon. Interesting things happen when it's that cold.....seems like you're living on another planet. Door knobs on the inside of your house are covered in ice....window locks and metal sealers become ice covered on the inside. The cold is just driven through the cracks. We heat solely with a wood stove that has one of the largest fire boxes on the market. This winter we have not had to make a fire on a daily basis, but then again we don't like the house to be too warm. The wood stove is a very romantic way to heat, however as a sole source of heat it has its draw backs. We are really unable to be away from the house over night or for a weekend....have to be there to do fire from November to April. This is alright with us, but really there's not a choice at this point. Preparing wood is a time consuming process, especially if you want to make it cost effective. We buy log length, or whole logs and cut them into 18" pieces, and then rent a splitter to make the manageable pieces that have to dry or season and be stacked and re stacked. Buying logs is also a difficult endeavor, finding the direct source, getting on their list, and then hoping the conditions are right for harvesting and delivery. A good cold winter is important....ground needs to be frozen. Not too wet a spring because mud will ensue...many class B and C roads do close to logging trucks at some point during the spring of every year, but how long is an important factor. Rain can effect delivery in the summer months as well and even if you get your load, which comes on a huge truck and has a charge separate to price of the wood, drying it out during a wet summer is unlikely. So we are thinking about our fuel source pretty much year round. It's so fortunate for me that my partner seems to enjoy this process right now.....may grow sick of it. But for now it is a joy to take my coffee and sit by the stove and prepare for the day ahead.

Little Lord Pompadu

My precious.....sometimes. This is Jack, a Brittany. He's came to live with us from a local shelter and he's a little gem...obviously adorable, he's also very smart and active. He loves to eat snow and dig for vermin.

#17

My second wheel and what I refer to as my production wheel is a limited edition Louet S10, single treadle in Cherry.
Sold in 1999 to celebrate Louets 25 Anniversary... I believe they made 100 single treadle and 100 double treadle, and numbered and signed each. I do love the wheel very much and it is wonderfully simple and easy to use. The bobbins hold 8ozs. of fiber so you can go awhile. I was also able to get a total of 5 bobbins that match the wheel.
I was fortunate to have a good friend who was de-stashing her wheel collection and offered to sell it to me for an exceptional deal. I believe she had barely used it, although I did promise to give it a good, loving home.

Bird house Project

These are just two of the nine Birdhouse Ornaments I've recently made with my hand spun scraps from a Fiber Trends pattern...soo cute and it takes less then 30 yards of yarn, so it's great for fast gifts from your stash bits and pieces. (4 1/2 "tall x 2 1/2 " wide)
This project also incorporates needle felting to make the house opening, but you could also improvise other options. Easy for beginners, and fun for any skill level. I really love Fiber Trends patterns and there is a version of this birdhouse that is larger for home decor.

www.fibertrends.com

More Works

Above pictured handbags are made from the same original pattern I designed to be easily modified. They really don't look similar. Fiber for these bags was purchased from the Persimmon Tree Farm www.angoragoat.com/persimmon/fiber.html at the NY Sheep and Wool Show, Sept. 2006. www.sheepandwool.com Each closure is a pewter button purchased from the PA Renfest, the button on the blueberry bag (lower pic) is a bee.

Some of My Work

These are a few examples of things that I have done in the past few months. Both of the above have since sold, and to the same person now that I think of it.

The top handbag is an original design and is knitted and felted from hand spun Romney that I was inspired to blend in a friends carder. There are about four colors mixed with natural to arrive at this blend I call, Alpine Glow. The closure is a nature horn toggle.

The lower hand bag is knitted then felted from a blended wool/mohair I purchased at the NY Sheep and Wool Show in Rhinebeck, Sept. 2006, the east coast spinners "Mecca". I bought 8oz. of this beautiful fiber from Persimmon Tree.... choosing between all their colors/blends was difficult. It spun up soft, fuzzy and luscious. The closure is a pewter button from the PA RenFest that I went to while visiting my sister later in October. I love how elements come together and make a story of their own.

I have many more projects to share...mostly bags. All that will be viewable here are sold works. For currently available bags to buy please see my shop at Etsy...

www.burtonwood.etsy.com

Getting Started

Winter , especially, reminds me of why I moved to New Hampshire, with it's solitary beauty and haunting character...like an old friend that enters and departs your life without explanation. Every season is glorious in the north country, or at least in part, but on a clear night in February when you walk out with only the sound of your boots in the snow and the smell of the woodsmoke curling toward the stars...there doesn't seem much wrong with the world.

The Whites are my adopted home and a long way from South Jersey, however I am as comfortable here then any place I have lived, and have resided a dozen years in the region. I came to knitting and fiber about the time I transfered my car registration. There's something about NE and wool that is just synonymous. Liking fiber is not a prerequisite for living here , but if you do then a passion for NE winters usually follows, like red wine and cheese.

"Finding" spinning was a more recent epiphany....why hadn't I thought to do this many years ago puzzles me, all that amazing fiber I could have spun...?!? In the two years since I bought my first wheel on Ebay I have been blissfully unable to sit without the urge to spin, or knit projects with my yarn. It's an obsession I've actively pushed onto others...so that they might share and in turn feed my fiber addiction....shameless I know.

Look for future posts of wheels, life in NH, crafting, about anything...