Wednesday, February 23, 2011

How did this happen?

We all have things in our life we swore we'd never tumble to...come on, fess up! I half turned my back on the face of the future many a time.

First, mine (well skip the way back ones) was the internet and computers, never going to use them. Phones and letters were just fine for me. And then it was Facebook. Why do I need that when I have email, the phone and letters? But, oh, how the mighty have fallen. I was pulled into the massive FB whoosh last month and have found it reasonable, sensible and absolutely insane all in one fell swoop!
So if you are on Facebook be my friend ! And if you aren't, I totally support your resolve!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Hues to you!

My studio is brimming with color despite the backdrop of frigid and snowy weather outside. I frequently struggle with the yin and yang between the desk and dyepot with multiple projects and deadlines in both areas. Welcome to a glimpse of what has been cooking in the studio this week. Some freshly dyed lengths of silk ribbon...

I just finished my part of a collaborative this week which was challenging but rewarding. Although the volume of yarn was nominal the work lay in the matching. I ran tests on each sample first before commiting the beautiful one of a kind skeins to the dyepot. I wanted the finished skeins to mirror the original samples with the one variable that the samples are a white base yarn and the finished skeins are a gray base. The yarn is from my CVM/Romeldales.
I will share more when the project is complete...the small butterflies atop the skeins were the original colors for me to match through natural dyeing. Accomplished!
On a personal note, I had promised a skein of sock yarn naturally dyed by me for a business associate. She wanted pink so she could knit a pair of socks for her and her baby girl. My camera didn't do this justice but it is a lovely coral pink with subtle variegation. In the mail and on it's way.

Nothing wasted, for fun, I put a large cotton scarf into the after-bath from the sock dyeing....yummy, warm pale coral...

The indigo vat simmered along so I could alternately dip skeins, scarves and tests I needed to run.
Here's Luna behind the indigo oxidizing tub...clueless to my efforts but happy!

All three dogs spend time with me, although Kalie eyes the door in hopes it will open and free her for a run!

Sidney loves the studio. He is quiet old now and doesn't need too much entertaining, he just loves to be amidst the action with nothing asked of him! This is the perfect place!

A customer arrived yesterday with 3 pounds of her hand-spun yarn for me to dye. She has posed a challenge for her color choice and I look forward to it!
I am half way through a large custom dye order...more color to burst forth soon!

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Good Old Fashioned Winter

It's Groundhog's Day and Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring! However today it is still winter and we are in a real live Currier and Ives painting. Here was our snow stick when we started the day at 30". Since then another 10" has fallen. The past three days Jack and I have been raking roofs, shoveling roofs, shoveling paths and plowing. We aren't so concerned about the current load on the roofs but if all of a sudden Mother Nature and Old Man Winter conspire to give us a rain event we'd be in trouble.
We set off to get the animals all fed and set for the day. I looked at the roofs on the way and thought "good grief, they were just done two days ago and it is time to do some more raking!".
To the right of the little building in the middle is the hen house, buried!
But on the backside we built a day pen for them with a roof so they get out and about...happy as can be!
Luna and Kalie are total snowbirds..can't get enough. Good thing!


Dear Jack got the porch roof shoveled off this morning while I shoveled out the generators, walkways and doorways. Who got the better deal?
Old Sid still loves the snow as well, although his hips don't let him stay out too long. Look at that face!
Seemed fitting to make a fire this morning for the day and roast a few plates of root veggies...
and cauliflower with garlic for dinner. Mmmm good!
How do you manage with the winter?