No yarn

PiaPhotography

The weather is too dark and dreary to be taking photos today, so you’ll have to wait a while for the first dye results I promised.

Instead I stumbled across an old photo, it was scanned from a negative many years ago when internet connections were much slower and hard drives a lot smaller, so I don’t have these images any larger.

I never could decide which version I liked the best, how about you? (maybe you don’t like them – that’s ok too)

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maxx010b

I have so many negatives, so even if I can’t afford a new camera house when my current fails (hoping not to jinx it here, it’s definitely a senior), I do have image material enough to last me a lifetime of play in Photoshop. I just know I’d miss the thrill of the click…. 😉

Dye plans 2013

PiaPÃ¥ dansk

Well, after ranting about to-do lists, I guess I should be cautious about setting things in stone, but of course I’ve had some thoughts about what I wanted to do this year.

I’m fed up with just sampling, although I haven’t tried all there is to try. So I’d really like to dye larger quantities to actually use for (knitted) projects, I have tonnes of dried dyestuff and more likely to happen with my garden plans implemented (time to order seeds!). This means I have to spin A LOT of generic yarn or find a nicer yarn base to order in bulk, that I can whip out for a sweater dye project or whatever, whenever. Which requires some $£€! so I’m holding my horses, but also feeling I need to do something or I’ll be stuck not dyeing at all. I want NICE stuff, not just whatever random skeins I can find in a supermarket. My current yarn base for plant dyeing is fine, but I wouldn’t wear it, you know?

So apart from my plant to-try list, producing and collecting dye material, my goal is to figure out WHAT I want to use my plant dyeing for. Knitting, felted items, fiber “paintings” or just sell the surplus? Leave it on a shelf in the “Collected skills” box?

hhock01

During the meanwhile, I have a hollyhock test project on the stove for y’all, coming real soon.

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Plantefarveplaner for 2013

Jeg har spekuleret lidt over, hvad jeg egentlig vil med min plantefarvning, det har været sjovt, men det bliver ogsÃ¥ lidt kedeligt at bare producere testgarn og eksperimentere. PÃ¥ den anden side har jeg ikke nogen reelle projekter sÃ¥dan lige planlagt, som jeg kan sætte i gang. Enten skal jeg finde nogen gode strikkegarner og købe et kæmpe lager jeg lige kan trække en sweaterfuld ud af ved lyst og behov til farvning, jeg kan spinde og spinde og spinde hvidt og bygge et lager, jeg kan sælge det jeg producerer. Eller skal jeg gÃ¥ i gang med at filte og billedvæve, hvor jeg kan bruge de smÃ¥ testfed til noget reelt? Jeg kunne ogsÃ¥ bare lægge det pÃ¥ hylden og føje det til listen over “Ting jeg kan”.

Så mit største mål i år er ikke kun at få sået lidt flere farveplanter (noget skal der jo alligevel gro i haven), men også finde ud af, hvad jeg egentlig kan bruge det til. Der er jo kun et begrænset antal timer i døgnet til kreative projekter, som jeg til gengæld har nok af!

To do list or not to list

PiaChit Chat

I don’t really do resolutions at specific times or other calendar assisted activities if I can help it, but 2012 was a bitch right up to and with the last day, and I don’t want a repeat. Won’t bore you with the details, but one of the things I’ve spent some time pondering is chores, schedules, plans and to-do lists. So now is as good a time as ever to create new routines.

I love making lists, it seems to declutter my head (a bit) and oh, the joy of crossing something out! But. I also learned that those lists in fact add considerably to my stress levels. Must do! Look how busy I am! I make short term day lists and long term big chores lists. Tape them to the kitchen cupboard.

Then I tried something new, I put them away. And realised that A, I can learn to not repeat them in my head all day in case I forget and B, I actually get just as many things done anyway. Perhaps even more, actually, because less time is spent fretting over the amount of items. I’m learning that not all things are equally important nor urgent, who’d have thought!?

So my hope for 2013 apart from a smoother ride, is to keep reprogramming my whole mindset about these things and just really go with the flow. Leave room for lots of breaks and marvel if I don’t need them! Rather than feeling guilty for sneaking them in. I still have goals, but every step I make towards each one is fine, no deadlines.

So how do you all juggle the stuff that “needs” to get done, stuff you want to do and all the rest? Do you deliberately limit yourself to a manageable number of hobbies/activities so you don’t spread yourself thin, do you schedule heavily, delegate chores (I knew there was at least one reason I should have had kids!), happily swim in a sea of options, picking as you go along?

(some of) The List

  • Scan my old negatives (3 heavy binders full)
  • Play with sampling/mixed media
  • Start painting again
  • Try garden printing
  • Organize my image files
  • Finish my garden chores (separate list!)
  • Clean ALL the things!
  • Exercise regularly
  • Meditate daily
  • Drink more water
  • Create a work schedule and stick to it
  • Design sweaters
  • Don’t worry
  • Ride more
  • Clutterfree desk
  • Be happy
  • Spin the karakul and other odd wools for weaving (and to clear storage space)
  • Make a loom and start weaving
  • Get books on weaving from the library (probably in that order)
  • Don’t worry
  • Spin ALL the wool, then buy more.  Dye it.
  • Write every day, not just the silly blog
  • Clean up the courtyard between buildings
  • Carry all the firewood inside before winter done
  • Restore order to the barn
  • Wash horse blankets done
  • “Quilt” collages from cutout water colours
  • Process box of fiber from “Goliath” the camel
  • Tonnes of dull sewing and repairs…
  • Finish knitting projects
  • Learn about felting. Get books from library. Etc.
  • Work on the other artsy project ideas (separate list)
  • See people
  • Go new places
  • Order new firewood and stack it
  • Declutter garage (Oh my)
  • Empty wash room, tear down wall, build a new one
  • File backups
  • Find a/some nice yarnbase/s to order in bulk for dyeing
  • …
It's a scary, exciting world! Arthur's first trip outside the house.
It’s a scary, exciting world! Arthur’s first trip outside the house.

Sunday swatch

PiaCritters

It’s been a while since we had one of these – inspired by my current cat gang. I don’t know what I’ll be using this swatch for yet, something yarny.

sswatch7

En farvepalet inspireret af mine 3 (selv)fede hankatte. Hvad den ellers skal bruges til må tiden vise.

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sswatch7a

Waiting for the holidays to end…

PiaPÃ¥ dansk

So that filling the house with wet fleece won’t be too obnoxious!

My friend Nina got me about 5 kg of Gotland fleeces at a very fair price. Will be interesting to see how much is left after de-greasing. Not too much degreasing however, my experience of Gotland is that it flies everywhere and acts like mohair when it’s completely dry. It also felts if you look too hard at it. Combing may be a problem this time of year since our house is quite cold, and lanolin could get stiff.

I’m sorry there are no pix of the fleeces spread out, but it’s freezing outside and we had a bit of an accident this morning when the chimneysweep came round, the entire living room is covered in near-invisible soot. Walls, laundry, my art supplies, the white cat, spinning wheel, tables, plants, everything. OMG you should have seen the bottoms of my socks! (didn’t find this out immediately of course)

I’m quite pleased with the look of them so far though, looks like there’s no straw, as opposed to my first fleeces that are something like 25% VM.

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danishSå har jeg fået en sæk med 5 kg dejlig Gotlandsuld der skal vaskes, farves og spindes. Har absolut ingen planer med det, men det skal blive spændende at prøve. Jeg skal prøve at vaske, så det ikke er helt fedtfri, ellers er der flyvehår over det hele, gotlandsuld er ret mohair-agtigt. Men jeg kan godt lide at arbejde med det ellers og især at farve den grå uld giver en god dybde.

Der kommer billeder af hammene senere, det var for koldt at fifle med udendørs. Og stuen er dækket af sodpartikler efter et lille skorstensfejeruheld i morges, gemalen havde været ved at fyre op trods forbud, og efterlod vist lÃ¥gen Ã¥ben mens der blev fejet….. Han er ved at støvsuge vægge und alles mens jeg slapper lidt af her efter at have sat alt vasketøjet over igen igen. NÃ¥, men sÃ¥ er der da blevet gjort julerent i rummet hele 2 dage i træk, mon ikke det kan gøre det?

Men de ser fine ud, ikke, slet ingen halm eller fnidder!