Driftwood

Driftwood Poncho

Warp: ebay perle cotton warp

Weft: unknown cone of yarn from Salvation Army

Double weave with hand embroidered embellishment.

Hand knotted fringe.

~

Reclaimed can be beautiful.

Part One: Process

The first scarf I ever made was woven on a board with nails.

Not knowing how to "weave" or what yarns to use,

I made it up..

Shortly after that I started looking for sources of yarn that were 

inexpensive.  Not knowing what proper weaving yarns were, I started 

taking apart sweaters.

Creating with what I could find was addicting.

I am now a curator of discarded fibers: sweaters, cones, and odd balls of yarn.

It has been four years and weaving with found

materials makes me happier than ever.

This discarded linen blend sweater was unraveled to be made into 

a new scarf.

The yarn will be paired with hand dyed indigo and with a 

cone of discarded yarn at the guild Trash-to-Treasrue swap.

~

Stay tuned..

Rosepath

'Reclaimed Rosepath'

25"x 25"

All reclaimed materials: three sweaters, Salvation Army cone, 

and miscellaneous thrifted ball yarns.

Mounted on found beaver-chewed driftwood.

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Weave big..

So there is this space above our bed...

A few weeks ago I was hit with the thought of making a tapestry for that space.

The thought wouldn't go away...

....so...

I decided to 'go big'

Heres the thing about big..

It can be daunting.

I like small.

Miniature even!

Nothing felt 'right'.

Its been a few days now and 'big' and I are getting a bit more friendly.

Slowly chipping away.

Adding.

Subtracting.

More subtracting.

Finding peace in life through the process.

My weaving partner...

She finally took a break from DIVING in the fringe (ugh)!

All the  yarn is reclaimed: estate sales, thrifting, found, from sweaters.

I love that.

A bit of hand spun from Craigslist fiber.

Stash busting.

This piece is going to take some time, but it is going to be

totally worth it!

~

Valentine cheer..

'Conversation Hearts' on vintage baby quilt.

Wren House DIY weaving class over Valentine's weekend.

The spring tree came along with the rainbow assortment of reclaimed yarns.

'Queen Red Lime'

as in

the zinnias I want to grow this summer.

Yarn, weaving, dyeing, dreaming of Spring was a great way to spend

a cold, snowy Valentine's weekend!

: )

Weave all the things..

It was Saori weaving that sparked my initial desire to weave. 

That loom....calls me back again and again. 

For some reason using non-traditional materials suits me. 

Free from expectations. 

Full of joy. 

This piece, created on the Saori Loom, contains: 

reclaimed sweaters, 

thrifted yarns, 

hand dyed yarn, 

hand spun, 

and 

cast off freebies.

~

Summer in a shawl..

Yarn Along..

re • claim: To bring into or return to a suitable condition for use, as cultivation of habitiation.

This warp.

Currently on the Saori Loom -

Reclaimed, thrifted, recycled sweater, and hand spun yarns.
A complete conglomeration of deliciousness.

The use of salvaged materials frees me.

This cast aside yarn is getting a new life.

There are no expectations.

A little bit of this..a little bit of that..

No fears or hesitation.

Which leads me to Craig's List.

Gosh I love Craig's List...

So I stumbled on this little beauty this past week.

A barely used Schacht tapestry loom (with stand).

YES!

This is the first weaving I made on her.  It is ready to come off the loom, but

there is still warp to be advanced so I am weaving another before I take this one off.

Weaving tapestry is incredibly fun!

This was woven with all reclaimed fibers...Sweater bits, yard sale finds,

and estate sale yarn.  

Reading:

Completely lost in the beauty and history of the Bauhaus weavers..

~

Joining Ginny

Weave all the things...

This past weekend I spent two days at the Society for Contemporary Craft 

teaching a DIY weaving workshop.

We made picture frame looms and created a custom wall hanging.

Students learned some basic tapestry stitches and how to 

source and use reclaimed fibers.

So. Much. Fun!!!

A few samples of their gorgeous weaving..

(top: Lauren, left: Amy, right: Finn)

Thanks to the amazing students who joined me for 

a fun and inspiring weekend!

Keep on weaving...!!

~

Out of Hand..

Many thanks to those who stopped by last

night to say hello during the 

Out of Hand

benefit gala at the Society for Contemporary Craft.

The event was AMAZING and I was

truly honored to be a part of it.

My demonstration station was weaving 

with reclaimed fiber on the Saori loom..

..along with artisans creating

handmade paper, wood turning, and metal enamel activities.

The view from the loom:

A beautiful insulation from Jenny Soracco, the current 

Studio Education Apprentice at the 

Society for Contemporary Craft.

She also has beautiful jewelry available in her Etsy Shop.

Next stop.. 

unload the car and get the cowl off the loom!

: )

~

Sleeping Spring..

I know your under there.

Somewhere.

Under all that snow.

Spring.

Sleeping.

Little wall hanging created on a DIY 

frame loom with:

Naturally dyed hand spun yarn,

Recycled sweater yarn,

Reclaimed yarn,

and 

a stick from my stash.

~

Snow..

 All the snow recently had me thinking about one of my 

favorite books as a kid..

 

Do you ever do that?

Read the books that hang in sweet memories

of childhood?

The original 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'

..'Wacky Wednesday'..

SNOW!

I've been dreaming about this little Japanese

out-of-print book that I came across on Pinterest

quite a while ago.

Lisa from 'This and That from Japan' was able

to track down a copy!

..gasp..

(Lisa is totally amazing and I can't recommend her shop enough)

Weaving with reclaimed fabric.

Many of you know how much I love sourcing

reclaimed materials.

Thrift shops, estate sales, random things

given to me from folks who know I love yarn.

Even though there are at least three proper looms in the house,

I still love to just "weave with what I have".

Cardboard from a shoe box,

reclaimed sweater yarn,

take-out fork,

and a

plastic darning needle from thrifting...

=

a fun little mug rug!

..or..

a custom patch to decorate a plain bag.

So if you are suffering from a bit of the greys or cabin fever,

maybe you'll want to try digging out these..

~ a cheerful read that will make you smile.

~ some odds and ends in your stash and craft happy.

..instead of digging snow..

: )

...

Reclaimed

This little project is currently on the Saori loom..

..and just getting under way.

The yarns I have set aside for it are all reclaimed.

Some from a vintage estate sale, a bit of hand spun silks,

and recycled sweater yarn.

It is making me smile today after listening to the second wonderful

podcast from Ashley at Woolful.

If you haven't listened to Ashley's podcast yet, please do!

They have been delightful, educational, and inspiring!

woolful.com

~