This month we enjoyed sharing projects on Zoom amidst an April snowstorm.
Kathie shared some of her latest handwovens that she has deemed "good enough to give away" including a bread basket cloth and 2 dish cloths that she'll be giving to her daughter. She's also busy setting up warps, though she expects gardening season to take her away from weaving soon. She offered an intriguing tip for wearing angora that is prone to shedding- the night before you plan to wear it, put it in your fridge and the next day you won't have to worry about fluff all over your black pencil skirt! (suggested soundtrack)
Phyllis worked on knitting a chunky mohair scarf for skiing while bidding farewell to ski season until next year. She has also been busy finishing rugs, including one using striped denim coveralls along with colorful jersey. She finds that she still can't stop crocheting circles and has been enjoying the color study using cotton and linen yarns. A friend of hers from graduate school commissioned a crochet piece that has now found its home in Harlem.
Mary knit the Trimont Snood using Blue Sky Fibers yarn that she got at Nanette's Knits and Gifts in Wakefield. She also finished weaving her paper towels, a tabby weave with white cotton 8/2 warp and wefts with Habu Shifu linen paper yarn and a raffia yarn. The raffia is a bit heavier than the linen and all are very soft after machine washing and machine drying. See Handwoven M/A 2021 p. 18 for a nice article about weaving with paper yarn. She's warped two looms and is preparing to work on North Light Meets Southwest towels from Handwoven M/J 2020 and the Field of Pansy vest from the book Weave Knit Wear by Judith Shangold. Like other patterns in the book, the vest will require only minimum sewing when finished.
Dawn showed off a gorgeous backpack basket that she received as a gift from basketmaker Emily Derke. She also shared some dye experiments she's been working with using alder catkins, some mordanted with iron sulfate making a green grey color and some with alum, making a yellowy-er green.
Melissa has been loving lockdown and all the chances she's had to work on fiber arts. She finished her jacket from Mary Sue Fenner's class! Using fabric from a plaid skirt from Scotland, she added handmade piping stuffed with lightly spun roving. She also completed a felted vest and included needle felting around the neckline and felted thrums covering the buttons. She even sewed a bag for a friend in his favorite shade of green and finished a knit sweater.
Poppy shared photos of the absolutely stunning cradle she woven for her grandbaby due to arrive in June.
We're going to keep an eye on the weather next month in the hopes that we'll be able to meet in-person outside again. Stay tuned to your email for details on that and location.
