Relief Effort by Artisans for Japan

The Arts and Crafts United for Japan (a Facebook organization) has organized an auction of quality handcrafts on eBay for April 8-10 to raise money for the Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief effort. I have decided to donate my handwoven Olympic haori (short kimono-styled jacket) to the auction and encourage others to take part in this well-coordinated project. Donations will be accepted until midnight March 31st. Please check out their Facebook page for the registration form.

Helping in this way seems like such a wonderful opportunity to use your beautifully created pieces to benefit people in need. Right now what the people who were so horribly effected by the largest earthquake recorded in recent Japanese history... and the resulting tsunami that swept over the northern coastline of Honshu... need is money so that relief organizations can purchase critical items. By helping in this way the organizations can purchase needed items locally so that distribution is not such a huge issue. The hand-crafted items you donate for the auction and the money they generate as a result of the auction will be able to purchase more help for the Japanese people who have been through so much. Thank you for considering this.

My heart is heavy...

My heart is so heavy and I feel so helpless. The people of Japan are in the midst of hell and there's so little I can do to help them! They are the kindest, most caring, gentle people who when I visited several years ago often went out of there way to help me. What can I do to help them?

I can donate to the

Red Cross

(done), I can donate to

Shelterbox

(done) or one of the other wonderful charitable agencies who are there helping now. But what else can I do?

I ache for the people who have been devastated by this incredible tragedy! Our youngest son spent a year in Ofunato which you see in many of the photos showing the tsunami damage - that's Ofunato with the car sitting on the rooftop. The town sits north of Sendai at the end of a long narrow bay. They were very prepared for tsunamis after being devastated by one in 1960. They build a massive wall that closed at the first inkling of an earthquake and practiced frequently. BUT who knew that Mother Nature would cause such a massive quake that would send all that water funneling their. My son hasn't been able to contact anyone, so he has no idea how his family and friends are. It was 16 years ago that he lived there... the year of the Kobe quake... 1995.

I was reading some postings of groups on Ravelry who are hoping to send handknit, crochet and woven blankets and hats and mittens to help the people of Japan. It's a somewhat naive idea as the cost of transporting these things would be great, but it is understandable that fiber artists want to help people who are suffering in a very personal way. Donating to Red Cross is imperative (and I found another great group that is supported by Rotary - Shelterbox) but this idea of sending handcrafted items of love, care and support is also important. Hopefully a way can be found to make it work... The hardest part is sitting by and not being able to help in some way! I am obsessed with finding up-to-date information, but I want to do more than send some money. I wish I could get on a plane and physically help in some way!

I heard back from my Rotary friend in Plattsburgh who coordinates the exchange student program this morning. She sent the email I sent her yesterday to all her Rotarian friends and has had several responses all ready. A Rotarian from Calif suggested we contact some very able former Japanese exchange students who may be able to help us find a way to donate handmade items to people who are cold and miserably distressed. I will contact them today. Also they suggested WORLD VISION wvi.org. I'll look into that too. I found a woman in England through Ravelry who is collecting 8" squares to put together into blankets. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/japan-earthquake-how-to-help/1569950/26-50#42

By working together... we'll figure out a way to do help in some way! My mantra... Maybe we can't do everything... but we can do SOMETHING!

Introducing.... FIONA !!!

Fiona arrived last Monday, right on schedule. I quickly took all her pieces out of the box and arranged them at my breakfast table where I had lots of light... ready to assemble. Well... first I had to rub a couple coats of tung oil finish on her... and THEN Friday night my dear hubby and I assembled her. It was a fairly easy process... but an extra 2 hands were very helpful... and within the hour I was spinning!!!

She's a beautiful wheel and is just perfect for me! I love the contemporary style and the double treadle castle wheel construction. It was so easy to spin on her! As of last night 2 nights after her assembly. I've spun an entire bobbin of the beautiful wool that Beth Dinoff of Whorling Tides created especially for the Carolina FIber Frolic by coordinator, Jan Smiley. It seemed appropriate to spin this fiber first... as that is where I ordered the wheel.

Saturday our Fiber Guild of the Savannahs was demonstrating at the Oatland Island Sheep to Shawl and I plied a blue silk and wool handspun singles with a commercial 5/2 variegated cotton thread using Ellen's "bobble"? technique. I love it... soft and yummy color. I need to think of just the right project for it!

I do love this wheel, however I have to make a few adjustments:

* First, the spring on the Scotch tension has to be adjusted so that it is stretched to its full length and ticks the flier assembly when it spins. I need the tension to be this tight so that the handspun will draw onto the bobbin. I may try small coated elastic hair bands to see if this might be a solution.

* Second, I noticed that after spinning quite a bit... it already needs to be oiled. This may be because it is new... or it may just be a quirk of the wheel. It DID come with a thin needled oil "can" -- so I should have expected a need for oil --- and it was in the instructions.

* The third concern is my fault! I tung oiled the MDF wheel and it came out far too dark. I can't see the contrast between the wheel and the walnut swosh as much as I'd like. I may have to paint the wheel a contrasting color... which was something I'd thought of earlier. I just don't want to paint the light wood on the treadles, flier assembly, bobbins and upright. DARN! I'm not rushing into anything... but percolating on it.

Frolicking....

I'm invigorated... I returned last night from a very, very special 5 days with my very dear friend Cindy (theblueacorn: her Etsy site)(her blog) who introduced me to weaving --- oh so many years ago.

When we were young and foolish, in our early 30s, raising our children (3 for Cindy and 4 for me) in rural upstate New York, we often got together to spin. We joined spinning and weaving guilds and took several adventures including one very special trip to England in 1981 (30 years ago!) and even did quite a few craft fairs together marketing our handwoven goods (intricate coverlets for Cindy and handwoven rag-style carpets, bags and one-of-a-kind clothing for me.) We are kindred spirits... sisters... we compliment each other well.

Somehow over the years, life got in the way... and we didn't see each other much. Once the internet took hold, both of us being techies (Cindy analyzes and I play...) we jumped on board, we emailed and I often looked at her blog to see what she was up to creatively.

My hubby and I stopped in DC on the way South last Fall and Cindy went with me from her suburban home into the city to see the Ju Yeon Kim exhibition I had worked on (see previous blog entry) at the Women in the Arts Museum. What fun it was to explore with Cindy again, to see her beautiful home and her gorgeous jewelry! When we got back home to Savannah I heard from friends that they were going to the Carolina Fiber Frolic near Charleston, SC. I immediately thought about asking if Cindy was up for another adventure. I emailed her about it and she got right back to me saying that she'd love to come!

Cindy arrived in Savannah by train last Wednesday night. We explored a lot of the Savannah sites, ate lunch at the delicious Gryphon Tea Room with my neighbor Wilma and saw some of the exhibits at the SCAD galleries where I work part-time. What fun it was to see Faith Ringgold's amazing story quilts and dolls at the SCAD Museum with a fellow fiber artist.

First thing Friday morning we left for the Middleton Inn west of Charleston, SC where the Carolina Fiber Frolic was taking place. Our workshops were to start at 9am so we started very early. What a perfect place for a retreat! We entered the property passing the horse stables winding our way down to the main contemporary buildings which were surrounded by natural beauty along the meandering shore of the Ashley River. The aesthetics were inspiring... but then we entered the River Building and found our fellow Frolickers and met Jan Smiley whose vision, energy and enthusiasm made the Frolic possible... we knew we were in a special place...

Cindy took a beading in knitting workshop (that she could have taught) thoroughly enjoying Jane Pratter while I explored Micro Art Yarns with Beth Dinoff of WhorlingTides. Beth had prepared amazing fibers for us to spin in a variety of techniques that could be easily knit or woven into beautiful projects. Cindy and I loved her booth full of incredibly beautiful hand-dyed fiber. We decided that we needed to take Beth's workshop on batt building the next morning as it was evident she was a Master... and we enjoyed her and wanted to be with her!

Other vendors were Ann Potter from Pilot Mountain, NC who gave a wonderful talk after lunch about raising llamas, alpacas and angora goats. What wonderful fibers and yarns and finished triangular shawls she had from her fibers. Pat Johansson and Linda Phillpott of The Yarn Shop at Rainy Day Creations over the border in Pineville, NC near Charlotte were also teaching and selling. Pat had created so many new weavers with her workshop on Rigid Heddle weaving. My friend Cecily glowed as she took off her first real weaving! I learned a wonderfully creative way of warping the Ashford knitting looms she brought as the weavers were finishing their projects and anxious to start anew in the vendor/relaxation/creation room where spinners were spinning and people were browsing and buying and knitters were knitting, etc.

I fell in love with the most gorgeous spinning wheel and after about 30 seconds of thought... and encouragement from Cindy... I decided I had to have it! It's a Kromski Fanatasia... and its simple contemporary lines resonated with me! The entire weekend at the magical place with Bauhaus styled architecture was nurturing my creative spirit and this was a wheel that epitomized that energy! My trusty Ashford that I purchased with my Ithaca Black Sheep Handspinners Guild about 35 years ago, has served me well, but this beauty is a castle wheel with double treadles and different sized whorls to provide faster and slower ratios... and I was in love! It was quite affordable at $363 with NO tax and shipping to my home in 10 days was included -- how could I resist? And I had my checkbook with me... so... I'm anxiously awaiting my new wheel to spin the delicious fibers I created in batts and bought from Beth. I can't wait!

I almost cried as I left Cindy at the train station in North Charleston for her trip home to DC after breakfast Sunday morning. I miss her so much already! We vowed to come back to this magical place again next year!

Frolic organizer Jan Smiley didn't leave a detail unturned from arranging delicious meals, to door prizes both days for one and all (I was so delighted that Bertyl a lovely German woman received my door prize donation -- my book Woven: a Bauhaus Memoir!) to check in several times during each and every . workshop. She saw a need... took it on herself to organize and make arrangements and provided this incredibly special nurturing opportunity for the 28 fiber artists who attended this year's retreat. The intimate gathering touched us all! Bless you Jan! See you next year!

Grand-daughters -- the essence of heaven!

I returned home Monday night after a spectacular weekend with my grand-girls! I flew to Boston to stay with the moms... Kim and Laura and absolutely adorable Maja who turned 6 months old on Valentine's Day! Daughter Kristin and her fantastic girls Abby almost 6 and Chelsea 4 1/2 came in Saturday and we had a sleepover Saturday night! What fun! Son Kjell and his girlfriend Charlene came to enjoy the lasagne dinner I made Saturday and had some Maja time too!

Maja is the happiest, easiest baby I've ever known! She grins whenever you look her way... and goes to sleep without a peep for 10-11 hrs a night! How I enjoyed my babysitting time on Friday and again Sunday night when I encouraged the moms to have some time to themselves by going to a movie.

With Abby's birthday and Valentine's Day approaching we had lots to celebrate. I knit Pipi Longstocking hats with earflaps & braids for all 3 girls with a heart motif. Abby and Chelsea put them on and never took them off! That warmed my heart! I'm in the process of finishing up matching mittens. It was a great way to use up bits of left over washable cotton and cotton-blend yarns I had accumulated after weaving scarves and sweater and doll knitting. I also gave them little felt heart hair clips based on a pattern from the Purl Bee that they loved. We enjoyed a heart shaped birthday cake after dinner. Then it was time to all snuggle on the pull out couch in the living room and watch Look Who's Talking. I was in heaven!

baby Maja in the sweater I made as her newborn gift... she's almost outgrown it.

Maja and the bigger than life-size doll I made her for Christmas. (My... what a big head the doll has!!!)

I feel blessed!

Let there be HATS!

A couple years ago when we returned from a road trip to Salt Lake City to see my dear father-in-law, Hok we stopped somewhere in middle America... I think South Dakota... and there were several Native American shops in the small town where we found some lunch. One of the lovely shop owners recommended this book - Kiki's Hats by Warren Hanson to give to my grand-daughters. I thought its message was really nice... It's about a grandmother - KIKI - who knit hats and hats and more hats. My grandgirls love it and I do too! You can find it on Amazon ... here.

Anyway... I'm channeling my inner KIKI and have become obsessed with knitting hats. Hats, hats, and more hats... Currently I'm working on some for my wonderful grand-girls - Abby age almost 6, Chelsea 4 1/2 and baby Maja almost 6 months - gifts for my special Valentines... Here's a sneak peak of Maja's - a work in progress... I'll try to take a photo of them all wearing them next week when I get my Nana-fix. I'm flying to Boston to see Maja and her mommies Kim and Laura and HOPEFULLY if the weather cooperates... daughter Kristin and hubby Bobby will bring Abby and Chelsea to Boston, too! My heart hats have earflaps because its been a cold, cold winter in the NorthEast!

Here are the two sets of hats I knit for the Loop it Up kids of the W Broad St. Y...

crackle...

Just a quick update... not much time to weave though I am working a bit on the third study group towel... this time in CRACKLE! It took me a couple do-overs as I didn't have the draft and I was using my trusty Mary Black - New Key to Weaving book to fill in the gaps. I think I've got it! I'm not too sure it will be a beautiful project... but I'm using it as a sampler to explore different possibilities on this threading. We'll see what happens.

My other project for the month was recovering cushions on our Barcelona chairs that have rapidly deteriorated from shabby chic to just shabby. After looking at an upholsterer -- no dice -- too pricey at $1600 !!! to buying may own hides and sewing new leather ones... I decided on ultrasuede in black that I found at JoAnn's on sale for about $15 a yard. I copied the faux quilted look for the front and am waiting on the covered buttons I ordered from the upholster for about $50-- well worth it as I certainly did not want to cover 100 little buttons. Sewing them all into place at the intersections of the rectangles... I will be done. Maybe I'll post a photo when complete.

Another long overdue major project was to paint my bathroom. I decided that I wanted a mural like effect... and used several cans of last years painting project blended with red, yellow and blues in small jars to get unique color effects. LOVE the finished look. It's almost fun to go in there!

I was challenged to make hats for the kids at the Broad St. Y in downtown Savannah for Loop it Up... a great project working with fibers and inner city youth run by Molly Lieberman who I met through working with JuYeon last year. I finished 15 or so hats from preK size through early teen. What fun! and I must say I got a bit obsessive. Quick projects that could be finished in an evening while watching tv. PERFECT! Now I'm making some hats for my own grand-girls... Photos later...