Time to Dye in South Dakota -- a common read and a new gallery

     Another dye workshop, this one in Brookings, SD, was a rare chance to work with three kinds of fibers -- wool, silk and cotton.  There was time to experiment and try some new techniques as well as practice the shibori dye methods learned in the September visit to Watertown.  The "blocking" method of isolating portions of a skein gave us great results, and I can hardly wait to try knitting these to see what they turn into!

     Day 2 was Plant Fiber Day, and a lot of experimenting took place with new dyes from ProChem -- never used this stuff before, so there was a lot of guesswork.. We dyed mostly t-shirts, which are fairly inexpensive (especially at "back to college" promos  at Target and WalMart) so everybody arrived with multi-packs of Hanes and Fruit O's.  Little kid's T-shirts are especially fun because they can be tied up much more quickly -- and can be immersed in smaller containers of experimental colors. 
     While we were there we spent one evening as part of an amazing community event.  The City of Brookings and South Dakota State University sponsored a community-with "common read" project last summer, meaning that one book was selected and everybody in town -- public school and University students, faculty, staff and townspeople all read "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson.   Incoming and current SDSU students were assigned the book as required reading for fall classes.  The local Public Library had copies of it for anybody in town who wanted to read it.  And a local bank ponied up the funds to provide a copy of the kids  and Young Readers editions  for every child in the Brookings schools.  Book groups, churches, school and University classes discussed "Three Cups of Tea.  And on November 3 it was exciting to attend a University-sponsored lecture by the author, Greg Mortenson.  Nearly 6,000 people crowded into SDSU's indoor sports arena, where Mortenson spoke for more than an hour (and without notes) to a highly enthusiastic audience.
     Craig and I had read Mortenson's books on his work establishing schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and we very much enjoyed hearing him tell how education has improved living conditions and changed people's lives in some of the remotest and most poverty-stricken regions on earth.
     After leaving Brookings we stopped in Sioux Falls, where I was anxious to visit a trendy gallery I was told about recently.  I was delighted when the manager agreed to show my felted hats and bags this season, and even more excited when one of them sold before they had even been tagged and put on display.  

Snus Hill Winery show drwas a big crowd

     The fall "Art at the Winery" show at Snus Hill Winery near Madrid, IA was Sunday, October 3.  This was the third time I've been part of this event, and -- as in the past -- thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.  John and Diane Larson, Snus Hill's owners , are wonderfully talented folks who know how to make great wine and serve it in a lovely country setting.  Being invited to bring my work and show it in the company of  20 other Iowa artists in such a fun location was a real treat.                             

     A variety of media was represented, including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fibers (there were several of us -- unusual compared to most of the shows I've been to lately), photography and even handmade soap and hand-carved gourds. Think T-shirts aren't an art form??  Think again.....Boone County screenprinter Diane Muse brought her quirky collection of hand-printed, limited-edition tees, aprons and tea towels.  My favorite -- the old catalog print (at left side of table) of a Singer sewing machine with the caption "Sew?".

     Of all the hats, bags, scarves, socks and mittens I brought, my absolute favorite was this yellow felted hat.  It was also the first thing to sell -- a good sign that the rest of the day would be busy and people would like what they saw. At  6 pm we packed up a lot less stuff that we had arrived with, and other artists seemed to echo my feeling that it had been a successful day.  The crowd was the largest I've ever seen at this show.  Lots of happy wine lovers seem to be happy art lovers, too.
     Many thanks to Cathy Huisman  (fiber artist) and Terry Dooley (watercolors) for their hard work getting this show organized, and most of all, thanks to all the folks at Snus Hill Winery for hosting the event.     

Self-Patterning Yarns: A New Approach at NCFF

     Sue Grant and I were very pleased to have the opportunity to teach our dye workshop on self-patterning yarns at North Country Fiber Fair in Watertown, SD the weekend of Sept. 17 -19.  An enthusiastic group of participants showed up on Saturday afternoon, wearing clothing to dye in and ready to try a new technique.The method involves painting color onto pre-knit "flats" of undyed wool yarn.  After the dye is set and the flat is allowed to dry, the yarn is unraveled and knit into whatever seems appropriate -- scarves, socks, gloves, hats or shawls.  The only limit is the dyer's imagination, and some amazing projects were done that afternoon.

This was an enthusiastic bunch, anxious to try something new and not afraid to get their fingers dirty.  An interesting color combination -- Prairie Rose and green -- was achieved after some experimental mixing, and  several flats were painted using them. 

Another flat was dyed horizontally -- rather than the more conventional vertical orientation -- and the resulting landscape of sky and earth in saturated colors is sure to produce something interesting when it is knit.

The best part of this process is the part that happens later -- when the flats are dried, unraveled and knit.  I hope everyone who took this class (and several people stayed afterwards to dye a second flat, so there are plenty of flats waiting to be knit up!) will send pictures of their projects when they're completed.  Keep checking this blog, everybody -- we'll post everything we get from you.. And thanks so much for coming and trying the technique -- Sue and I had fun, and we hope you did, too.

Weekend at North Country Fiber Fair

     NCFF (North Country Fiber Fair) is an annual gathering of spinners, weavers, dyers, knitters, fiber animal owners and fiber fanatics.  It is held each fall in Watertown, SD and has become one of my favorite opportunities to hang out with people crazy enough to enjoy the same things I like.  Visitors come mostly from a 5-state area (North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin) and while the show is traditional in some respects (a wide assortment of vendors selling all things fiber, classes and workshops on fiber related topics) there are always some surprises.

There is always a "spinning circle" where anyone can set up a wheel or get out needles and yarn, sit down and enjoy a conversation with somebody interesting.  This year's circle was really huge -- the photo only shows part of it, since it was much too big to get into one shot.  It was fun to see the variety of wheels brought to the circle -- everything from one-of-a-kind antiques (many family heirlooms) to the latest Ladybugs and Victorias. 

      The Market at NCFF included not only everything from yarns and fibers to niddy-noddies and nostapines -- one could also do her live fiber animal shopping in the same place.  In case you were wondering, an angora rabbit resembles nothing so much as a big fluffy mop with a face on one end -- as this handsome fellow illustrates.  He was a perfect gentleman, sitting quietly and allowing people to stroke his luxuriously soft coat or take his picture.  Sue took this one, and I think it's just about the best rabbit photo I've ever seen..

  My friend Sue and I were lucky to be able to attend a dye workshop led by Grete Bodogaard, a well-known regional fiber artist.  Grete took us through the intricacies of dyeing with indigo, a natural plant-based dye that's been in use since the middle ages.  Today it's best known as the coloring in blue jeans.  We worked with "instant" indigo, a modern product that shortens the process by months and thankfully freed the workshop participants from the necessity of peeing in a communal "pee pot"  until there was enough urine accumulated  to make the dyestuff work.

       Grete taught us a variety of Shibori dye methods.  Shibori is a Japanese technique that involves wrapping, twisting, tyeing, scrunching and otherwise distorting the fabric or fiber before placing it in the dyebath.  The resulting color patterns are unique and -- to a great extent -- unpredictable, so each dyed piece was a surprise when it was pulled out of the pot and unwrapped.  I'm looking forward to trying some of the tricks I learned from Grete and passing them along in classes and workshops I teach this winter.

     One of the neatest events at NCFF is the "Fiber Sandwich" project.  Participants, including vendors, producers and anybody else with spinnable fiber to play with, are asked to contribute 4 ounces of whatever they like.-- wool. alpaca, chengora (dog), cashmere, angora, etc.  All the donations are pulled into "fluffs" and spread out on a long table.  The huge pile is then divided into "slices" and any spinner at the event can pick up a slice and spin it in whatever way she or he wishes.  The completed skeins of yarn are sold in a silent auction, with the proceeds supporting  the show.  Additionally, anyone purchasing a skein of this yarn is challenged to make something with it and bring the piece back the next year.  The project judged best will be awarded a prize. 

Shooting Your Stuff at Stitches

     Going to Stitches Midwest every summer is probably the most completely self-indulgent thing I do on an annual basis, and it is always a real treat to spend several days completely surrounded by knitters, knitting and things for and about the craft.  This year, in addition to classes on working with hand-dyed yarns and
 designing knitwear, I signed up for two days of hands-on knitwear photography training with Alexis Xenakis.  Alexi , as he is called, is the genius photographer for Knitters magazine, and one of the most respected textile photographers in the country.  How could I pass up this opportunity?

    On Day 1 we met -- ten students plus Alexi and his assistant, Lisa -- and spent an hour or so talking about light.  Just light -- what it can do, why we need to pay attention to it, and how to make it work the way you want it to work.  Everyone had brought knitted objects to be photographed, and soon Alexi -- hauling his "big boy" camera and tripod -- led us out into the hotel's hallway for some practice.  Somebody brought this knitted owl, and Alexi first set him next to one of the big marble sculptures in the hallway -- not a very cozy spot for an owl..

The carpet was a little better -- at least the texture was softer, which seemed much more appropriate.  But still, not quite right...
     Maybe the tree in the corner???   After all, owls DO perch in trees.
   

 Still not very "right" -- although owls ARE known to prefer the dark.  Still, THIS owl wasn't QUITE with it.  What's needed?

Wow!  All that was needed was LIGHT to make the owl look right at home!  Okay, first lesson learned.....make sure you get the light right.

Next, we all moved outside the hotel.  Think the driveway has limited possibilities for good photos?  Think again.  We modeled our own and each other's knits.  This beautiful entrelac shawl was worn by its maker, leaning against a trash can.  Doesn't she look glam??

One of the people I met in this class was the author/.artist who created my favorite cartoon book, "It Itches."  Franklin Habit is a talented photographer, cartoonist, knitter and blogger, and it was fun to spend some time with him.  He also made a great model.  Even though it was a sunny day in August, he cheerfully put on this red-and-grey wool cap and scarf, climbed onto the huge industrial-looking sculpture in the middle of the driveway and stood there for what must have seemed like hours while Alexi and the rest of us clicked away.

And then he held up one end of the "scrim" that diffused the sunlight while Lisa (in pink) got a light reading.  Setting up an outdoor shot took a long time -- shooting it was just the end result.

Alexi's version of this photo did NOT include the stuff in the background.  Now I know why I need a better camera!

Working with this highly skilled pro was a real treat.  I learned a lot, not the least of which was that the great detail and depth of field needed for good knitwear pictures can be achieved only with a MUCH better camera than my little compact Canon.  I was amazed, however, at what I DID manage to produce.  Not magazine quality, to be sure, but much better than what I was shooting before. Just watching Alexi work made me pay much more attention to the little details -- was the sun glaring off the water in the background?  Was there a shadow on the shoulder of that sweater??

     On day 2 we stayed indoors and watched Alexi and Lisa set up indoor shots on a mannequin and "table top".  We didn't even use our cameras that day -- just listened and took notes as he described how to set up a makeshift light box and how to utilize different backgrounds to compliment the piece being photographed.

As we got to the end of the shooting session, David -- the 4-year-old son of one of the class participants --arrived with his dad.  Alexi scooped him up and stood him in the curved railing in the hotel entryway and clicked off a series of shots.  This little guy was so great about letting us take his photo that nobody got a bad picture of him -- or of his pretty blue sweater.

Broken down in Green River, a wild wrecker ride, and a rainbow ending

It all happened because we were hungry. Mac told us to be sure we were hungry when we got to Green River, UT because the best burgers out west were to be found at Ray's Tavern.  We got off I-70 at Green River, drove up and down the one main street, and finally located Ray's on the third pass.  We tturned the corner and all hell broke loose.  Westy's temp gauge pegged on "HOT", a buzzer on the dash went off,  steam poured out the back of the car and we heard a nasty hissing sound from somewhere underneath us.  Craig shut off the engine, coasted to the curb, and we got out to find greenish liquid pouring onto the pavement.

Whaddya do in a situation like this?  Eat burgers, of course.
 
After lunch( and those burgers ARE good)  we asked around to see if anybody at Ray's knew of an auto repair in town that worked on old VWs (nobody did).  We finally poured enough water into the cooled-off engine to limp Westy back to I-70 and the Super-8 near the exit, checked in and went to work on an internet search for mechanical assistance.  Turned out that the nearest foreign car repairs were in Moab, UT  and Grand Junction, CO -- and the Moab place (much closer)  wasn't sure parts were available.  After working the phones for more than an hour, Craig lined up a wrecker to take Westy (and us) to GJ the next moring.
     We met our ride at 9 am --  cowboy driving a huge flatbed wrecker (capable of hauling a semi truck) with high-clearance wheels and a cab requiring one to climb a ladder to get into it.  He loaded Westy onto the flatbed (where he looked awfully small), chained everything down, and we were off.  Two and a half hours later we pulled into The Foreign Aid, the auto repair in Grand Junction, and met Steve Stewart -- owner, mechanical genius and weekend racecar driver.  We knew were were at the right place.
       Within twenty minutes Steve had put Westy up on a hoist, diagnosed the problem, ordered the necessary parts overnighted in, lined up a rental car for us, and told us about all the area sights and spots we needed to see while we were in the area.  When it bacame obvious that we were not going to be able to leave until the next day, he suggested that we spend the night in Westy, inside his air-conditioned shop.

     With the work completed the next day and Westy once again ready to travel, we turned for home.  Campground next night was at Bonny Lake State Park in eastern Colorado, a hard-to-find spot in the middle of nowhere that was one of the nicest parks we've stayed in.  A sweltering hot afternoon looked like it would give way to a late-day thunderstorm, but the storm never materialized.  Instead, a heavy layer of clouds produced just a few sprinkles -- and a spectacular, full-bow double rainbow over the campground.  Amazing -- what a way to wrap up a memorable vacation!!
   

Capitol Reef NP -- a surprise in the desert

Our friend Mac told us that his favorite desert campground was at Capitol Reef NP because there were lots of fruit trees and if anything was ripe, you could pick it.  I told him he had spent entirely too much time in the hot sun if he was telling me a story like that.  Turned out, he wasn't kidding.  This lush, tree-covered oasis along the Fremont River was settled by Mormon pioneers who planted trees like crazy, especially fruit-bearing varieties.The Park Service has maintained the orchards, replanting them as necessary over the years.  The campground along the river is shaded and cool even though huge desert rocks tower over it.  No wonder the Mormons stopped here.  They must have thought they were getting close to the Promised Land. 

The mule deer in the campground were so tame they came within twenty feet of our picnic table (left).  They thought nothing of wandering over for some of the green grass thet grew around the bath house -- heck, this sure seemed like better pickings than eating cactus across the road in the desert! 
We claimed the Purple Jersey (well, we DID ride from the campground on our bikes) next morning at the restored village where a couple of nice ladies served fresh-baked pie and coffee for breakfast.  We had blackberry pie at 9 am -- Jeff, are you reading this???