True confessions- I don’t like spiders.
Give me a butterfly, a bee, a ladybug, a dragonfly any day, but spiders…. eep… the closest I like to get to spiders is at the end of the  ‘pick up the spider and take it outside‘ tool  in the photo.
It’s even better if it’s my husband who is the one picking up the spider and marching it outside. erg.
Have you heard about the spider silk tapestry that is on display at the  American Museum of Natural History?
Two artists, Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley, have worked out a way to put spiders (special big honkin’ …read more

There are many enterprising yarncentric folks out there, creating wonderful lives for themselves by building neat yarn oriented businesses on the net.  Jennifer Tan of ‘Gosh Yarn It’ is one of those nifty yarntrepreneurs.
I ‘met’  Jennifer a year or so ago when she commissioned me to make her daughter a one of a kind spool knitter and then asked me to design and make some 2 peg spool knitters for ‘Gosh Yarn It’.  It’s been fun to see Jennifer growing her business and when she got in touch with me again a couple of weeks back, I asked her if …read more

2009 is the year of the Natural Fiber.
Now, this may not seem to be all that important, but believe me, for MANY reasons, it is VERY important.

You’ll be hearing about this a lot in 2009!
It’s really expensive to maintain a herd of fiber animals!
B U T- here’s the great news!
You can help support a lovely fiber farm  in a truly concrete way,
AND you get a luscious treasure from your goodness…..
Read all about it at: Hudson Valley Fiber Farm Co-op
Image source: Original drawing by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright and not to be reproduced without permission

One of the best things about going to conferences is meeting wonderful people who are just so clearly fellow travellers and members of the same tribe!
When I was in Portland at the Knit and Crochet Conference , I met a kindred spirit who is doing fabulous work with silk, wool and other natural fibers: Lisa Horner of Purple Lotus Fiber Design. (doesn’t click through yet, sorry)

Lisa dyes ‘Gourmet Art Yarn’.

Rats…. a picture does NOT do it justice….. ah well… imagine great lusciousness!
Lisa doesn’t have her website up yet, but her yarns are available at the most wonderful store:
Abundant Yarns in …read more

Freeform friends meet up at the Knit and Crochet Show!
Over the years, lots of great friendships have been formed because of a neat list on yahoo-
the International Freeform group….
Usually on the Friday evening of a conference, the freeformers will get together and it’s always fun….

There’s Bubbly Bonnie and me and darlin’ Pirk!

And gorgeous Myra and wonderful Jorel in her galaxy vest and marvelous Mel wearing colors that she doesn’t usually work with (but it turned out great)

And then we grabbed Margaret and said, “Get into this picture!”
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

There’s a wonderful yahoo group of freeform crocheters that has been running for years. A bunch of us have been on it for a really long time and have become friends over the years by email and through conferences.
One of the people on the freeform list is Beth Boshears. Beth’s bundle of joy and a real sweetie.  It was great fun to finally get to meet her…. and oh no! I didn’t get a pic of her!
Beth blew me right out of the water when she handed me ‘an apple for the teacher’ when she was taking one of my …read more

I arrived in Portland on Wed night (Sept 10th) and took the light rail transit into the city from the airport.
I managed to get myself turned totally around, so got completely and frazzlingly lost.
Everyone I asked for directions sent me in a different direction.
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……… dragging 2 suitcases around Portland at night is not fun!
Eventually, 3 very wonderful young Goth teenagers got me going in the right direction, and then a lovely young woman who was attempting to sign up voters helped
(come on people! You gotta VOTE!)
(I’m Canadian, and we’re in the middle of our own election, and you bet I’ll …read more

Oh wow! here’s a bunch of wonderful!
Michelle Snowdon of Wooldancer creates the most incredible  freeform, wild and woolie magical batts and yarns.
yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

I have been spinning up a storm this past week…..
Here’s some bombyx silk that I’ve spun up and am spool knitting like mad with to finish a project for workshops I am teaching in September.
Spin spin spool spool….
spin some more
spool some more…..
(As I get  things completed, I’ll upload pics. Right now, there’s a million half done projects all in a flurry of studio whirling!)
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This just cracked me up.  I think it’s utterly delightful.
It’s a spinning (of the yarnie kind, not bikie kind) challenge that is taking place during the Tour de France bicycle race.
Here’s the link: Tour de Fleece 
You’ll have to hurry to catch up to the front runners  er, spinners…
Have fun!
and definitely watch ‘The Triplettes of Belleville’ while you’re spinning. It’s a delight.