photo by Gwen Blakely Kinsler used with permission

The combination of weaving and embroidery is dazzling.

When I saw the photo of the embroidered doll figure in among the spectacular flowers, I was intrigued.

This enigmatic little figure makes me wonder: Is she a Day of the Dead figure? Is that a skull or just an elegantly simplified face?

Is that skirt a spider’s web?

And, where is her other arm?

Anyhow, I knew that I just had to share Gwen’s article with you…. the colors and textures and patterns  of the handmade dresses and garments in her collection are just so inspiring.

Here’s the link to the Pieceworks article: Textile Traditions.

Enjoy.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Susan’s Joy Piece:

Susan's joy piece copyright

Susan wrote:

Hey Noreen,

Here is my first entry! I had a great time making this. First time all around! I chose a butterfly because they are signs of renewal and Spring is all about renewal of trees, flowers, everything! So I call this Renewal of the heart.

I made the square out of Bamboo Yarn on my Hazel Rose weaving loom 4 inch, followed by my colorful butterfly which I spool knit and the antennas are chenille stem with lil black beads. So as not to attract away from my butterfly I used yarn to free hand a flower LOL! I am very proud of my lil french knot in the middle of flower! Took me a while to figure that out. Thank God for the internet!

Not sure of what I am gonna do with this frame it without glass or magnet for fridge? Any ideas much appreciated!

Please let me know if you are able to view it and it will need to be resized I am not good at any of this blogging or posting pics.

Thank you so much for this challenge! Now on to my next creation!

Thank you
Susan

Caroline’s  Healing Mini quilt:

Caroline's healing Goddess mini quilt

Caroline wrote:

I thought you might like to see this small quilt embroidery that I stitched in 2007after my return home after a cancer operation ( see the scar! ) I hung it near my bed where I could see it when I woke in the morning….. the phoenix like image ties in to my sun sign, Scorpio. It was a way of expessing a lot of emotion without using words.

Sorry didn’t mean to sound so serious but I was SOOO glad to be home…..PURE JOY!!

Bye for Now

Caroline

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sent me the link to the Thread Project , which is all about creating tolerance, compassion and building a  community of hope and peace.

It’s truly wonderful.  Please take a few minutes and click through the photo album.

Tears of hope, inspiration and  “Y E S !“  rolled down my cheeks as I looked at the pics and read the captions.

Here’s their press release:

Photograph copyright The Thread Project

Some say our world is hanging by a thread. I say–a thread is all we need. � Terry Helwig, Founder

Over a span of five years, forty-nine looms were set up by women in fourteen countries to weave together tens of thousands of individual threads gathered across the globe into one of the most diverse cloths ever woven. Threads were pulled from the fabric of people�s everyday lives, from clothing and blankets to fishing rods and guitars. Some of the threads reflect tragic events such as those gathered on the Killing Fields of Cambodia and from 9/11 families; other threads celebrate milestones like birth and marriage. The resulting forty-nine panels of cloth create a visual art experience sure to stir the soul!

The panels have been buttoned together to create seven large tapestries (12� x 7�), some of which have hung in the United Nations and across from Ground Zero for the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Each of the seven cloths is a different color of the color spectrum and is named, reflecting a theme.* Just as the seven continents come together to create one world, the seven tapestries come together to create one world cloth.

A one-act play called The Thread Narratives: Real Threads and True Stories, written by Thread Project founder Terry Helwig and actress Carol Anderson is being offered with the exhibition. Helwig calls the exhibition a Performance Exhibit because it combines visual art with drama. Helwig says, �The play brings to life many of the compelling stories that have been woven into the cloths. In essence, the art, the cloths, have been given a voice.� The play also illustrates how Helwig�s first thread evolved into an international initiative.

For years, Helwig documented every letter sent to the project, considering herself a �keeper of the stories.� She says, �I wanted a way to convey to others the depth of human caring being woven into the warp and weft of each cloth.� One day, after reading a poignant letter sent by a prisoner named Michael, Helwig said her desire to share The Thread Project stories collided with her desire to write a play. During the writing process, Helwig saw actress Carol Anderson perform her play Hildegard of Bingen. Helwig was so impressed with Carol�s talent that she invited her to collaborate with her on the narratives.

As the project enters its final phase, under Helwig�s watch, she is seeking a permanent home for the cloths. Helwig says, �The ideal scenario would be to gift them to an organization with international exposure, one that celebrates diversity and tolerance.� In addition, other venues are being considered to stage The Thread Narratives as well as tour the cloths. Helwig is undaunted in finding a perfect home for the cloths. She says, �It may take a while, but I�ve had some experience in the arena of perseverance. I�ll let you know how I make out.�

Helwig’s life direction has been guided by her belief that people have within themselves the capacity to live compassionate lives, caring for one another and the planet. She also has a keen interest in people and their stories which led her to become a human development specialist, writing, lecturing and leading workshops on personal growth and spiritual development. She graduated with an M.A. in counseling psychology from The College of New Jersey, and continued to pursue her studies in Jungian psychology, archaeology and mythology. In addition to being the founder and director of The Thread Project, Helwig is writing a memoir.

Anderson has written, produced and acted in several one-woman shows including Size 7 Forever, on the subject of eating disorders, which aired on PBS. Anderson received an MFA in Acting from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and now resides in Black Mountain. She and her husband Jim Shores tour nationally as the theatre company �Acts of Renewal� producing theatre to delight the soul.

*Descriptions of the seven World Cloths:

Hope Materializing (Purple)
Elpis, the personification of hope, cried out to be set free after Pandora�s Box had been opened. Elpis knew that a world without hope topples into despair. The set of purple tapestries, woven in the aftermath of 9/11, celebrate the power and promise of hope. The buttons, created by clay artist Susan Ryles, spell hope in more than a dozen languages.

Threaded Harmony (Red)
Harmony, from the Greek harmonia, means to join or fasten; harmony unifies differences. The juxtaposition of tatted lace, animal fur, shoe-strings and cassette tape may seem more discordant than harmonious. But, when woven together, these fibers transcend their individual boundary of everyday life to create a distinctive fabric of unparalleled diversity, modeling how disparate views and differences might also be woven into a harmonious whole.

Ariadne�s Prayer (Indigo)
The richly colored threads, protruding from the indigo cloth, symbolize Ariadne�s thread, given to mythic Theseus, to help him navigate the Cretan labyrinth. Navigating the unknown, whether it is physical terrain or the terrain of differing world views, can be confusing. Ariadne�s Prayer is a simple prayer that humanity will find its way through the twists and turns of becoming a global society.

Weaving Reconciliation (green)
Somewhere, within the greenness of Weaving Reconciliation, a yellowed fiber from the Cambodian Killing Fields, which arrived with the message, �I dedicate this thread to all who died there,� is knotted snuggly against a white bandage from rural Iowa, sent by women who prepare bandages to send overseas. The two threads, one a witness to wounding and the other a witness to healing, were ritually tied together to symbolize healing the world�s brokenness. Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed�Zen teaching.

Dawn Looming (Orange)
Dawn Looming, with its textured weft, reflects the abstract striations of dawn. Visionaries are often gifted with an ability to see abstractions. While others slumber in a collective sleep, the visionary sees hues of possibility streaking the horizon. Dawn Looming invites us to awaken, throw open the mind�s shutters and herald a new day.

Lienzo Luminoso: Cloth of Light (Yellow)
El Salvadorian weaver Margarita Lainez helped name Lienzo Luminoso which means Cloth of Light. For centuries, lamps and lanterns have dispelled darkness and pointed the way to safe harbors. The yellow warp represents light piercing the darkness. To some, like the aborigines of Australia, yellow signifies the Mighty Giver in the sky. Hand-made Aboriginal beads, incorporating the color yellow, were woven into this cloth; may the Mighty Giver shine on.

Sophia�s Mantle (Turquoise)
The warp of Sophia�s Mantle bridges the color of earth and sky. The name Sophia means wisdom. One of the most unique artifacts incorporated into the cloths is the sturdy wooden shuttle woven into Sophia�s Mantle. This shuttle wove both the first and last row of cloth, bridging a span of five years. If wisdom could choose a scepter and bridge the divide between us and them, she would, no doubt, reach past the sword and clasp a sturdy wooden shuttle.

Sometimes, the smallest of things can cause an uproar in the universe. Let this weaving create an uproar of peace. � Nanette

Music is in our heart and soul. A string from my guitar, a piece of my heart and soul. � Steph

I brought a piece of yarn from a baby blanket I made for my son Joshua. He was born June 27, 1984. He had cancer for 3 years and just died January 9, 2005. So this blanket has great meaning to me. And now Joshua will continue to live on in my heart and in this beautiful cloth, woven with the threads of so many lives and love. � Jayne

Here�s a string from an old yo-yo that I made. � Glenn

I hope these are useable. They are handmade by political prisoner in Tibet. With admiration for your project. � Losang

The pink thread represents healing not just for me, but for all of those women before and all of those women after me who will sacrifice their breasts. � Lisa

I didn�t come prepared with a thread so I just took my shirt off and ripped this strip from it. That�s so you know I would take the shirt off my back to contribute to the peace and healing of our community. � Mario

Deb cut a strip from a World War II silk parachute to honor a young man who had no home to return to after the war.

I am from Poland. My blue yarn symbolizes the peace dove. The white is for independence and freedom. This is the symbol of a United European flag. � Yanusz

We braided a friendship bracelet for the World Cloth because we are best friends. — Mariah and Brittany

I’m sending a strip of fabric woven by lepers from one of Mother Teresa’s leper colonies outside of Calcutta. If people who have no fingers or toes can learn to weave, any of us can learn whatever we must to make it though. So weave on. � Rebecca

Martha sent remnants of cloth and trim she used to sew her granddaughter�s christening dress. �It seems that the birth of my granddaughter Grace on the day after 9/11 is a symbol of hope for tomorrow, for all of us.�

For the Hope Materializing Project. Netting from the wedding veil worn by my mother June 2, 1916, and satin from my wedding gown worn on May 14, 1943. � Bonnie

Odette, from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa sent strips of cloth designed and screen- printed by a group of Zulu women in the heart of Zululand.

Novelist Sue Monk Kidd cut ribbons from her baby shoes and tied them to ribbons from her daughter Ann�s baby booties. �We offer our ribbons, believing in the power of �first steps,� in the beauty of human beings making our wobbly way toward peace, in the notion that small beginnings bring undreamed leaps.�

Image Source: The Thread Project

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

They’re very nice little looms to weave on, but I’ll never make more of them! The acrylic was just murder to work with! I’ll stick with wood and metal!

But, it was still a successful recycling/reclaiming/weaving project, even if I wouldn’t repeat it!

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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My dear son-in-law knows that I have been questing for a square Lily Speed-o-weave loom for ages.

He IM’ed me, saying: Hey…. there’s one on eBay……

I went and looked. Kewl!

But, the vendor wouldn’t ship it to Canada

So, I emailed the pic to my wonderful sister-in-law. She works close to the world’s best second hand store. She has found all kinds of nifty things there, and says most everything goes through that store at sometime or another…..

She popped over to the shop, sent me an email, and said:

They only have a hexagonal one.

I emailed her back: Buy it for me! I want to be able to teach workshops with it!

She zipped back, bought it and mailed it to me.

When it arrived in our mailbox, I went… oh oh… this feels a little bit light…….. hmmmmmm.

Opened the package, and there inside the hexagonal loom box, was: TADAH!!!!!

The four corners for the longed for square/rectangular loom!

No sides, (no problem! she’d found me a set of those a couple of years ago at the world’s best second hand store!),

no shuttle (no problem…. Clancy shuttles!)
to the rescue, no nuts and bolts, no problem, those are replaceable….

I’m so pleased to have this loom, and have been experimenting like mad with it. I’ll post some tutorials soon…

Yay! Hurrah for the world’s best second hand store, and for second hand stores everywhere!

Click on tutorial for the tute on the hexagonal Lily Speed-o-Weave loom

 Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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Well, last night, I got all fed up with trying to figure out some of the ‘alternate flight plans’ of the strange little instruction booklet that came with one of my really old Lily Speed-o-weave looms.

So, today, I decided to give myself carte blanche on the second side of the hemp bag that I am working on.

It was exhilarating! After all, I am covering most of the mesh with spoolknitted figures and buttons and other bits and pieces….. so it was time to get playful!

and I did…….

Permission to be playful.

I gave it to myself, and here’s a permission slip for you:

• I hereby grant myself permission to try something that is outside the lines, and is just plain fun
  

enjoy…..

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Well, there are a couple of ways of figuring that out.

First one: WPI: Wraps Per Inch.

This is a weaver’s trick:

The pattern calls for one particular yarn.

But, what if someone else has a cupboard full of something else?

What will the pattern look like in one of those yarns?

Are they compatible with the pattern?

Here’s where the comparisons start:

Take a ruler, and wrap the yarns in question around the ruler. Snug the wraps up against each other for 1 inch. (2.5 cm). It doesn’t matter how big your ruler is, you just want to see the yarn politely laying there, showing you how thick or thin it is.
Now, count how many wraps there are in an inch.

I’ve shown 3 different yarns in this photo:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The Lion Cotton has 14 wraps in each inch, the Microspun has 15 and the Crochet Cotton has 34………..

Important information! It tells you that the Microspun and the Cotton are pretty close in thickness, and that the Crochet cotton is less than 1/2 the thickness. Useful!

Next:
Look at the gauge information on the label:
Lion Crochet Cotton: Gauge: 28 sc st and 36 rows =4″ (10cm) x 4″ (10cm) with a Size D-3 (3.25mm) hook

Lion Cotton: Gauge: 16 sc st and 16 rows =4″ (10cm) x 4″ (10cm) with a Size F-5 (3.75mm) hook

Lion Microspun: Gauge: 13 sc st and 16 rows =4″ (10cm) x 4″ (10cm) with a Size H-8 (5mm) hook

And then, try a swatch. Swatches are your friend!
Work with the hook listed on the label. You may decide to change it, but it’s a good place to start.

Use the recommended hook for each of the yarns and crochet a sample swatch.

Often, you’ll make a square, but making something close to what you will be ultimately creating will also give you a lot of information.

You can get lots of info by crocheting or knitting or weaving small motifs:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

What do you learn by doing this? What size hook or needle gives you the gauge you want?  If it feels or looks too loopy,  I would go down  a size, or maybe even smaller.

If it feels really loose, perhaps add another strand of yarn.

If it feels too tight, go up a size or two with your hook or needles.

What else? That the hook or needles listed on the yarn label might not give you the gauge that you need to make your pattern work.

AND: The 2 larger butterflies are identical in size. SO, if the pattern had been written for one of them, I could easily switch over to the other yarn and appropriate hook.

They don’t look the same in the pic above, so I took another with one on top of the other to show that they really are:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

What do you do if your yarn is way thicker than what is called for in the pattern?
Can you use it? Sure. You can split some yarns into individual strands.  Some yarns split really easily, some are nasty. You’ll have to experiment
OR: You could go ahead, and work the pattern as written, using thicker yarn and a larger hook….. and you’d get much larger motifs. You would simply make a whole lot less of them.

I hope that this will help you decide which yarn is going to work best for you!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn