Meanderings of a Mermaid

 So here are some "before pictures" as I prepare to convert the guest bedroom to just a craft space. Okay so I have partially started the conversion and the room is a mess. But it gives you a little idea of what I'm up to. This corner with the two looms is a bit crowded! It makes it tight for walking through the door and into the office/livingroom. And here is the opposite corner of the room. This queen bed has been sold now and once out of the way will make a lot of new space for me. I am thinking the bigger loom, the Artisat, will go across to this corner. The biggest loom I have, the Nilus II now lives in the Tuff Shed (very happy there!). You can see this room has great light. That's just one set of windows (south facing) and there is another equally large set on the west wall. I am anxious to gain this new space. Yesterday I made up this floor plan. One square equals ten inches. The furniture pieces are movable and held somewhat with a roll of tape on the...

 Well the starting point for most of these fibers was from some inexpensive Kool-aid dyed mystery wool I bought at a shop. At the Guild meeting the other day we played with this on the drum carder and with the hackle. First we took red and yellow to make orange. From left to right the bundles are: one pass, two passes and then three passes through the carder. You can see how more blended it got each time.  Most of this product went to one of the gals so she could spin it up at home. This was dizzed of the hackle. One pass.  The lustrous white in this shot is pure silk. Oh what a lovely touch. A little silk goes a long way.  For another experiment we decided to try to make a colour to match something in the room. My earring (puau shell) was suggested. So there's the earring in the middle. Too bad about the high reflection off the earring, but you get the idea. We pretty much nailed it. I might have to card a few more batts of this because I do quite like...

Well I have been trying to wait for sunny days for this photography but even when the forecast calls for clear weather, we don't have it! So in an attempt to catch up a little with some finished objects and things still underway, here goes. Seeing as how we were trapped indoors for a couple of days (felt much longer) by freezing rain, I spent part of one day re-organizing the gear. Yes I seem to do this a lot. As new equipment arrives, and I start to use it, I determine where the lighting is the best and other factors play a role too. In this case, I want to be able to use the same weaving bench at either loom. So the Medico (back) and the Artisat are now side by side. Here is a limited image of the overshot I am attempting. I haven't woven enough length yet with the same weft threads to really show much. As with all my weaving forays I am learning a lot as I go. These batts are from some wool fiber that has been dyed with koolaid. I carded them just once, in preparat...