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studio news

 It has been a fertile time in the studio lately with much indigo dyeing and cocoon making going on. Here are some of the cocoons I'm working on - trying to get the shapes and structures right.

I'm using silk in a range of forms including dupion, organza, silk paper, fibre, thread and ribbon; mulberry bark, cotton, flywire netting and vintage linen.

Coming soon, a me-sized cocoon made of mulberry bark - such fun!

whoop indigo!

After many weeks of thinking "I must start the indigo vat" I finally did it this afternoon.  And had a lovely play dyeing some fabric, my first spindle spun silk, a little practice shibori and overdyeing a wool/silk shawl that was previously too bright a pink for me, some meh coloured commercial threads and a hat which I think is made of raffia or sim.

Here are the results after 2 dips in the vat

Someone posted a link to this article on the Book of Faces and it reminded me of a game I play when I'm feeling a bit Eeyorish - which is counting my bits of lucky.

I agree with most of the 101 simple pleasures and thought of a few more of my own:

• writing with real ink on real paper, preferably with a dip pen on lovely thick toothy paper
• feeling the smooth pull of thread through fabric, especially silk or linen

• the gentle rhythm of knitting
• the gentle rhythm of spinning
• feeling a small creature relax and feel safe as it snuggles into you
• waking and hearing the regular breathing of your Best Beloved
• new socks
• hand-knitted socks
• the just risen full moon

• walking on a crisp winter's day
• baking bread
• buying presents
• hugs
• being oblivious to everything except the book you're reading
• having cascades of creative ideas
• looking out to sea

• the smell of long-awaited rain
• dead-heading roses
• clean sheets
• a really good cup of tea (leaf tea in a pot please - I have no truck with teabags)
• not rushing
• looking up
• a cancelled appointment/meeting/social event
• being remembered
• stars in the desert
• being chosen by a cat

• snuggling back into bed on a cold rainy morning
• meeting your new baby and thinking 'oh it's you'
• realising how lucky you are

spinning silk

I have been applying myself to my spindle and have incorporated silk into my repertoire.  I started with a mixture of wool and silk fibres although I really need some carders as it was quite sticky and kept clumping to my great irritation.

Ergo elk, the wool/silk yarn is a little sparse. I will card the rest of the fibre before I spin any more.

But this evening I pulled out the silk cap I bought at the Guild last week and oh wow it is just gorgeous to spin. On my new spindle (also bought from the Guild) I can spin a fine, pretty consistent thread with a few slubs.  In half an hour I had spun this

To my surprise I find spinning silk is much easier than the merino I started with 2 weeks ago. 

spinning progress

My fibre friend Wil has taught me how to spin on a drop spindle. Something which looked impossibly difficult when I watched him nimbly spinning a fine and consistent yarn,  but it turns out to be incredibly relaxing and meditative, once you get the knack.

Luckily my Mother taught me to spin with a wheel when I was about 12  and I did some spinning about 5 years ago, so my fingers had the memory of drafting and easing the twist. It took a little while to get the rhythm of the spindle but I love it!

I think I will use this as a single and dye it with indigo, or possibly madder, and then do some freeform knitting, using it and copper wire.  And tomorrow I shall dig out some silk fibre and play with that.

After spending months camped out in the intellectual side of my head and almost completely neglecting the creative, I am trying to redress the balance. Seeing the Anish Kapoor exhibition in Sydney last month reminded me of how starved my creative side has become: his work is overwhelming, mysterious and beguiling.

He does the most amazing things with colour and form on a scale that fills you with awe and delight. Here is the exhibition poster piece My Red Homeland

When I am Pregnant is totally bizarre and delightful

And my favourite - Memory - which takes mystery to a whole new level. Here is Kind Dog peering into the deep

And then the other side - monstrous, overwhelming, delicate and calm.

I was surprised by the complex emotional impact of this piece. It is huge yet fragile and crowds the space uncomfortably  - walking through the low entry point you feel its presence like a blow.  Despite its weight and size I was overwhelmed by its vulnerability (the feeling of being trapped yet barely contained). Even more surprisingly, I was filled with yearning and wanted to crawl into it and just disappear into oblivion.

experiments in thinking and stitching - playing with colour and form