Camp and Crawl

I spent the weekend hopping from one fiber event to another - so many interesting people, so many thoughtful conversations.  There were several discussions I would like to continue . . . food for thought.

In spite of setting up and tearing down my display a couple times, I did manage to get a fair amount of knitting done.  I'll save those pictures for another day, but here's a glimpse of my whirlwind weekend.

FiberCamp.

The fashion show.

North Shore Yarn Crawl, trunk show at Seed Stitch.

The official Yarn Crawl Shawl.  In case you're interested, the pattern is Grapefruit Brulee.

From the knitting archives, the no-size knitting kit.  I'm not quite sure how this works, but it's an interesting concept.

Needless to say after a weekend full of creativity and inspiration, Monday seems pretty mundane.

FiberCamp

It's Monday morning, and I'm reflecting on FiberCamp.  There are so many components to this event.  I wish someone had captured the whole weekend on video.  

FiberCamp is sponsored by Common Cod Fiber Guild.


On Friday night Pamela Wynne's talk kicked off the weekend with an historical perspective on knitting history and feminism.  She pointed out that the history of knitting is long, complicated and political.  Her talk sparked a lot of group discussion and gave us food for thought.


This event is an unconference where attendees offer to present sessions on various fiber related topics.

The schedule board.  On Saturday and Sunday the sessions included everything from steeking to double knitting to choosing a fleece to social media for craft businesses.


There were spinning wheels.  Small and compact.

The Sidekick, the traveling wheel from Schacht.


Big and bulky.

An old, well-preserved great wheel.

The wheel maker's signature.  This wheel was made by Solomon Plant of Connecticut and is almost 200 years old.


Someone was recycling an old sweater, and the great wheel was put to work to facilitate the process.

Reclaiming vibrant red silk.


There were vendors on hand for the weekend.

Lucy from Mind's Eye Yarns had a nice selection of yarn, fiber, tools and spinning wheels.

Dirty Water DyeWorks had an array of yarn, knitting kits and fiber.

The atmosphere at FiberCamp is relaxed - a wonderful opportunity to hang out, work on projects and share ideas with other fiber enthusiasts.  Thanks to the organizers and attendees who made this wonderful weekend possible.

Prepping For Camp

FiberCamp Boston is this coming weekend, and I can hardly wait.  The weekend is hosted by Common Cod Fiber Guild and starts on Friday night with a talk by Pamela Wynne.  Saturday and Sunday are filled with a variety of sessions.  


FiberCamp is an unconference where the attendees set the agenda. Participants offer to give demos and workshops on various knitting and fiber related techniques and topics. For instance last year there was a workshop on making a dress form out of duct tape.  How cool is that?  The list of topics is always interesting.  Sometimes people offer to demonstrate something on the spur-of-the-moment so the conference is a very spontaneous, evolving event.


Dirty Water DyeWorks will be one of the vendors for the weekend.  I'm looking forward to hanging out and absorbing some of the creative energy that this event fosters.  If you're in the Boston area, be sure to check it out.


I've been doing a bit of dyeing to prepare for the weekend.

There will be several fresh Paula colorways and a new merino / silk blend that isn't on the website yet.  It's only Monday, but I'm already looking forward to weekend fun.

Gone Camping

I'm coming up for air after being immersed in FiberCamp Boston all weekend.  FiberCamp was held at MIT.

It's not surprising to find this sculpture, Alchemist, at MIT.  It's a human form made of mathematical symbols.  You can find out more about Alchemist on the artist's website.  After entering the website, click on Exhibitions and Projects, Current.


On Friday night Kathy Elkins from WEBS started the weekend with her talk entitled "It's Personal".  She spoke about the history of WEBS and how it's grown and changed over the years.  She also talked about the importance of community and how they try to maintain that at WEBS.  Since FiberCamp is driven by the local fiber arts community, it was a great way to kick off the weekend.


Dirty Water DyeWorks was one of the FiberCamp vendors so Saturday morning was spent setting up.

The other vendors were Stitch House and Mind's Eye Yarns.  We had a very comfortable space in the main registration room.


The attendees seemed to appreciate the variety of goods offered by the vendors.

Some couldn't wait to get started on projects and wound their new yarn right on the spot.


FiberCamp is run by the attendees who offer workshops on various topics and techniques.

Instructions on how to offer a workshop. 


All weekend long people were in and out of the registration room, checking the schedule.

There were sessions on everything from hyperbolic crochet to needle felting to making a dress form out of duct tape.  Magic loop knitting, backstrap loom weaving, spindle and wheel spinning - such a variety. 

Some of the workshops were spur of the moment, spontaneous offerings.  People were filling in the schedule as the day progressed. Seize the moment of inspiration, offer a session and go with the flow.


Probably one of the greatest benefits of FiberCamp was the time to simply hang out, work on projects and chat with other fiber enthusiasts.  It was an opportunity to catch up with friends and make new ones.  FiberCamp is a wonderful event to nurture and strengthen community.  Thanks to Guido Stein and Common Cod Fiber Guild for making it all possible.


One final note this Monday morning.  There are so many needs in the world right now, but I feel compelled to mention this cause.  The people at XRX who bring you Stitches events and Knitter's Magazine are holding a raffle for one of their employees, Sue, who is battling ovarian cancer.  You can read all about it here.  I'm inspired by Sue's strength, courage and tenacity.  I've mentioned before that ovarian cancer has touched my life.  Take a moment to read about Sue. If possible, help by entering the raffle.

Ready To Roll

I'm packed and ready to roll for FiberCamp Boston.  I'm looking forward to a fun weekend.  The latest addition to my collection of booth samples is finished.

The body of this cowl was quick and easy.


And then there was the border.

This lacy border of 13 stitches was worked back and forth over a 6 row repeat.  Every other row one of the border stitches was worked together with one of the live body stitches to attach the two pieces. There's something about short pieces worked back and forth that seems to take forever.  I probably spent as much time on the border as on the body.  Maybe even more.


The cowl is finished and ready to travel.

The pattern is Hoarfrost by Anne Hanson.


The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Alpaca Blend.  Currently this yarn is only available at events.

I'm in love with this motif created by a combination of lace and cables. This cowl makes a nice transition piece as we move from winter to spring.


We've been playing with clay and paint around here.  This bowl provided me with my color inspiration for the week.  It's late winter, and I've been craving green.  In fact I'm getting ready to cast on a new project in green.

The color of spring.

Weekend Work

Another weekend come and gone and here it is Monday morning already.  I really don't know where the time went - probably because I was so busy.  In addition to juggling the rest of my life I managed to get some work done.  


I spent time dyeing for FiberCamp.  Sometimes the planning takes more time than the actual dyeing, and that's the case with this round of dyeing. 


And I did some knitting.

The first sock is finished with ends woven in, and the second sock is under construction.  I hope to be wearing these by the end of the week.


I had time to plot and plan while working on the plain sock and came up with another booth sample.

A wee bit of a cowl.  I'm in love with this yarn and pattern combination. I've made this pattern before and never seem to tire of it.  More pictures and details in another post.


For your amusement I leave you with time lapse amigurumi.





Enjoy!

FiberCamp Boston

FiberCamp Boston is just around the corner, March 11-13. FiberCamp, hosted by the Common Cod Fiber Guild, is an un-conference.  The topics for discussion and demonstration are determined by the attendees.  People attending FiberCamp offer to lead sessions on various fiber related topics.  It's been fun and interesting to watch the list of topics unfold on the website.  This is an excellent opportunity to connect with other fiber enthusiasts and to share your passion.


Kathy Elkins from WEBS will get the weekend rolling with a talk on Friday night.  Kathy recently interviewed Guido Stein, president of Common Cod, on her Ready, Set, Knit Podcast.  You can listen to the interview and find out more about this event here.


There will be a marketplace at FiberCamp, and I will be vending.  I'm looking forward to this free-form event and the creative energy it's sure to generate.  If you're in the Boston area, be sure to check out this weekend full of fiber fun.


On the needles . . . I've been making progress on my latest sock.

I don't feel I've had all that much knitting time, but I'm already past the gusset and making my way toward the toe.  Working on this sock has given me the mental space I needed to plan my next booth sample.


I haven't decided which pattern to use, but I've narrowed it down to two.  I do know I'll be using this yarn.

My weekend knitting.


Yesterday was a day for celebration here, and it provided me with my color inspiration for the week.  I hate to see winter end, but spring is coming, bringing changes in light and color.

Delicate white with fresh green.