sutton075

Taking tapestry classes is one of my favorite things and  Tommye Scanlon is one of my favorite tapestry weavers.  I admire her work and love having the opportunity to take another class with her.  The  Triangle Weavers Guild  brought Tommye in for a Beyond the Basics class. The Triangle Fiber Arts Center is a great venue for classes.  Happy tapestry weavers! Friday, day one we discussed looms, warping and setting tips. Tommye has dozens of woven samples to illustrate different techniques. This sample was woven to demonstrate the use of blending with complementary colors. Decreasing, increasing, hills and valleys oh my. Saturday, day two involved specific techniques, attaching the cartoon and inking the warp. Tommye talks about her design process. One on one assistance with hands on by Tommye. My yarns and sampling progress.  You may remember these yarns from  here .  I dyed them ages ago for a project entitled Holding Space.  I have bee...

To err is human, to forgive canine I n raising and training our dogs, we are likely to make some mistakes. I feel like I still have so much to learn in training especially. (Perhaps Petey and Ernest are training me!) Ernest thinking, "How can I make her understand what I want?" I look clueless. Recently, Pet Wellness Advisor asked two dozen pet bloggers "What is the biggest mistake dog owners make, and how can they fix/help this issue?" The responses are well thought-out and reflect the experiences and expertise of a wise and diverse group. I was honored to be included in the panel. Of course, after I read each response I thought, "I wish I'd said that!" You may be surprised by some of the answers. Here is a link to the article Pet Wellness Advisor Ask the Experts Round Up. What are your thoughts? What do you think the biggest mistake pet parents make, and how can we help the issue?

they rise in a stiff sweetness, in the pure peace of giving one's gold away. ~Mary Oliver The scientific name for goldenrod is Solidago which means "to make whole."  This weekend involved experimentation with dyeing wool with freshly gathered goldenrod. Norsk Fjord Fiber  vevgarn Frid is imported from Hiilesvag Ullvarefabrikk, a fifth generation spinnery on the west coast of Norway.  This is my favorite yarn for tapestry.  It comes in multiple natural shades of natural grey and white, which made for fun dyeing possibilities.  Dear hubs was alarmed when I explained my plan to gather goldenrod along the highway.  He decided adult supervision was required. 3.25 pounds of goldenrod. After washing all the yarn in Synthrapol, I mordanted it.  Some in alum (4 tbsp in 4 gallons of water) and some in iron (2 tbsp in 4 gallons).   After mordanting and rinsing the yarn the goldenrod was placed in a large enamel pot and covered with water.  The pot was b...

I may need to explain a bit.  My sister, Janet and I made a commitment to one another.  It was over breakfast at First Watch in Deerfield Beach in August 2016.  We each had dreams that we were procrastinating pursuing.  Janet was a writer and as most writers had trouble dedicating time to write without distraction.  I am an aspiring tapestry weaver with exactly the same problem. One of my favorite authors Anne Lamott when asked about waiting for inspiration said no writer waits for inspiration.  You sit down and do what it takes to "keep your big fabulous butt in the chair " and write.  I shared this with Janet and we decided to commit to being accountability partners, calling each other weekly with a butt in chair or BIC report.  Her goal was a writing submission and mine was to enter a tapestry in a juried show. We faithfully did our BIC reports and reviewed the ways we kept ourselves from spending time writing and weaving.  We encouraged a...

Recently I found myself thinking more about my dogs Ernest and Petey, and less about the ones I'd lost six months ago, and it shocked me. Maybe it's only natural to focus on the ones who are here day in and day out. Maybe it's because Ernest has cancer and we spend a great deal of time making sure we're caring for his health and comfort. Or because Petey is a puppy and so very consuming of time and energy. Maybe it's just the way it should be. But it feels wrong. Especially with Kelly. I don't feel this same melancholy about Ike, the 10-year old golden retriever we lost in March. Ike is still with me in many ways. I think of Ike every time I look at Ernest and Petey, and feel a deep appreciation for this wonderful breed. Ever since Brooks, the dog we adopted when he was 11-years-old, we fell in love with golden retrievers. Especially the seniors. Maybe it's still having golden retrievers that helps me keep Ike's spirit alive. But Kelly. Sometimes Kelly f...

To be a pet parent is to have a car with: Smudgy nose prints all over the windows. Muddy footprints on the upholstery. Drool down the back of the seats. Dog hair flying everywhere. And that ewwwww stinky dog odor . Does this describe your vehicle? It does mine! Ernest and Petey have lent a paw or two to make sure our car has that lived-in look and smell! It's time for a total car clean-up. Luckily, I was sent a set of high performance car care products to review....and because I think they're so fantastic, I'm giving you a chance (below) to win  a set of five  Meguiar's car care products! We take Ernest and Petey in the car to go to the vet's, the park, training classes, visiting Grandma, and we recently took them with us on vacation. So they've certainly left their mark on (and all over!) our CRV. The trouble is, actual human beings have to ride in that car too. Most of them prefer not to sit in a rolling dog bed. It would be nice, just once, not to e...