Birth Stories Canvases Accepted into 64th Parallel at the Fairbanks Arts Association - and an Honorable Mention!

I’m so excited and honored to be able to announce that Birth Stories #007 and Birth Stories #010 were accepted into the 64th Parallel Art Show at the Bear Gallery at Fairbanks Arts Association! Birth Stories #007 also got an Honorable Mention award from the juror. This is an annual fall juried show that open to all Interior Alaskan artists and it so beautiful to know that my pieces are showcased amongst such utter brilliance!

This is the one that received an Honorable Mention.

We attended the Opening Reception last night and it was a really lovely time. It is always fascinating to see the way that a juror constructs a juried show. There was a definite and consistent sense of curation and cohesion in the still incredibly diverse show this month.

You should definitely go see it if you are local to Fairbanks.

The 2023 64th Parallel show will be on display all month in the Bear Gallery at Pioneer Park in the third floor of the Centennial Center. Both pieces are framed and available for purchase through the Gallery.

After the Rain

After the Rain is an exploration of the joy and growth that can come after difficult times. This collection was equal parts a reflection of the emotional experience of entering the wider world again (engaging in work and school and in person friendships) after years of quarantine and isolation with small children, a reaffirmation of my love for the tradition and craft of handweaving, and a self indulgent explosion of rainbows.

The warp is a combination of hand dyed and commercially dyed 8/2 cottons, the ground weft is a commercially dyed 16/2 cotton.

The pattern wefts are approximately fingering weight, the rainbow above is hand spun while the vintage rainbow below is handdyed commercial sock yarn.

This is woven in a slightly modified traditional overshot pattern known as “Sun Moon and Stars” which is #74 in The Shuttlecraft Book of American Handweaving by Mary Meigs Atwater. Like much traditional overshot, it was woven on a four shaft loom. I deeply adore the juxtaposition of a very traditional overshot pattern with modern color choices and hand dyed yarns, so you can absolutely expect to see more explorations of this in future.

The After the Rain warp was actually going to in a quite different direction: full of moody blues and explorations of mental health until my 4 year old daughter requested “a rainbow sweater with a hood!” I certainly couldn’t say no! And once I got dyeing, all I wanted to do was put rainbows all over this warp. Thus, After the Rain was born. This ROYGVBV set of colorways is what I’m using in her sweater, and there’s a few iterations of it in the shop.

This collection is comprised of both woven pieces coming off of the loom, and corresponding hand dyed yarns. It is a way of creating a collection that I hope to explore further, working within a theme in all of my chosen mediums and releasing them into the world. Someday I hope to have my ish together to release them all at the same time and debut the entire collection vs. letting bits and pieces out ahead of others. But I’m very pleased with it overall!

Spinning through 2022

My handspun round up for 2022: only slightly belated! I did a post like this last year and found it both useful and satisfying to sum up a year this way. So here we are!

For this coming year I’ve embraced the joy (and utility) of spreadsheets, and built a spreadsheet to track my handspun as well. I’ve found myself increasingly frustrated by misplacing the 3x5 info cards I’m in the habit of using to provide pertinent details, by needing to jumble through the studio to find my yardage record when determining prices, and more. So, precise record-keeping it is!

Donna Nobis Pacem: the 2021 Inglenook Fibers 12 Days spinalong fiber, plied with a commercial grey lambswool. I’m looking forward to weaving this.

Lichenology : merino/tussah/flax dyed by Inglenook Fibers and plied with sewing thread. This found a home as weft on Bequeath.

After the Rain merino/silk/sparkle batts, spun as a two ply fractal for a complex self-striping effect. Approximately half of this found a home as weft on After the Rain.

Independent Study by Hipstrings on Targhee/Bamboo/Silk, 2 ply. This will find a home on an upcoming warp this year.

I spun one bobbin-full of singles of this locally Fairbanks- grown and locally Fairbanks-milled Shetland wool this year. It is waiting for a second ply!

I’ve a few concurrent spins on spindles, all of which are on-going and on which I made only slight progress in 2022. Peacocky and Snow Leopard, both by Hipstrings are being spun on drop spindles. White Birch by Classy Squid Co. is on support spindles. And I’m currently on Day 2 of Woodland Pixie’s 2021 12 Day set.

Forest Ride, one of Inglenook Fiber’s 2022 Tour de Fleece colorways, is soooo divine in Merino/Camel/Silk/Faux Cashmere/Firestar. I found it challenging to spin, I think because of the staple length difference between the fibers in the blend, until I gave it a try from the fold, and then it spun beautifully!

I FINISHED IT!! Winter’s Journey 2018 12 Day set from the Woodland Pixie in two ply spindle spun laceweight.

This skein was PLIED this year. It is a collection of left over singles from many many many projects, all plied together into a two ply yarn that I intend to use on an overshot warp.

Wintermint Chocolate Chip: Merino/Mint/BFL/Shetland. One small skein of this is up in the shop!

This is “Pick of the Patch” by Fossil Fibers on BFL. I spun it for a fractal complex self striping effect and am really looking forward to seeing it plied!

And finally, during the holiday season I spun up the singles for these two spins, both of which will find homes this year as weft on Baby Fox. SW BFL/Ramie nettle and Alpaca/Cashmere/Soy, both from Hilltop Cloud.