Kingston Art Tour - May 4 & 5.

.....from 10 - 5 Saturday and Sunday May 4th & 5th tour around the various locations and studios of Kingston for the annual art tour.

Yesterday a small group of us was interviewed on Live@5 on CKWS...what fun that was. My first time in that studio....I'll not watch the news the same way again!

Check out our interview with Bill....

http://www.ckwstv.com/channels/news/liveat5videos/story.aspx?ID=1948747

View from the News desk.

OK, so I found myself sitting in at the news desk and this is what I saw!

Here is Bill and Tony Cepukas looking at the work we took in for the interview.

Another Yarn about Yarn

More from Artisan Knitworks, in Detroit, these are the skeins of yarn I purchased. The first one is a jumble of different colours and textures of yarn, including some blue sparkle! There were two skeins and, for my budget, I chose the smaller one...the other one didn't have sparkles. I'll use this in my felting as there is plenty of wool in it.

This yarn is finer and all wool but it's a blend of ends from the spinner company which makes some great colours in a line Larry carries in his shop. It was hard to decide on this one too. I want to make another 'Swiss Cheese' scarf with this one.

In our instructor package when we arrived at Spring Fling I got bags of pretzels & chips, a few candies, chocs and this wonderful tiny tin of mints. I just had to post pictures, they are Vera Bradley (makers of bags and purses for function: knitting, laptops....) sooooo the tiny mints are shaped like purses!!!

It's been a busy week and we were out for two birthday events. This is a pic of Delvalle Lewis, ceramic artist, who lived for many years in Kingston but is now in Westport ON where she has a great studio/gallery/teaching space. Our friend Georgia Ferrell made her garden markers of polymer clay. I suggested she use old knitting needles instead of lollipop sticks as they would last. Here is Delvalle showing off the pumkin, cabbage & radish! Hey...I want some!!! 

Vintage Wool

A red letter day a couple of weeks ago when my friend Jane came over with some yarn she had found in her late mother's stash.

This yarn is from at least the '50's judging by the labels....but, it is beautiful yarn. I will knit little things, maybe scarves for myself, from this. I should knit one for Jane.

My tiny new collection.

From when we kept our babies warm in real wool...and they grew up able to wear wool.

This is sock yarn.

Yum! Soft black...that'll be my scarf!

Lots of informative labels on the skein.

Maybe Jane will get this one.

Spring Fling Road Trip

I can't believe it's been a week since my friend Sonja and I were in Peru, Indiana participating in Spring Fling machine knitting semimar put on my Charlene Shafer of the Knit Knack Shop there.

We had quite an adventure! Starting out Thursday morning from Toronto where I stayed over with Sonja, we drove through raining ice! The Weather Channel on my iPad showed a huge band of pink (ice) and we were trying to beat it. We got through without incident and I don't think it was too bad as we only saw one accident en route.

Finally in a Yarn Shop!

After gassing up and picking up a Starbucks coffee we headed towards the border in Detroit. We were asked the usual questions...at least twice, like while holding our passports the officer asked our citizenship! A) the passport says we are Canadian and B) you can't get one without proof of citizenship...both of which Sonja and I had earned through tests as we were born outside Canada). How much money did we have on us, where were we going, who's car (mine) and so on until he handed us an orange slip and told us to pull over to the office and searching shelter. We were told to get out of the car leaving all our electronics. When asked if I had any weapons of drugs while my purse was searched I said only some Tylenol and a pocket knife. Grinning this officer told me not to pull the knife. 

We went in and were grilled again for a few minutes: where where we going, then where were we going (again and again) when was the last time I had crossed into the US. When was the last time I crossed over at Detroit, how much money did we have on us?. How did we know the friends we had in the US? .... and on and on. As we sat  on the 'group W bench' (anyone recall the Arlo Guthrie song?) we saw some nice, normal, well dressed people come and go, then we were dismissed....and carried on our way.

We were telling the truth, we were hitting all the yarn shops we could and went to Artisan Knitworks in St Claire Shores in the Northern Detroit area. Found it easily with an ATM (US cash) and a McDonalds (grilled chicken salad) close by. Well we thought we had died and gone to heaven!!! This is a large store with all sorts of hand dyed and hand spun and hand made yarns!!! Books, dyes, buttons...and so much more.  We walked in and a gentleman approached from a back room...that is Larry Hart, co owner with his wife.                                           Here's a pic of Larry and Sonja after he had shown her the boa she is wearing, made of wool tops, yarn and ribbons.

Here I am in one part of the store with some hand spun yarn that I eventually purchased....I'll use it in my felting. The two tone yarn is made from ends from a yarn spinning business where the owner saves the ends and makes up multicoloured skeins (yum).  Her yarn is featured on the back wall of the back studio room where I also found some dye.  Larry's wife designs and knits the sweaters we found displayed around the shop.

Workroom where lots happens, I got an email in a day or so telling me of upcoming classes and events.

Now....if you want buttons, Larry has TONS of vintage buttons, beautiful, interesting parts of our textile history. I drooled over them....but had already put down $$$ for yarn.
Here is their wall of

Sonja found some yummy felted mits. By this time we had our jackets off, had brought in a couple of things from the car, like Sonja's copper dress, which we were taking to Spring Fling to display, and I was grazing through the excellent book shelf. We could have gone seriously broke here and it would be a regular haunt if we lived there!  I purchased some dyes and hand spun yarn....I have a scarf in mind and some felting........

Oh, and we had a great time at Spring Fling and Peru.

Show Biz Truth!

Pink Felted Vest detail.

My feet hurt...and we're not even in Toronto yet! I spent last night sewing a new table covering for my booth table...so I can access all the stuff I store under the table, printing out rack cards...after photographing some new items this morning....outside...in the wind!

While Monday night is our 'movie night' I spent it in my studio sorting through the last bits and pieces I need to pack, making sure I have the paperwork for access to the loading dock to unload our rental van.....I did shoot into the house for the glass of wine and some popcorn....then back into the studio.

Yesterday I drove to the US...across the border to Clayton NY and the Textile Museum there to pick up a chair and my vest that had been in their Winter Art Show. My old booth chair from Ikea about 15 - 16 years ago is biting the dust and I needed a new director's chair. I found what I was looking for on Ebay (they sell short camp versions of it in Giant Tiger downtown but  I need tall!) and they didn't ship to Canada but had free shipping in the US....so I had it sent to Clayton. Some women get gaga over diamonds or a new wardrobe...but me it's a chair.  Also it was a lovely day for a drive over the 1000 Islands international bridges. There was no ice and I even saw a small boat tethered to a dock.

When you are in your booth (and so is your husband who is even older than you are) for 10 - 12 hours five days in a row you need a very comfortable place to sit where you are at eye level to chat to visitors and comfortable to restore some energy for the rest of the day. I have people sit in my chair (and they always perch on the edge, so it needs to be strong and tough...this says it takes 300lbs.

It has a pocket for my pens, tape measure, note book etc and a tray at the side!!!! WooWoo! It has a good foot rest...because I always use that to step on to reach things that I hanging high on the wall of my booth.

We had to go get the rental van, then pick up my Dad's mail (he's away too). I'll take my vegetables over to my neighbour today to use up.

I have to pack show food...juice, nuts, apples, get oranges, gum, tums, ginger, Tylenol, vitamins, Band Aids and a ton of other stuff for survival. I remember the days when  a friend or colleague would hit me up for an emergency tampon! Thank heaven those days are over!...now I have to remember to pack my eyeglass cleaner!!

I'm taking PAYD now so I must remember to carry my cell phone ALL THE TIME! So I have a lovely little leather pocket from my friend Ron Tidrow of Arrowsmith Leather to keep it and my 'mad money' as my Nana always called it, in.

Well, time to empty the basement into the van!!!

See you at Booth # I-11

Note Book Deal!

Just a quickie for anyone who might like to purchase a Knit Knotes note book...Blurb has an offer or $10 off if you order using the code

Until March 31st

SHARE10

Knit Knotes

Get one for yourself for and one for you BFFF (best fibre friend forever)!

Blurb...

Inside are lots of line pages for your notes, some blank pages for you sketches and illustrations of my work....for inspiration.

One Week Away: OOAK

Well, just one short week to go and I'll be on the road to Toronto for the Spring 2013 One of a Kind Show. It feels kind of fresh for me as I didn't do it last year so have had a break. I think I went down at Christmastime to look but it's been good to take a break.

I'm getting ready what I can, my work is really one of a kind as I don't do production, don't have sewers (or knitters really) and it takes me a minimum of two days to complete a garment.

This blue one is lovely but I'm showing it as a sample because I'm writing a pattern for it and want it to teach from.








Here is a shot of a bunch of felted work hanging in my studio, jackets, vests & scarves. I did  a jacket and a vest last week over two days and made them larger in size...but I can tweak them to fit with sewing.

I'm going to put a small one in the fashion show along with a knit jacket....I just haven't decided which yet....maybe it'll be something I manage to make this week!

This is a detail of the pink vest. I loved the colour the dye came out but next time I want to do it deeper. Note to self: buy some more dyes from Cushing. I have lots from G&S but I want some brighter colours than I have already.

I will have to remember to shut down my Etsy shop as I will be taking all the merchandise to the OOAK.

Here is my listing but I had better put up more photos! I took down the ones that were already there....two years old!!

I'm in Booth I - 11