Lake Glass

You've heard of "sea glass," right? Those opaque, random-shaped pieces of glass that people find washed up on the seashore. The glass has been buffeted, rounded, and glazed by the ocean waves. Jewelers and other artists love to use them in their creations.

Well, today I discovered the freshwater equivalent of sea glass: I call it "lake glass," and I think it's every bit as beautiful. I found these pieces on a shale beach along the shores of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with them....

These pieces, above, could make earrings -- best for someone who loves Keuka Lake. And the pieces below could make a pendant, maybe. This was the only piece of blue glass I found all afternoon -- you might call it semi-precious glass?

Someone Stopped by the Garden Today...

And sat on a cushion to pose for a photo. 

Watercolor Coat in Aqua, Lavender, and Gold

This is the latest listing in my Etsy shop: a hand-dyed, hand-painted coat in a 55% linen/45% silk blend, using a wonderful informal pattern by Issey Miyake. ("I say, me like-y" is the way I always think of his name, but that's way too corny, don't you think?)

It's a size 10, medium, that would look great on someone taller than 5' 1" (me), as it falls about 6" above my ankles. The self-collar drapes around the neck so gracefully, just like a scarf, while the waist is gently shaped and the shoulders are more fitted and feminine.

I hand-dyed this using fiber-reactive dyes and then embellished the fabric using rubbings with gold-colored oil-based Shiva Paintstiks. They set permanently and add lots of shine and interest to any fabric.

A photo of the back shows how the coat is gently curved.

I hope to make more of these because the pattern has a lot of flair -- and the fabric is hand-washable. This is my ode to summer!

What a Knitter Does at the Lake

Yes, beautiful blue skies, clear, clear water, soft breezes, the warmth of the sun -- absolutely perfect conditions for knitting! I took my Golding drop spindle (see above) and my wonderful brand-new size 1 bamboo circular knitting needles, and proceeded to knit up some overtwisted handspun singles. Just to see what would happen.

This is probably why I am not making money hand over fist with my fiber work -- because I'm always trying something new, just to see what happens. And here is what is happening:

Can you see the Z twist in the photo above? (Click on the photo and it should enlarge.) I spun up a spindle full of lace-weight yarn in Z twist, and then I took my second Golding drop spindle and spun up the same weight in S twist. (Why do I have two Golding drop spindles? Because my sweet boxer, Bruno, stole the first one. I couldn't find it, so I bought a new one. Then I found the old one. Oh, and he chewed both spindles, so I had to send them back to Vermont to have them fixed, which Mr. Golding did, beautifully. So I have two, and it comes in handy.)

So as I began to knit with Z twist, it skewed in one direction, just as I had hoped.

My idea is to knit about 3/4 of an inch in Z twist, then  3/4 of an inch in S twist, and continue doing this to create a herringbone kind of pattern. For a hat, all in one color. The roving, by the way, is a combination Romney, Pygora, and llama that I bought from a wonderful place called Firefly Farm in Warsaw, New York. (You can contact the owner, Pat Gesler, at fireflyfarm@hotmail.com. I don't think she'll mind my sharing her email.)

Here's how it's coming:

Very subtle and understated, maybe not for all tastes, but certainly for mine! The pattern just grabs me, for some reason. That's why we knit, yes?

A Visit to Linwood Gardens

Remember the book "The Secret Garden"? If that magical place really existed, you would find it at Linwood Gardens near Pavilion, NY. It's about a 45-minute drive from Rochester, one of the hidden treasures of upstate New York.

Covering the grounds of a once-regal mansion -- which was nearly destroyed in a fire in 1973 -- the gardens are best known for their tree peonies. But I found the architecture, the setting, the colors, the light, the imperfection of the place to be totally enchanting.

The owner, William Gratwick III, added some whimsical pieces to his garden, including this cupola salvaged from an old building nearby.  

There's a labyrinth on the grounds, which I would love to explore.

This is the view of the Genesee Valley from the terrace where my friend and I had lunch.

The mansion itself is only about 1/3 intact, but you can see the tile-floored dining room, done in an Arts and Crafts style, with its gorgeous green and gold Tiffany sconces -- and the oak-panelled library and cavernous fireplace, from an old English home, which William Gratwick II purchased in its entirety from Tiffany himself!

Make sure to check the website for when Linwood Gardens is open, because the visiting hours are limited: www.linwoodgardens.org. It's well worth the planning.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Today our committee put the finishing touches on our exhibit, "For the Love of Fiber," in the gallery space of the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. The show, featuring the work of some 50 members of the Weavers' Guild of Rochester, runs from April 28 through May 19. If you're in the area and you love the fiber arts, stop by! It's free and open to the public.

Here are some more images, giving you an idea of the variety of pieces on display -- from handwoven items to tapestry to works that are knitted, felted, beaded, dyed, and embroidered. We have sculptures made of paper -- and even a piece embellished with porcupine quills.

Below are some of the beautiful items woven by our exhibit juror, Sarah Saulson of Syracuse.

Two of the Weavers' Guild study groups participated, submitting small works by their members. Here are the submissions from the Tapestry Study Group:

This photo simply doesn't show the beautiful detail of these miniature tapestries. Our Guild has many, many talented members, as this exhibit proves. You'll just have to visit the gallery to see for yourself!

Coat for My Daughter

This coat is handwoven, using JaggerSpun 18/2 Superfine Merino in 6-shaft waffle weave and plain weave. The fabric shows several variations on a theme -- that is, moving from waffle weave in 4 colors (orange, red, purple, and teal blue) to plain weave using a variety of colors in the weft. The warp uses the same four colors, moving from orange in the center to blue at the outside of the "waffle." The inside of the fabric reverses the color effect, so that the predominant color you see is orange (as in the accent fabric at the  end of the sleeves).

Notice how the waffle weave pulls the fabric in and the plain weave spreads it out, creating a ruffle effect at the bottom of the coat. I love this! The effect is magnified because I hand-washed the fabric to felt it a bit (the technical term is "fulling"). This gives the fabric greater warmth and heft -- and protects it from any pulling of some of the long floats that appear with waffle weave.

The pattern is my own, adapted from a sleeveless tunic pattern that I've used in the past: 1036 Mandarin Vest from Purrfection Artistic Wearables. Here's how it looks in back:

And here are some details (below). The cuffs on the sleeves show the reverse side of the main fabric -- which means that the inside of the coat is a bright golden orange!

I made the buttons using the same yarns that are in the fabric. The technique is based on the "Dorset Buttons" that were originally made in the mid-19th century in Dorset, England. (For more on Dorset Buttons, see my previous post.)

I'm entering this coat in the Weavers' Guild of Rochester exhibit, "For the Love of Fiber." (And for more on this, see my post of late March.)