Can Yarn Function as sculpture?

This yarn, COMBAT CHAOS, begins to achieve what I set out to do. Combining specially chosen colors and fibers to express the emotional turmoil of the battlefield, little army guys are pinioned in beehives, cocoons of black wool, felted camouflage felt flags, mounds of netting and desert camo. Both sides of the conflict climb around and shoot in the confusion. Small flashes of light, tiny sequins, reflect the flash of the guns or the twinkle in a mute night sky.

Wool Market Fun

The South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market was, once again, well attended and so much fun. Even if no one came, I think we would enjoy ourselves! What's not to enjoy about people engaged with fiber?
This darling little one finished her fiber day with Grandma at our place. She had started the day by making fairies at the Fiber Studio and ended by making a Wild Batt with me.


Jenn Cuff spent the day spinning (So did I;-)) Although I have no photos to prove it, my friend Carla brought in her Navajo spindle and taught us how to use it. Several of us took turns on it while she tried out my new Majacraft Wheel. Her hand can be seen somewhere in this fluffy, curly single made from loose locks. I spun 3 skeins during the day, totaling nearly 300 yards.

You never know what will happen at a wool market. If you stay long enough, you are bound to learn something new or make a new friend.

Next market? July 24.

The wars rage on.Why shouldn't my yarn talk about it? The yarn's message is not yet clear. All war appalls me...it is a failure of human ingenuity, of human goodness. We fail in our ability to live in community and solve our disagreements with out drawing battle lines.

Tiny corkscrews enliven this tiny skein.

Larger, poofier corkscrews.

Neither of the corkscrews have been set. I hate to see them lose their perkiness.

Twisting

Just a couple more pictures of the installation that is finding itself in my gallery!

Tonight I began to pursue the idea of "Yarn as Sculpture." I make wild and wacky art yarns with no thought about them a knitted objects. They do not need to be "made up." They already possess full objecthood. As part of the pursuit, I am thinking of constructing meaning within individual skeins and groups of skeins. Tonight I began working on an army series. Right now, it is simply a thick and thin with add-ins. Stay tuned. Perhaps I will photo it tomorrow. It needs more chaos.
Tonight I also began thinking about the quality of the twist and how it affects objecthood. I intentionally overspun some fiber...to the point that it formed spring forms and pigtails. I skeined a small sample. It makes a lovely bracelet. I also overspun a thicker sample. Both skeins make beautiful objects. Now I have to ask myself,"What if I did knit them?" What kind of object would that make? How would the twist form/deform the fabric...I'm talkin' way over twisted...leaving Katherine Alexander in the dust over twisted!

Stay tuned.

Fleece installation

I have been playing with fiber today.

I like the relationships that are developing among the parts, although it is still too linear, simply curated objects rather than a full 3-d experience. I think the placenta dress needs to hang in space rather like the stuffed dress at the left.But with the wool market arriving in a couple of days, I will leave it as is for now.

Knitting with Roving

I started this many moons ago...lost interest along the way. But I needed to free up the needles for a class I was taking...so I finally finished knitting a ball of roving into a snuggly scarf. Of course, it was over 85 degrees today, with at least equal humidity. I really like the stitch definition that the roving lends the project. Very pretty.

Come see this piece at the South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market on Saturday, June 26, 10-4 at Susan Hensel Gallery, 3441 Cedar Ave S., Minneapolis

Out put from the Aura!

Zach took pictures today.
I love my new Aura wheel from Majacraft! It really does make the designer yarns easier. The dragon flies and their felted perches went through the orifice just fine. Only the really FAT felted perched needed a bit of encouragement.
Core spinning is a dream on the new wheel. Smmoth, gleaming, easy. Some over twist, but not nearly as much as with my regular wheels.
Zach took these slick shots today while I was out! See how the colors wrap and stripe around the core! So cool!
This salmon skein would go great with his hair.
I plan on using this one in a project next week...stay tuned!

Beauty becomes the basement!

It was bamboo dying day around here! Zach and I dyed about 2.5 or 3 pounds of bamboo (I lost track!) Can you tell who is neater? (It's not me!)

We dyed in the lovely light of the gallery and dried in the basement. As the bamboo dries, it turns the basement into a jeweled wonder!

SHIFU from paper to thread

The Majacraft Aura is purring! Yesterday (and later today) I spent time making shifu on it. Shifu is thread spun from japanese kozo paper. I have wanted to do this for a long time. Both the Aura, and its magnificently controllable tension, and the time provided by a sabbatical, came together to make it possible. It is a bit hard on the hands because there is a lot of finger manipulation necessary...but so much easier on the new wheel. I want to get a pretty full bobbin before I go to "knitting camp" in a couple of weeks. I will be taking a one week intensive course from Adrienne Sloane called Knitting and the Political Landsape. At this moment, I plan to focus on masks and performative objects. Shifu knis and crochets up with magnificent texture...so it should be good. Stay tuned;-)