SUE'S LUXURY FIBER

Sue's Luxury Fiber has MOVED

2011-08-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sue's Luxury Fiber has MOVED to www.suesluxuryfiber.com

Anemones in the Garden

2011-07-02T14:53:00.001-07:00

Anemones

2011-07-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have been spinning on the Country Spinner HUGE hanks of yarn that , when plopped (that's a technical term), take on the character of Anemones. This first photo is a lighting anomaly...the yarn is NOT orange. I think my hand was partially blocking the flash! But it is a cool photo.
I then arranged them across the floor. I like the difference in size of the strands...from super-bulky to Ginormous Bulky( another technical term).

Then I covered them with silk organza net. Then I placed a net of lights beneath them.
I LOVE HOW THIS LOOKS! I think I will continue working with this.

Now I wonder how they would look in the garden?

Complex Silk

2011-06-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have to START!

I started by dying these with Eucalyptus and rust. I got the silk too wet with vinegar and water, wrapped it around Eucalyptus leaves and flowers and around rusty bits & tied it up tight. I cooked it. Got just the palest bit of a print. SO, I re-wrapped and plunged it in my rust bath (garden rust, vinegar and water) and placed it in a baggie overnight. Much rust and some Eucalyptus prints. Not much. It just looked mysteriously dirty. I learned that the Eucalyptus buds will leave intense prints and that the rust makes the prints turn black.
The scarves did look dirty, with tiny bits ofloveliness. SO I got out my new SilkDyes, instant, non-toxic dyes. Fun! Saved one of the scarves from the compost heap/scrap bin.
They both actually look good when worn. But this one, I will stitch on to try to improve the look.

Just a wisp of Mohair!

2011-05-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

A wisp of mohair was left on the floor, like a fallen feather, when Karen and Katie left the shop today. It lay as a reminder of a significant interaction: shiny, beautiful, sky-like, as though it had taken flight and landed gracefully.

I had a visit from Karen Lohn, the author of Peace Fibres today. You can follow her blog at http://www.peacefibres.com/blog/ . She came to see Libbie Soffer's show the show in the gallery and to re-connect on the theme of peace and fiber. We had talked at Shepherd's Harvest over Mother's Day weekend. We connected deeply over the search for personal and corporate peace and the role that fiber can play in the search.

It is an odd thing, this relationship with fiber. Perhaps it reaches way back into our early hominid history...to that time of early discovery of the protection and utility of various fibers...they ways they could be employed to tie, net and wrap things...the sinews that could hold the furs to our feet, that could lace skins together, the vines that seemed to invite the invention of basketry, the long thin fibers discovered in the inner back of downed trees, the stupendous fibers of the spider and the caterpillar...

I hope to read more about the history of the development of fibers. But, what I know now is this:

When I am in contact with fibers, I feel a peaceful ease fall over me. I breathe easier. I feel in contact with some kind of deep history of women's work. When I spin it, I feel bliss.

Give yourself space to breathe & thrive: try spinning.

The wool shop reopened today. ALL of it was packed for Shepherd's Harvest and needed to stay in the garage for the duration of the Mending Circles we had with the current show. With the exception of Memorial Day, I will be open on Mondays 10-5 and by very generous appointment. Come, pet the sweet, soft fibers.

Social Fabric

2011-05-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

With a title like that, you probably think I am going to wax philosophical here...and I may yet, today. But what I really wanted to tell you about was something I learned about from my recent visit with Zach.

Zach Pearl was my incredibly able assitant for several years and continues to be my graphic designer. He moved to Toronto last year to go to graduate school in curatorial practice and critical writing. He has begun an internship with the Textile Museum of Toronto. The Textile Museum has developed an in-house social media platform for their textile collection. Try it out. It is very interesting. You get to respond to the pictured textiles and read other's responses. While it is no substitute for seeing the textiles in person, it does provide a thoughtful virtual experience with a community of people interested in the role of textiles in culture. Click below!

Social Fabric

Yarn about art? Art that is yarn?

2011-05-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my friend Ann today, a fabulous spinner. We both share the utter enthusiasm for the variety of fibers, breeds of sheep, styles of spinning available to us as spinners. We get so excited talking about prepping new fibers and the discoveries that lurk around the corner! We see each other as our primary supports in our quest for spinning as fine art.

I seek to make the skein that is so beautiful, or so odd, or so laden with meaning that it can only be perceived as sculpture!

Ann seeks the skein that so expresses its "selfness," the twist, the color, the crimp that expresses the uniqueness that that fiber can become...often in garments. She spins yarns that cannot be found in the natural habitat of the yarn store.

Are we nuts, or something? Are we tilting at windmills? I don't know the answer to that question. But I do know that she and I will talk again soon about an idea that is beginning to form for us:

What if we formed a group of like minded spinners, who were interested in stretching the envelope of what yarn can be?

We are thinking of forming spinning group, but not just another spinning group where we eat and drink and spin. ( Even though we do like to drink and spin especially well!) We don't know what this group would look like, but we know that we want to create a more prominent place at the fiber table for spinners. We want spinners to be noticed as spinners of art, not imitators of store bought yarn.

What could we do? spin together, study together, encourage one another to stretch our skills and ideas, create exhibitions together...other stuff?

You tell me. Are you interested? Do you have ideas? Share them.

Peace Fibres- stitching a soulful world

2011-05-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have just begun reading Peace Fibres.I met Karen at Shepherd's Harvest and was taken with her book.

"Peace involves relationship to self, to others,and to the larger cosmos. The feminine qualities expressed in fibre work- care, connection, cooperation, compassion, creativity, contribution- are all about relationship." - author Karen Lohn

Shepherd's Harvest ...until next year!

2011-05-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this photo from the Shepherd's Harvest Facebook Group to let you know how much fun we all had and how grateful I am for your business. I probably could have taken photos with my ailing iPhone...but I had no time, nor presence of mind, as the day started with a bang on Saturday.

The organizers did a grand job!

I do the festival because I love fiber. I love everything about spinning and dying different wools, bast fibers, sparklies. (Maybe I don't like pricing and labeling so much.) I do all of this for my pleasure, sure, but also to help spread the word about the rewarding and peace-giving nature of fiber work.

I joke about being an

enabler, about Batts being a gateway drug to further fiber addiction, about the potential for world peace through spinning.

But seriously, while I more than half believe we would ALL be better off with fiber under our fingernails, I also seriously want to pay it forward.

5% of the gross sales from Shepherd's Harvest and recent ETSY orders has been given as a KIVA loan to the Sayhua Group in Urubamba, Peru, to help Maria Acurio Paredes buy materials to make jewelry.

And lest I forget, my work at Shepherd's Harvest would not be possible without the help of my dear friends who work for peanuts and popcorn:

Carla Mantel & Gwen Schagrin who have helped me at every Shepherd's Harvest for the last ...is it 6 years? The three of us came as spectators and students one Mother's Day and returned as vendors the following year.

Thank you to Pauline Mitchell who came for the first time this year, And Dale Kennedy who has helped both at the festival and at home in the studio and the gallery through out the years.

Hooray for great friends!

Shepherd's Harvest

2011-05-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Harvest... this year I rent a truck! I will be bringing so much new stock that I cannot fit it in my little Chevy S10!

Watch for me in Building A, with the BATT YOUR OWN station.

YARNOVER!YARNOVER!YARNOVER!YARNOVER!

2011-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

Come Saturday, April 30, to Yarnover and see lots of the new products I have accumulated!

25th Annual Yarnover – Mark your calendars for the 25th annual Minnesota Knitters’ Guild Yarnover, an all-day event. Featured are a market with vendors from the Midwest and Canada, along with classes taught by nationally known teachers.

Location: Hopkins Senior High School, 2400 Lindbergh Dr, Minnetonka, MN

Contact: (612) 436-0464, ext. 115

Time: 7:45 a.m.–5:45 p.m.

I will be spinning on the Aura wheel, from Majacraft. Come see.

BFL/silk hand dyed roving!
Ashland Bay merino Silk roving: these are the samples spun up!
Baby Llama roving

Alpaca silk roving

alpaca, baby llama all spun up!
And boxes of handspun, hand dyed yarn!

Which spindle/project bag suits you?

2011-04-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

This past year, I purchased several antique Japanese obi's...the long elegant sashes used on kimono. I have made spindle/project/evening bags from them! Each bag is unique and will hold a sock project or several spindles and roving or you evening necessities! I think I have either 6 or 8 different fabrics so far. Check them out at:

Yarnover or Shepherd's Harvest

FIRESTAR!

2011-04-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Firestar is HOT! Or, at least the colors are! Firestar is a form of nylon that reflects and refracts light for sparkle almost as bright as glitter! While it can be spun alone, it is usually spun carded with wool to add sparkle and strength. It is a fun way to add strength to a sock yarn. Don't worry, though, Firestar is skin soft.

see it at Yarnover or Shepherd's Harvest.

Poor man's silk?

2011-04-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

All that glows is not silk. Bamboo Rayon is so shiny and soft that you want to roll around in it. It can be spun as is...slippery though it is. It is reputed to be antimicrobial. I don't know if that is true, but it's neat to think about. It is not strong like silk, so I would not knit socks with it. But for a drapey scarf? yummy! I like carding it in with other fibers to add luster and drape to otherwise springy fabric.

What's a Fibershed?

2011-04-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Fibershed?

About Fibershed

I was blown away today when I received a post from Joybilee Farm on one of my Yahoo Groups. She wrote about sustainable clothing, locally sourced no more than 150 miles away. What would this mean?

"The Fibershed project is inspired by the need to swing the pendulum of our production- and our consumption to a more balanced state, that supports the health of all humans and the greater ecological system of which we are apart; through the re-integration of organic fibers, natural dyes, and a regional base that supports local communities and economies."

I was led to the originator blog of the Fibershed project and read

"The fibershed challenge is to live for one year, in clothes made from fibers that are solely sourced within a geographical region no larger than 150 miles from my front door; this includes the natural dye colors as well!"

What would it mean to create bioregional clothing in Minneapolis? What are our native fibers, our native dyes, our climactic needs?

Many are talking about the Transition Town movement that aims to create a more sustainable lifestyle with a small carbon footprint and far less reliance on oil. By local-sourcing our clothing, we can contribute to this.

I don't know that I have the will or the knowledge to do this, local source all my clothing within 150 miles, for a year. But it bears thinking about. It bears talking about.

What do you think?

Not so old goats

2011-04-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

In addition to the hand dyed wool roving, I have lots of dyed mohair this year...from goats. I found a reasonable source for young adult mohair, yearling, in combed top. It is sleek & shiny...like fine jewelry!

It is great to spin very fine for lace or for making boucle's. Spun thick, by itself, it will be heavy and probably last nearly forever. Mohair is strong. It is wonderful added to a batt of wool to increase the luster or used as a single ply with plies of different fiber.

See it at Shepherd's Harvest and Yarnover

Dyeing Day Fun

2011-04-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

I spun this dorset down with nylon for socks a couple of years ago. Finally, I dyed it. It is SO SPRINGY! It will make wonderful socks.
In the past year I have been periodically experimenting with rare wools. Usually I have just spun small samples. But when I got out the Teeswater (orange) and the Devon (green) I could not stop spinning! They were such a delight to work with.
The teeswater is surprisingly springy. I wasn't expecting that from a long wool. It it outer wear soft, maybe sock soft if you are not terribly sensitive. The Devon (greens) is very fine, spun worsted, and would make a superb weaving yarn. It is quite prickly, has a luminosity just short of mohair. It would be superb for tapestry or crewel work.
Last spring, when I was in New York City, I purchased some cones of silk: one is a ribbon, one is a fine boucle, on is a gleaming single. They were a joy to dye!

Sometimes an artist visits& goes batty

2011-04-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

In the run up to Yarnover and Shepherd's Harvest, I sometimes invite another artist in to dye with me. I find it mixes up, in a good way, my eye for color. This year I had my friend Dale Kennedy come dye and "batt" with me. He batted up some beautiful subtle blends of colors, all with a bit of bamboo for hand and a bit of firestar or angelina for fun.

Yarnover is coming soon!

2011-04-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Yarnover, April 30, 7:45am-5pm, Hopkins High School, 2400 Lindberg Dr., Minnetonka, MN

Yarnover is the incredible annual event of the Minnesota Knnitters Guild. They get in famous teachers from all over!

I will be a vendor there with my handspun yarn and hand dyed fibers.

I think of my yarns as coming in 2 major classifications: knitting yarn and art yarn.

Now, both classes can be knit, crocheted, woven...but... The art yarn is more of an accent yarn, having add-ins, beads, flowers. The art yarns often express an idea, such as the landscape of Australia, or my memory of tailoring my own clothing as a young woman.

The yarn I think of as "knitting" yarn, is generally 2 or 3 ply, fingering to worsted weight. The yardage runs from 60-400 yards...With these yarns you get to experiment with different breeds of sheep, handspun cotton, wild mohair boucle's, hand dyed, handspun silk.

Different breeds of sheep and alpacas grow fiber that has a different hand. Alpaca, as you know, tends to be sleek and soft to the skin...if it is pure alpaca it drapes so "well" that some say it stretches. It is not very elastic to knit with.

Down breed sheep, like a Dorset, on the other hand, are so elastic that you would have a hard time convincing someone that you had not snuck in some latex!

And then there are the blends! OOO they are nice! Sometimes I blend on the carder, making heathery, tweedy yarns. SOmetimes I blend by plying totally different fibers together. Recently, I plied a turquoise cotton, a rust merino and a deep brown alpaca mix. I have plied silk, merino and cashmere...as well as mystery fibers and recycled sweater yarn.

So, come by and see the yarn! I'll be in booth #25, spinning away on things...

Update on Kiva loan

2011-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sue's Luxury Fiber funds Kiva loans with your help. Here is an update from Anush.

Anush Baghdasaryan is very thankful for funding from Kiva Lenders! She spent part of her 800.000 AMD Kiva loan to buy overstitching machine, which is very useful in her business. With the rest part of her loan she was able to fill in missing amount of money for truck buying; and so now Anush and her family have a truck, which they use for their fruits and vegetables trading.

Anush share that besides of clothes she sews curtains as well, which you can see in the photo.

Nor Horizon Universal Credit Organization Limited Liability Company
Posted by Yana Sargsyan from Ijevan, Armenia Apr 16, 2011

At the Textile Center...NOW!

2011-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Just a little note to let you know that some of the new fibers are at the Textile Center shop....right now! I just placed a selection of Firestar, Mohair and silk noil, along with some beautiful new batts, roving and mohair locks.

Coming soon! YARNOVER! There are still openings in some classes...and I will be a vendor there this year. Come by and see me. Tell me you have been reading the blog and receive a 10% discount! I will be emphasizing the finished yarns, but will have a selection of knitting and felting fibers.

Semi-solid roving

2011-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is a new product as well. Medium wool, dyed in semi-solid colors. When you spin this roving, the tints and shades will blend into a heathered but smooth mix of related color. I would not expect any radical pooling or jagged color transitions when using the yarn you spin from this.

Shepherd's Harvest is Mother's Dayweekend.

How are you going to spend YOUR Mother's Day?

"What is SILK NOIL?" you ask.

2011-04-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Silk Noil is the short bits that are left from the silk cocoon after the finest silk has been reeled off. Some say it is short because the caterpillar chewed a hole to emerge...and that may be the case with some Tussah silks. Silk noil can be spun into a very slubby yarn. The fabric woven from silk noil yarn used to be called "raw silk." In the 1960's, my mother would get all excited about owning a suit made from "raw silk." It was pretty fabric: tweedy but lustrous.

I have been using silk noil for years as an additive for wild batts. I use it to put soft, contrasting color slubby bits in wool yarn. This year, for the first time, I will have a limited supply of dyed s ilk noil for sale at Shepherd's Harvest.

Shepherd's Harvest is coming soon!

2011-03-28T19:14:00.001-07:00

And I am busily working on new products! These are the first little two ounce hanks of firestar roving. Firestar is a soft, sparkly add-in for you spinning and felting. I have received mixed information about what it is made of: polypropylene or nylon? It dyes like nylon. It adds strength and luster to your wool. It is not scratchy at all! A great addition to sock yarn.

Out of Karakul's and mud

2011-03-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I few days ago I drove about an hour north of the Twin Cities, up a muddy road with 2 inches of slippery thawed mud on top of "Minnesota permafrost" into a small waiting flock of Karakul sheep, with one elderly Polypay. The 8 or so sheep surrounded the truck as I came to a stop where the herding dog had herded the truck. Soon the guard dogs were barking, the geese were honking and the sheep and the dogs were urging me toward the house.
I tried out the little used Ashford Country Spinner, and bought it.
2 pounds + 2.6 ounces of RH Lindsay medium wool later!
Now the 2 pounds, 2.6 ounces are herb green.
It is a lively, 220 yards of thick and thin yarn. Too much fun!

An Interesting Transformation

2011-03-08T10:49:00.001-08:00

This sweater turned into this yarn! What an ugly sweater! What beautiful yarn. Hmm. Makes you look at 1970's fashion in a different light!

A Small Dye Event

2011-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

You would think that snow up to my chin would be perfect weather for dyeing...not so much!Not only is the snow deep, but it is too cold out there to open the window for ventilation! But, I was getting REALLY BORED spinning white cotton. I was getting good at it, but it looked like I was making kite string...and who wants to run around in chin deep snow with a kite? Well, who COULD anyways!

But then, I remembered my Procion dyes. They do not require cooking. So, I grabbed the 3ply cotton yarn I had spun, some carded cotton roving and some random Tencel roving and did a tiny dye session.

Cotton is very hard to wet down. I had to squeeze it under water the push out the air and encourage the water to penetrate. I painted one hank of cotton roving, the hank of tencel and the 3 ply cotton I had spun. I also dyed 2 other hanks of cotton by pouring color onto them in a zip lock bag.

The dye did not penetrate to the core of the rovings, but, so far, they are spinning very nicely. The white core, when it comes to the surface, just forms white tweedy flecks. It is really very lovely on my bobbin. I had wondered if the roving would be hard to draft after the harsh compression...but, no, it is easy peasy. I am spinning the cotton on my Hansenn eSpinner while I read a novel. I saw Rita Buchanan do it, so I figured I would try it.

Spreading the joy through KIVA

2011-02-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Sues's Luxury Fibers has made KIVA loans to Sebastiana Gutierrez Quispe to help her buy paint and canvas and to

Anush Baghdasaryan to help her advance her sewing business.

Thank you so much for making this possible.

RIBBONS!

2011-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

The first order of ribbons has arrived! SO PRETTY! They will be appearing on the aprons and bags any day now!

PEACE: a dream & an aspiration

2011-02-07T10:52:00.001-08:00

I have always been a multimedia artist...always!

I have always worked in series, in themes, working toward meaning.

Materials and process excite me. I love to manipulate and build things. I love to enter the deep history of a material and feel myself as part of a larger story of making that goes back for millennia.

I worked for many years in clay, inserting myself into the twentieth century segment of the history of clay that began around the fires of hunter gatherers. I understood, in my fingers, the importance of the discovery of fired clay and how it helped to preserve food stuffs in an ever changing environment.

I then worked many years in handmade paper and books...inserting my work into the continuum of the dissemination of knowledge that exploded with the invention of movable type! Oh my! How that changed the world!

And then, sheep happened!

No, I do not own sheep. I live in the middle of a big city and I don't really relish the idea of husbandry ( sheep, crap, you know?) But, when I learned to spin, I became part of an innovative history that allowed us to clothe ourselves more efficiently.

Wool, cotton, silk...they all fascinate me. ( I haven't tried linen yet, but it is coming!) How on earth did someone discover that if you twisted some fibers together, they would lock and hold their form. And then if you knotted them, interlaced them, agitated them they would hold together in a sheet that you could wrap around yourself...How on earth did humanity DO this, over and over again, in all areas of the world? Wow.

And then there was Mahatma Gandhi, using the spinning of cotton to overthrow colonialism in India. Peaceful resistance. Hmm. The power of a simple thread.

PEACE! It is a dream and and aspiration. What if we really could achieve world peace? Grandiose, incredibly unlikely. But, I have noticed that when I spin, personal peace descends. Spinning fibers makes my shoulders settle down, the frowns leave my forehead, and I forget the minutia that were driving me crazy a few moments before.

So, in Sue's utopia, perhaps we would all spin as a way to connect to our deep shared human history and as a way to find, even for a moment, personal peace.

Cinnamon Baby Llama

2011-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

You can almost smell the cookies baking! The natural cinnamon color of this baby llama fiber is remarkable! $4.50 per ounce....and an ounce will spin 40 + yards 2ply sport weight. Just think how many yards you could spin laceweight! Available from Sue's Luxury Fiber and Susan Hensel Gallery

Taming Wild Camels..and cashmere and alpaca and mohair...

2011-02-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

Most common spinning fibers, even Merino, are not too messy to deal with. You get a few fibers on yourself, easily handled with a lint brush or a ball of masking tape. But, whenever I spin the camelids or the cashmeres, or even adult mohair, I am covered head to toe with fiber...A LOT OF FIBER. At the last WILD WOOL MARKET of the season, I was spinning cashmere. Now cashmere costs more than most fibers, even when it is a deal. I got up to service a customer or put on the coffee for the exhibitors or something... I think there may have been more cashmere on me than on the bobbin! Most of the fiber on my leg was reclaimed, but not in the lovely aligned manner in which it had begun! So, I began to think about what was needed to tame these wildly luxurious fibers.

AN APRON! But not just any apron. It had to be long enough to cover a reasonable amount of your lap. OK, that kept the fibers on your lap, getting tangled and sticking, waiting to be brushed off. HMMM.

Eureka! a pocket!

DANG! The fibers stuck to the cotton pocket.

DOUBLE EUREKA! A satin lined pouch to hold the fiber! Less fiber sticks to satin, less waste, and it is contained in one small area.

I'm starting to make them and soon they will be in my Esty shop.

Alpaca silk!!!!

2011-02-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Alpaca silk is a dream to spin with! Holding it in your fiber hand is a cloud-like experience! Talk about luxury! And an ounce only sets you back $4.50! Such a deal!

Sue's Luxury Fiber

KIVA loans

2011-02-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

One of the most amazing gifts I ever received from my son was a KIVA card for Mother's Day last year. Although we do not live in the same state, John and I are close. We talk often. But gifts? for Mother's Day? Not so much. I'm usually working on Mother's Day anyways. But last year, he blew me away with a KIVA card. What a superb gift!

I loaned the $25 gift to Ana. She is 27 years old, a widow and has a young child. She lives in the jungle of Ayacucho, where she has her own house made of wood. Ana had wanted to study agronomy, but due to her economic situation, she couldn’t finish her secondary studies, and her plans never worked out. She understood that she could not depend on her parents, so she began work as a laborer on her neighbor’s farm. All the money that she earned, she saved up. Now she has her own land to cultivate, produce and sell cacao and coffee. “It’s not possible” does not exist for her. For this reason, she has already found her niche in the market, generating quite a degree of success for her young age. Her success is due to her early mornings at her farm, to give it needed attention. In general, she works Monday through Saturday, from 5:30am until 6:00pm. Normally, her products are sold at centers in her community. In the future, she plans to put in a grocery store to diversify her market. ... Ana invested this money in fertilizers and other consumables, with the goal of improving her cacao and coffee plantations.

Ana's story appealed to me because, like me, she was widowed very young and had to figure out what to do next. I had far more luck than she, being born where and when I was. When I was widowed I already had my education and deep roots in my community.

Ana paid back her loan right on time. I have subsequently re-loaned the original amount to Sebastiana Gutierrez Quispe, an artist, also form Peru. She is right on schedule with her payments as well.

I want to expand my activities on KIVA with your help. I announced a few days ago that I will be lending 5% of the gross sales of Sue's Luxury fiber to women associated with the arts at KIVA.ORG. The minimum loan is $25 and we have already almost reached that benchmark! WOW! THANK YOU! I'll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, you, too, can make a difference. go to KIVA.ORG and see.

Silver Baby Llama

2011-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

The silver baby llama is a dream to spin with. I spun around 40 yards of sport weight 2 ply from one ounce of fiber (The tag on the yarn is inaccurate! I wrote down the revolutions on the swift rather than the yardage! duh!). The fiber cries out to be laceweight though! Think how much yarn you could get from an ounce then!

At $4.50 per ounce, it is truly affordable luxury. Come to the Susan Hensel Gallery to shop or shop on Etsy!

I've been thinking...

2011-02-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

Since the fibers have been occupying more and more of my imagination, it seemed like time to begin working on the mission and planning . Here's what I have so far. Any comments?

The Mission of Sue's Luxury Fiber is:

• to spred the joy of fibers

• to offer affordable luxury fibers for spinners, knitters, weavers, felters, dyers

• to donate 5% of each sale to KIVA.org

What is KIVA?

Kiva.org is a micro loan agency that helps people in third worl d countries start-up or maintain businesses. Sue' Luxury Fiber lends to women in the arts or crafts. The re-payment rate at Kiva is very high, enabling the lender to re-loan and pay it forward.

How does Sue define Luxury?

soft, fine, shiny, colorful, and sometimes rare

What might you find at Sue's?

beautiful baby llama roving

lustrous yearling mohair top

merino/silk blend top

BFL/silk blend top

Alpaca/silk blend top

sparkling Firestar

twinkling Angelina

hand dyed tops and roving of various sorts

silk noil

handspun yarns

hand dyed scarves

handmade bags and aprons

The Sampling has begun...with the baby llama

2011-02-01T08:32:00.002-08:00

Over the last few days, I have begun sampling the new fibers. I withdrew one lovely ounce from each of the three balls of baby llama top. OH MY! What a treat! I spun the yarns on my Hansen e-Spinner. I set the machine to allow me to spin a moderate, sort of sport weight, reasonably fluffy yarn. When you spin from top, you are spinning well aligned fiber with little air, making, generally, a firmer, smoother yarn. I attempted to maintain a certain drapiness and luxury, and succeeded. My favorite may be the three ply I did with one ply of each color: cinnamon, silver & grey. The silver reads as sky blue when plied with the grey and cinnamon!

Affordable luxury at $4.50 per ounce. Each ounce made approximately 40 yards of sport weight yarn.

Boucle

2011-01-16T19:31:00.001-08:00

By George! I think she's got it!

General maintenance!

2011-01-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

So, forty (OK, more like 50) years later, some maintenance is required.

First I made a commitment to lose weight a few years ago. I accomplished that and continually re-visit that commitment and commit to maintaining it.

Second, I made a commitment to exercise regularly, 4-6 days per week. I have stuck to that, but as my fitness level improved, I had to re consider what constituted a sufficient work out. Maintenance of heart health mean increasing intensity and duration of my workouts...and more movies from Netflix to keep me on the treadmill.

Third, I made a commitment to my aging bones and slowing metabolism. I needed to add on upper body strength training. This is NEW, but goes pretty well with weighted boxing gloves while on the treadmill.

Fourth- and maybe, really, primarily- I am committed to continuing to work in the field of visual arts and crafts. My recent sabbatical was spent honing my skills in the fiber arts, investigating my interests and limits. In December,2010, I met a limit. My hands began to swell and my right index finger hurt all the time. Can you imagine calling the doctor to say, "My finger hurts?" Well I did, after some delay, call. That call led to some more major maintenance efforts. I went to physical therapy for 5 or 6 weeks, learned stretching and strengthening exercises and was fitted for braces to utterly rest the now arthritic joints. My hands are happy now. I only have to wear the braces at night, currently.

Some things I learned are common sense, some not so much:

Spinning for 8 hours might hurt me, especially if the fiber or style is difficult.

Stretching before work is a good thing that I rarely remember to do

As a woman, building up strength in your hands is just as important as other upper body work for your general health as an art worker!

Tennis balls are great for stretching and massage

Oxo Bag Clips can be used for pressure point therapy on your hands...really.

And gravity can be your friend for simple hand maintenance...really.

Now, if I can just maintain my commitment to doing what I need to do to maintain my hands, like I do the rest of my body. Old artists never retire, we just might change media...or eventually, close the gallery.

More experimentation in the fiber studio

2011-01-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

I made a spindle bag for myself several years ago. It travels with me very frequently. When I meet with my knitting group, who I call the Church of Knitting, although they call themselves Corcoran Knitters and Stitchers, I take my spindle bag with my favorite spindle and some yummy fiber.

.This turquoise bag is a prototype...too stiff for comfort, but the shape an size works well. It even holds the rather large Babe brand Spindle.This spindle bag, made from a swatch of Japanese obi, is totally functional and ready for sale..once I figure out the price.

There will be more to come. Watch this space and Sues Luxury Fiber on Etsy. I'm not sure how soon things will be posted as the gallery opens up for the season this week. Sigh! Bye, bye sabbatical!

Purple stuff: what do you think?

2011-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

The new year brought some experimentation. Even though I rarely change purses, I have been attracted to the "poofy" cloth purses I've been seeing at the craft shows lately. So, I dove into my stash of fabric. Pulled out old figure drawings to cut up as pattern pieces (Must recycle, afterall) and began designing.
It was fun to be designing and building in 3 dimensions again. It was fun to be using my re-furbished sewing machine. (Thanks, Steve Pauling of the Bobbin Doctor)
It all went pretty well. I had most of materials, although the interfacing was lighter than ideal. I did not have magnetic snaps .
I even figured out how to put the pocket in the lining. What I got confused on was how to design in the purse straps! By the next morning, I had figured it out, but things were all sewn up! So, it became a clutch with a wrist strap. Not ideal. No zipper...would have needed to sew that in much earlier in the project.

So what do you think? Does it have possibilities?
Here is what I am thinking, in the long run, for shows and the retirement use of the gallery space: The purse reflects the colors and sensibilities of other products I make or carry. Much of my hand dyed roving, hand spun and hand dyed silk scarves relate to the purse. Other materials I order in also relate. So, it makes a lovely display...and a person could, I suppose, buy a purse, a clutch or whatever, and spin a yarn to make a scarf or a hat or, or, or?

What do you think?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

The wool nook is open! OK, it's not really complete...space and baskets are still being sorted out. More wholesale accounts are in process. But it HAS begun. One corner of the gallery is now devoted to wool and silk and cool fiber related stuff. The gallery is open on MONDAYS, 10-5 and by very generous appointment. Since the storefront is on the first floor of my building, and I live above the store, and I work at home....Obviously, appointments are easy. We just compare schedules and see what works.

What will you see in that tight little corner? Lots of roving, hand dyed and ready to dye, mohair locks, yearling mohair top (YUMMY!) It is so glossy! There are art batts, hand dyed silk and cotton scarves, lots of handspun and art yarn.

So much color! It is exciting!

Ashland Bay fibers have arrived!

2010-12-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

The beautiful colors have arrived! 2 ounce balls of Red, Blue, Purple, Autumn, and, my favorite, Sea Mist!
I will have these ready for you at the Women's festival this weekend, $6 for 2 ounces.
Back at the studio, waiting for the dye pot, mine or yours, is Polwarth, creamy, merino soft, a shockingly low $2 per ounce, 2 ounce minimum.
OMG! 75/25 BFL Tussah! I just want to dive into it! $3/ ounce, 2 ounce minimum
DOUBLE OMG! 70/30 fawn alpaca and tussah silk. I can hardly stand it! It is too beautiful! $3.50 per ounce, 2 ounce minimum.

For now, only the colors will be at the festivals. But, come to the Wool Market on December 18 or contact the Susan Hensel Gallery anytime to purchase the full range of fibers.

18th annual Women's Art Festival

2010-12-06T13:38:00.001-08:00

All things Fibery and Good! Come see what is new at Sue's Luxury Fiber this holiday season!

Saturday, December 11

10am-5pm

Midtown YWCA

2121 E. Lake S.

Minneapolis

There are new greeting cards, new scarves, new colors and designs of yarn, wondrous batts, lots of mohair, and shiny, shiny bamboo roving. AND...maybe more? I am awaiting my first shipment of Ashland Bay Trading Company fiber. Will it come in time?

For SALE! The Roberta Electronic Spinner!

2010-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well loved, well used, this Roberta Ertoel Spinner production spinning wheel is moving out to make room for the other sweet wheels that seem to come home with me like stray animals! It's not that I do not love her. My spinning needs ahve changed. She is an Irish tension wheel, with a ferocious pull, making her ideal for lofty, bulky yarns or lightning fast plying. With lacing, you can easily spin thinner yarns. Speed is controlled by an infinite dial. There is an on/off foot pedal. It comes with the standard flyer and 3 bobbin set-up as well as Woolee-Winder with 6 BIG bobbins! It is about 5 years old with a new motor. Full retail is currently over $1400. I am asking $700, firm.

2010-11-16T16:36:00.001-08:00

South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market

Returns in time for Holiday Shopping

Come Saturday, November 27 & December 18, 10-4, to Susan Hensel Gallery, for wooly, silky, alpaca goodness!

•spinning

•weaving

•felting

•re-using!

Demos and shopping!

Fresh food!

You will find art dolls, handspun and hand dyed yarn, tote bags, tapestry, weaving, spinning materials. It is an ever changing roster of artists!

Almost all the artists will be demonstrating! Some teach, so talk to them. All invite you to sink your hands into the marvelous world of fine fiber.

WHERE? Susan Hensel Gallery, 3441 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407

A Case for Values!

2010-10-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to the Minnesota Federation of Weavers annual get together. It was a lot of fun, including a winery tour(and wine drinking), the Rune Museum, and classes. I took a class in blending on a drum carder. The task I set for myself was developing values using complementary colors. Orange was m base color. I modified it using deep purple and lavender. Fun;-)

WOOL MARKET RETURNS

2010-10-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 23, 10-4

SO MUCH WOOLY GOODNESS!

Round Robin Red...red studies

2010-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have begun spinning some of the reds. The 3 dyes spun and plied in various iterations so far are Wash Fast Watermelon, Wash Fast Paprika, and Sabraset Deep Red. They were plied 2 ply of each combo and 3 ply of the lot. I also used, part of the time, my new Ashford sliding hook flier and a stretchy drive band. Felt like a whole new wheel...in a good way. Mechanically smooth.

The combat yarn project continues...this time with additions of silk and alpaca and natural cutch dyed wool. the fiber was blended on a hackle, making a wonderful, smooth prep. The radical single was plied with a fine commercial mohair I picked up in NYC this spring. It adds a wonderful halo.

Stay tuned. The gallery show for these yarns will be in December.

Angora testing

2010-10-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

I dyed a small bag of free angora jet black and am now blending it with various fibers. The grey is alpaca at 67% and angora at 33%. Great halo.
The halo is less pronounced here. This was a random carding of angora and wool. Still fuzzy, but not quite what I was looking for.

Rare fibers from International Fleece

2010-10-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I ordered in from International Fleeces, 3oz each of rare wools and wools I had never tried. I am roughly halfway through the box and am falling in love with all kinds of sheep all over again.Cheviot, Gotland, Finnwool and Finnish Humbug top the list so far! The Gotland is such a pleasure to handle, but handle it carefully! Hot, sweaty hands felt it, even if you do not clutch the fibers! I tend to have a very relaxed fiber hand and it still happened.

Oh, and Anne's Rambouillet! My friend Anne came over to try out the Patrick Green Carder and a tiny batt of her toasty Rambouillet stayed behind! Of course I had to spin it...Id never spun Rambouillet before;-)

As the kettle simmers

2010-09-30T11:13:00.001-07:00

As the kettle of cochineal simmers on one burner and the cutch on another, the study in red accumulates steam! Pictured above are most of the acid dye reds and red analogs that I have. I will be spinning singles soon to compare, combine and contrast! It should be a lot of fun!

The Zen of Alpaca Prep

2010-09-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

My lovely creamy white alpaca fleece was riddled with VM! The day I washed it, the drain backed up so I was not able to get it as clean as normal. And, maybe you can see it..my alpaca rolled in hay, twigs, seeds...proving once again that we spinners deal with agricultural product!
So, I made peace with my 5-pitch English combs. I reminded myself that I do not have to comb the whole fleece at once, at all or in one day. So, each time I run a load of laundry, I comb a little more. I also tell myself that I have given myself the delightful opportunity to touch the fiber more. ( Actually, I learned this attitude from Rita Buccanhan.) I have gotten into the ZEN of it, It is now, finally, fun.
Little nests of lovely, silky, creamy, dreamy alpaca are nesting together in a basket.
Isn't it lovely?

Sampling tails & corespinning

2010-09-21T20:07:00.001-07:00

I have been sampling the last few days...tailspinning with and without cores, and corespinning clockwise or counterclockwise. Above is tail spinning of lovely mohair without a core. The yarn is a single, sturdy and relaxed. I thought it would be either too tight or fall apart. I did have drift apart with some slippery joins that did not survive the skeining...but the small skein that remained is very nice!

The 3 photos above are tail spun locks, spun clockwise over a handspun single, thus tightening the single. This was easy to do and surprisingly did not make a wirey nor an unduly overspun single. It's not like you are likely to knit a tailored garment with tailspun, so biasing is not likely to be a problem.

The tailspun in the 2 photos above was spun counterclockwise over a handspun single, thus loosening the twist of the core. It was a bit harder to do, but the yarn is nice and soft and sturdy. Not a whole lot different than the larger hank spun in the opposite direction.

The final samples were true corespun. I handcarded tiny batts of mohair and spun them horizontally over a commercial core: cheap pink acrylic yarn from the thrift store. In this test I saw a very big difference between spinning clockwise and counterclockwise. The acrylic yarn tightened dramatically when I spun counterclockwise, making a tight, overspun hank. The core that was spun clockwise made a lovely, glossy, relaxed single with only a touch of bias.

Moral of the story? Pay attention to the direction that your core was originally spun in when doing classical core spinning. When spinning tails? The jury is out. I like the tail spun on a core somewhat better than the core-less yarn...but the affect of direction on the twist of the finished yarn was harder to discern.

Pretty Pictures:Artyarn close-ups

2010-09-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Learning my way around a new camera, some new close-ups.

Outback Colors Abound

2010-09-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Three yarns, so far, inspired by my trip to Australia. So many more to come....so much more dying to do!

These materials turned into the following yarns:

a wild batt, felted pieces of orange knitting, dyedlocks in sky and shadow colors, striped beads (bought in Oberlin, Ohio 8 or 9 years ago!) plied in with a fuzzy mohair I bought in NYC this spring.

An energized single from the brighter roving I dyed/

Australian Colors

2010-09-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Outback of Australia encompasses many ecosystems, from dry desert to tropical rain forest. The quintessential Outback, the one we Northern Hemisphere types think of, it the Red Center, the desert throughout the middle of the Australian continent. It is dry, dusty, brick red to golden ochre, with smatterings of purple and sage green. The mulga trees and other eucalypts have bark colors that range from nearly white to dark, dark brown. The spinifex grass is everywhere, spikey and dusty green. When it is hot, the trees give off their eucalyptus scent. I can't get the colors and textures out of my mind. Indeed, I do not want to.

These materials

spun on the Aura. Oh how I missed the Aura! What a delightful wheel to spin on.

The last 2 photos show the yarn plied, but unwashed and then washed. I did something different this time. I spun it in the Spin Dryer and then put it in the electric dryer. I figured it was so close to dry that any felting would be minor and welcome as the yarn was looser than I prefer. Success! It came out poofy and nice.

Suddenly Autumn

2010-09-07T08:40:00.001-07:00

There has been a sudden temperature change here in Minneapolis, so I am gratefully wearing my wool tights and thin merino hoodie bought in Christchurch, NZ!

The outback colors are deep, deep rust red, dusty green, some greys and blue, blue sky. I hope to combine these into a scrubby, expressive yarn. The locks are handsful of Romney, Border Leceister and Icelandic and maybe one mystery fleece. All various shades of beige and brown, overdyed in similar colors to the roving.

Madlyn, the joyfuling rolling alpaca, has soft, beautiful, hayfilled fiber.

Where has Sue been hiding?

2010-09-06T20:10:00.001-07:00

I'll give you three guess...Australia? New Zealand? Fiji?

Yes, all three. I traveled from August 3-August 29. You can follow my trip on the Susan Hensel Art Blog. Slowly but surely I am posting the notes and the photos.

I saw lots of austere, beautiful red sand and mountains in the outback/Red Center of Australia. Fed wallabies, watched birds, looked at and bought Aboriginal art, visited a cattle station, swam the Great Barrier Reef, drank at pubs, motored Sydney Harbour at night, toured the Sydney Opera House before it opened to the public, met a woman who had woven the restoration upholstery and drapery for the restored Governor's House in Sydney Domain. Traveled to New Zealand through breathtaking mountain ranges, sailed on fjords, saw seals & penguins, petted a Koala, stayed in a home in Christchurch, attended evensong at the Christchurch Cathedral, visited Anne Field & Marilyn Rea-Menzies studios in Christchurch (I hope their work is OK. Their buildings were damaged in the earthquake.), saw lots of sheep, sailed in Aukland Harbour, met a Maori king. Walked the beach in Fiji, got sick from the heat, drank kava and ate a luxurious lunch in an impoverished village home, toasted astounding sunsets from my balcony.

So I show you cotton! I did come home with a tiny bit of fiber from New Zealand: and alpaca/polworth mix that is lovely.It has the lovely silkiness of the alpaca, but the addition of the polworth gives it a delightful bounce. I will photograph it soon.

I was on a great tour, and did not find materials easy to come by. The "new" big thing over there was merino mink. They are heavily marketing the combo of merino and possum. The possum forms a halo much like angora. It is lovely. I did not find and yarn until I was nearing departure and worried about paying duty! I did come home with fingerless gloves and a knit cap. They were invaluable keeping me warm in the fjord.

Before the main drain back up today, I washed up some white alpaca (Dang, she was a rolled in the hay! I'll have to comb more of it than I like!) and dyed various wools in Australian colors. Imagine that! The drain is fixed, now. Plumbers work on holidays and drains ONLY back up on weekends and holidays.

In May, I purchased this Tahkli, a tiny supported spindle. Finally, today was the day to play with it. I've been home for a week and the jet lag is just about gone and a few creative thoughts finally began flitting across my brain. Yeah! I tried it in a little bowl. Didn't like that. I then read that some people spin it on a piece of leather. I liked that! So while I half-watched the Anthony Bourdain marathon, I spun thick and thin cotton...trying for evenness, but achieving it only intermittently. I am pleased, though. Lots of progress was made toward mastery.

Combat Yarn Photo Shoot, cont'd

2010-07-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Across the knitted battlefield.

Combat Yarn Photo Suite, in process, day 2

2010-07-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of photography.

Combat Yarn Photo Suite, in process, day 1

2010-07-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

This is a sampling of the first day of shooting. These yarns were all spun on the Majacraft Aura from hand dyed blended batts developed for this project. Additions of cloth, netting, raw silk in the batts, army men, camoflage material and felted balls spun in place. The photographer is John Hensel.

Battle scarf?

2010-07-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Battle yarns are being photographed and composed by my son, John Hensel, who is a profesional photographer. Stay tuned! The process is fascinating.

Meanwhile, I have chosen one hank to knit and that process is also fascinating.

The stich definition is good, it is easy to pull the added elements to the front. It looks normal and transgressive all at once. A very odd piece of fabric. A battle scarf?

Yarn joins the drawings

2010-07-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

While I may be adjusting the blacks a bit, I think it is done. The addition of a lightweight handspun mohair took it where it needed to go. The sea creature aspect continues...these seem to be "jelly-fish of memory"? Who knows, it is still a mystery to me.

I do think of the threads as memory, connections to the past, to shared histories...

Rainbow Circus

2010-07-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Remember the bobbin full of rainbow? Here is the yarn. It is about 500 yards of gently energized singles made from 3 batts, dized off the drum. The Aura bobbin is so big, it could have held another batt's worth of yarn...an then some.

Rainbow relief

2010-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes camo just doesn't cut it. So, I made 3 rainbow batts and dized them off the carder, making fluffy, vertically striped roving...i.e. the bamboo is in long strips rather than clumps. Yummy to spin on the Aura. because I can go so slowly, I think it will make a usable single. If not? I'll ply it with something or other;-)

Meanwhile, in the woodshop, of all places!, I have been making more striped rovings using either the carder, the hackle or both! Too fun. I will be teaching a fiber prep class this fall that will cover this and all sorts of other cool ways to personalize your fibers before you spin them. It's called Into the Wild. Look for it on the Weaver's Guild website
Blue! At first it was Too Stripey! So, I carded it and rebuilt it on the hackle more ot my liking.
Still doing camo-colors. Upstairs, in the dye studio, camo-dyed merino yarn awaits the steamer.

Transgressing wool!

2010-07-08T10:20:00.001-07:00

In the art world, one talks about transgression. Transgression can be loosely defined as breaking expected boundaries or expectations. Yarn is expected to be soft, warm, useful, at times even life saving. It is often associated with leisure, craft and women's work. Rarely is it thought of as an object, a material or a subject of fine art.
So, as I progress on this project, I have to consider how this potential body of work transgresses expectations.

This yarn is transgressive because:

• It is not made for the express purpose of knitting or looping in someway into a useful object.

• Its purpose to to be a sculptural object or a field for narrative/political photography.

• It paradoxically uses its traditional softness to express a hard/harsh/violent reality

• It uses its allusions to its life saving properties( warmth, padding, protecting) as a field of discussion about war and death

• It uses a "women's art" to discuss a "man's pursuit."

Progress is being made

2010-07-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Despite the trials of a radically slow internet today, progress is being made on the yarn front. Combining the characteristics of way over twisted yarn and radical additives, sculptural yarn is happening. The yarn has been washed, the twist set. It is wildly elastic. But what interests me is that it will form a stable ball of stuff. What interests me further is that it becomes a field for narrative photography! Keep watching this space. My camera and camera skills are inadequate, so, I am planning a collaboration with a photographer: John Hensel . We hope to turn out large prints of these things.

Aside from his website, you might enjoy some of his videas: Let's Eat Japan.

Can Yarn Function as sculpture?

2010-06-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-06-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

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;-)

Some new yarns from the new wheel

2010-05-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Aura tests 6-8

2010-05-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

close -ups of test #6

Test #7White band, large whorl, no tension; Green band Large whorl, smallest drive wheel groove. Weak pull-in overall. Slow but steady for backward draw. Short draw also weak, but would leave lots of time to add in stuff or do pig-tails or other hand work. When I tightened the white band 4 turns, short draw felt more like an ordinary wheel. Long draw was easiest with increased tension. "Off the fold" was easiest w/ no tension

Test #8 White band on large whorl w/ no tension. Green band on medium whorl and smallest drive wheel groove. This was a lovely setting, making beautiful, beautiful long draw and very easy one-handed "Off the fold." Easy, easy in all four styles of drafting.

Aura tests 4-6

2010-05-31T16:51:00.001-07:00

Test #4, White band still on large whorl, no tension. Green band large whorl middle drive wheel groove. Beautiful longdraw! Overall, a very easy setting

Test #5 White band the same, green band Medium Whorl, medium Drive wheel groove. Really hard draw-in...hard to get backward draw even. Needed to do a death grip on the short draw...when I drafted holding the yarn at a hard 90 degrees to the orifice, it was easier to do short draw. Long draw was easier, especially at 90 degrees. On the "from the fold" the draw in made evenness difficult, but tightening the white band tension by 4 discernible turns helped.
Test #6 White band the same. green band small whorl, middle groove in drive wheel. Very strong pull in, making spinning difficult. The long draw was OK, but got better control when I tightened the white band by 4 discernible turns. From the fold was wonderful, one handed. When I tightened the tension it became uneven.

Aura experiments #1-3 pictures

2010-05-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

All tests were done with Brown Sheep Wool Company Mill End top. Spinning styles were backward draw, short forward draw, long draw (from rolags), and from the fold (usually one handed). The order of settings are: white tension band set on largest whorl w/ no tension combined with an arderly march through the settings for the green drive band, starting at the large whorl with the largest drive groove (test #1); medium whorl largest drive groove (test #2) ;small whorl, largest drive groove (test #3).

Aura experiments #1

2010-05-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight I finished skein #1 of a commission, thus opening up the Majacraft Aura for experimentation.

Here is what I did:

I set the white tensioner band on the largest whorl, just tight enough to stay on

I set the green drive band on the largest whorl and largest drive wheel groove

The yarn path was through both the divet and the circular orifice

I got out the Brown Sheep Wool mill end brown & white striped top.

Short forward draw it was a bit hard to get the bobbin to take up at first. I actually started with a backward draw, trying to push lengths of yarn onto the bobbin w/o much luck. Switched to short forward (inch worm) and had no problem. I did tighten the tension a bit and then it went on handily. Very easy to get a fairly large single...a bit thick and thin as short draw is not my favorite, most practiced technique.

Long draw (and supported long draw) I made a rolag of the mill end top. It did not want to pull out quickly like I am used to. I tried to push it on the bobbin like I usually do...no go. But, when I held the yarn taughtly, at a 90 degree angle to the orifice, it went on the bobbin fine. It was the slowest long draw I have ever done, but it would appear to be an advantage for things like spinning clouds of mohair around a core or self core spinning.

Spinning off the fold I expected similar results to longdraw, but fluffiness did not happen. However, I tightened the white tensioning band and was able to do one handed spinning as long as I held the yarn taughtly at a 90 degree angle to the round orifice.

Buy progressively tightening the white band, I was able to easily increase the diameter of the single. One wonders how much fluffier carded fiber would be? I think I was fighting the commercial preparation a bit.

Musings in the Gallery

2010-05-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

Today was spent on promo for the Wool Market, yawning from lack of sleep, evaluating the results of the current show in the gallery, updating the website, interviewing several people for the potential new position of gallery associate in January, photographing fiber and recording dye results.

The work day flew by, with both Zach and I smiling as we we realized our work responsibilities were waning. He has finished 2 of his three jobs before grad school and I am almost to the sabbatical date! We are both waxing philosophical/nostalgic even though we will be working together another 2 months!

Leslie Sobels' show comes down after Memorial Day, but we will maintain our Monday hours, getting caught up on gallery admin and planning, web restructure and repair, generalized computer stuff! Our Fridays, which may occasionally become Thursdays or Wednesdays (call before you come), will be spent dying and cleaning out the basement cracks, crannies and crevices to make a fuller functioning lower studio.

SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS WILD WOOL MARKET!

2010-05-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

The South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market

almost ready to go

The first market is Saturday, May 29, 10am-4pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Come join us for the fun!

The list of exhibitors so far:

Sue Hensel: batts, roving, yarn, Batt Your Own Wild Batt station and/or spinning demo

Kat Corrigan: Franken Sweaters and sewing demo

Pauline Mitchell: weaving, tapestry demo

Stefanie Moss: weavings from handyed yarn

Pam Angier: miscellaneous fiber goodness from the Fiber Studio

Wild Wool Market is coming

2010-05-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have set up a rolling display for the upcoming South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market, happening May 29, 10-4. Yes, it IS Memorial Day Weekend...but we'll have fun anyways. Tonight it is under wraps for the gallery opening.

Treasures!

2010-05-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of my New York trip was a day in the garment district. Silks and trims at wholesale! Here are some of the trims: tiny rick rack and 3 kinds of sequins. I wanted them all! Whoopee!
The day I got back, while desperately wanting to assemble my Aura, I had to make a delivery to the Textile Center. Dutifully I delivered the hand dyed bamboo. And then I visited my friends at the Weaver's Guild only to find a 4 harness loom at an unbeatable price. Now I did have a great Shepherd's Harvest this year. I was able to get the AUra without having to deplete savings. This was just not the day to buy a loom. So I went home with out it. The next morning I called and had them hold it for me;-) It is a little Schacht table loom, about 18" wide. It has been well loved...i.e. a bit beat-up. But someone cleaned it and restrung it and everything works just fine. All I need are lease sticks and time!

Aura, Aura, Oxenfree?

2010-05-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Majacraft Aura arrived on Monday. I was sitting on the airplane at MSP, awaiting the gate, when I got the email. I drove out on Tuesday morning to get it and put it together pretty quickly. I haven't had much time to play...not as much as I would like. But this soon will pass.

I did a test run on soft spun singles which I then plied. Easy peasy. Then I plied singles with silk flower additions with another single and beaded Habu textile pink metallic thread. It was a bear for a variety of reasons: I was tired, it was dark, I could neither see nor feel the Habu thread and the tension band flipped off a couple of times and the silk flowers did not want to feed on. Readjusted myself, and the bands on the wheel, and most of the flowers whipped through the guides...just the remaining large ones got stuck.The completed yarn is very nice and the plying is much more even than usual.

Don't get my hackles up!

2010-05-11T04:43:00.001-07:00

It is a Valkyrie hackle and that is Zach, my studio assistant and gallery associate. I don't think he looks appropriately terrified! It is a horribly beautiful tool!

SOON! AURA! SOON! SABBATICAL!

2010-05-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Shepherd's Harvest was a great success! Thank you all for making it fun! In the 4 or 5 years I have been doing this festival, I don't think I have ever encountered a crabby customer, nor, even, a crying child! Natural fiber is heap-big, powerful joy juice! Soon I will have my Aura! I have been told that it will ship this week from New Zealand! I also now have a very wide hackle! I got it from Mielke's Fiber Arts. The hackles are in production again, from 2 manufacturers....finally.

In my other, but rather closely related "Other life", I own and direct the Susan Hensel Gallery. Do take a good long look at the website to see what I have been doing for the last few years! The current show, Earth & Air by Leslie Sobel is our 40th! Wowsers! Times flies!

So, now, I ask myself,"What does it mean to BE Susan Hensel Gallery for 7 years?" Well, I will investigate that over the next 6 months! I will be taking a sabbatical! Regular programming of the gallery will be suspended June 1, 2010 -Dec 31, 2010. The regular programming of gallery shows will resume at that time with a solo show my Dean Ebben: IN THE HOUSE OF THE MINERAL SPIRITS. followed up by A Reader's Art and an Installation by Libby Soffer, Sara Christensen Blair& Gregory Blair and Debora Miller. But the gallery will not be silent. I will be focusing on my relationship to fiber and textiles in my personal art. Since I moved to Minneapolis 7 years ago, a transformation has been happening. I tell people that I was "bit by a sheep." I learned to spin on a drop spindle and spinning wheel not long after I got here. No matter what I do, no matter how I resist, the fiber keeps luring me away! My son thinks he'll come out to visit someday and find an urban sheep ranch! (I just heard that someone up the street was raided by animal control for raising goats in their apartment!) So, this summer and fall I will be spinning, weaving, studying in and around the fiber arts. Stay tuned!

I will study in the University of Minnesota Split Rock program with Adrienne Stone. I will attend the full week of SOAR, Spin Off Autumn Retreat. I may take some field trips to see fiber mills and who knows what else! It will be an exciting time!

Shepherd's Harvest with a goal!

2010-05-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have dream! It is to own an Aura Wheel from Majacraft. So, day one of Shepherd's Harvest has gotten me part way there in the most enjoyable fashion! What could be more fun than enabling other happy fiber people to fulfill their dreams too? I spent the day selling and teaching from the booth about Wild Batts, spindling and "Lazy Felt". And I spent it with my newly engaged friend Carla who bought her first loom today. I bought alpaca fleeces. So, I ask you, "What could be better?"

Come by tomorrow if you are in the area. With or without purchases, it is a blast!

2010-05-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Harvest is 2 days away! he newest product I am bringing is hand painted bamboo. It is SOOOO pretty! And SOOO slippery! The hard part was figuring out how to package it so it can be handled without unwinding. I finally cut up some wild paisley chiffon and tied each ball up like a gift box! Hope this works! If you are interested in the bamboo, come early...the supply is very limited.

This year I also have Angelina fiber, dyed wool and cotton nebs, sari silk and yarn confetti for sale as Wild Batt additives to take home.

Try out the Batt Your Own Wild Batt station. AT the carding station, for an additional fee, you will be able to card up to 2 ounces of purchased Sue's Luxury Fiber at a time with additives such as angelina, firestar, nebs, yarn confetti, mohair (included in the price of carding.) It is too fun!

BATTS AHOY! Are there batts in your belfry?

2010-03-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

In addition to dying mohair and roving, the electric carder is humming as well. I am painting with wool, bamboo, silk, angelina, mohair, alpaca, sari threads, mystery fleeces....It is so much fun to see the stack grow higher!

Let the Dying Begin!!!

2010-03-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

Work in the Susan Hensel Gallery has been overwhelming of late. We just opened the tenth anniversary show of A Reader's Art! TEN YEARS! 100 artists books from 50 artists from all over the world. Quite a feat, made more possible by the able curation of Jon Coffelt.

Slowly, between naps, I began dying mohair this week.New spring colors and the tried and true easter egg brights that mohair so loves to be.

Today I began the roving...peacock colors and muted early spring colors.

Come see the new colorways at YARNOVER, Saturday, April 17. I will be helping out Steven Be and will have fiber and yarn in his booth.

Then, Mother's Day weekend, SHEPHERD'S HARVEST!!!!!!! Save the date!!!!! May 8 &9.

3 New Yarns at ETSY

2010-02-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

Curly Wild
Moonlit Night
Starry Night

Echo series on Etsy

2010-01-29T19:36:00.001-08:00

Delta Echo: rural reflections
Caribbean Echo: remembering the Windjammer cruise
African Echo: the savannahs call
Aegean Echo: a long ago island cruise

Check out more about this new series of yarns at Sue's Luxury Yarn. When the thermometer reads below zero, an cabin fever rises, warm sand, hot savannahs, New Orleans and sea breezes certainly call.

A little Snakey!

2010-01-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

Years ago, my son attended Oberlin College, in Ohio. When ever I would drive him back and forth to school, I would shop at the Bead Gallery on the main street of that tiny town. This yarn is the result of one of those trips! They had strands of African snake vertebrae! Irresistible!

Creepy and wonderful! African snake vertebrae spun with lincoln and mixed wools making a bold single. I did a sample when I attended Camp Plucky Fluff. Finally, I made enough time to spin a larger skein. 54 yards, 3.8 ounces. $54

ETSY STORE

2010-01-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

The ETSY store is open! Oh, did I forget to mention that? I have been spending the odd, available time photographing and inventorying my artyarn. I have chosen 16 of them to open the store. About half of them are on display so far at www.susanhensel.etsy.com

Deep & Strong

A hearty self-core spun handful of rich color! A bulky yarn for adding a bit of bulk and color to a project. The colors are deep fall just after a rain storm, when the sun comes out. Single. mixed wool. 2.8 ounces 66 yards

$40

New equipment, New plans

2010-01-13T12:25:00.001-08:00

I have been reconsidered all of my equipment as my needs change.

I have known for sometime that I needed to electrify carding. Sales were strong this fall, so I decided to invest in a Louet electric carder! WOW! What a machine! My out put now is primarily artyarn and I needed a carder that would hold up to crazy-batt action. The Patrick Green remains for fine carding, but this Louet is a workhorse! I sold my old petite Strauch to help with the financial aspects of equipment. This Louet has identical drums to their standard manual carder. Those of us who attended Camp Plucky Fluff here in Minneapolis fell in love with the Louet.

The carding station is in my dark, but thankfully dry, basement on an old restaurant cart with pull out trays that hold my combs and miscellaney associated with fiber prep. I keep my hand cards next to my wheels for quick fiber prep/re-prep/sudden creative need.

A great find at Office Max led to the color wall for fast composition at the carder. 3 crates for $12! I cut up old boxes to make the dividers and then carded up a rainbow of roving. I had dyed up, over the years, a nearly perfect color mixing palette. Pulling off bits of roving is OK, but it is much easier to compose from airy batts. So, now, with the addition of mohair, bamboo, silk and pretty things, I can "paint" at the carder.

Then I had to reconsider the wheel situation. I sold my last in-the-box-Babe at Christmas, keeping my beat-up, cracked first Babe for sentimental reasons and for demonstrations at art/fiber fairs. Well, I had found too many situations where the generous orifice on the Roberta was too small and the speed and pull too harsh. I looked into a bulky flyer for the Ashford Traveller, but that orifice is smaller. I did not yet want to invest in a Majacraft with a delta flyer. Low and behold, Babe's Fibergarden has started making delta flyers for their Babe wheels!

Many problems are now averted! I have a quill head for the Ashford to do tail spun locksand beads with beehives are much easier on the delta flyer. Phew! an inexpensive fix! The flyer cost something like $84. So I can now happily spin away with the equipment I already have!

Cold day, Warm batts

2009-12-10T20:01:00.001-08:00

It's COLD here in Minnesota! We got pretty slammed by snow and arctic air...but the new carder is humming away, producing yummy batts. I got in the Luoet electric carder last week! Wowsers! It is magnificent.

These batts are packed and ready to go to the Women's Art Festival this weekend. (Note the incredible black alpaca batts! They are some of the nicest alpaca I have ever had!)

In addition to these batts that so excite me, I'll have lots of handspun, felt and even a few handmade books with felt covers. Also, I will have my last, new in the box, Babe Fiberstarter single treadle spinning wheel at an unbelieveable price! They now sell for $194. Come ask me how much at the show!

Art Fair Weekend

2009-12-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Come visit me here! I will be showing fiber, fiber and more fiber!

Designer Yarns,

Beautiful Wild Batts, Roving, and

New Felted scarves and

hand dyed silk scarves...all reasonably priced for gifting!

I'll be spinning on site! Come and say hello!