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

Progress is being made

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?

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.

SOON! AURA! SOON! SABBATICAL!

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!

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!

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?

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!

Cold day, Warm batts

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!

Let it rain?

Today the weather is unbearably lovely.
The St. Anthony Park Art Festival is tomorrow and I will have much fiber to sell. But will I have buyers? The high tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 50's with rain. Sigh...

I will take a thermos of coffee and warm thoughts and much gratitude toward those hearty Minnesotans who brave the weather.

felt and books

I occasionally make felt and I occasionally make very fine handmade paper. When the two come together, a book happens! Journals covered in felt are occasionally available in my wool festival booths.