Saori Links

Thought you all might enjoy getting to know the Saori community a little more. If you are on Ravelry there are a couple of Saori weaving forums. The one I belong to is Weaving in the Saori Way moderated by Nicolena aka Jill Sanders Here . She also runs an etsy shop that is the easiest way to buy some of the books and looms (although you can use any loom - the books are expensive and hard to find) Saori Santa Cruz Her blog is a delight and can be found at Centering With Fiber You can spend hours enjoying vicariously her beautiful studio and stories of her students.
Be sure to also check out the mothership for Saori Weaving at Saori No Mori which is the official site in Japan that explains the philosophy and background of this fascinating and liberating movement.

Is it autumn yet?

Instead of ranting about how much I hate summer I'll show you what I'm working on this week to beat the heat-blues. 

This is a cotton warp that I'm putting on the four harness floor loom. The yardage is for a vest. As I sit in front of the AC I like to plan what I might like to wear this fall. The plan here is for a Saori style vest. 

The black, brown and orange are easier to see in the cross. 

This is with the reed sleyed at 10 dpi it is 26" across and the length is four yards. 

Check back to see how I'm progressing!

Break

Vacation is a state of mind. This week while Kym is visiting our nations capital and the store is closed I am weaving near the air conditioner. It is a good thing it is Kym and not me who is in DC today as I could not possibly keep my mouth shut about the Supreme Court ruling against women's reproductive rights. I'd probably end up in jail with no yarn in sight. So I'm weaving a boa instead. Please note that all the yarn used was hand spun and Did Not come from Hobby Lobby. 

I will post a picture when it is done so you can see what this tangled mess looks like. 

Stay cool - wherever you are.

A little spring gardening

There is such seduction in planting in the spring before the summer heat sets in. The winds have stopped - at least temporarily. This morning I've been out putting in some tomatoes and a couple of basils.

This is an olla. It is a fired but not glazed terra cotta pot. 

The idea is that you put the olla in the ground or the pot with the plants to help provide water in this dry hot desert. 

This is the pot where I'm going to bury the olla. The top of the olla should be just above the dirt level.

There is just enough room to put a couple of tomatoe plants alongside. 

Here the rest of the potting soil is filled in. 

The stone keeps things from falling into the water. It will also help keep us from growing our own Mosquitos! By the end of the summer those tomato roots will have wrapped all around the clay pot. It is a good method for growing plants where it is so dry. 

Solar dyeing part two

Who wouldn't be inspired by all this spring color?

From the previous post - the roving was Corriedale with some mohair locks thrown in for good measure. I am a kettle dyer most of the time so the solar dye process fits in well with my expectations. I love how the variations in color turn out. I also think there is less chance of felting the fibers. 

Solar dyeing

Just in time for the weather to get warm a little solar dyeing. These are Corriedale and mohair locks. 

Moving

We are getting ready to move the store. It is kind of scary and exciting all at the same time. We have been at our location about 10 months and had already outgrown it. So we looked around and found a new place that is a bit larger, with better parking and quieter neighbors for the same price. The move is coming up April 26th and we will reopen in the new location on May 1st.

Here is a preview of some of the new things we will have when the doors open!
The new address is 121 Wyatt Dr #24, Las Cruces, NM 88005
Store Hours are still 10-4 Tues - Saturday.
Call me if you need directions! 575-635-9136.

Hope you can come by and see us!