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Color spinning exercise, Part IV + 1/2: Kissy Lips, a Rare Roving Fish

From the previous posting you can tell that for the third example in this series not only are we warmed up, but we are also starting to have fun with the whole layout and photograph part of the project.  That is the benefit of an exercise, getting really “into it” and stretching the original ideas (and letting yourself be stretched in the process).

 

Kissy Lips, a Rare Roving Fish with Rolag Coral and Anemones (the starfish worked its way in when we weren’t looking!)

 

The wool colors that made up the Kissy Lips composition, including the hairpins that held it all together.

 

Dividing up the colors in preparation for carding.  This stage helps to plan out the color progression throughout the skein.  I think of it as creating a recipe for the yarn.

 

Further dividing up the wool for carding into each rolag.

 

All the carded rolags in order waiting to be spun.  So far, none of this project has been somber!

 

Working name:  “Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour”.  Lively single S-twist yarn spun and wound onto a bobbin made by Bob Metcalf.  As the carded wool transformed into yarn, the colors passing by reminded me of that famous ice cream parlor from our childhood, recalling smells and sounds (that drum that announced birthday sundaes was SO loud!) and brought back memories for friends too when I described the sensations.

 

The single was chain-plied with a “Z-twist” forming new color combinations throughout the length of the yarn.  This time, instead of the yarn stirring up memories, the colors gave me ideas of combinations to try in the future.  Every few inches was a color mixing sample swatch.  More wool!  More yarn!  More time!  Please!

 

Finished skein. 

 

 

 

                       What do you think Kissy Lips?

 

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Color Spinning Exercise, Part III: Hand-dyed Heartsease

The next composition to come out of this fiber stash is from the Viola Tricolor family, a Heartsease flower (a.k.a. Johnny-Jump-Up),  inspired by a sketch in Kristin’s sketch pad.

 

Hand-dyed *Heartsease

Playmate to “What if?” is “Why not?”  While not botanically accurate color-wise, it was fun to break the the rules and work large scale too.  Also, we figured after featuring an article about a sunflower that wished to turn red, we might as well continue with another red flower (the “tricolor” part of the name usually is purple, violet and pale yellow).  Remember, when designing, you are also creating the rules as you go along.

 

Fiber that went into the Heartsease.  Ready for the next stage . . .

 

A light carding was just the thing to let those fibers draw out!  Here, arranged by colors.

 

Trying out another way to arrange the colors in the skein (works well in small spaces and with minimal equipment).  Perhaps this will lead to a series of wool omlettes, burritos, or Dagwood Sandwich!

 

After arranging the fiber colors in rows and layers, a wooden dowel helps to roll everything in a tidy cylinder.

 

The next step is to patiently draw out the roll of fibers into a progressively thinner and longer bundle, this stage is called “pre-drafting”.

 

Gently rolling the pre-drafted fibers into a ball keeps everything from drifting apart and keeps it in handy proximity for spinning.  Plus, it is fun!

 

Finally!  Time to spin!Yarn spun into a “single”.

 

Yarn doubled back on itself and respun into a plied yarn.

 

Ta-Dah!

Final product is a skein as cheerful as a Heartsease!

 

 

*Silk dyes work great on wool!

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Color Spinning Exercise, Part II: Introducing “Wool Kitty”

It is possible to get too caught up in the final goal – enjoy the journey and make something for the sake of making it!

From this stash of fiber . . .

 

Introducing . . .  Wool Kitty!

Wool Kitty is ready for a nap on the Dressmakers cardboard!

Admittedly, not an overly daring color combination, but this collection of colors probably wouldn’t have happened without this stage of making the fiber into an image before carding.

The figure is held together with hairpins so it is easily taken apart.   Since it was created only for the photograph we didn’t get overly attached!  Spontaneous creativity is like a vacation from deadlines (even self-imposed ones).

The fibers that went into the making of “Wool Kitty”:

 

Since the fibers were compacted from long storage, a little carding set everything up for choosing the arrangement for the final yarn.  What order would you imagine using?

 

The recipe:

Side view of fiber stack:

Dividing the stack to elongate it:

 

Then we changed our minds and wanted the colors more blended.  Allowing yourself the opportunity to change your mind can be a rewarding part of this exercise!

More carding!

 

Carded rolags ready for spinning!

 

Or, another way to look at it:

Carded rolags waiting to spin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the spinning progressed, the yarn took on a new look and personality.  “Wool Kitty” transformed into “Firescale”!  Playing with new titles is also a creative activity.

Working title:  “Firescale”, single ply yarn spun on a low whorl drop spindle

Finished skein, the colors zones are more muted as they are recombined in plying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Color Spinning Exercise

This is a cornucopia of leftover wool roving from various hand-dying and spinning projects we have worked on over the years.  Each piece in this particular stash has been waiting until there was MORE of something or other in order to be finished into a project.   Waiting isn’t as fun as creating.  So, what if . . . ?

What if we create a series of color mixing experiments with what there is now?  With the notion of using this blog post series to play around, we added a step in between selecting and then blending the roving for spinning to cause us to need to use (and choose) colors in a new way before blending.  That step was to make a 3-D fiber illustration first.  We have created a multi-part series based on the steps of spinning these images into yarn.

Our hope is that it will amuse non-spinners, intrigue people contemplating starting wool spinning, and encourage adept spinners to try more ways to enjoy the process.

Before reading the next few blog posts imagine how you would mix these colors (feel free to imagine them mingling with your own stash!)

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Comfort zones – Part II: more fundamentals

Since we’re reviewing art school fundamentals, another classic one is that artwork’s presentation can really change based on the background color.  While we can’t change this particular post to a black background without changing the entire website, these photographs with a black frame will give a bit of an idea for comparison.

We have mixed reviews on which photographs benefit from this black frame.  The harsh dark frame looks contrary to the soft texture of the fiber in both the photographs of the snail shell and violet.  For the value scale example in the middle, since the black frame picks up the black band in the clam shell and black fiber on the left side of the photograph it works to enclose the right side, which would otherwise seem to spiral out of the composition.  The final example provides this post’s punchline!

That is how it is in the studio, sometimes you have to try out several ideas to find what really works best.  If we were actually finishing these photographs, none of them would end up with this very narrow black strip, but it is a starting off point for more ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while a simple coordinating matte can really finish a photograph, if the frame and the contents don’t enhance each other . . . well, see for yourself . . .Shall we call this “discomfort zone”?!!!

 

 

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Comfort Zones

Perhaps you have heard the scolding “just break out of your comfort zone” as a way to battle creative stagnation.  Try this instead – broaden your comfort zone.  Comfort zones themselves can stagnate and need to evolve to catch up with the artist.  Finding your own approach to this process is of course what will put some zing back into your zone.  We have several ways that are such old school classics that sometimes we need to refresh our working design habits so the ideas flow in the future.  The photography exercises that we create for ourselves are part of that process.

In the hottest part of the summer we tend to direct our energy for wool in imagining projects to make in cooler weather.  These daydream projects aren’t meant to go into production in a realistic timeline (or budget), however, the surge of ideas generated in designing those wool projects revitalizes our creativity.  Not all art projects have to bear a deadline or production goal.  It has been very freeing to set up and photograph these temporary fiber compositions since usually our textile work involves very time consuming techniques.  Very quickly these color studies became a playground for mixing textures.

Actually, we have comfort zones, plural.  We invent so many challenges for ourselves there has to be a few oasis type places in our studio work.  We usually find even our wildest ideas rely on some structure found in our comfort zone of design training.

These examples are art school fundamentals that are reliable and a good way to spring off into more daring approaches in both a particular piece of art or a series.

Neutrals:   since we’re working with fiber, for sheep “neutral” means Natural

 

Value scale:  white, light, medium, dark and black make an interesting range.  A monochromatic scheme can be mild or wild.

 

Analogous colors:  any three colors side by side by side on the color wheel can touch one’s moods too.  There is a soothing rightness about the trio.

Of course, other people may dive right into high contrast and/or complementary colors to find their comfort zone.  The point is that being aware of comfort zones can help an artist create them as needed and even notice those zones change as the artwork progresses.  Comfort zones definitely belong in studios!

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Looking Forward to Fall

Close-up of a wool “rolag”* waiting to be spun

Every summertime we know it is coming – the season of  harvest and pruning and . . . Local Fiber Festivals!

We are big fans of attending OFFF, our local fiber festival.  Of course, the many vendors get our attention.  It is also filled with demonstrations, barns full of animals and if the weather is cool enough – attendees dressed in sweaters and scarves- it is like a fashion show!

 

Here is the contact information:

  • What:  Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival (OFFF)
  • www.flockandfiberfestival.com
  • When:  September 22nd and 23rd
  • Where:  Clackamas County Event Center

 

By now, it is starting to show that we put a lot of thought into our art supplies.  This is especially true concerning annual sales events.  The months leading up to  OFFF are when we take stock of our supplies, really enjoy planning future projects and measure what is needed to finish works-in-progress that outgrew estimated boundaries (restraint can be  a tough concept!)

Years of impulse buys have added up to enough brown fiber to spend the whole winter spinning it, perhaps into spring as well!  But, that’s the luxurious project with daydream designs and plans that grow and change each year.  While this may not be the year I actually spin the yarn, it may be the year I resist the temptation to buy more brown fiber.  Well, let’s not be too hasty with that declaration!

What is exciting are the “what if” plans we have of all the other colors of the spectrum.

This is the start of a blog post series inspired by the photography exercises we created from the process of making color study exercises as we took inventory.  Why?  Well, we heard that exercise is good for you!

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Photographs

  • Top photo is wool prepared by carding and formed into a roll*, called a “rolag” before spinning.
  • All other photographs are singles and plied yarns on spinning wheel bobbins.
  • The last photograph is really 4 copies of the same photo flipped, playing with the idea of “Z” and “S” twists, terms used to describe the direction of twist in yarn.