Etsy Store Re-opened

I've been on vacation that past two months preparing for a craft fair. Now, the store has re-opened. Come over and check it out.

Working on new projects, some of my great ideas didn't turn out to be so great (that's normal). I've learned that lots of ideas are good, I just need to have people who can help me filter out the clunkers. It's always nice to have those blunt friends and family who tell you like it is.

Finished this quilt top last night. I like it, but I'm not certain what I'll sell it as, yet. It's just about 3 feet squared. Looks like a baby quilt to me, or maybe a table topper. No idea. The layout for the quilt is becoming my go-to layout. If in doubt, I usually stick with this one. I think it has a name, but I'm not certain what it is. The block is a stripped Drunkard's Path. I can't stand sewing all those curves in traditional drunkard's path, so I came up with a stripped version. I saw some other quilts with the same concept, and figured out my own way of doing it.

Teaching myself about tapestry weaving. I enjoy weaving, but the tapestry weaving will combine painting and weaving; tapestries just takes a long time to weave a small section. I will have to return to rag rugs and other items just to keep myself from pulling my hair out! Still, I love looking at the woven tapestries, especially those from the Gothic age, and the modern ones. I like tapestries so much, I'm currently working on a book that has a tapestry weaver as the main character. It's the beginning of a fantasy series, so there's going to be fun things like dragons in it. Personally, my favorite part is some of the weaving bits that I have in it. I plan on having the first draft finished by the end of the year.

Weft-faced Weaves

This wasn't the first of my weft-faced weaves, but it was the first of the Twelve Months that I made. July. Red, White and Blue. It turned out rather well, so I continued. At the bottom of the photo is the beginning of August, which didn't turn out quite as well.

The sett on these is 7.5/inch, and I used regular embroidery floss as my weft. Gives a firm feel to the finished project. Haven't figured out what I'll do with them. They are about four inches wide, and around four inches in length. They would make nice little coasters, but I think I'll keep them as a hanging instead. They just look so pretty, I don't want to cut them apart.

This is the whole lot. January begins at the top left-hand side, and July is the top right-hand side. I used three shades of red for February. It's hard to tell in the photo, but while weaving the colors blended so well that I had a hard time distinguishing which was which.

New Direction

Over the next week, I'll be updating how Honeybee Pineapple is changing its direction slightly. Keep alert for new changes not only here on the blog, but also at the etsy store - Honeybee Pineapple which will re-open on Septemebr 1, 2011. New merchandise, and new projects.

It will definitely be a change, but the goal of Honeybee Pineapple - to create fiber arts that are practical and affordable to most people, as well as teach others about the variety of crafts, will not change. In fact, the changes make it even easier to learn.

Updates and Challenges

The late April/May block. It isn't quite what I expected, and I'm not exactly pleased with it, but I think for a start, it has potential. I might come back and redo some of these.

The next challenge will probably be interesting. The photo is one of a few that I took inside my church sanctuary. Our church was originally built in the early 1800s, but a fire in the 1870s destroyed the original building. The current church was built after that fire. It is the only brick church in the village, the other two are both clapboard.

The windows commemorate families who donated or were important members of the church at the time. It'll be interesting to see how this goes.

Finally finished one of the belts. I ended up moving the warps to three other looms, my inkle loom and two smaller rigid heddle looms. Below is a photo of the band that was woven.

It's about 12 yards in length, maybe an inch to an inch and a half wide. The draft is

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I think that it's actually quite pretty, but I'm not certain what I'll use it for. The beginning of it is looser than I wanted. This is my first inkle loom production, so it was a learning experience. I put another warp on that is all black. I'm going to have to start putting the fun colors on soon. This is a quick, easy weaving that is a great way to learn the basics of weaving. I'm trying to figure out ways to make smaller looms for schools - talk about a way to put weaving into schools!

Updates

Things have been a little hectic this past month, so I haven't slowed down to add a post. Finally finished up the Mother's Day gifts. They look like the item pictured above, except that I had a variety of patterns. Week before Mother's Day, I ended up losing 15 of the tea towels. Still have no clue where they are, but praise God, I had just enough.

Currently working on warping one of my larger looms, but that has stalled since the warp has become quite knotted. I'll probably just cut and go again, I think.

The Ties that Bind has hit a snag as the editing progresses. I need to add some more scenes and tighten up the writing. It's a process. This is my first murder mystery, so I'm just trying to find my way through it. Also, I need to make a list of where to send it. Currently, it's located in Western New York, but I'm considering moving it over to Ireland. We'll see how that goes.

The project for April, I'll put up on the first of June as well as the next challenge.

Tabernacle Color

The Israelites had left Egypt; God told them to build a tabernacle; colors of scarlet, blue and purple were to be used as well as linen. The linen would have probably been bleached, so it would have been white or light cream. The colors seem to symbolize purity (white), blood or life (red), heaven, dignity, holiness (blue) and royalty (purple).

Where did they find the color? Madder is a woody, rather plain plant that stores red pigment in its roots. From there, Ancient Egyptians could have produced red. Also, red can be made from the dried bodies of female kermes, an insect found in the Mediterranean region.

Blue would have come, probably, from the woad plant which is found in Europe. Indigo, while considered the better plant, may have not been available to the Acient Egyptians and Israelites. Indigo is native to India. For both woad and indigo, the dye is found in the plant's leaves.

Purple could have come from the secretion of a marine mollusk. The color from the mollusk was known as Tyrian purple, and was predominately made by the Phoenicians. Purple could also have been made by dyeing red or blue material in blue or red.

Cherubim were first known after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. A cherub guards the entrance of the Garden. According to the Prophet Ezekiel's description of these creatures, it has the ability to look all four directions at once. Ezekiel describes the cherubim has having four faces: a man, a lion, a ox, and an eagle. It has two sets of wings, and flies below the throne of God.

It is these creatures that were to be incorporated into the material for the tabernacle, and would have probably been seen from the inside of the tabernacle. How were they placed into the material? It seems that embroidery is the most probable. Using the thread, the Israelites would have seen the designs onto the finished material before hanging them around the frame.

Through all the parts of the tabernacle, God demonstrated His holiness, purity, royalty, and sacrifice.

Tabernacle Building

I think I may have to do more research on this project. It could very well end up being one of those things that I update as I go through the year. It's been interesting, nonetheless.

After they left Egypt, the Israelites stopped off at Mount Sinai where God gave them the Ten Commandments as well as other laws. One of the items that they were to construct was the tabernacle. The instructions are quite specific down to the dimensions and materials. Ten curtains were commanded to be made: 26 cubtis by 4 cubits or roughly 42 feet by 6 feet. They were to be made of linen and colored thread.

As a fiber artist, this description is tantalizing. As a writer of historical novels, it opens up for an interesting story, but on to the research. Just how did they make these curtains? The ancients didn't have our modern convenience of a local yarn store, mass-produced cones, or even the spinning wheel.

The Egyptians and the Hebrews used what is called a drop spindle. On this they could weave a variety of threads from very fine to coarse.

How did they weave? Well, there are two options. Option number one is the traditional Egyptian way to weave: horizontal.

With the horizontal weaving, the entire warp was stretched out on the ground, and the weaving progressed forward. For this weaving, space and nice weather was a must.

The second way was a vertical weaving style.

This style, which allowed the weaver to sit at the base, was introduced from Canaan and was common in areas where the weather wasn't as dry as Egypt. Both styles would have been known to the Hebrews.

How much would they have had to weave? Figuring that these were to be durable, beautiful, and coverings, I estimated that they would have woven at 40 epi. They might have gone finer or coarser, but 40 is a good middle ground, I think. Now, the Bible gives the dimensions of each of the ten curtains: 26 cubits by 4 cubits, or 42 feet by 6 feet. If they were woven at 40 epi, for one inch, there would have needed to be 560 yards of linen. For six feet: 3360 yards. With ten curtains, that works up to 33,600 yards.

According to one website, the growing season for flax, from where we obtain linen, is November to March. Interestingly, flax was one of the major trades in Ancient Egypt. Also, the first Passover would have taken place sometime in March or April. When the Jews left Egypt, God moved the hearts of the Egyptians to give the Hebrews jewels, gold, fabric and a variety of other items. Chances are that the Hebrews had material and unspun flax with them at Mount Sinai.

Saturday, I will write about the designs and how they could have made the curtains. Also, where did the colors come from?

Passover and Passion

Palm Sunday began the Passion week leading up to the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Monday began the Passover, the celebration of the Jewish exodus from Egypt nearly 4000 years ago. After the Jews passed through the Red Sea, they continued on their journey by way of Mount Sinai where God gave them the Ten Commandments, and made a covenant with the nation.

Part of the covenant included building a tabernacle, a meeting place. In this building, God would come to meet with Moses. The tabernacle was beautiful, and practical. Eventually, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering the desert, so the tabernacle had to be portable.

In the book of Exodus, chapter 26, God tells Moses how the tabernacle should appear. He commands that ten curtains 28 cubits by 4 cubits (about 42 feet by 6 feet) should be made. They were to be made of fine linen with blue, purple and scarlet thread. In the curtains were to be images of cherubim.

This week, I want to focus on the tabernacle and these beautiful curtains. How were they made? How long would it have taken them?

Come back and see what I learn.

The photo is pussywillows from our bush. Unfortunately with the cold weather we've had lately, ours actually haven't bloomed yet. The photo was taken about two years ago.

March Project Results

Taking the idea of the Celtic Cross and putting it onto a patch. I decided after doing this one that all of my projects would be patches so that they can be put together at the end of the year. Typically, I'm not much of an applique person, but I think it works. I wanted something that celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every year at Easter, we celebrate the death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus. Without Him, we would have no chance of reconciling with God.

The next is the inspiration for April.

What struck me about the photo is not the view, but the tree hanging on the side of the cliff to catch all the sunlight. Letchworh is a heavily wooded area, and the trees must compete for sunlight and soil.

This is a photo from Letchworth Park in Western NY. It's called the Grand Canyon of the East (course, there's one in PA, and I imagine most Eastern States have at least one). Our canyon is created by the Genesee River which starts in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania.  At the start of the river, the elevation is 2,240 feet; by the time the river reaches Lake Ontario the elevation is 256 feet. Because of the 1,984 feet drop in elevation, the Genesee River creates some spectacular waterfalls. Within Letchworth there are three falls: Upper, Lower and Middle; in Rochester, NY, through which the river flows, there is another set of falls. The falls on the Genesee River aren't nearly as wide as those on the Niagara, but they are beautiful.

Here's another photo from Letchworth.

The river is down below all of the trees.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day there is a carload entrance fee, but during the remainder of the year, it is free to enter. In addition to the great views, there are hiking and biking trails, horse trails, historical sites, and a lovely little restaurant called the Glen Iris.

If ever in Western New York, take a trip to see Letchworth - it's well worth the visit.

Good Reads April

Ngaio Marsh was a mystery writer in the early 20th century; she died in 1982. She's one of my favorite writers, and I first heard about this particular book in 2010. My library system doesn't have all the books, so I'm plugging through the series. Died in the Wool takes place in New Zealand during WW2. In addition to the murder there is espionage and love.

What I found fascinating by the book was the insight to a sheep station. Since I'm interested in spinning, I never understood what a working farm might look like. For me, it was a fascinating read, and it's worthwhile if you have a weekend or a week.

Novels and Books

In addition to creating quilts and the like, I also write. My focus is science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and mysteries. I have one contemporary cozy mystery series that I'm writing. This image is the basic design for one of the quilts in the first book.

After reading a few cozy mystery novels based upon quilting or knitting, I decided that I wanted to write a series that covered all of the fiber arts, hence the Fiber Arts Mysteries. Currently under development, I hope to start publishing by the end of the year. The first book is called The Ties that Bind, and takes place in Western New York. The amatuer sleuth is Azni Murphy, a newlywed who lives in a little town where both she and her husband grew up.

At the end of each month, I will post an update concerning books that I am writing or that will be published. My desire in all of my fiction novels is to incorporate artisan crafts as much as possible. Books like the Fiber Arts Mysteries are easier to accomplish than other series. Historical fiction is another easy one to incorporate arts because so much of the ancient ways included crafts in the every day.

Are there certain crafts that are more readily known and observed in historical fiction? I don't know. Most of what I read focuses very little on any crafts save quilting. What would be interesting would be to write a series that shows the majority of crafts that were done from blacksmithing to glassblowing. That idea is for another day, though.

Snow . . . Again

Woke up earlier this week to snow. It's March in the Great Lakes, and we have snow. Not happy about it, but what am I going to do?

Photos from outside my kitchen window.

Taken around 8 in the morning. Even though I don't like snow, it gives me an extra chance to enjoy nice warm socks and quilts. I enjoy creating quilts, socks and other items mainly because they are, for the most part, practical. I took painting in college, and while I enjoy portraits or landscapes, I can't use them to keep me warm or dry.

Sock Update

Finished the trial sock last week. No photo of it since its AWOL. I found a new sock style - toes up. It's easier than going from cuff down. I do need to figure out a better way to bind off the top. My normal bind-off is too tight for the cuff. The one suggested in the book was still too tight, I felt. Keep looking until I find it, I suppose.

Toes Up

Trying a new knitting technique. It took a little time to master the style, but I think it'll become my go-to knitting style. I have an order for some Mom and Me socks, and wanted to try a different technique than the one I typically use. The blue yarn was planned for a woven scarf, but it's turned into the practice yarn.

I have the hardest time keeping my toes from unraveling after I bind them off using my normal top to bottom knitting style. Another problem that I have is running out of yarn. When I make socks for myself, I knit only the slightest leg to the socks, but if I make socks for someone who likes more sock on the leg, I run out. Hopefully, with starting at the foot, I won't run out as often. I wonder if it will feel as though the sock will finish quicker by starting at the bottom. All of my shaping happens from the ankle to the foot, maybe having the leg being a no-brainer, it might go faster. Well, at least psychologically.

The photo was taken after I had started the foot of the sock. Now, I have to admit that this might just end up turning into a pair of mittens, especially after I lost my favorite pair. I realize that it's March, but I live in the Great Lakes area, and we can have snow in May.  
When the mittens/socks are finished, I'll post a photo.

What's on the Loom

Just a quick look at what is on the looms right now.

These are for a Mother's Day gift at my church. I'm using baby blue and white softball yarn, woven at 7.5 dpi making it a balanced weave. The length of each item is 26 inches long, and 11 inches wide. Once washed the towels will shrink about two inches all around. I found that the yarn doesn't dry dishes as well as I had hoped, but it does dry off hands. Eventually, I would like to use this yarn in a honeycomb for a set of face towels.

On another loom, I have a series of belts that I'm weaving.

One half of the loom. The first warp is baby blue and brown; the second is coral and brown; the third is white and baby blue.

The other half of the loom. The first one is baby blue and white (I have three blue and white warps on the loom). The second one is magenta and blue, and the last one is magenta and lime green.

Each belt is woven on a 12.5 dpi. This is the same yarn that I wove at 7.5 dpi. The bands are slightly warp-faced, but it isn't turning out quite what I expected. I was using ripsmatta as the basis of the belts, hoping the alternating colors would show. The bands are turning out to be more log cabin and less rep weave. The other problem is that each of the belts takes longer to weave than I expected. I crowded seven bands onto a 20 inch loom. Once all the belts are done, I think they will look nice. They will take a little longer than I first expected.

Good Read Saturday

On the first Saturday of each month, I will do a review of various and sundry fiber related books. I will mix new and old titles, but will let you know when a book is out-of-print. In addition, I am including fiction as well as non-fiction books. Even though it is fun to learn different styles, I enjoy reading about fiber arts in fiction as well.

I purchased Rep Weaves by Laila Lundell about a month ago because I was interested in the ripsmatta or rep weave style. I found several articles about it in Handwoven, and wanted to learn more.

The book is a good introduction. Originally published in the late 1980s in Sweden, this book is published now in English. There are 27 projects ranging from belts to large rugs. Some of the coolest items that I liked were the traditional weave patterns, as well as some of the more modern styles. In one of the early projects, she shows a photo of the exact same warp using three different wefts. With the different wefts, she made matching table runner, seat cushions, and a rug.

One of the great things about this weave, and the book in particular, is that I can use my 4-shaft loom. This is wonderful since the 4-shaft looms that I have are quite old, and I cannot expand them easily. For some of the larger projects, more shafts are needed simply to hold the warp.

All in all, I think this is a worthwhile book for anyone interested in learning more about rep weave. A side note about the instructions for the patterrns: the book uses metric. At the back is a conversion chart, which inlcudes how the metric dpi (dents per inch) would measure in standard dpi.

My March Challenge

The photo is of the Cross of the Scriptures at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, Republic of Ireland. The cross has scenes from the Bible including the Crucifixion and the Last Judgement. It also shows the laying of the foundations of the monastery. High crosses can be found all over the British Isles. The one in the photo isn't the original, but a replica since the original is inside the visitor's center.

The challenge will be a photo, poem, lyrics, or quote. The purpose is to challenge myself to create something from the initial idea. Sometimes they'll sink, and sometimes they'll fly. If anyone wants to join me in the monthly challenge, feel free to join me. I'll post the finished item on April  7, and issue the next challenge. On the first Thursday of each month, come back and see what my new challange is.

Welcome

Welcome to Honeybee Pineapple Fiber Studio's blog. I weave, quilt, and well, most anything with fiber arts. Come see my monthly challenge tomorrow, and good reads on Saturday. Hope to see you then.