Monthly Fiber Arts Thread - February 1-29, 2020

February 1, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The Monthly Fiber Arts Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced fiber artists and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Fiber Arts Thread. Knitting, crochet, quilting, weaving, general crafting - there is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our Fiber Arts Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a Month Ping List. We do post to the thread during the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Fiber Arts fans are welcomed any time!

[Qiviut]

That little bear has the cutest face! Nice work on the wreaths :-)

[Sioux-san]

Hi Q- Beautiful work!!! Love your edge choices. Congrats for getting so much accomplished in such short order.

[finnsheep]

I was inspired to fire up my tiny four harness Structo loom - most recent patent 1907. The company was later bought out by the Dick Blick company. I hadn’t used it in a decade and had completely forgotten how. Just beginning to weave on it now. I don’t know how to post photos, but here is a link to my old blog http://antique-spinning-wheels.blogspot.com/search?q=structo

I learned how to use it from the structo yahoo group. It is sad that yahoogroups will end in March. They were wonderful resources.

[Qiviut]

Enjoyed your blog post - what a beautiful pattern! I go to a Fiber Festival in the Fall about an hour away & they have demonstrations of folks spinning & weaving. It’s a set of skills I admire.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I added you to the Ping List. Enjoy! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Have you heard of ASMR? Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s all the rage for relaxing, these days.

Sounds that tickle your ears! Here is 20-odd minutes of clacking knitting needles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOBhGDtO5NM

(You will need headphones to hear them well, though!)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Added! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Here’s a link for Make Crochet Great Again:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2121273181479018/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Added! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I love the cream-colored one the best; gorgeous work, as always!

[Qiviut]

Of all the Terry Kimbrough patterns, I think the "Sweet Dreams" (cream) one is my all-around favorite. It's detailed, beautiful, but not over the top.

I am posting another baby blanket picture (I've made two of these) because I love the story that goes along with one of them. I did volunteer trail work & spent a lot of time with one of the sawyers (ran a chainsaw) - he cut, I swamped (cleared what he cut so he could keep going). We became friends (he is just THE nicest guy) and while I knew he was married, no one in our volunteer group had met his wife. Finally, at a summer picnic, she turned up and the reason why was because the couple's son had recently died. She was an RN & evidently, the son was born with profound disabilities - she quit nursing & stayed home taking care of him for 20 some years until he finally died. My friend's remaining child, a daughter, was also at that picnic - the whole family was making the attempt to come back out in public after the death of their son/brother.

Anyway, some years later, I was hiking with a friend in the part of the state where this sawyer friend & his wife lived (about 2 hours from where I live). They knew we were in the area and invited us for lunch. While we were there, they pulled out a wedding album - their daughter had gotten married and even more exiting, was expecting in a couple of months. For the first time, the sad, haunted look these friends/parents carried in their eyes was replaced with happiness and excitement, it was wonderful to see.

The thought occurred ... I would give them a special baby prayer blanket & this particular pattern came to mind - it's heirloom quality. So, I got it done, packed it up, included a prayer card & sent it. I never imagined how that blanket would impact them - they were completely surprised and truly loved & appreciated it. They sent me a picture of their new grandson wrapped in the blanket, being held by his mother. I did see this couple in 2017 & was thanked again & told that the baby was baptized in that blanket. This is one of the most rewarding baby blankets I've ever made (some prayer shawls are pretty close).

So here's a picture of the blanket and I'll post the prayer that went with the blanket on the gift card:

Terry Kimbrough pattern: "Exquisite"

Prayer on gift card:

Loving God, bless this child
who was brought into your world.
As the child's mother wraps her baby in this blanket, may she too be enfolded in Your Unconditional embrace.
Protect these two lives that are forever bonded.

Bless this child's father, too .....
He is the provider, the protector and guardian,
As his child grows, may he be given the strength, compassion and tenderness needed to be the best role model he can be.

Surround this family with love and comfort.
Wrap them in Your peace.
Bundle them in security and cradle them in Your hope for the future.
May their days together grow in joy, guided by Your tender, abiding love, blessing this family through all the generations.
Amen

[Qiviut]

My mother was an expert at sewing and knitting. She could make anything. She grew up in dire poverty, and had to learn this stuff for survival.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A ‘survival’ tale from my family- my grandmother grew up ‘family rich’ (LOTS of siblings - 12 .... took 3 wives ... they kept dying in childbirth) and $$ poor. She married (arranged marriage) & had 4 girls. With no sons, the girls were all treated like boys on the farm, picking cotton (yup, you heard that right!), hoeing corn, growing canteloupe - picking, packing, knocking crates together, and running a dairy. They had a large garden (Granny canned) & butchered their own cows, hogs, Granny would wring an old hen’s neck for Sunday’s lunch & she sold eggs in town for some small cash. Eggs were a once-a-week treat because they needed the money from selling them. Oatmeal was the breakfast meal (she made The Best oatmeal, with fresh, unpasturized milk from the cows)& she was a ‘master’ at cinnamon rolls & homemade bread (churned the butter, too).

Anyway, back in those days, the feed came in cloth sacks printed with designs. The trick was finding enough sacks with the same design, but when she had enough, Granny would cut a pattern out of newspaper (the pattern was designed in her head), cut out the pieces from the sacks, then sew up dresses for her girls. She had an old “treadle” sewing machine and I can still see her little feet on that treadle, working it back/forth & sewing away. She made wedding dresses for at least two of the 4 girls - beaded, lace, very detailed (still using the treadle machine!). She was a talented woman in many ways (only had an 8th grade education, as high as schools in her community went, back in those days). She was also the mechanic on the farm machinery .... if something broke down, Granddad was hollering “Mama!” for her to come work on it. While he had no mechanical ability, he was a super hard, energetic worker - on the “go” all the time. ‘Necessity’ was a driving force, back in those days. Both of my Grandparents pretty much worked themselves to death. Days visiting on their farm are some of my best childhood memories & the older I get, the more I admire them for the life they lived.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Your baby blankets are stunningly beautiful. I wish I had your talent and the patience needed to create such works of art.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Wow ... I’m getting a “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now” notice. I must have offended someone at some point of time. But I don’t know who, when, or how.

:(

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Inspiration: A crocheted box of chocolates for your Valentine. Get busy! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

https://www.favecrafts.com/Valentines-Day/Valentine-Chocolates-Crochet-Pattern-from-Red-Heart-Yarn

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Don’t take it personally. FB probably put them in Jail for a while or something. Jerks.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Thank you for sharing that!!!

That is the most wonderful story I've heard all week!

Definably makes my Sunday!!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

A quilt that my Grandma Edith made. It's not all that 'pretty' but the little squares of cloth were from clothes my sister and I had outgrown through the years. The brown paisley border was from a dress she once had, and the gray and green paisley was from one of my Dad's (her Son) shirts. (The quilt is folded in thirds; it's big enough for a twin bed.) It's fun to look at old photos and see ourselves in some of those original clothes. I know she also gave a lot of our outgrown clothing to, 'those poor little Mexican kids' that were part of the families that came to work in the fields in the rural Wisconsin county where she lived. Nothing ever went to waste in our family. ;)

Edith died in the mid-80's. The dogs on the computer screen (Lucy & Rufus) are also gone but never forgotten!

[sissyjane]

Gosh-I’m not sure I even knew this thread existed!

I’m totally addicted to fabric and quilting. I had two quilts in Houston this year and two quilts in Road To California.