Alexander Calder inspired Spin Along Announced! On Sale July 29, 2012

The second SAL in my Artist series will be inspired by the amazing Alexander Calder. Calder is very near and dear to me because not only was he a traditional artist of sculpture and two dimensional pieces, he also pioneered the mobile and kinetic pieces as art forms and was a metalworking jewelry makin’ genius. These SAL’s are going to be up for sale in the shop on my birthday, Sunday July 29th for two weeks. I’m going to have all of the fiber dyed prior to them going up for sale so I can crank em’ out quick before this baby comes! Your only choice? Do you want a Betty Batt - super textural, chocked full of nothing but locks and fleece off of my vintage Fricke carder, or a traditional bricobatt, still textural but a smoother spin with a base of top.
The fiber in these spin alongs will be inspired by Calder’s bold primary color palette with hints of secondary colors and will each be accompanied by a handmade jewelry piece created by me, inspired by Calder’s jewelry and mobiles.
The rundown:
On Sale July 29, 2012 through August 12, 2012
Each SAL will include
2.5+ oz. sized batt
Calder inspired handmade jewelry piece
Shipped by August 17, 2012
A preview of what to expect :D
2 D Works/Lithographs

Freestanding Sculptures - this first one is actually only about an hour from where I live!

Mobiles/Kinetic Sculptures

Jewelry

This artist was such an innovator, full of character and whimsy.

 I’d say this picture pretty much sums him up, standing in front of the BMW art car he designed among other works.

Listings will be available in the shop on Sunday July 29th, 2012 and the Spin Along will be hosted in my ravelry group here.

BricHaus Officially Coming At Ya!

It started as a joke as we walked through a Ren Faire village on a hot summer day.

"What if we had a booth together at a show?"

"Yea, we could combine our names somehow!"

Which led to our own rendition of The Commodores' Brick House. 

We might be silly but, it definitely works, so for the first time of hopefully many, Dani of Pumpkinhaus and I will be sharing a booth at The Midwest Fiber + Folk Art Fair this year. We are BricHaus.   :D

You can find us in booth 305 F and don't miss our friend Faun of Hands + Notions booth right next door in 304 F!

Self Portrait No. 1

I have been neglecting by blog lately. Such an easy thing to do.  Sharing a picture here and there from my phone, a quick link on twitter, a reminding note on my facebook page that my newsletter is out announcing the latest update, falling down the pinterest rabbit hole - that is where my interwebs time has been spent.

Then I read a few really good blog posts from others and think, "Why am I not doing that still?"

Mom and I went to the bookstore today. There is something truly special about going to a bookstore with someone else who is perfectly content to sit on the floor with a coffee and look at craft books for a solid half hour. It had been a long time since I had found any inspiring books. Like Thomas Mann's new book Metal Artist's Workbench: Demystifying the Jeweler's Saw. Now I was broke mind you, so looking was all that I could do, but my favorite part in this book was that each featured artist had an accompanying picture of their benchpin. For the non jeweler readers out there, this is what a virgin bench pin looks like.

They take a helluva beating as they are one of the most used tools by a metal worker and consequently show wear for the acts that are most performed on them. Sawing in the wooden part, lots of hammering on the metal part.  Such a spectacular self portrait of each metal artist. It inspired me to take a photo of mine and share it, my own self portrait.

Mine is often the most handy place to clean up metal with steel wool (awful!) which causes the holes that were drilled in it (I will never drill on my pin again after taking a class with Joanna Gollberg who pretty much said "it is naughty, don't do it, crap will get stuck in there!" she was definitely right...) to become filled with the icky stuff, but it makes it mine I suppose. Little nicks I've used to guide my blade when cutting, larger nicks where I absently mindedly was sawing both metal and wood, and the whole thing delightfully dirty. Novice mistakes, missed hammer blows to the steel, the lever to tighten it that never stays in. I love my benchpin.

I picked up a few chicks

This past Saturday I went to a shearing at one of my favorite wool suppliers, what a fabulous event it was! Rather than just having the event for one farm, they had several other farms with so many fleeces to choose from. One of the lovely ladies even had a bottle fed lamb with her that was oh so cute!

When we arrived we instantly swooped in on a large group of fleeces that had already been skirted that day. I instantly saw the one little lady I was looking for, Lightening.

Her tight little curly-cued sproingy fleece is so incredible to work with! She is a romanov/dorset/corriedale x and I just finished dying up the rest of her 2011 fleece, such a treat!

I was also quite intrigued by a few other ladies who were crosses. Elle, a Romney/Corriedale x. This fleece is so lofty and wonderful feeling, I can't wait to get it all washed and dyed so I can start carding it!

 Finally, there is Polly, a Suffolk/Romney x. So funny that I ended up with two romney crosses because on it's own, I'm not wild about the fleece. Crossed with these two breeds, they are heavenly!

OOh spring fleeces!!! :D

the common woman

 "The common woman is as common as the reddest wine." - Judy Grahn

The first time that I heard of this poet was through the poem this quote was extracted from, Detroit Annie, Hitchiking, as read by Ani DiFranco. Every time I hear that last resounding line read, I am left mulling over how simply eloquent it is.

What makes a woman who she is?

A friend asked recently what music I listen to when I work, what I found inspiring.

Oh what possibilities. I really love listening to a good variety of amazing artists... ) I still really had to think about that question. I had to think not just about what inspires me, but what might also inspire that dear friend.

Not a common woman.

  My mom gifted me with a subscription a little over a year ago to MaryJanes Farm. What an amazing publication! It makes me feel empowered as a woman while still being filled with a wonderfully feminine theme. Power tools and fabric yo yo's all in the same magazine? Founded, published, and touched in every way by MaryJane herself, it outlines the way I would like to live.


Not a common woman.

My Mom is one of the strongest people I know. She inspires me every day to keep going, to keep living my dreams. I hope she knows the feeling is quite mutual.

Always will be far from a common woman.

 My poor weed and grass ridden flower garden sits neglected for now. It is still to early to clean up all the leaves and get my hands dirty.  April has barely begun, frosts will still come, maybe even snow. 

"Nothing is more the child of art than a garden." -Sir Walter Scott

Gardening is stimulating to my creative side in ways that my hammer and copper sheet could never fulfill. Gobs of wool and sparkle couldn't hold a candle to it. I long for it all winter and itch till the first of Spring to get out there.

I'm glad that the term 'artist' covers everything that I do, because I don't think I could define myself in any specific way other than that. I like to think that who I am, what inspires me, and what I do all make me unique and not a common woman.

Update 2.24.12

There will be an update in the shop  tomorrow starting at approximately 6PM EST. I'm rolling out a new product in the shop and will also be listing some handspun yarns (and maybe a few odds and ends too!)

Textured Mohair Cloud Batts!

and some yummy new handspun!