New blog site

Well, for technical reasons I am moving my blog.  To get to the new location go here

Cool weaving with feathers…

My wonderful long time friend, Carol SinClair way up in North Idaho sent me some photos of some wonderful weaving she has done using yarns I sent her. Her business, Feathers on Leathers, features her wonderful artist’s eye using naturally beautiful feathers in everything from earrings and hairclips to large wall hangings and masks. She sells her work through the artist’s coop gallery in Coeur d’Alene, which you can see here. Or just click here to see more of her work.

Carol was the first of many wonderful artists I met when I moved to the wilds of Spirit Lake, a town of about 700 only 90 miles south of the Canadian Border. Those creative spirits (many of whom founded the co-op, of which I was a member) helped me keep my sanity during many snowy winters and other struggles.

I love living in Oregon, but sometimes miss the great folks, and many lakes of No. Idaho. It really was the wild, wild, west….

I learned something new…

This was just too cool, I learned how to braid my rovings! Very simple really, but look how cool they look

And I learned how from a link to a video on youtube. My daughter (13,you know the age) can’t decide if it is cool or dorky that her mom was on youtube. Anyway, there are tons of great fiber videos for the visual learners among us. Here is the link to the braiding one Video

And another pretty roving pic:

You know how it is when you get kind of sick and tired of work you have been doing, then you learn something new and get all excited again? Yeah, it was like that. I like my rovings again, and am inspired to dye more and take more pictures and get some up on etsy – and so on!

The pictures were taken at Saturday market last weekend. This was the perfect market day, not too hot, not too cold, sun was out and folks were out. Nice booth neighbors, tons of friends stopped by to say Hi, and my little granddaughter (2 in July) even came and visited me for awhile. I’m going to be able to teach that one to crochet, she spent 20 minutes carefully pulling yarn out of a skein and draping it over a stuffed animal in artistic patterns. Then rewinding it and doing it again. The genes must skip a generation, as I have had no luck with any of the kids. My stepdaughter flirted with knitting when all the kids in school were doing it, but that didn’t last.

Anyway, I have decided that I am sick of writing about our goofy weather, but if you want the whole crazy story of the record highs and record lows for our Saturdays in April read Kim’s great Market Blog. Let’s just say from 84 one weekend to hail and 48 the next isn’t the greatest fun!

Spring finally…

So spring finally did show it’s face, and with a sunny a.m. on the deck I was able to turn this pile of yarn into yummy goodness for market.

But here’s the disclaimer, that was yesterday, and today is Friday. Pouring rain on and off, while I try display ideas in my living room and pray for sun for Saturday market.

Oh, that’s organic cotton by the way, bulky weight, dyed with low impact dyes.

snow and mittens

Okay, first day of spring, it started snowing during dinner tonight. No, not sticking, but jeez, this is Oregon, in March, and it’s snowing…

Finally got a picture of the fingerless mitts I’ve been working up

These will be great for those cold mornings at Saturday Market next month. I have made quite a few extras as I think other vendors may want/need some too!

If you want to make some for yourself, the pattern is here

And the Saturday Market entertainment schedule is up, opening day music looks like fun, check it out.

Now let’s just hope it doesn’t snow that day too..

Etsy is a friendly place

So far my etsy adventure has worked out great. Sales are already happening, and I have had some great conversations with folks. I love that it is a huge online craft fair, since I have been setting up a booth with my crafts for almost 30 years, I feel right at home. And every category is full of wonderful, creative designs.

My whole family is cracking up, because I have been talking etsy all week, and the Sunday paper here in Eugene did a big article about local artists selling there. You can read it here, but you will learn more just jumping over to etsy and diving in.

Fun with Beads

I have been interested in bead crochet for awhile now, and did play with the traditional style where you make a tight rope in a spiral. But this weekend I finally got to try something that I have been itching to get to, crocheting with beads and wire.

It was so fun, I think I am totally hooked. I love the sort of lacy texture,

The random sort of texture and placement of the beads is really fun. I have been searching craft stores for the right weight of wire,, figuring out hook sizes, etc. I finally ordered some wire from Fire Mountain so when that arrives (hopefully by the rainy weekend) I will spread out my bead stash and dive in!

I hope to have some of this for sale at Saturday Market. Meanwhile the dye pots are bubbling, and I am shipping out lots of yarn at sale prices from ebay. My etsy sales are picking up, so I am happy with the change. The “problem” with etsy is all the great handmade stuff for sale, I could shop for hours. Like a huge market that is open 24 hours. Sigh….

The real sign of Spring in Eugene…..

It came in the mail last week, the real sign of spring

The Saturday Market newsletter, a colorful paper packet to sign up for market, full of info and a wish list, and the promise of sunny days with happy customers and Ritta’s burritos with a background of homegrown music.

Of course it also means cold, rainy mornings with frozen toes and no customers in sight–but when that little flyer arrives that’s not your first thought.

I’ve been signing up for market since I moved to Eugene in the early 90’s, and it still holds magic for me. Time to start thinking about my display, make some new signs — and oh yeah: how about creating some product!

Back into the chilly garage/studio to fire up the dye pots! Spring is on it’s way.

Handpainted yarns now on Etsy, Yeaaay

I’ve finally gotten organized (I take that term very loosely sometimes) and begun listing my handpainted yarns on etsy. Here is a little teaser:

but for more you have to go here

Changes at Freshwater Fibers

The new year is always a good time to evaluate and start fresh, and this January is no exception. There are going to be some significant changes to my business coming this year.

Probably the biggest thing is that I am phasing out my eBay store. Due to fee changes and other policy changes it just isn’t the right place for me and my yarns anymore.

What does that mean for you? Lots of sales and discounts on yarns and supplies in the ebay store for the next month or two while I reduce my inventory. Right now (for another day) all the Corn yarns, Amazing and Cornucopia, are half off. Next will be deep discounts on sock yarn, bamboo, etc. Click here if you want to check out the latest stuff on sale. While you are there mark it as a favorite and you will get a newsletter as each new sale starts.

For those familiar with my handpainted yarns, I am going to start listing them on etsy beginning in February. I will put a link on the right here as soon as I get some yarn in there! Ultimately I hope to keep selling a few popular items, like the Ecoknit organic cotton, hemp yarn, etc. in my Etsy store. But I am going to scale way back on the online selling as spending every day at the computer, or packing and shipping orders, isn’t fun anymore.

Hopefully this cut back (at least after I clear out tons of inventory) will allow me to create more, dye more and play more with fibers, so those of you who visit my Saturday Market Booth this April will be in for some great new items.

And because I am not independently wealthy, there may even be a Real Job in my near future (Gasp, NO, Say it isn’t so!). Won’t that be a new adventure if it works out!?!