CENTERING WITH FIBER

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Children's Saori weaving and learning to spin class

What a testimonial to Saori weaving and and the desire to want to learn to spin when Olivia, and Zoë requested to there mother that is how they wanted to spend there Valentines day this year PLEASE please !
They had come to the studio to learn to weave last year but some how my phone number and information got lost , and just recently it was found again! yea found it this time the girls took one of my business cards each too….to make sure!! They loved choosing there own yarns and winding their own bobin after bobbin of pinks, reds, and corals and more…..

wow ...and I mean PINK!

and lavenders too.

Self assurred, motivated, loads of fun weaving…...

Alison brought along her hand me down problematic spinning wheel once again for adjustment and it is constantly needing tweaking and fixing. This is the 3rd or 4th time we have fixed it I believe only to have it be problematic yet again... quickly. we were starting to talk next about needing to replace parts for her hand me down wheel. It may be irritating for adults but it has been really frustrating and disheartening to teach children on . Equipment that is not well designed and made is not for teaching thats why i am a Louet wheel dealer love there wheels.. she is a spinner, and she is teaching the girls but just having a really tough time with her tradtional wheel. I sat her down to a Louet s10 double treadle wheel and said "I think it is time you try another wheel. "
Immediately there was relief! simple, easy strong, non fussy the 40+ years the s10 has been in prodution it has been one amazing carefree non fussy delightful wheel louet S10 wheel. it ws so much eaiser! no flyer falling, off, thrown drive bands etc! yea!

The girls later in the class spun on it with ease and confidence and spinning singles yarns with no equipment failures! What a joy. The probability that a S10 will be living at a new home soon is a very exciting option for the family. There are a whole array of louet wheel models , from travel to very good price point entry level kits , all excelenty quality these are the models I adore and carry…. some more Louet wheels. the S10 has been the longest in production Louet wheel, and most popular for reason, it just is so durable and and you basicly sit down and spin. NO need for lengthy adjustments every time you want to move it or change a bobbins. With the optional new art yarn flyer even very beginners or children can spin and if large unspun areas get drawn in the orifice accidentally , no problems there are no hooks for the fiber to catch on snarl or create frustrations….

Alison had to leave for an appointment and the girls and I wove and spun till her return...

" It's almost as tall as I am " said Zoë WOW!

Olivia loved finishing the fringes and spinning as well.

class info or contact me go here Saori Santa Cruz classes

Their mom returns to yards of woven saori fabric, and hand spun yarns from the girls…. a very happy Valentines day!

Peaceful weaving and spinning in the redwoods
Jill Nickolene
www.saorisantacruz.com

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Saori weaving, Spinning class, and stuff I have been up to.

Been so busy, and I just am catching up on my writing …. Starting WITH Tiffany... a talented jewelry artist House of stonez Etsy shop, who is interested in learning how to weave to incorporate ideas into her jewelry. She came for a Saori try it class …..saorisantacruz classes

winding bobbins with the built in bobbin winder on the saoriwx60 folding loom

What a delightful couple of hours we had, and as you can see Tiffany found some skills lurking that she did not know she had. I am sure she will be back to explore more weaving tecniques ….

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Meet Shizuka. She studied Saori weaving in Japan for 2 years and she wove and sewed these beautiful Saori cullote pants! pattern for these page 114 in the saori book in english and another cullote version in the great pattern book page 46 of the Saori Blue clothing pattern book
she did a fantastic job!

But today she is learning a new skill , how to spin wool on drop spindles, and on spinning wheels.

First we used a Turkish drop spindle to learn about drafting and twist

The fun part of Turkish spindles is that when you are done you pull out the shaft and whorl arms and you have an all ready to ply ball of yarn.
we used other types of wool including some mohair that she spun with a top whorl spindle.

Then she plied the two yarns together on a heavier plying spindle…..

And took it off on a little niddy noddy to have her first little skein of hand spun.

With just enough time left ...she graduated to spinning at the wheel. The Louet S17 it so easy to use Louet S17 wheel

She carried her drop spindle techniques over to the wheel beautifully.

I especially love this photo for the close up her hand woven Saori pants!

She tried out the Louet S90 wheel too as we wound down a very successful Learn to spin class. She will continue on later this month with another wheel class. wow she is a very very Fast learner.

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Every year for the last four years I do a self imposed challenge for my self in Jan Feb.
this year my challange is 30 IN 30 . ( 30" a day for 30 days)

My first piece off the loom. A banner out of seine cotton yarn to withstand the year long seasons.

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Our Local Book Shop Santa Cruz filled there magazine stand and the winter 2014 edition shipment of Belle Amorie with my" art of the vitners tasting jacket" in it arrived last week .

As my 6 year old grand daughter said, "we went to a book store and there was a book with your weaving in it". She just smiled... so i went down to check it out and yep they were in !