Missy B

Fun Things!

First fun thing:  Today is my birthday!  Yippeee!

Second fun thing:  Color Fiber Festival! We, Tactile: A Fiber Arts Studio, are putting on a show in Berkeley with Kristine of A Verb for Keeping Warm this Saturday (4/26).  We've also invited Pigeonroof Studios and Girl on the Rocks.  There will be classes and fiber tastings (see website for more info).  Plus there will be both indoor and outdoor areas to hang out and spin/knit and chat.  I hope we see you there!

Third fun thing:  Tactile and Verb will be sharing a booth at both CNCH and Maker's Faire next weekend (5/3 & 5/4).  Both events should be a blast.  There is even a rumor that Stephanie will be speaking at Maker's Faire on Saturday (5/3) at 11am.  Fun times!

Lot's of great fibery goodness here in the Bay Area!  Also, I wanted to apologize for the radio silence here.  It's not that I don't have things to say and I think about posting everyday but, as a fellow self-employed friend said, "Working for yourself is great!  You can work any 16 hours you want to."  I later repeated this back to him and he said, "Only 16 hours?  You're slacking!"  But you get the idea.  Anyway, I am reading all of your blogs even if I'm not posting here!

Vav Magazine

Just a quick note to say if you are interested in weaving and haven't checked out Vavmagasinet yet you should.  I asked for a subscription for the holidays and my first issue came a last week.  I've really enjoyed the articles and the projects.  It has a fresh Scandinavian look to it that is a nice contrast to some of the other weaving magazines I've seen.

Fried Pickle Evidence

  I was looking through my pictures and realized I never posted the evidence that Maia and Racheal did infact eat fried pickles and friend garlic.  Little did they know how they would feel a few hours later.  I had to go find Maia a plain baked potato in order to soak up some of the grease.  I think it was the fried garlic.  If you get it next year only eat 4-5 of the gloves.  You've been warned!

Holiday Knitting

  I know a lot of people eschew holiday knitting because it seems like a recipe for disaster but I can't help myself.  I love knitting for friends and family so I through caution to the wind and jump in.  This year I've been so busy with the new business I got a very late start.  On my list was a vest for my dad, a sweater for my mom, and a sweater for my step-dad. 
  I decided, with the help of my mom, on Cobblestone for my step-dad using Rowan's discontinued Magpie in a grey they call 'Tranquil.'  This was the only one I was able to finish by Christmas day.  I didn't weave in the ends or block the sweater by Christmas Day because I wanted to have my step-father try it on before it was a pain to have undo if needed.  Thankfully, that won't be necessary since it fits him well.  Its been hard to get a good picture of this sweater.  I'll try again after I block it. (Yes, I still haven't blocked it!)
  My dad requested a chartreuse vest with orange trim which I just managed to finish Monday morning after pulling a unintentional semi-all-nighter.  I accidentally stayed up until 5:30am finishing this vest.  I didn't start doing the head bob until about 5am.  I had no idea what time it was until I got up to go to bed.  Again, I didn't weave in the ends or block it before having my dad try it on.  It fits, looks great, and he's thrilled with it.  Nope, it's not blocked either.
  For my mom I am working on Arianne (mom, don't click!) for my mom but I am only up to just under the armholes.  This sweater has the greatest potential for not fitting since I am using the Elsebeth Lavold's Cotton Patine that my mom picked out and rather than knitting the yarn to the gauge of the pattern I am knitting it tighter since it is cotton and will grow.  No picture since my mom hasn't seen the sweater yet.
  All in all, I'm pleased with my holiday knitting since so far two out of three have been successful.  It doesn't bug me that I didn't get them all done by Christmas.  Now I just have to be sure that I don't dawdle on really getting them done!   

First Things First

  I can't believe it's almost the end of January!  Shoot, I'm still working on holiday knitting but I'll save that for my next post.  More importantly I wanted to share with you what I've been working on with Maia (who just had a birthday!) for the past year.  We're not really ready to do a big announcement quite yet but we have a big month coming up in February and we wanted to be able to share it with all of you.
  Maia and I are pleased to announce Tactile: A Fiber Arts Studio.  We are offering naturally dyed yarn and fibers as well as equipment and books.  This is truly a labor of love for the two of us but it wouldn't have been possible without the support, inspiration, and feedback of our friends and the patience and understanding of our loved ones.   As one of my friends, who is also self-employed, told me, "Working for yourself is great.  You can work any 16 hours a day you want to."  I repeated this back to him later and he said, "What?  Only 16 hours?  You're slacking off."
  In February we will be a vendor at Madrona Fiber Arts and Stitches West.  We will also be teaching a drop spindle class at Knit One One in Oakland.  Once we are done with all of these events we will go live with our online store.  In the meantime you can sign up for our newsletter here or sign up on our Google Group.  ETA:  In all the excitement I forgot to mention our new store blog as another way to keep up with what's going on.  The blog is still getting gussied up so be kind!
  Thank you again to everyone whose helped us along the way.  We wouldn't be where we are without all of you.  But most of all, thank you Maia for being my partner in crime!  As I said before, I look forward to many more years spent up to our elbows in dye pots, fueled by Vietnamese food, frightening the neighbors, and bitching about the boss and the wages.

Woo & Hoo

  So, last Monday (that would be the Monday before Thanksgiving, mind you) I took my Landscape Contractor's Licensing Exam and passed!  The state does not publish the exam dates so you have to wait to find out if your application is accepted before you know when you are going to take the test.  I received the letter saying my application was accepted and in it was a summons(!) to appear for the next test date which was two weeks away.  Needless to say I spent the next two weeks studying. 
  I took a review course and was the only woman.  At the exam I was also the only woman.  Made me wonder what is the ratio of men to women of license holders. 
  I'm happy to have that behind me!  Now I am in the throws of preparation for a couple of holiday shows.  One is this weekend in Berkeley at the Glimakra Weaving Studio on MLK.  We are co-hosting this event with Kristine of A Verb for Keeping Warm.  And our next show will be Bazaar Bizarre in SF on the 15th.  Come see us if you are out and about!
  I have been crafting while I've been busy but my camera is out of juice so I'll share pictures later.  Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!

  We have 15 bags of candy.  Think that's enough?  The bowl could only hold 11 bags so we've got 4 in reserve.   Last year my husband ran out of candy and had to raid his own stash of candy that his parents brought him from Mexico.  Hopefully we won't have to do the same this year!

  The bowl is at the ready next to the door.  So far my favorite trick-or-treater has been a young boy dressed as Oprah but the night is young yet.  Have a happy Halloween!

Quick Interlude in Chi-town & NYC

  Since I had to fly through Chicago on my way to and from SOAR I decided to spend a few days visiting my best friend, Jenni, who lives there before I headed out to NYC.  I found out on the last night of SOAR that Julia was going to be in Chicago the same days as I. Turns out that Julia was free for dinner on Monday and Jenni, who is about half done with her masters of education, had a class on Monday night so I was free too.  We ate at Vong's Thai Kitchen and my friend Erica joined us.  We had a great time.

  On Tuesday I flew to Manhattan and met up with Maia at her father and step-mother's apartment in the East Village.  Maia's father Paul DIscoe designed and built the interior in his workshop/mill in Oakland.  I have seen some of Paul's other houses that he has designed and built and the one thing that really stands out for me in his work is his use of wood.  Paul receives street trees from the arborists working in the Bay Area and then mills them himself in Oakland.  The picture at left is of the hallway that stretches the length of the apartment.  Thank you Maia for providing such a wonderful place to stay!

  Rachael arrived on Wednesday morning and we headed out to walk around Greenwich village and Soho.  Not surprisingly we visited Purl and The Point while we were out and about.  Cassie was nice enough to take time out of her busy schedule to meet up with us for a chat before her quilting class at Purl Patchwork.  After hanging out with Cassie we walked down Houston to Katz's Deli.   They claim to be New York's oldest and best deli.  It's all a bit lost on me considering I'm a vegetarian but Maia and Rachael both agreed that it was the best pastrami that the had ever had.  Rachael even brought some home with her for Lala.   Katz's hasn't changed some of the signs on their walls since telephone numbers had exchanges.  Rachael and Maia both took pictures.  I took pictures of them taking pictures. 

I managed to meet up with a couple of college friends on Thursday for lunch.  Afterwards I took Maia to visit Habu and School Products which are about as different as yarn stores can be but both fun.  That night we met up with Michelle for a cocktail.  She took us to this hidden bar, Angel's Share, that was just a couple blocks from the apartment.  Angel's Share refers to the alcohol that evaporates from the barrel during the fermenting process.  Cool huh? 

On Friday the three of us took the Metro-North train to Poughkeepsie and there started our Rhinebeck adventure.  I'm going to save that part of the trip for the next post however since this one is getting a little long.

Whirlwind SOAR Review

  I've been a very fortunate and busy girl for the past two weeks.  I was very lucky to be able to attend SOAR this year again for the second time.  This year it was held in the "U.P." otherwise know as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I flew in on the last flight with Judith MacKenzie McCuin out of Chicago.  When we landed (late!) in Traverse City I discovered they had decided to leave one of my bags in Chicago because the plane was over weight.  Better my one of my bags than one of Judith since she was teaching the next day.  Thankfully the front desk had an extra toothbrush and toothpaste so I would be able to talk with people then next day. 
  My room was down the hill from the Main building and this was the view as I walked back up the hill.  Isn't the fall color beautiful?  When we first got there it was in the 80's and humid by the end of the week it was down in the 50's and 60's.  Much better for all the people wanting to wear their handknits.
  On Monday we started our three day retreat classes.  This year I took a fiber preparation class with Robin Russo.  For the first day and half we focused on combs starting with hand combs ad then we moved on to English and Russian Paddle combs.  For each different tool we used a coarse, medium, and fine wool and then spun a thick, medium, and fine sample.  After that we worked with exotics such as qiviut, mohair, alpaca, angora, and llama.  We then moved on to color and fiber blending.  For the second half of the class we did the same fibers on the drum carders.  We ended the class doing  "designer batts" as Robin calls them where we had free reign with the fibers and she pulled out some silk and silk noil to use as well. 
  On Wednesday each class put together a table full of examples of what we did in our classes.  That is Sara Lamb checking out our class table at left.

  Thursday was a day off.  The vendor area was open and in the afternoon we had to pick which four half-day classes we wanted to take for the next two days. 

  On Friday morning I took entrelac knitting with Kathryn Alexander.  She is a lovely, energetic teacher.  I am still working on turning my sample into a little bag.

  On Friday afternoon I took lace spinning with Margaret Stove.  She started out by talking to us about how to set up our wheel for super fine lace spinning.  She then moved on to showing us her lock by lock washing method.  At one point she scrubs the lock of wool vigorously on a bar of soap all the while never letting go of one end much to the amazement of all her students.  I don't think anybody believed that it wouldn't felt until they did it themselves.  The picture at left is of a handspun and hand knit shawl by Margaret herself. 

  On Saturday morning I took a long draw class with Maggie Casey where we spun both carded wool and cotton.  I think that for a lot of people that was the first time they had spun cotton comfortably.  She uses the carded pima cotton from Cotton Clouds and swears that it is "magic cotton" because it spins so easily.

  My last class was inkle loom weaving with Sara Lamb.  Inkle looms were the one type of loom that I had yet to weave on so I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity for a little exposure. Weaving a simple band was a great way to wrap up the week.

  I'm not quite up to admitting what all I bought at the vendor's area yet but I will show you a picture of the new Forrester Spindle I bought from French Hill Farm.  I love this spindle and spun on it all the rest of the week as well as while I was walking around Rhinebeck this weekend.  It spins like a dream.  Next to it is pictured the singles that I spun from all the samples that came in or SOAR goody bag this year.  The Forrester has a tapered end that allows you to fit a straw over it and slide you singles onto the straw for easy storage and plying.

  All in all SOAR was great again this year.  I love going because it is a wonderful combination of learning from fabulous teaches, meeting new people, and catching up with friends.  Unfortunately I seem to have come away with the same SOAR bug that Stephanie is sick with and boy has it been a humdinger.  My voice, which is low on a good day, has been approaching life time smoker low and gravely off and on for the whole week.  I'm finally beginning to have moments where I feel almost normal so I am hoping that this cold is on its way out. 

  Maia, Rachael, and I are on our way back down to NYC this morning after having a blast at Rhinebeck but that will have to wait for the next update.  Right now I must pack so we can get to the train station!

Busy, as usual!

I think I just need to accept that this is how my blog life is always going to be: a flurry of activity then silence. I don't seem to be able to do it any other way. Perhaps it's not ideal but it's better than nothing. Anyway, as the title says, I've been busy (as usual!). This is me right before we started unloding at California Wool & Fiber Festival. Hard to believe that was just over a week ago. We borrowed my dad's Westfalia and crammed it full of wool and then used it to camp out behind the fairground for the weekend. We could have fit one or two things more in there but not much. The good news is that we did come back with less than we arrived with. Honestly when I saw all the things we were going to try and put in the van I had my doubts as to if it was going to all fit but fit it did!

Overall it was a great weekend. We were next to Jeane who is the owner of Elemental Affects and Morgaine of Carolina Homespun was next to her so we had a great time chatting and covering for each other while we were teaching classes.

Here is one side of our booth. Overall I think that we sold more fiber than yarn which is great. It reflects the increase in interest in spinning that I think we are all seeing. While at the fair I taught 3 classes total. Two of the classes were drop spindle classes and one was a color spinning class on the wheel. I had a total of 8 students and half of them were kids. It was very heartwarming to see kids getting into spinning and they were doing a great job. Between the classes, being a vendor, the setting up and breaking down, and the camping we were very tired by the time that we finally pulled out of Booneville and headed home. So tired infact that I came down with the cold that is going around once I got home! It's starting to go away now but boy did it feel like my nose was stuck on perma-drip there for a few days.

I was really good while I was at the festival and didn't buy much but this fleece had to come home with me. It is the reserve grand champion fleece from the wool show. It's from Merry Meadows Farm and it's a 3" Cormo fleece that was coated. It's just a dream! It's only about three pounds so it is not a huge undertaking either. I'm leaving soon for SOAR and then from there I will head to NY for Rheinbeck so I would like to get it washed before I go. I'm not sure if that's going to happen but a girl's gotta have goals, no?

My desktop computer still isn't up and running so I am using flickr to resize my photos so I will try and get caught up here in between getting ready to out of town for more than two weeks!