Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair

Hi all!

I just got back a little while ago from vending at the first annual Long Island Fleece and Fiber Fair held at the Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, NY! In addition to having fiber artists sell their wares, there were also many demonstrations and workshops, including sheep herding, sheep and alpaca shearing, carding, dyeing, spinning, felting, knitting, and weaving! There were also angora rabbits, sheep and lambs, and llamas and alpacas that you could pet. Below are some pictures I took throughout the day of some of the beautiful work I saw as well as some of the lovely creatures without whom none of these fiber arts would be possible! Enjoy!


My table


My favorite item of the day, a lovely felted handbag from the Hallockville Knitters




Beautiful table decor and pin cushion from Mojo's Place


Gorgeous hand-dyed and hand-spun yarns from Hampton Artistic Yarns


Brilliant hand-dyed rovings from Color Craze Fiber


Beautiful hand-spun yarns from Temptress Yarn


Me meeting my first darling llama!!!


Amazing art from award-winning needle felter Irene Heckel


Freshly sheared llamas and alpacas


Me petting some baby Romney sheep! "Baaaah!!!"


Mommy angora bunny and baby angora bunnies (2.5 weeks old!) :)


Another angora bunny -- I challenge you to find its face!! (Hint: only the nose and mouth are visible)


Adorable retractable tape measures I bought from Mojo's Place


"Weave-it" miniature handmade loom I bought from Bumblebee Primitives


Finished woven square!

It was great meeting everyone and I look forward to seeing some of you again at the next fair!

New Obsession: Granny Squares!!!

So yesterday I got my first crocheting lesson from my mom in oh, probably 18 or so years! I used to crochet, knit, and sew as a kid, but once I hit my teen years I dropped it all. I picked up knitting again this past winter with a vengeance, and just lately I've been craving crocheting as well. So yesterday my mom re-taught me how to make the infamous granny square, and I haven't been able to stop since.


Everything I've made since last night.


Three granny squares and a circle -- I'm thinking of making a scarf
and soap sacks out of the squares, and facial scrub pads out of the
circles.


I love how these came out -- I used 100% organic and mercerized
cotton to make these, and they have a beautiful sheen to them. I'm
thinking of making a place mat out of the full squares, and I'm also
thinking of making a headband using only the green yarn and only
the two inner "squares".



I love how this one came out, but the photo doesn't do it justice. I used
3 different-colored glittery yarns for this one. I'm thinking of making
these into a place mat as well, and am also thinking of making a head-
band out of only the off-white yarn and using only the two innermost
"squares".


My newest squares!!! These are available as a set of 4 coasters in my
Etsy shop! I'm also planning on making a scarf out of these!

See anything you like? If you have any ideas of something I could make for you, please contact me through my Etsy shop! Thanks!

Inspiration at the Beach

One of my all-time favorite places to go and rejuvenate my soul is at the beach by my house. As soon as I pull my car into the park I feel the old familiar feeling of relaxation and a melting away of cares. As soon as I step out of the car and head toward the beach I feel the joy of being able to breathe in fresh air and feeling a nice breeze on my skin. And as soon as I step into the sand I feel any remaining cares slip away as I become entranced in a state of utter relaxation and bliss.


Ring-Billed Gull

While I am at the beach I not only slip into a meditative state, but I also am collecting shells, rocks, driftwood, and other tidbits; I am birdwatching; I am getting exercise; and I am becoming filled with ideas and motivation of positive things that I want to do once I leave the beach. I try to make going here a regular practice, but sometimes (like in the winter) I don't keep up with it, and I suffer in very obvious ways.

Great Black-backed Gull

Each and every one of us needs a place like this to retreat to. If you don't have a place like this you should make it an active goal to find a place where you can go and sink into a state of utter relaxation. Sometimes you don't even need to leave the house -- the bathtub or the garden are other places where I can achieve this state as well (although they're not quite as good as the beach). Without a place like this, we can become easily irritated, worn out, depressed, and stagnant with our creativity. Life's too short to let that happen.


Herring Gull coming in for a landing


Ring-billed Gull, Two Herring Gulls eating a crab, and a Great Black-backed Gull yelling in the distance

"Fashioning Felt" Exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

So I went to the felt exhibit on Sunday, and it was pretty cool. Don't know that I would bother traveling very far to see it, though... there's not all that much there. I also was not allowed to take pictures (I snuck in a couple anyway, though, until I realized I was on camera and they could see me with my camera...):

felted costume jewelry

entrance to the "yurt"

Anyway, you can see the pictures of everything there online:
http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Fashioning-Felt/

Or buy the book with all of the photos and TONS more info than is offered online OR at the exhibit here:
http://www.cooperhewittshop.org/?path=item&topid=1&itemid=453

AND, they mentioned nothing about needle felting!!! :(

Oh well... you win some, you lose some. Luckily, we also had a visit to the Met planned, where -- interestingly enough, you ARE allowed to take pictures:







And then on a walk through Central Park on our way to get dinner, we saw at least 12 American Robins, a surefire sign of spring!!! :D




All in all, a very nice day!!! :)

Bored... and Unmotivated

Lately I've been feeling really unmotivated to work on my stuff. What do you all do when you feel this way? Any special tricks or techniques for snapping out of it?

First Robin of the Year!!!

Just wanted to stop in quick to mention what a lovely day I had outside today! It was in the 60s, the sun was out even though it wasn't supposed to be, I saw 24 different species of birds today, and the most important one was the American Robin, a symbol of the arrival of springtime weather!

Mah First Blog... well, not really

But this is my first blog on here, and I intend on taking this blog a bit more seriously than the other one I have. My mission here is to document my progress (or lack thereof) through the world of handmade arts & crafts. I am in the process of making items that I have made for a long time for my etsy shop -- www.notsoshabbychic.etsy.com -- , but I am also in the more interesting process of learning some new crafts (needle felting) and re-learning some old ones (knitting). I wanted someplace to post notes and photos as to my progress so that I can [hopefully] see that with time and practice that I am improving.

I am also an avid birdwatcher, gardener, and lover of all things nature, so I also wanted someplace in which I could share with the world (or just the one or two of you who will be following this) what it is that fills me with joy and what inspires me. :)