New Post

Hey there, to anyone who hasn't discovered my new location yet; I've added a new post and here's the link: http://aylasallegories.com/

Changes in My World

Check out my new .com address and new look.  Oh ya, I wrote a new blog too.
http://aylasallegories.com/

The Simple Things ...

And so it is December....

Where did November go? It seems to have flown past in the blink of an eye. With a fabulous four-day weaving class presented by Robyn Spady, Thanksgiving, Black Friday Shopping and a blizzard, November disappeared as suddenly as it arrived.

Although hasty in its departure, November left behind happy memories that will last a lot longer than the snow that covers the ground outside my window. I won’t soon forget how excited and invigorated I felt to discover just how perfect my little looms really are, and how much I can do with them. Thanks to Robyn's Extreme Warp Makeover, I have learned that so much more can be done with simple tools than I had first imagined.  In life this lesson is also true, the simple gifts and blessings are the ones with the most hidden treasures.  I am grateful for the simple things.

A Taste of Winter

 It would be a surprise storm, if it were not such a common place to have snow in October.  Seasons in Eastern Colorado are confusing.  Our heaviest snowfall often imprisons us in Spring or Fall, but not in Winter.  

Just as we become accustomed to the Autumn Breeze that whispers through our hair, cooling our brow as we harvest  our pumpkins,  the Winter Sleet whips in from the north,  tearing at our faces and biting at our fingers.

Although the temperatures have once again risen above the freezing mark and the sun warms the days, I have been busily designing a pair of fingerless gloves to prepare myself for the next winter blast. Next on my agenda - fingered gloves!

Mud Dyeing?

Mud painting isn't like it was when I was little and painted my shirt, hair and face in the backyard ditch after a rainstorm. Instead I played with mud at a great place in Colorado called Table Rock Llama and Fiber Arts Studio. With Donna Brown's guidance, I dyed fabric, yarn and myself with mud! She taught our group to use oxide dyes and natural pigments - all earth friendly. Once they were mixed with soymilk and gum tragacanth - well, we had mud. Take a look at the results.

Washday for a Fiber Artist: When it looks like rain - bring out the wool!

First Autumn Breeze

I woke up this morning to the first rejuvenating breeze of autumn. My farm cats, which live in my rabbit barn, scampered out of their confinement with abounding joy. They seemed to be laughing at me when I tried to catch them with no success. Even my long haired Angora rabbits appeared to laugh at my attempts. 

 I am anticipating shawl weather because it facilitates the return of fiber arts and the end of garden weeding. I love my garden, but not the endless weeds that sprout up on the hot, dry, windswept plains of Eastern Colorado.

When not caring for my little fiber farm and garden, I’ve been hiding in my cool basement all summer with double pointed knitting needles as my companions. Baby Booties, in their tiny nature, do not generate much heat.  My Loom Room, however is upstairs where I can gaze out the windows, but unfortunately, the heat gazes back.

The weather man promises two days of cooler weather, maybe even a chance of rain.  Labor Day weekend will now be filled with my labor of love – weaving.