Monday Moods - Black Walnut



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Wasting Yarn

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One of the things most weavers have after awhile is a collection of leftover yarn. It's easier to purchase cones of yarn, but I rarely use all the yarn for a project. Now I have bits and bobs of various colors. Not all the colors go together, but sometimes they do. In this case, since it's getting close to March, and I had a lot of green, I opted to play with the greens. Ended up emptying two more cones just in the warp. I chose a rich forest green as the primary color (both for the warp and weft). With the forest color, I alternated another four colors: serenity, olive, teal and sea green. Out of the five colors, serenity was the only one not technically green, but was actually a pale blue. You can see it in the photograph above (second color on the left). While weaving, however, the blue blends in with the other colors quite well. I put on about five yards of warp, which should turn into a couple of scarves, one of which could be extra long. I won't know for cert...
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Why Artisanal?

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In recent years, I've tend to stay away from purchasing certain items through the store. Some of the purchases are because I can make the items like scarves and quilts. Others are because I need too make the items like skirts. Still others are made because of a particular color combination I want. Then there is the uniqueness of the item - I don't necessarily want to be like everyone else. Other times it boils down to wanting quality. Soap from Chicory Farm My family values quality. We may not always have a lot of stuff, but what we have will last a few generations. I understand craftsmanship, and expect to pay a little more for it. The long-term benefit of keeping the item makes the item worthwhile. Where I grew up in the Lancaster County region of Pennsylvania, people understood this concept: pay a little higher price for something that will last longer. We realized that paying a hundred dollars for a table which would last maybe five years was less valuable than pay...
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Artistic Encouragement

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I grew up in Lancaster Dutch Country, and moved to Western NY when I was twelve. After returning home for college, I began using both my weaving and writing skills to try and earn an income. Niagara River Above the Falls No such luck for several years, but yesterday I was up at the Castellani Art Museum  to learn about the Art Services Initiative and the arts community in the Western five counties of Western NY. For a brief review of Western NY (and New York state in general) you first need to realize that New York City makes up a very  small portion of the entire state. It's something like less than ten percent in all honesty. That particular area is referred to as Downstate and includes anything below the northern NY/PA border. Western NY can be a looser term, but it typically is everything west of the Genesee River, or the eight Western counties of NY State (Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Erie, Wyoming, Allegheny, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua. This area is rich in natu...
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