Wool Gathering

I recently started learning to knit. I taught myself the basics and then took classes to learn how to do lace and sock knitting. I have yet to finish a project but so far I am really enjoying the journey.

When I take on a new venture I really like to know the whole process from beginning to end so one week ago I had the opportunity to visit a nearby Alpaca farm to take a tour and learn more about the animals. Learning about them though wasn't enough, so I bought 5oz of raw Alpaca fleece so I could wash, card, and spin it.

To wash it I put it in my kitchen sink full of warm water with just one drop of detergent in it. I soaked it for half an hour, changed the water and soaked it in the warm soap water 3 more times until the water was clean-ish. After that I soaked it in warm water with no soap to rinse it. I put it in a lingerie bag and spun most of the water out in my washing machine on spin cycle.

Here are the pictures, a bag of fleece, fresh from the farm, next, cramming it all into my kitchen sink, last, spun out and laid on towels to complete drying.

It's been a real trip. Alpaca is so soft it is a pleasure to work with. It did smell a bit when it was wet but nowhere near as strong as my dogs smell when they are wet. It was also cool that I got to buy the fleece from the farmers who raised the Alpacas only 4mi from my house. I also got to meet the Alpaca my fleece came from. I've never gotten to buy fiber from a donor I met before.:)

At this time the fleece is now dry and I have started carding it. Be sure you come back to see how it goes and what happens to the fleece next. :)

Artist Spotlight on Valerie from Valmade

This weeks spotlight is on Valerie.  She makes lovely cards for all sorts of occasions and knits some lovely scarves and very cute baby booties and stuffed animals.  Here is one of her cards that I just love.



Isn't it great?

And now, here is Valerie, in her own words.

1) Name, Location
Valerie, Hong Kong

2) Where can you be found online?
www.valmade.artfire.com
http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Valmade

3) What do you do?
I’m a bit of a jack of all trades making cards, cross stitch pictures and knit the odd thing as well.

4) How long have you done it?
My cards are more recent, last couple of years, but have been knitting and cross stitching for longer than I care to remember ☺

5) How did you start?
Took up knitting and sewing as a child. From there I started making knitted baby booties and cross stitch birth announcements for friends when they started having babies, just as a hobby really. It’s progressed into an online shop when someone suggested I try selling some to keep me in supplies, and card making just seemed a natural progression. I started with cross stitch cards and now make all different types.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else?
Not entirely sure why I chose this. I suppose it was something I enjoyed as a child and just managed to keep it up over the years.

7) How did you learn your craft?
My mother taught me to knit and sew when little. I studied Needlework at school so went through a stage of making lots of different things, but have reverted back to small projects.

8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job?
No, I work full time in the finance industry and this is something I do when at home in the evenings.

9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could?
I’d love to be able to devote more time to this, however as I personally make every thing by hand, I don’t think I’d survive very long on the income it might generate ☺

10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft?
I think you have to have a real passion for what you make, and just enjoy it for what it is. Although I know there are many artists out there who do make a decent living from their work, I know my work will never make me rich, but I am happy just knowing that someone got some pleasure out of something I took the time to make.

Thank you Val for participating in my artist spotlight.

If you would like your own spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Laura from Laura Fry Weaving Studio

This week's spotlight is on Laura Fry.  She weaves some of the most beautiful yummy pieces I have ever seen, and if you are a weaver, knitter, or other fabric artist she also sells some really yummy yarns too.  This is one of her scarves that I am in love with.  Isn't it gorgeous?

And now, here's Laura in her own words.

1) Name, Location

Laura Fry, Prince George, BC, Canada

2) Where can you be found online?

http://laurafry.com http://laurasloom.blogspot.com and http://LauraFry.artfire.com

3) What do you do?

I weave functional fabrics – scarves, shawls, tea towels, table runners, placemats, etc.

4) How long have you done it?

Since 1975

5) How did you start?

I chose weaving as a career. The local community college was offering a two year program in fibres, and I dove in.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else?

After several years of searching for a job that didn’t bore me after 3 months, I realized I needed work that had a high element of creativity in it. When I finally discovered weaving, I knew that I could weave for the rest of my life and never get bored. ☺

7) How did you learn your craft?

Starting with the two year program, I then went on to take as many workshops as I could afford, locally and away. In 1977 I travelled to Finland to take a two week class at the Varpapuu Summer Weaving School. I also took classes at Banff Centre of Fine Art in Banff, Alberta, and attended conferences as my budget allowed.

8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job?

I’ve been doing this full time for many years, although I did take part time jobs from time to time when necessary.

9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could?

See above

10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft?

I have found weaving endlessly fascinating. It has given me many gifts over the years – in terms of knowledge and friendships. There are few hard and fast rules because change one factor and everything changes. While I may have gained some insight into what will happen, I learn all the time. And I find that particularly intriguing.

11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about?

While being a full time weaver has been interesting and challenging and while I might wish to have done some things differently in the past, I don’t regret for one minute that I chose this life rather than some other career. It has been uplifting to teach others and watch the excitement to create spark in their eyes.  

Thank you for taking part in my Artist spotlight Laura.  

If you would like to have your own artist spotlight please email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Joyce from Southfield Designs

This weeks spotlight is on Joyce of Southfield Designs.  She sells beautiful beaded jewelry such as this lovely dragonfly.

Isn't it cute?  Her artfire shop is filled with cute items like this.  Don't forget to check her shop out.

And now, here is Joyce, in her own words.

My name is Joyce Weeks and the name of my Studio is Southfield Designs.

My studio is located in our barn in the tiny village of Southfield, Ma. in the beautiful Berkshire Mts.
I design unique and unusual pieces of jewelry using pressed flowers, butterfly wings, resin, glass and glass beads and semi precious beads, vintage buttons and vintage lucite.

I have been designing jewelry for the last 4 years, but when I was grwoing up I was always doing something with my hands, knitting, sewing etc.

I really started when I retired from running a nursery school and we moved to Ma. from L.I.. I had a list of things that I wanted to do and beading was one of them.

I just love the color and feel of the beads and the other elements that I use in my designs. I get a thrill from seeing a pile of stuff transform into something lovely and I can step back and say "I did that".

Most of the things that I do are from experimenting. I have a large collection of books that I go to for help. I am always taking classes to learn something new, even if I don't plan to use the technique in my designs.. but you never know!!

I am retired so I can spend as much time beading as I choose to.

I would like to share the idea that experimenting with different items has led me to my 'Beady Bug' creations and to all of my pressed flower and butterfly pendants. I had know idea when I started that I could make it work.

I love what I do and I find it very rewarding .. it enriches my soul!!

Thank you Joyce for participating in my Artist Spotlight.  If you would like to be a spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Suz from Solar Flare Creations

This weeks spotlight is on a woman who not only creates work that I love, but is also a dear friend of mine.  An Australian native, Suz is a teacher, lampwork artist, jewelry artist, and a medieval recreationist.  How she finds time for all of that plus juggling a husband and a dog I don't know, maybe days in Australia are longer or something :)

It is a cold and dreary day here on my side of the world so I chose this pair of earrings out of her ArtFire shop.  I love the bright, sunny colors, they remind me that Summer will come again, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

Aren't they yummy!

And now, here's Suz in her own words.

1) Name, Location

Suzanne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

2) Where can you be found online?

www.solarflarecreations.com.au 

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5377222 

http://suzanne-catching-up.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.artfire.com/users/SolarFlareCreations 

3) What do you do?

I am a secondary Art & Photography teacher who makes glass beads as a hobby.

4) How long have you done it?

About 6 years.

5) How did you start?

An American Ex-pat living in Melbourne told me about Lampworking, and pointed out the course in the Adult Education guide for the local TAFE college. I took a beginner’s course with Kathryn Wardill, and a few months later, an Intermediate Course.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else?

I’ve dabbled in many arts and crafts over the years. As an Art/Tech teacher, I had covered about 15 studio areas in my training, but for my own personal expression it has been painting, photography, singing and now glass. There is something very addictive about working with an open flame and molten glass, which tends to take over my other artistic interests. Except singing – I still perform in musical theatre regularly.

7) How did you learn your craft?

As I mentioned, I took some lessons to begin with, but I have also found the interaction with other beadmakers on various forums invaluable for expanding my skills and raising the bar.

8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job?

I teach secondary school full time, so it is only a hobby at the moment.

9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could?

Probably not. My husband has always been concerned that if sales became the imperative driving my glass work, the fun would be gone, so he has encouraged me to make it a ‘self funding hobby’. On the other hand, regular sales help keep up the momentum, make me torch more regularly and more productively to replace sold inventory.

10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft?

Be warned – it’s addictive!! It’s hard to dabble and not get sucked in. ☺

11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about?

I am also involved in medieval re-enactment, and I research and recreate historical beads. There are various articles and a ‘bead timeline’ I have created under ‘SCA” on my webpage.

Artist Spotlight on Jenn of Jennuine Candles

This weeks Artist spotlight is on Jenn Holliday of Jennuine Candles.  I love candles and burn tons of them at my home so I had a very hard time choosing a favorite item out of her various shops.  I finally chose this candle because the fragrance is called Day Spa and I happen to work at a Spa :)

Isn't it beautiful?  Not only is it called Day Spa, but its also in one of my favorite colors, purple :)

Now, here is Jenn, in her own words.

1) Name, Location - My name is Jenn Holliday of jennuinecandles and I live in the Phoenix Metro area of Arizona.  

2) Where can you be found online? I can be found in numerous places. I have a shop on Etsy (www.jennuinecandles.etsy.com), ArtFire (http://jennuinecandles.artfire.com), and on 1000 Markets (http://jennuinecandles.1000Markets.com). I also have a website (www.jennuinecandles.com), a blog (http://jennuinecandles09.blogspot.com/) a Twitter account (http://twitter.com/jennuinecandles) and a Plurk account (http://www.plurk.com/jennuinecandles). If I had one to choose from for someone to follow it would definitely be my blog because my shops and all my latest news is updated in one place.

3) What do you do? I make 100% Palm Wax Candles. It is a natural and sustainable wax produced from palm oil, which comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. More importantly, the palm wax used in every one of my candles is obtained from suppliers that are partnered with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to prevent deforestation. Palm wax is also cleaner burning than paraffin wax, resulting in less soot production and a significantly reduced potential for harmful emissions. They also burn longer, have a superior ability to "hold" fragrance and have a whiter flame than paraffin candles. And, it cleans up easily with soap and water.

4) How long have you done it? I’ve only been making them for 6 months now, but didn’t start selling them until I had done plenty of testing and research to make sure that I had a product that was worthy of putting on the “market”.  

5) How did you start? How did you learn your craft?
By day, I am an Occupational Therapist. I work with the older adult population and have the opportunity to maximize their quality of life everyday. Rewarding? Definitely. Stressful? Unfortunately. Over my career, I have experienced countless moments of joy and sorrow; it's in the moments of sorrow that I have identified a need for an escape. I am lucky enough to have found two fabulous hobbies to escape...candlemaking and photography. I had always had an interest in homemade hobbies, but never put my finger on "the one" that I could make my own until I was introduced to palm candles by a good friend. Amazed at the appearance and scent throw, I did some research and experimenting. I had finally found "my hobby"; one that I could enjoy, one that I could find pleasure in, one that I could use to escape and one that others could enjoy as well. I initially started out with the idea of making candles for my home and as gifts for family and friends - after all, who doesn't like candles, especially candles that have a scent that lasts from first light to the last light? But, as co-workers and friends became aware of my new hobby...jennuinecandles was born.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else? Quite simply, it allows me an escape from the rigors of my normal life. I love looking through my fragrance oils or researching my preferred suppliers for newly added fragrance oils and imagining the scent and the beauty that each candle will produce. I am also a people pleaser of sorts and I love the reactions that people have to my candles and it brings me joy to know that I can bring enjoyment to somebody else.

 
7) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? As mentioned earlier, by day I am an Occupational Therapist; I work with the older adult population in three assisted living/memory care communities in the northwest area of Phoenix.

8) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I would totally do this and my other hobby, photography, (www.shutterchaos.com) as my full-time “work” if they were able to pay my bills. ☺

9) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? With anything, it takes patience, research and a lot of testing to get the right combination that works. The plus side to the testing is a great smelling house! ☺

10) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? I do make and sell my palm wax candles on my sites, but I am very much willing and wanting to do more custom orders; they are more fun because they become unique to that one person. I currently have over 40 scents and 5 different sized containers (glass jars and travel tins) and am always looking to expand to new scents and containers. My scents and their full descriptions can be found on my website (www.jennuinecandles.com).

Thank you for the opportunity to feature myself, my shops and my blog!

Jenn

And Thank You Jenn for taking part in my Artist Spotlight!

If you would like to get your own spotlight on my blog email me at hhertziger@gmail.com and I will send you the questionnaire.  Thank you.

No more Starving Artists - The Stone Soup Challenge

This week I became aware of something called The Stone Soup Challenge.  This challenge is based on the story of Stone Soup, where a weary traveler cannot find anyone to spare him some dinner so he decides to make stone soup.  The villagers are intrigued and start to bring out various items to add to the soup and by sharing create a meal that has plenty for all. 

Times are tough for everyone right now and for artists whose products aren't considered to be necessities times are even tougher.  This is where the Stone Soup Challenge comes in.  If artists band together and support each other we can all get thru these tough times.  

The premise is simple.  Go to the link I included in the first paragraph and comment on the post with your pledge to support fellow artists.  Then spread the word wherever you can, blogs, forums, etc...  Finally, decide on a percentage of your monthly profits you can afford to spend and spend them on items from your fellow artists.

I personally will be spending 15% of  my profits with my fellow artists.  Won't you join me in supporting our fellow artists?