Gallery Season

The Studio Gallery artists, left to right: Wendy Powalisz ~Back 40 Arts, Shirley Surges, Debra Ketchum-Jircik ~Circle of Life Studio, Amy Higgason ~ Pigeon Road Pottery, Carol Miller (front), Janice Zindel ~ Shuttle Works Studio (back), Kathleen Kimball ~ Salmagundi Arts, Toni Bergeon, and Nancy Shoop. Not pictured: Jane O'Brien and Louise Engelbrecht.

For several years now I have been a part of The Studio Gallery, located behind The Outdoorsman Restaurant in Boulder Junction. Soon, this group of eleven artists will be getting together for a day to clean, paint, and plant, then hang and display our work. The gallery is open Memorial Day weekend and running through the first week of October; this year Wednesday through Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Art at the gallery includes watercolors, acrylics, collage, pottery, fiber arts, quilting, bookarts, and photography. We are looking forward to another year together.

Last fall, there was a movement to begin a new arts group, "Land O' Lakes Artisans" (LOLA), and meetings were held with many area artists/artisans attending. One of their goals was to have a gallery in which to exhibit and sell art work. This past Tuesday a group of working artists met, and after long discussion, knowing there were 20+ artists committed and supportive of this project, it was decided to open a gallery.

The new gallery will be located in a nice, bright, good-size room inside a building owned by Kathy Schuh of Forget-Me-Not Floral, downtown Land O' Lakes. On June 1st we will be there cleaning and painting, art work is to arrive June 3rd, and between June 3rd and June 14th, everything will be hung and displayed. On June 15th, Artistree Gallery will open.

The Artistree Gallery will be a venue for the work of artists and artisans within a 100 mile radius of Land O' Lakes, either full-time or seasonal residents; artwork will be juried in. The artists are also very interested in giving back to the community, including having demonstrations, classes, and other forms of sharing the arts.

So often, people sit back and wait for something to be a success before becoming involved. It is exciting to see so many artists willing to commit to this venture in these economic times. May the new Artistree Gallery be a success this summer and for many years to come.

More Towels ~ Variations on a Theme

These are the latest two twill towels off the loom. The blue border towel turned out very nicely, I feel, with a much wider border and smaller solid twill center. I was getting low on that particular tube of natural cottolin (same as warp) and needed to stretch it so it wouldn't run out before the towel was done. Now I'll simply switch to natural in another brand of cottolin.

The red border towel is the one I wrote about the other day when red dye bled into the adjoining white/natural. After two washes in hot water and Retayne, then one wash in hot water and Synthrapol, you would have to look very closely to find any red except where it IS supposed to be. Nevertheless, I will be adding the dye magnet sheets, recommended by four weavers, to my laundry room supplies.

There appears to be enough warp left for another one or two towels so it's time to seriously start deciding on the stripe layout for the next warp and do the math. I'll be at the warping mill before too long.

This is one of the latest pairs of sock machine (CSM) socks made, and also turned out nicely. The violet color is one I didn't have before, and combined it with eggshell and moss for a nice "Springy" pair of socks.

Love Blue, but I'm Seeing Red Where I Shouldn't!

Tonight I'm working on another twill towel, and have gone back to a Swedish Berga cottolin in another shade of blue and treadling it differently as I have for each towel, so though they are all coming off the same warp, each towel is one-of-a-kind.


As I wrote awhile back, this is a 10 shaft twill. This time treadling is 1-5, 10-6, varying the repeats so I can change sides I begin and end colors on.



The other day I was working on another twill towel, this time with Borgs red cottolin for the accent/border color. However, when I washed the towel, the red had run, in spots, into the white along the edge of the border. It looked okay when it came out of the washer, but when removed from the dryer, there were definite pink spots. This red was definitely not colorfast.

Tonight, the red border towel became an experiment. It went into the washer with Retayne and hot water. When the cycle was done, I looked and though there was still a bit of pink it did look better. After a second wash with Retayne, it again looked a bit better. With the third wash I added Synthrapol, again with hot water. Soon I will check it again and hopefully toss it into the dryer. I'll let you know how it comes out.

As the labels on the Synthrapol and Retayne bottles suggest possible cancer issues, I had not wanted to use it on a towel that might be used in a kitchen. When it became an experiment to see if the towel could be saved, I set those concerns aside. This particular towel will not be sold because of what was used on it. The Borgs red cottolin? It's in the trash. I do have some Berga red cottolin and will try that on the next towel and will report on that, too.

Passing It Forward

A few weeks back an email from a complex weaver and fellow member of the CW Double Harness Study Group arrived in my Inbox, announcing to the group she would be retiring from weaving, and would be selling her looms and weaving library. I was torn between feelings of sadness for her, and my interest in what weaving books she might have. I finally decided to write and ask her about them, and a few days later a list of books arrived in my (snail) mailbox.

Oh My! I've been aware of and following weaving books for 28 years, but this list had titles of books I had heard of but never seen before as well as books I had never heard of. I made the decision to purchase the majority of titles on her list, along with cones of 10/2, 16/2, and 20/2 threads for use on the drawloom, and a couple shuttles.


Today, four of seven boxes arrived in the mail, and opening them was such a treat! Several Swedish weaving books I had never seen before, a couple complex weaving books I'd been hoping to find, and dozens of reproductions (or copies) of early weaving books, along with 14 mailing envelopes full of Complex Weavers Early Weaving Books and Manuscripts study group newsletters and sample sheets, complete with drafts, threads used, source of draft, etc., 1993 - 2008 (samples below).

The samples are incredible!!! I've only paged through five of the envelopes so far, and tomorrow will spend more time with them. Joining that study group has long been a wish, but as I only had three or so reproductions of this type of book, I hadn't pursued it. Needless to say, I wrote the study group leader this evening about joining. I am looking forward to begin learning another new (to me) area of weaving.

All through this, Nastche Milan and I have been exchanging wonderful emails, and she is now enjoying two pairs of my wool socks, as a thank you gift. Happily, she is keeping a table loom as she would like to continue doing some weaving.

In the past, I have occasionally looked ahead to the day when I will have to give up my looms, spinning wheels, and weaving/fibers library, and I hope and pray it is a long time off. The older I get, the faster time seems to go by and lately I feel very aware of how limited my time for weaving might be and how much I want to do and learn yet.

So tonight, I am feeling so very thankful this opportunity crossed my path. I will be putting these incredible resources to good use, both in learning, and weaving, and someday they will be passed forward to another weaver. Thank you, Nastche, you are a treasure!

Pausing for a Cause

The focus of the Shuttle Works Studio blog is weaving and other fiber-related activities. Posts on other topics are kept very minimal. Tonight, though, is an exception as world hunger is a cause close to my heart.


Bloggers Unite, along with Heifer International, have been waging a special campaign during the month of April to bring new awareness to world hunger, and how we, as individuals, might help. April 29th is "Unite for Hunger and Hope" day, and tomorrow, April 30th is "Pass on the Gift" day.

Individually we cannot solve a problem of this magnitude, but together, we CAN make a difference. What can you do? Please visit Heifer International at http://www.heifer.org/ and see how you can help. I'm going there now to make my donation.

A Workable Studio Space

While working to finish weaving up the remaining warp on the countermarche loom, finishing the sleying of the drawcord warp, cranking more socks, and waiting for other socks to dry, I thought I'd share a few pics of my "new" studio space. Building a new space or adding on to my home was not an option, so I took over the main floor of my home (except the kitchen), bringing looms, equipment, and yarns down to my former living room and laundry area, making my work area accessible to visitors.

My countermarche loom, where I spend a good deal of time, sits in front of the big window looking out at Torch Lake. A stereo is nearby for public radio and classical music. In warmer weather, open windows and doors, a (Gregorian) windchime and birdsong are all the music that are needed. There is a porch the width of the house, a wonderful spot to sit and spin on nice days, as well as washing fleece and setting out drying racks.

Although not set up in this pic, the sock machine is most often set up between the two looms, giving me space to move about and a bench on which to set cones of yarns for socks about to be made.

The drawloom needs a long wall, and it was positioned so the bench would be near the windows for daylight. Ratchets are positioned for easy access to advance the warp. A 22" 8 shaft Harrisville sits nearby for smaller projects.

Shelving units holding cones of weaving and sock yarns sit in a darker corner away from sunlight. The desk area is Command Central. A vintage Gallinger rug loom sits nearby, awaiting weft prep.

A wide variety of sock yarn colors allows many different combinations of colors, over 85 so far.

Most of my weaving reference library lives to the right of the desk; various weaving publications are across the room and upstairs.

Lastly, the laundry room was rearranged to accommodate a sewing table as well as a cutting table. Drying rack, ironing board, and washer and drier are nearby.

This has turned out to be a far more convenient arrangement than what I had before. Of course, the living room is now upstairs but we're getting accustomed to that. Now, when I got to my work, it's to a pleasant and organized space. There are additional bins of sheets (for rag rugs), more cones of yarns, fleece, etc. upstairs and in the basement, fairly well labeled.

There is still work to be done. When temps are warmer and windows and doors can be open, the walls need linseed oil and floors need to be refinished, but the studio is well on its way to being ready for visitors. This evening, back to my loom...

Kindred Spirits

A couple years ago, I met another weaver, Carol Brown, MN, in an on-line weaving group, and we began to write each other occasionally and share photos of our work. Over the peast year our friendship has grown, and I am very thankful for that. Carol refers to us as Kindred Spirits.


Our weaving interests are not always the same. Carol is a rag rug weaver, loves weaving with "rags," and has developed a variety of rugs, bags, and other items that sell well for her. COLOR is Carol's forte, she loves bright colors, lots of them, and they work for her. She has a distinctive style and look to her work, and an eye for working out her own designs, adding beads, buttons, and textures, all working well with her color selections.

My interests lean more towards medium to fine threads (towels and runners) and now entering into the world of drawloom weaving. At the opposite end of the weaving spectrum, I am also about to start weaving rag rugs. I need rugs for my log home, and recently received an order for a couple rugs. Though I like neutrals, as I get older, I am venturing more and more into color.

Carol and I email each other a few times a week, exchanging ideas, sharing photos of our work, sources for various materials we need, design and construction possibilities, as well as display ideas, marketing, pricing, and photographing our work. We share ideas of items that would translate well into weaving, bouncing ideas and suggestions off each other. We offer ideas of how items might be used, at times as if reading each others mind.

We ask each other for comments, opinions, and feedback, and provide honest, positive "critique" of each others work, always in the spirit of support. Most importantly, we don't try to overshadow each other. We admire and respect each others ideas and work, but don't rush to copy each other. Though we are also known to tell each other, "go ahead, you need to make some of these," there is a line we do not cross. We each have our own ideas and weaving we do, all made better by having someone to share it with.

Weaving and working in my studio gives me great joy and purpose, and in the last year has been made more special by having Carol, a special weaving friend, to share it with. I hope you each have such a Kindred Spirit in your weaving life.