Camel's Hump

I can't explain why, but from a very young age, I have been assailed with a listless heart - as if I am ever searching for something unknown. I have found nature soothes my listlessness in a way that nothing else can. For me, the experience of being outside can be likened to something spiritual - almost meditative. While many people say they need inspiration, I feel a constant bombardment of inspiration. My inspiration is exhausting because there is not enough time for me to realize all the creative visions I have running through my mind. Hiking calms me. It completely settles the constant existential questions that gnaw at me which nothing else can quell. Like the continuous need to create, I also have an ever present need to submerge myself in the natural world - to be where I can see the direct work of God around me. I can't look at the world and deny the evidence of something much bigger than myself. Something awe inspiring. Something great. It is here that I can somehow feel the affirmation of God's goodness.

Camel's Hump, VT

And so this last weekend, John and I took the kids to Camel's Hump in VT. There we spend 2 days camping and hiking in the Green Mountains. The trip was three fold. In addition to meeting my need to find peace outside, I also got to spend some much needed time with my family. Thirdly, John and I hope to introduce the world to our children so they learn some of the magic of seeing things grow, of studying the unknown, in understanding that nature can be a place for them to retreat. I hope to impart to them a bit of David Brower's belief that "there is no science and no art of greater importance than that which teaches seeing, which builds sensitivity and respect for the natural world, a world that 'has visibly been recreated in the night'."

We camped in a delightful campground where our campsite was secluded and had an incredible view of the lake. We let the kids explore the woods around us all afternoon and took them down to the shore where they shed their clothes and got in a little bit of BVD swimming. We wrapped up the evening with brats and s'mores. We hit the Burrow's trail up Camel's Hump nice and early and were able to summit. Seth did famously, hiking 99% of the way up - a feat for a 3.5 yr old. And both were sports given the chilly wind. There was still snow near the summit.

At the Burrow's trail head

On the summit of Camel's Hump

I have always been interested in woodland flowers, and was able to get some decent pictures that I will put in my To-Be-Felted folder. Cora found a fabulous Jack-in-the-pulpit that was all green. I had never seen one without purple on it - maybe this is a more rare species. It was quite beautiful, and Seth and Cora looked at it for a long time. We were also fortunate to see some trout lilies, red and painted trilliums, blood root, solomon's seal, ferns, downy yellow violets, forget-me-nots and countless others.

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Trout lily

Red trillium

Painted trillium

Ferns

Skirting a Fleece

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to skirt and pick through some Jacob fleece that a neighbor said I could split with her if I helped with the processing! Major score! (Thanks Deb!) Jacob sheep have a medium-fine fleece with no outer coat and are usually spotted. They are also unusual in that they have two sets of horns - one set arching from the top of the head, and the other swirling around their ears. All sorts of romantic stories trace this particular breed back to the Biblical flock of Jacob when he worked for his father-in-law (Genesis 30). Other stories trace the breed back to a flock which was washed ashore from a ship wreck during the reign of Elizabeth I and the attempted attack on the Spanish Armada. Though I don't know the validity of these stories, most modern flocks are traced back to England, where they have been established for many centuries. You can learn more about Jacob sheep on the breeders website: http://www.jsba.org/.

Kathleen H. Peters skirting a fleece

Here I am, skirting and picking away! The three fleeces I am working on with my neighbor were given to us for free by a woman who inherited them when she bought a house. Unfortunately they were kept in wood chips, so there was plenty of picking to go. The color variations on these sheep were incredible. Deb and I decided to process the wool all together and we are thinking the roving will come back a nice heathery color. I thought it would be more brown, but Deb thinks it will be more gray. We'll see! Such suspense! Regardless, I do love wool!

Color Study - Dyeing to Felt

Something about color really challenges me. It seems I am constantly felting things up and then they mute down to something dull and drab. Or worse, I use wool from an unreliable source and the dye isn't fast - leaving me with a bunch of wool to compost. When it comes to color, I get a picture in my mind and when it comes out in felt (or paint, or quilting, or whatever) it all looks so different than I imagined. One half of me likes the surprise. The other half hates the lack of control. So I invested in some dye and have been dying up wool to study. Felting white squares with colored dots has proven their immediate fastness, though I am still investigating light fastness. However, since spinning is easier for me to do than felting while my children are awake, I have started my true color study there.

These are the first two batches of wool I started with. Because I like a little more depth than a straight color, each of them were rainbow dyed. The red roving was cherry, scarlet and mulberry and I decided to spin it up. It was pretty bright so I thought I'd tone it down by plying it with undyed dark brown romney wool. I thought they looked beautiful together:

When plied into yarn they are hideous. Absolutely hideous - likened to a chocolate raspberry candy cane! Much too stark for my liking. After a few yards I stopped and dyed a new batch of roving in the same red shades to try plying. It came out a bit darker, but I plied them together and got a tolerable red tweed. It was still a bit more tweedy than I would have liked, but tolerable.

I learned two things: 1. I like more subtle combinations in yarn than strong tweeds, and 2. I surmise that when felting, the more stark contrast should make my picture stand out more, giving a more bold impression. Determining that I like more subtle changes for yarn, I switched to purples and blues, inspired by a quilt from a color theory book. When they dyed up they weren't completely what I was looking for, but the subtle changes in color are much more appealing to me and made a beautiful yarn. I still have a long way to go before I figure out the whole color thing.

TWISTED Fiber Show was a flying success!

I made the Connecticut Valley Spectator as a featured artist! http://tsv.live.mediaspanonline.com/Entertainment/Story/090403-kmc-fibershow

Now, the TWISTED show has come and gone, and was a flying success! Cardigan Mountain Art Association held the show this last weekend in an effort to inspire and educated people in fiber crafts and uses of natural fibers - a concept inspired by the United Nations' declaration of 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibers. Over 400 pieces of fiber artwork were exhibited, covering rug hooking, braiding and weaving, quilting, basketry, felting, spinning, lace making, crochette, knitting, weaving and dressmaking. I was grateful for everyones participation and excitement. I owe special thanks to Gary Hamel of Orange, NH, Jane Darling of Canaan, NH and Rainie Kelly, of Canaan, NH. Without their help, I never would have been able to make the show happen. The event started with an invitation only opening that was attended by about 100 people.

All day Saturday and Sunday I demonstrated felting and was excited to see how many people were interested in learning more about my craft. The show not only served as an education for the public. Because there were so many invited artists, TWISTED served as a network for the local fiber artists to get to know each other and learn more about each others work. Approximately 250 people attended the show.

Several people mentioned they were interested in signing up for classes - so stay tuned! I will be teaching a felting class sometime in late June or early July. Please email me if you are interested in attending! mhfiber@gmail.com