Taking the next steps in fiber

Teaching is a big component of Nice Threads. We spend a lot of time demonstrating and teaching, and our materials shop is designed to support our students for their journey from class to the next piece, and then the next.

At least we hope that our students continue in the techniques that they learn here, but we know that is up to each individual student. We want you leaving our shop confident that you can do [spinning/ weaving/ felting/ dyeing/ knitting, etc] on your own, and hope you come by and ask us for advice when you “lose the thread.” Not everyone who takes classes at Nice Threads will become a working artist, but it's not about the end result, or what you call yourself. Fiber is a journey, not a destination. You may be strolling through, or making careful itineraries, but Fiber is a lifelong endeavor, at any level of proficiency

The big secret to excelling at any of these techniques has to do with a basic fact - it’s all in the numbers. Your second piece will be better than your first, and your fifth piece will kill your second. Keep producing - and please, don’t think of it as practicing!

Practicing brings up scolding mothers and piano lessons on nice days. The word “producing” works better for me. Make a habit of starting a new piece (even if it’s just notes on what you would do better next time) right after you finish the old one.  Sketch if that is a good method, or cut photos out… whatever has you planning the next piece. Work on it regularly, even if you do just a little at a time. You will gradually improve technique and trust your own instincts.

On the subject of instincts, and your own personal expression, I leave you with the best advice that has ever been given to an artist (IMHO), in a quote by legendary modern dance artist Martha Graham:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time; this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium  and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you.”

Coming back to color

Wow, it would seem that we don't have much to say at New Threads, since we haven't blogged since last spring, but that wouldn't be true. The opening and running of a gallery, shop and workshop space has been engulfing, all-encompassing and time-consuming, to say the least! But we've had posts in mind that Facebook couldn't do justice to along the way, and one of those involves color. 

Dyeing is one of my favorite fiber arts, since it's practically instant gratification. It's an "I made this!" activity, and if you know some simple techniques, you can dye at home. I dye fiber and yarn every Sunday here at Nice Threads, and our Space Dyeing For Beginners class is a regularly scheduled class for people to try out those simple techniques.

But that's a process class - what are the steps, what equipment, what are the chemicals, how long do you heat, etc. What we can't cover in a drop-in class is 'what colors should we use?', and 'how do we achieve those colors?'

Remember those Tiger Beat and Seventeen interviews with teen stars that always included the cheesy questions like, 'What's your favorite word?' and 'What's your favorite color?'  That hasn't changed much these days, but what color Scott Baio liked in the past, or Taylor Lautner likes now makes practically no difference in your life, while your favorite color could be pivotal when you plan to knit your next sweater or weave your next scarf.

It's so interesting when Project Runway contestants choose their fabrics from Mood, taking their inspiration from rolls of fabric that someone else designed, with colors that a fashion industry committee chose. Even when they were allowed to design their own fabrics this season, I noticed that they -unanimously - chose black and white. Not many people have a powerful relationship with color, and those that do, frequently don't know how to create those colors. So we usually get our inspiration from the shelves of yarns at the local store.

But how personal is that? Have you noticed that sometimes you can't find the colors you like, or that the shades are off, or that some seasons, everything is just dog-ugly? Sometimes you are stuck with what you can find. But that doesn't have to be the case.

They say that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Color is also a matter of personal choice. But how do you choose? It's a journey that most fiber people take at some point in their development, and it's a fascinating one. And fun. Revel in discovered color, capture color in it's element, master your palette and make color serve your inspiration, rather than the other way around. Come and join our Color Journey for Fiber Artists class, a comprehensive study of color and fiber. Beginning in early November, we'll meet for 3 hours on 3 evenings to develop our color path and then take 2 workshops of 6 hours each, learning to create those colors in the dye kitchen. Open to anyone, at any level. Just email us to get the schedule.

Straight from the source

It is one of our highest commitments at Nice Threads to carry local fiber for spinners and felters. We've put the word out and many farms have brought us luscious rovings and fleeces, most identified by the name of the sheep or alpaca previously wearing that fiber. We recently heard from the Diastole Alpaca Farm down the mountain in Walkertown, NC and received some samples that were outstanding. I asked about their processor (call a Fuzzinator)  and how they'd package the fiber and got the email that follows as a reply. It's more than a business letter, it's a snapshot of the world of fiber animals. Notice also that they welcome volunteers on shearing day, so you can use Jim's links to find out more.

We will definitely carry Jim and Sandy's alpaca blankets so come on over in a week or two to see them.
~~~~~~



Hi Leslie,

This is Jim, the head pooper scooper at Diastole Alpaca Farm answering for Sandy. 

We have 6 - 8 blankets left from last year that have been cleaned with our Fuzzinator. Basically a tumbler that we run the fleeces in for an hour on a clear, dry, windy day (or we use a blower on the tumbler). We have been very impressed with the job that it does. It takes minimal picking of debris (seed heads or small twigs) by hand to have a very nice clean product. We also have some seconds and thirds that are cleaned. 

We will be shearing on April 14th and cleaning will begin ASAP (weather permiting) afterwards. We just switched everyone over to fresh pastures yesterday with lush green grass. They really have fun when they are let into a pasture they have not been in for several months.

As for packaging - we will do that however you like. The blankets will mostly range from 4-6 pounds - we do have two boys born last fall that will be much less - even though they think they are as big as anyone.

Sandy is working M - W this week and is off the following week (shearing). I can package up what ever you would like and get it out directly. If there are some 2010 fleeces that someone really likes we can reserve this year's shearing for them as well.

A great web site for anyone interested in shearing alpacas is www.allypac.com . We make it a prerequisite for anyone helping us on shearing day. We want it to be a low stress day for the alpacas and the folks we use for the actual shearing have produced this for their customers. 

Looking forward to hearing from you - beautiful Black Mountain should be starting to "green-up".

Best Regards - Jim Morris
-- 
Jim Morris
www.DiastoleAlpacaFarm.com

Is Nice Threads a Yarn Shop?

The short answer is yes and no.
Yes
Our name gives you a clue. We are a Gallery/Studio. We showcase the work (and play) of Fiber Artists, mainly from Western North Carolina, and we sell the fibers and tools our crafts require. Yarn plays a big part for most of those artists. Nice yarn.

Part of our mission is education and furthering the Fiber Arts and we have classes, demonstrations and open studio time so everyone can get into the act. The fibers and tools we sell are used in our classes.
The wealth of knowledge in our small Studio is huge: felting, weaving, spinning, dying, knitting, crochet, embroidery, lacemaking, tatting, papermaking, book arts, couture sewing, wild and out-of-the-box designing, fiber prep... I could go on.

One of my rules for good design and happy process outcome is  to have a lot of stuff to work with. And having the materials I want to work with, in the quantities that I need and the colors I choose.

Somehow, fiber consumers have been led to believe they need to buy yarn in quantities they don't need, in colors chosen for them by someone else. At Nice Threads, yarns and fleece are purchased by the ounce or pound, and we can order almost any yarn in it's natural color and teach you how to dye to get exactly the color you want for any project you can dream up.

We also have local handspun yarns and are getting fleeces in from our local farms as the shearing season is beginning. It's exciting to see our shepherdess' coming into the studio with big bags. We open and ooh and ahh and smell and feel and touch and our minds and hands and hearts are  full of fabrics to come.

I invite you to come visit us at Nice Threads,see, feel, touch and discover the interweaving of your inner and outer fiber creativity.

The No? Yarn isn't the only thing we have. Nice threads is a lot more than a yarn shop..

Come on by and we can talk about it with a chai and a freshly shorn bag of wool.
Robyn

Fiber Salon- Riches from Rags

Thursday at Nice Threads Ellen came in and said she had  something to make us laugh. Several years ago she had knitted and machine-fulled a bag, hated the finished product and threw it in the closet.

Leslie  looked at the bag - misshapen and poorly assembled - and complimented the colors and hand of the fabric and started pulling and forming it into interesting shapes and the ideas started to flow. A few hours later Ellen had created a lovely clutch bag with decorative hand blanket stitching to hold her most-used and often- misplaced purse items. All that was needed was a closure and we'll work on that soon.

This is my vision for Thursday afternoons. A Fiber Salon, if you will, where we can bring in what we are working on, even if it's only in our minds and watch as the magic of many creative hands, eyes and hearts do their work. It's amazing how someone else can pick up where I am completely stuck and make perfect sense out of what has me in a creative tangle. Part of the creative process is feeling free to ask for help.

I'm sure to need your help soon enough, so please come on by and ask for mine. The resources - studio space, material and tools of Nice Threads might also be what you need to move you to the next step, and hard to do at home alone.

Come on out of that closet along with those projects!

See you soon at Nice Threads- Fiber Salon Thursday 1-4.

Robyn

All Wool Is Not Created Equal

Nice Threads is of the fiber, for the fiber and by the fiber and fiber people and fiber artists. Part of our mission is to create easy access to the best in supplies and tools for fiber arts.

We've only been open a week, and so far our selection is small,  but we can tell you where our supplies come from, how to use them and how they will perform, because we use what we sell.

At left are some of our felting wool and needle kits. Different breeds of sheep, felt and pattern differently, and experience is the best teacher. When you purchase supplies from Nice Threads we will educate you to  buy the fiber best suited to your creation.

I invite you to join us for
Beginning Needle felting - Paint and Sculpt with Wool
all levels
Through the magic of wool and the felting needle we will learn to create 2 and 3 dimensional projects for fun, fashion and function.
February 24 11-2. Follow the link for online registration or stop in and see us.

The Schacht Flip Rigid Heddle looms are here and they are a joy to weave on.
Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving; Skein to Scarf in Three hour
all levels
Using beautiful fibers and a simple loom you will learn to warp and weave a fashion scarf in one session. We'll begin by creating a simple woven journal to record our experiences.
presented by Robyn Josephs
March 2, 16 (3 hr class, offered Wednesday afternoons)
1pm - 3pm
$40 class fee, Materials fee $10.      

Your first scarf will let beautiful yarns do a lot of the work as you build your weaving skills. Because we sell yarn by the pound it is very economical. You can buy what you need, and soon you will be dying your yarns and creating the colors you want!

 Please stop by with any questions and just to hang out and talk fiber. The coffee pot is on!

Robyn

All In an Opening Days Work

 Friends and Fiber artists were knocking on the door before we unlocked it this morning.
Many stopped by with good wishes and all agreed Nice Threads was wanted, needed and loved in Black Mountain and the Fiber community.

Dave stopped by with the first edition of Exclusive to Nice Threads Hand Turned Drop Spindles.
Needless to day, I dropped everything and spun up a beautiful yarn.
Eileen came by on her way to open house at Echoview Farm( more on that later) with her intriguing loom shaped and naturally dyed jackets-Yes- Eileen is teaching at Nice Threads- photos to follow soon.
Mountain Lady came and gave me a big hug, and lots to dream on...........
and more than my tired brain can type at you now.
Thanks to all for stopping by and making our first day memorable
and
Thanks For GETTING
what Nice Threads is all about.
Fiber and folks who Love
Fiber

and the artisans and tools that nurture and support us in playing, working and living the arts and crafts we love.
Thanks to all and to Leslie for making it all real.
See you tomorrow,
Robyn