Ode to Dahlia

AKA Dahlia

 On this eve of Dubose I am excited for the retreat to begin. This year it's more of a retreat than a class. Learning happens, and it will always happen. Sometimes we just need time to birth our ideas and practice our skills, maybe with the support of friends. Friends who offer suggestions, help with techniques or problems, friends who simply hold space for one another to keep us from going off and doing something else with our time, something that keeps us from realizing our dreams, our creations. I know that every time I have "taught" a class I have learned countless things in return. So many have come to my classes who are amazing fiber artists in their own right...people whose class I should be taking. This always honors me no end. But it also makes me wonder why they are taking my class. I have come to believe that it's not so much what I teach, but how. I'm a facilitator. I hold space. I create an atmosphere in which people feel free to express themselves, feel free to succeed, feel free to fail, and best, feel free to try.

So on this eve of Dubose, since I feel so exuberant, I'd like to share something that gives me great joy. Delilah belongs to our neighbor to the north. We call her Dahlia because she is a flower. She comes to visit every day and we love her visits, look forward to them, but we are very glad she isn't our dog. Why? She is beautiful, she looks like she is strutting around in a chiffon gown, but she smells like a carniverous plant. So much so that we have decided she should have her own line of parfum. It's called "AKA Dahlia". Her signature scent is a complex blend of all imaginable and unimaginable smells. Others include Eau d' dead4days, Just Ripe, and her newest, Dung!, (also in roll-on). If I leave my recliner unattended, I'm liable to find her ensconced. All I can say is, I'm glad it's leather.

Dahlia ensconced

Bliss

Bliss. A continuance of the green theme. Sitting in a green kayak on glass-green water, knitting purple and green yarn (entrelacs in the round). What a beautiful morning. Shiny young watersnake swimming right beside the boat. Violet Dancers riding on the prow. Turtles popping up to watch me, so silently all you can hear is their subliminal intention. Life is good  amazing.

Verdant

Check out Verdant Gryphon @ Maryland Sheep & Wool.
Ask them for a coupon code for 20% off my pattern
Heart of the Lotus.

 I recently bought this gorgeous skein of Bugga! from Verdant Gryphon. Fell in love with this yarn when I designed Heart of the Lotus in Alderfly. This one is Carpathian Blue Slug. Mossy green rocks beneath bottle green lake surface w/fish in sunlight. Sublime. Woods now glow in these colors in the last hour of the day. Thematic of deepest comfort.

iphone drawing

More on the verdant theme... a phone drawing after the zebra grass on a visit to Rita's.

See this and other Superfluity Kits at the Three Waters Farm
booth at Maryland Sheep &Wool this weekend.
Main Exhibition Hall B-23

A TWF Olive Brittle Superfluity Kit.

detail Alice W

Alice W

Closeup of a favorite (left hand corner).

The favorite. It hangs in my studio...a print of an actual frame from the movie...had it since the movie came out...treasured possession, my Alice W.

Original Work On Display at Maryland

Original work is a hard copy, one in the hand. What it's not. "Wouldn't that look good in..." "What if I tried this..." "Wow, nice photo...gotta pin that". Original work is the actual piece (yippee) spun and knit by the designer. You can touch it, feel it, wrap it around you. You can see two of them at Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend.

The only thing I didn't do is dye the fiber. But I did design the colorways, and Mary Ann Pagano, master dyer, took it from there. We both decided how great it would be to have an example of her fiber spun up...to answer the question "What if I tried this." So I took two of my most popular patterns and worked them up in some of TWF's new colorways. To have it there so you can feel it, touch it, squeeze it, and, if so inclined, even buy it. Yep. We wanted you to be able to answer the question, "What if I tried this..."

And, they are both for sale...a rarity for sure.


Charlene in Starry Bangladesh is a jewel-in-the-crown version of Starry Nite. Colorways: Charlene, Bangladesh, and Mary Ann's Black Zinnias from her new Black Floral series. I couldn't help but touch it with a couple whiffs of Hurricane and Olive Medley. Think of red wine under a deep purple night sky with city lights reflecting in a calm bay. Storm clouds build on the horizon, but for now all is still, dark, rich, radiant.





















Olive Bamboo Justify showcases my new colorways Olive Brittle, Olive Blossoms and Bamboo & Dogwood in an old standby, originally designed to Justify your Stash. Imagine a marriage of olive orchards (muy mediterranean) and blooming dogwood trees (so southern) with benches made from bamboo upon which to take in the beauty.

Both pieces are spun from the fold, lofty and soft, in 100% BFL wool. You can buy the fiber in the Three Waters Farm booth (B23 in the Main Exhibition Hall) at Maryland Sheep and Wool, or online at their website or Etsy store.

And remember, TWF will be having a raffle, with three awesome prizes to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

Maryland Sheep and Wool

This is how Yarn Noir Superfluity Kit knits up

It's less than a week until Maryland Sheep and Wool. Are you going? There is so much to see and do. So remember to check out the Three Waters Farm booth in the Main Exhibition Hall, booth B-23.

This week I'll be adding previews for things to see in the TWF booth, so keep checking back.

TWF's customers at Maryland will receive a coupon code for 10% off all my pattern PDFs (20% off Heart of the Lotus, my newest pattern). Purchase any of the beautiful fibers and yarns in the booth to qualify for the discount, good May 5-8, 2012. Use the coupon code to buy the patterns in my Ravelry Store Lynne Vogel Designs from your mobile device and download them on the spot.

Mary Ann will have many new and exciting colorways available in Superfluity Yarn Kits. See previews here. 

I'll have two original pieces on display in the booth. More later.

Heart of the Lotus

delicate, scrunched

 My newest pattern! Fabulous armwarmers with three variations: Ornate (bottom left), Delicate (top left) and Sleek (bottom right) written for both fingering and sport weight yarns.

Ornate is shown in Verdant Gryphons gorgeous merino/cashmere blend "Bugga!". See it as a project (Bugga Heart) on Ravelry.

Delicate is shown in Malabrigo "Finito". Project here.
UPDATE: Heart of the Lotus is featured in Malabrigo's Online Patterns . What a great resource!

Sleek is in madelinetosh "Pashmina". Project here.

Want the pattern? Buy it here.

sleek, worn long

ornate

two versions

I wanted to see the difference between the Sleek and Delicate versions in Pashmina, a gorgeous sport weight merino/silk/cashmere yarn. If you look closely in the bottom photo (two versions), you can see the Sleek version on the bottom half and the Delicate on the top. My friend Amy fell in love with these and had to have them, and since she preferred the Sleek version, I just ripped out the extra tier. Couldn't even tell it was gone. I want to try it with three tiers next.

Dubose 2012

HANDS ON COLOR: A SPINNING RETREAT

June 1-3 (June 4 optional) 2012

Have a special project you want to spin and knit or crochet? This year, Hands on Color is “pick your own project,” a true retreat where you can spin your own special yarns for your individual project and take advantage of Lynne’s expert guidance throughout the weekend. If you don’t want to work on a project, you can just come and join us for a weekend of spinning and relaxation. In addition, we’ll have a bonus day, Monday, for a bit more spinning, friendship, and project work.

We’ll start with a wine and cheese snacking dinner on Friday. On Saturday, midmorning, Lynne will lecture on how to plan for a project, from spinning the right amount of yarn to thoughts on pattern ideas and more. On Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and Monday (if you choose), you’ll be able to work on that special project, with expert help from Lynne on an individual basis as you need it, and with lots of sharing of ideas with others at the retreat. Come with your project pattern and materials or buy some beautiful colors at our market.  You may want to chose one of Lynne’s patterns, available on Ravelry, or bring your own. Work at your own pace throughout the weekend, taking advantage of the quiet walks and good food Dubose offers. Where else would you find such a wonderful mix of fiber, friends and hours of project time just for you?

For those of you who haven’t come to Dubose, we have a wonderfully large workroom, the Upper Room, to play in. There is room to spread out, so feel free to bring what you need. Know that the workroom is up a flight of stairs; so just don’t bring what you don’t want to haul up there. Those of you, who have a hard time carrying your wheel upstairs, know that we will help you carry your wheel.

Room and Board

The Dubose offers comfortable, clean and reasonable lodgings, meals, and plenty of space to meet and work. We’ll be staying in Bishops Hall, a motel style building. Rooms are either single or double occupancy, double beds with private bath. Local workshop participants may chose to come to class only, or class with meals (see meals package below). Those who are traveling from a distance and prefer more sumptuous accommodations are welcome to stay at any of the other motels or B and B’s on the mountain and just join us for class and meals. We just need to know by May 1, 2012 whether you will be staying or eating with us at Dubose.

Our classroom is on the second floor. The classroom is huge and well lit and we’ll be able to easily accommodate up to 30 people and their wheels. There is no elevator but there will be plenty of help to get your wheel up to the classroom Friday afternoon and back down at the end of the retreat. Motel rooms are on first and second floor walk-up levels. We’re sorry everything isn’t ground floor as this workshop is not handicap accessible, so apologies in that regard.

The classroom is convenient to lodgings and restrooms and there is plenty of parking and convenient drop-off for lodgings and class. Weather should be nice then and there are many nooks both inside and outside where we can retire to knit or just relax. Dubose has a swimming pool, but it is unheated. Sometimes it’s warm enough to swim by mid May. We’re not promising a warm pool, but you never know.

Workshop participants should plan on arriving Friday evening, June 1. We’ll have wine, cheese and other noshes to graze upon, open market and a casual spin-in on Friday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. If you don’t think the wine and cheese event will be substantial enough, there are other dinner options in Monteagle, from McDonalds to High Point, including 2 good barbeque restaurants and great local pizza/Italian at Papa Ron’s.

The retreat starts at 9 AM Saturday and Sunday mornings and goes till 4 PM with an hour break for lunch. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions, as the kitchen is happy to accommodate. Participants who would like meals must purchase entire package. Options for food on the mountain are expanding somewhat, but it’s really nice to have the option to eat at Dubose.

Deadline

Deadline for Registration is May 1, 2012.  A non-refundable deposit of $25 is required upon registration. Balance of class fees is due two weeks prior to class, May 18.  Those of you who wish to pay by credit card may do so through PayPal ahead of time. I will send you an invoice upon request.

We’ll follow up with reminders of what to bring and other information on Sewanee and Monteagle. If you would like to register, or have any questions, please contact:

Lynne 

or her assistant:

Jan Quarles

Bertie and the Purler

I learned a new word this week thanks to Bertie Wooster, P.G. Wodehouse’s famous character of Bertie and Jeeves fame. I just had to reread Code of the Woosters again, considered by many to be one of the all time greatest comic novels. As Bertie would say, “and it did not disappoint.” It’s a veritable Gordian knot of plot twists and it shakes me loose of all encumbering baggage. Good medicine.
In C of the W, Bertram is a guest at Totleigh Towers, country estate of Sir Watkyn Bassett, father to “God’s Daisy Chains” Madeline Bassett, betrothed of newt fancier Gussie Fink Nottle. The betrothal is in jeopardy, along with another upcoming union between Stiffy Bing and Stinker Pinker and Bertram has gone to save the day. But Sir Watkyn suspects Bertie of intentions to purloin his newly (but unjustly acquired) antique silver cow creamer. Sir Watkin turns the thumb screws on Bertie to the degree that Bertram reflects:
Life at Totleigh Towers had hardened me, blunting the gentler emotions, and I derived nothing but gratification from the news that Constable Oats had been meeting with accidents. Only one thing could have pleased me more -- if I had been informed that Sir Watkyn Basset had trodden on the soap and come a purler in the bath tub.

And here’s the word.
purler
noun Brit. informal
A headlong fall: the horse went a purler at the last fence.
ORIGIN nid 19th cent: from dialect purl ‘upset, overturn’.

Of course, the image of Sir Watkyn possibly coming a purler is so incredibly delightful because he’s really asked for it and one can’t help but fall into the soup with the possibilities. But purler?
Remind you of something? It’s even spelled like the purl stitch.
I did a web search to try and find more about the word, but the origin is murky at best, it being a colloquial expression. So if anyone has any light to shed here, please come forth. I did find that Aussies consider a purler to be something mighty fine, but that is about all I could really find.
Meanwhile, when I overturn a knit stitch to make a purl, I will be thinking about Sir Watkyn slipping on the soap and falling oh so ingloriously headfirst into his bubble bath in his dressing gown and doing a slippery, blubbery somersault in the drink. And since everything always comes out well in the end of a PG Wodehouse, I can be confident that no injuries will be sustained, only the sublime indignities so justly deserved.