Seperate Ways

With all the changes happening at The Rookery, I felt it was time for the retail shop to have it's own blog space. The current mailing list on yahoo groups will be discontinued soon and all shop announcements and updates will be posted on our new blog site. This will allow for easier public access as well as photographs of all the fabulous stuff we stock in our shop- and with a website in the works, you will soon be able to shop with us online! Please visit us at: www.alaskafiberarts.blogspot.com

Update on Life

I was shocked to see that I hadn't posted here for nearly a month! I've been extreamly busy getting the fiber shop ready for the holidays. We hosted the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours last Friday. Chef Joel of Mill Bay Coffee & Pastries catered some delectable treats- I still have truffles in my freezer! Chris Lynch and Sally Troxell presented their works to the public at The Rookery on Saturday. Beautiful stuff! I had to snag one of Sally's felted purses...I'll see if Chris will get me some pic's to post- lots of art quilts, baskets, jewlery, felted bags, hats, scarves and wraps...great turn out!

Its been an intresting month down in the Harbor Building where The Rookery is located. Lots of new construction happening. Viva Mexcio Imports has moved across town and now Emerald Isle Framing has moved into the space. Liz Mitchell bought out Emerald Isle last year- she's planning to change the name and has started offering beads as well as local and original art. The Brewery, incase you haven't heard- can now sell pints thanks to fantabulous legislation that recently passed. I'm thinking that a knitting and beer tasting event needs to happen sometime this winter. Not sure what is going into the vacent space next to us that is being developed.

Seeing lots of new faces in the shop over the last week. I'm so thankful for word of mouth- thank you everyone who has spread the word! The shop has really grown alot this past month- lots of new stuff to inspire! New shipments are arriving every week- this is why I've been neglecting my blog and my spinning wheel. I'm starting to bring in more paper craft supplies and hope to get in some very artsy rubber stamps from the UK. I've stocked some fabulous altered journal kits, handmade papers, felt beads and other scrappy goodness.

Other good news- a website is finally in the works. I've found someone local to work on my site- so keep an eye out for alaskafiberarts.com -there will be an online shopping cart available! Next step is getting an internet connection up and running in the shop- why I have taken so long to get around this this I'll never know- but it will certainly make my life soooooo much easier not having to drag stuff back and forth between shop and home. It will mean earlier hours for the shop as well, as I currently spend my mornings conducting the business end of things at home before opening shop downtown.

Speaking of shop hours- I'm now open on Mondays! New Hours are Monday- Saturday 12-5:30

Green Goddess

This is the yarn I spun for the magic yarn ball swap. Yummy mohair/wool/silk blend spun with snippets of Abuko from Curious Creek Fibers. I assembled little wool felt flowers with glass beads and spun them into the yarn. The glass leaves were attached just before I wound up little treasures into the yarn ball for my swap partner. My partner's favorite color is green, which was naturally, the inspiration for this yarn. Hope she loves it!

ATC Art Show

Here are some highlights from the November ATC Art Show

ATC Art Show

ART SHOW

Hokus Pokus

A mish mosh blend of fibers I received from Angela Place of Material Whirled in the Buggin' Out fiber swap. Thanks again Angela!

Textile Art Cards

Textile Art Cards

Kelp Forest

Blended mohair & wool spun with snippets of novelty yarn and sparkly stuff. Plied with sterling silver fish and pewter nautilus buttons threaded on viscose.

Flow

Blended mohair, wool and alpaca spun with novelty yarn snippets plied with with pewter nautilus and sterling silver fish buttons threaded on viscose.

Rip Tide

Mohair and wool blend spun with snippets of hand-dyed boucle and mohair locks.

Textile ATC's

The latest explorations with my new sewing machine. I feel lame that I'm only just now in life getting aquainted with one. It's like playing with an etch-a-sketch!

Trick or Treat!

More halloween fabric spun into yarn! This time I added fabric cut-outs (there's some candy corn in there somewhere) backed with woolfelt and threaded on to novelty yarn snippets, so they're spun right in. I also alternated while spinning between the black spiderweb mesh fabric and the cotton patterned fabrics to create a stripe effect. Definately a treat!

Corpse Bride & Groom

Corpse Bride was created by spinning strips of cheese cloth around a core thread along with sparkling snippets of silver/greyish blue fun fur. Groom is a combination of cheese cloth and embroidered black rayon also spun around a core thread and wildly plied with black pompom thread for added texture.

Candy Corn

This yarn is spun with halloween fabric that has been core spun around black pompom thread with snippets of purplish/black novelty yarn and is double plied with orange and green viscose thread.

Nymph & Dryad

Nymph is a gorgeous blend of angora, kid mohair and silk spun with hand-dyed boucle from Curious Creek Fibers and snippets of Cherry Tree Hill's discontinued Fun Fur. Plied with blue to purple UV color change thread, this yarn measures in at 81 yds.

Dryad is spun from a blend of kid mohair and coopworth- also with snippets of fun fur and boucle and is plied with orange viscose thread. 97 yds. Both are listed in my Etsy shop: www.yarnpunk.etsy.com

Tossed Salad

I really wish that I could take credit for this yarn, but it was spun by my good friend Liz Mitchell on a drop spindle. She felted all the veggies and made fabric lettuce leaves. The tomatoes are red pompoms with green felted tops. She's got another one I really want to photgraph- a black and white 1920's art deco inspired yarn that I'm simply in love with. Stay tuned!

Textile ATC's