Curious. Creative. Living Boldly.
Dec 22
in Earth and Sea, Uncategorized 0 comments

Today I’m going to be my own very best friend !

I scheduled today off… just for me.

The past few months have been crazy…. actually the whole year has been HUGE… and I needed to take time to just be with ME!

I hopped up early and attended to a few things and I was sharing via email what I was going to do for the day…. and I just wrote that …” I am taking today off… to just go into the forest and take some photographs… find a stream somewhere and have a swim.. and just connect with the earth and myself. Time for regeneration.. rejuvenation and connection with myself. I am going to nurture myself by being loving and kind to myself… ..and laugh with myself and just love myself for who I am and enjoy my own company…Today I am going to be my own very best friend. :-)”

…and I WAS !

It was the summer solstice – and for me a day for connection… so I decided to head to the forest and bush! I drove to a nearby State forest and walked; sat; cried; laughed at my own jokes LOL… meditated quietly and found a wonderful sense of Peace.

I held my camera in my hand and listened to what I saw. I felt the sounds of the bush. Eucalyptus oils wafted as the engine warmth and tyres released the fragrance of the bush. I reconnected with myself. It was wonderful.

My first pleasure and comfort was slipping on my walking boots, which seemed to have been abandoned in the past few months.

 

 

 

I then hoped for a splash in a stream… but alas… no water in the streams… only dry creek beds… so my desire for a splash didn’t eventuate.. Oh well.

The resonance of the sounds of the bush truly moved me… my cells tingles and buzzed with the vibration of the bellbirds; king parrots… birds in general (LOL) and CICADAS!!! OMGosh!!!… Have a listen to the sound which recorded here is only a fraction of what it was like to experience! Video quality is abysmal ..and thumbnail sideways.. LOL.. but just have a listen to something of what it was like to stand in the bush with these insects just going ‘off’!!!! AMAZING!!!

 

My new best friend and I were having a wonderful day. We both pleased ourselves what to do… LOL.. no problems…no issues… no complications… just hung out together – experiencing the sounds; the smells; the sensations of being in the forest.

Another pleasure and comfort was to stand quite close beside a yellow tailed black cockatoo… one of my two most favourite birds…. Have a listen to his quite mournful cry. Two videos here.. one as I was walking and I heard the mournful cry… and then when I came close to where it was sitting on the branch quite low down.
Yellow tailed black cockatoos – mournful cry

resonance of cicadas
The honey scent of blossom oozed in the humid hot day.  

The forest was varied and as the soil  and micro-climates of the different sides of the slopes changed…so did the species of trees and types of forest and bushland.

The roads were very quiet.. actually I didn’t see another car all day on the dirt roads. My new ‘bestie’ wished she was in the Cruiser though… but I hadn’t communicated clearly to Max that I wanted it  – so it was booked in to have a windscreen replacement… so although my car is perfectly adequate, some of the spots were a bit tricky.. and I didn’t take pics of the ‘hairy bits’ because i was busy with two hands on the wheel!

Throughout the day I found spots to put out my picnic rug and just meditate and absorb the sounds of the bush. I found a sense of clarity and was really happy. I recognised a real strength within me that I saw in so much of the forest. Strong tree trunks… tall… enduring… powerful… sustaining… protecting… providing – characteristics of myself which others also see, which means that I am often overlooked as ever needing any support.

 

 

 

 

 

I saw the remnant stump of a HUGE old tree which was felled some time ago. I reflected on the sense of time..age… and how ignorance caused the death of something so magnificent. It came to me that I just recognised how important it is to ACT and have action on something when one is ignorant no longer and has awareness of something…. otherwise the consequence is that so much is lost.

 

Thunder was rumbling all around and the sky became dark. I decided to take the ‘adventurous’ track home.. 76 km which ended up taking me nearly 5 hours!  (a few stops on the way though) LOL. It was narrow, bumpy and my new best friend was excited but also had a few OMGosh waves as it started to rain and there was no phone range… and I forgot to tell Max which forest I was actually in ! It was so much fun though! Driving through the rainforest I saw this sign… I didn’t stop and it is hard to read…but is says… “Impassable Road – when WET”….  OOPS!  No way were we turning around!

The sky to the west was filled with black storm clouds.. and the rumbles of thunder spoke to me gently to carefully get out of the rainforest otherwise I may get bogged and then I would have to work out what to do! LOL. Thank goodness that didn’t happen and after 5hours of doing about 20km an hour, with a few stops along the most wonderful track we came out to Bellthorpe to a bitumen road.

I had a wonderful day of connection – with my new best friend. Think I might have her hang out with me all the time!

 

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About the Author:
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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@skeinydipping

@skeinydipping

🧐 Curious 🎨 Creative 💪🏻 Living Boldly! @idoamazingthings 😁 Content with wool in my hands Artisan weaver of blankets and wraps. Pop to my website
  • Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique
  • Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
  • Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning
  • I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury
  • Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
  • It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip
  • I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift
  • It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas
  • What to do when things break in one’s studio.  STEP 1. Have a rummage for possible solutions; and never brush any ideas aside! Hehehe  They may end up being the perfect solution. In my studio, my yarn swift broke, and I needed to fix it so that I could continue to wind the yarn skeins into balls. I DID find the solution, and I could keep on with the progress of weaving my handwoven blankets. All my content is from my day to day living creatively; and is created ALL from my own head!  If you had a giggle at my solution to my equipment malfunction - and this post, I would love you to perhaps save it for a future laugh; follow me, and forward this to a friend. #studiovibes #artisanmade #madebyhand #handweaving #giggle
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Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique
18 hours ago
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@skeinydipping
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Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
20 hours ago
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Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning
2 days ago
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@skeinydipping
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I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury
4 days ago
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@skeinydipping
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Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
5 days ago
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It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip
5 days ago
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@skeinydipping
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I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift
1 week ago
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It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas
2 weeks ago
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@skeinydipping
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What to do when things break in one’s studio.  STEP 1. Have a rummage for possible solutions; and never brush any ideas aside! Hehehe  They may end up being the perfect solution. In my studio, my yarn swift broke, and I needed to fix it so that I could continue to wind the yarn skeins into balls. I DID find the solution, and I could keep on with the progress of weaving my handwoven blankets. All my content is from my day to day living creatively; and is created ALL from my own head!  If you had a giggle at my solution to my equipment malfunction - and this post, I would love you to perhaps save it for a future laugh; follow me, and forward this to a friend. #studiovibes #artisanmade #madebyhand #handweaving #giggle
2 weeks ago
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9/9

 

 

 

@skeinydipping

@skeinydipping

🧐 Curious 🎨 Creative 💪🏻 Living Boldly! @idoamazingthings 😁 Content with wool in my hands Artisan weaver of blankets and wraps. Pop to my website
  • Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique
  • Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
  • Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning
  • I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury
  • Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
  • It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip
  • I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift
  • It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas
  • What to do when things break in one’s studio.  STEP 1. Have a rummage for possible solutions; and never brush any ideas aside! Hehehe  They may end up being the perfect solution. In my studio, my yarn swift broke, and I needed to fix it so that I could continue to wind the yarn skeins into balls. I DID find the solution, and I could keep on with the progress of weaving my handwoven blankets. All my content is from my day to day living creatively; and is created ALL from my own head!  If you had a giggle at my solution to my equipment malfunction - and this post, I would love you to perhaps save it for a future laugh; follow me, and forward this to a friend. #studiovibes #artisanmade #madebyhand #handweaving #giggle
View on Instagram
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
•
Follow
Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique
18 hours ago
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1/9
@skeinydipping
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•
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Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
20 hours ago
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2/9
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
•
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Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning
2 days ago
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3/9
@skeinydipping
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I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury
4 days ago
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4/9
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Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade
5 days ago
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5/9
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
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It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip
5 days ago
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6/9
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
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I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift
1 week ago
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7/9
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
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It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas
2 weeks ago
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8/9
@skeinydipping
@skeinydipping
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What to do when things break in one’s studio.  STEP 1. Have a rummage for possible solutions; and never brush any ideas aside! Hehehe  They may end up being the perfect solution. In my studio, my yarn swift broke, and I needed to fix it so that I could continue to wind the yarn skeins into balls. I DID find the solution, and I could keep on with the progress of weaving my handwoven blankets. All my content is from my day to day living creatively; and is created ALL from my own head!  If you had a giggle at my solution to my equipment malfunction - and this post, I would love you to perhaps save it for a future laugh; follow me, and forward this to a friend. #studiovibes #artisanmade #madebyhand #handweaving #giggle
2 weeks ago
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9/9