craftsmanship

Super Sweet Blogging Award

| Verónica

Such sweetness! Agujas was nominated for the Super Sweet Blogging Award. My teeth hurt just from looking at all that sugar! A HUGE thanks goes to Knitting Revolution for sharing this award with Agujas.

In accordance with the rules, I will answer these five questions:

  1. Cookies or cake? Cake, definitely cake. I love German Chocolate cake, Coconut cake, Italian Creme cake. Cake, cake, cake!
  2. Chocolate or vanilla? It has to be smooth, creamy vanilla. Did you know vanilla comes from an orchid?
  3. Favourite sweet treat? Easy. Cold, sweet ice cream.
  4. When do you crave sweet things the most? Late at night.
  5. If you had a sweet nickname what would it be? Caramelo (in Spanish).

{Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

I am also delighted to nominate twelve sweet blogs for this award:

  1. Modflowers
  2. G-Ma Ellen’s Crochet Corner
  3. warmhotchocolate
  4. Serena Olivieri
  5. Roootreee Blog
  6. gone-rustic
  7. Now I’m Home
  8. belle cherie handmade
  9. Georgina Giles
  10. The {Tiny} Times
  11. The Middlest Sister
  12. Sugar and Cloth

Now all I need is a glass of milk!

A Very Crafty Evening

| Verónica

This is my second year attending the annual Artisan’s Market presented by the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston (CHH). The market runs from September 6 – 8 so if you are near Houston, you still have Saturday to stop by.

I am so glad that I went on their opening night. I did my usual walk around the rooms to look at all the displays. I then picked up a small plastic basket from the front so I could begin collecting the beautiful handwoven textiles, baskets, handmade jewelry, handspun yarn, and felted ornaments that I had singled out. I was too slow. Those ladies are fierce! Several items I had on my mental checklist were gone! Nonetheless, I had a great time looking, touching and taking pictures.

I saw beautiful handwoven textiles.

There were felted bracelets, handmade cards, woven rugs and artwork.

There were felted baskets, silk baskets and other sculptured baskets.

There were ghosts and goblins and catnip wrapped like mice for the upcoming Autumn holidays.

Even Saint Nicolas’ helpers offered their wares for the yuletide season.

Of course, there was yarn.

A huge round of applause to all of the fiber artists who produced these beautiful handmade items. By the crowds and the long line at check out, I am pleased to say that Houstonians truly appreciate the handcrafted arts.

If you want to see more lovely items like these, this is the post I wrote about last year’s event.

My Very Own Ladybug

| Verónica

A very large box arrived at my doorstep the other day.

After much angst and deliberation, I ordered my very own spinning wheel. (Actually, I placed the order but it was a Mother’s Day gift from my husband extraordinaire).

I carefully laid out the parts.

There was a little assembly required. I wish I could say it was easy but not so. Not all the parts are labelled on the assembly diagram. This could have been simpler but the husband extraordinaire figured it out. Isn’t she beautiful?

Why I chose the Schacht Ladybug: The modern look appealed to me. It’s portable with built-in handles. The weight – neither too light or heavy – keeps it sturdy. It’s a good size – I can easily store it in a corner. The breadth of spinning ratios ranged from 7:1 to 12.5:1 (with the included fast and medium whorls) and can be expanded to slow (5:1 & 6:1) and high speeds (14:1 & 16:1) with additional flyer whorls.

I went with a double treadle (personal preference). Schacht is one of several reputable makers of spinning wheels. Each wheel is hand crafted in Colorado.

Plus it came with my very own ladybug.

The cost was in the mid-range of the wheels I researched – not cheap but didn’t break the bank either.

Now, I need to stop ogling her and actually take her out for a spin. (Yes, pun intended).

Weaving Home Exhibit

| Verónica

This past weekend, I attended a weaving demonstration sponsored by the Houston Arts Alliance. Weaving Home: Textile Traditions from Houston’s Karenni Community showcases the weaving process and textiles created by women refugees from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). For the Karenni, weaving is both a tradition from their homeland and a means of providing financial support for their families.

I had not fully appreciated that Houston is home to several refugee communities from across the globe. These men, women, and children flee their countries as a result of armed conflicts and other conditions difficult to imagine. A local organization, The Community Cloth, supports these refugee communities. Through seed grants, The Community Cloth empowers refugee women to create and sell their handmade crafts.

The live demonstration featured a Karenni weaver using a back strap loom. With her permission, I captured some shots of her at her craft. I found the movement of her hands to be almost poetic.

Click on any photo for a large-screen view.

The rest of the exhibition featured displays of beautiful woven textiles. Items included traditional clothing and bags, and more modern items such as table runners and scarves.

The craftsmanship was evident in the patterns and lively colors. I was able to touch the textiles and appreciate the delicacy of the fine threads. The materials varied but were mostly made of cotton and some synthetic blends.

The purchase of this incredibly soft woven scarf was my little contribution to the Karenni microenterprise.

The Houston Arts Alliance website has a section devoted to the Weaving Home exhibit which I highly encourage you to read. You can learn more about and sponsor a seed grant for women artisans at The Community Cloth.

Contemporary Craft in Houston

| Verónica

Some time ago, I discovered the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) located in Houston’s Museum District. The HCCC focuses on arts and crafts made from clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood or found/recycled materials. In addition to a variety of exhibitions, they have an Artist Residency program. When you visit the museum, you can see that each artist has their own workspace for perfecting their craft.

When I visited the museum, the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston (CHH) was holding its Artisan Market. Occupying the large display rooms were booths of textiles, jewelry, rugs, clothing and yarn. Weavers were working on large looms and spinners with their whirring wheels were scattered around the rooms.

I had to bring this small guest towel home only because it was handwoven and embroidered by 104 year old Tilly Marchwinski. Mrs. Marchwinski was not present but it seemed that everyone there knew her. They told me that she never missed the show but was a little under the weather that day.

This next item was the perfect sunglasses case. I loved both the vibrant colors and the texture produced by the swirling pattern.

This large basket was filled with handspun, hand dyed yarns.

This hank of yarn was handspun by Peggy Barnette of Sky Loom Weavers. Fiber contents – 80% BFL Wool, 20% Silk, 2 ply.

Normally I am drawn to rich, vibrant colors but I couldn’t resist the sheen of this soft brown yarn called “Chocolate Mint.” It is a 2 ply yarn spun from 50% Alpaca, 50% Bamboo by Penny Nelson also of Sky Loom Weavers.

Follow these links to learn more about the HCCC and the CHH. According to their website, the next CHH Artisan Market will be held on September 6-8, 2012 at the HCCC.