Summertime 2026 Update!
It’s the world’s worst blogger, checking in! Patrick and I have had a wonderful spring show season, seeing so many old friends and meeting new ones, but summer is the time when we can just -stop- for a while, enjoy the gorgeous Lake Erie view from the porch, and drink it all in. Summer is also the time when I can really get a lot of spinning done, and it’s the time of year where I’ll try new spins. I can’t be hurried or rushed with new techniques…I must have time to, well, FAIL a couple times, at least…haha!
I’ve been wanting to try spinning bouclé yarn for a long time now. It seems to occupy a very unique position in many a spinner’s arsenal, due to the fact that while it is, indeed (to me, anyway) an “art yarn”, it is one that many traditional spinners know how to do. These are spinners who would say “I don’t spin art yarn”…yet they do spin boucle…hmmmm!
Bouclé is a three-ply technique, consisting of a core, a wrap, and a binder. I figured I would showcase the wrap by keeping the other two plies simple…and strong. I opted to use a silk thread for these. In the future I want to play around with spinning cores and binders, too. But for now, I just wanted to get the technique down. I did get it down, and had so much fun! I’ll be doing a little demo on this technique, as it’s just SO good. You just have to learn it! You’ll be so glad.
As we head into the fall season, there are so many great new products in the works for FLD! It’s been hard to find the time to really put into these ideas, and it’s been frustrating. However, as many of you know, I have a day job that I’ve been trying to leave for a while now. I finally gave my notice, after almost 11 years. July will be my last month there, and I am daydreaming of everything I’ll be able to work on when my time is completely free! I’m pretty sure, though, that I’ll find myself busier than ever before…
What is my main product-goal for this fall? weaving KITS! There is absolutely no better way to learn something than by actually doing it, and these kits will make that easy. No worrying about yarn quantities, design considerations, or even much with sizing. Everything is figured out and provided, no guessing. Our kits will teach specific techniques for sewing handwoven fabrics with confidence. Not only will you end up with a beautiful, handmade, handwoven couture garment, but you’ll have practiced sewing techniques that will serve you well in your next project.
And…I’m terribly behind on other product-projects….you guys can call me out, I deserve it! With our Little Lotus Loom, I still am working on our “5-Inch Fashion” patterns. Many of you have seen the little jacket hanging in our booth this spring, and it has really been a hit! It just goes to show that you don’t need to have a huge, expensive loom to make some really cool fashion.
Next up is a little skirt to match…I’ve still got some of those cute 5-inch strips left over, and I can’t think of anything better than using them as some kind of border.
Also this year: a new-but-actually-old craft obssession for me while I was recovering from hip surgery…tubular bead crochet! The first time I enjoyed this meticulous craft was mannnnnny years ago when I was going through my divorce. I strung crazy, complicated patterns with tiny seed beads, then crocheted them around and around in a tube and made long, incredible lariats. These little tiny beads were the only thing I could “control” in my life at the time, and I really feel that my bead crochet was instrumental in getting me through that tough time.
I came back around to bead crochet in an unexpected way this year: I wanted to learn kumihimo braiding while I was recovering from hip surgery. It reminded me so much of my beloved bead crochet! Well, kumihimo was, forgive me, a pain in the butt…haha! Beads are strung in specific patterns on multiple threads, then braided to create the design. My head was spinning thinking of all those different stringing patterns on all those different threads! In bead crochet, there is a single thread, and the beads are strung on it. Much neater. So…I ended up with a tiny crochet hook back in my hand, after a 20-year hiatus. I made many lariats this year, very quickly. So much fun, and of course, FLD will have kits for a couple of these designs! (That cute owl design will be first!)
And last but certainly not least, my classes!
The last year or so has been a time of experimenting, trying new things, and also “settling in” with classes I’ve taught for a few years now. But also this year were a couple new classes, and all the challenges that come with that! Every class gets better each time it’s taught, and I know that a class must be brand new at some point!
My sewing class is finally settling into how I’ve always wanted it to be: seaming techniques for handwoven fabrics, as well as my approach to design. Since the design portion is brand new, I’ll be making big improvements and additions, and it’s very exciting to me. See, there are no books on this stuff (there are few, and they are all out of print). My goal is to develop this class straight into a book. I think a lot of handweavers would be interested in my personal notebook of techniques and designs! But, I don’t know how to write a book like this, so I’m looking for some much-needed assistance. Stay tuned!
Now I’m back to my comfy chair on the porch, enjoying the soft lake breezes and freshwater air! We will see you at Michigan Fiber Fest in August in Allegan!