Yes, it's been a while.

I could go into all the details about why I haven't blogged, and yet I have had time to post on face book.  Short chats were the order of the day for quite a while, it's a bit representative of the pace of the world really, but that's a bit too deep.  True though, and now that there has been a shift in my world - time versus work, versus family = a re-prioritising, with a generous dollop of encouragement from my darling husband and Mandie from ewegivemetheknits.com I am able to spend more time.....doing what?

Sharing, sharing my love of spinning, textured yet functional yarns, and the creations, that is, the  finished garments that appear as a result of all this activity.  It's natural for me to work with them, but I realised that there are many people who like the look of them but don't know how to work with them.

So many people knit, crochet and work with fibre in the Textile Art field, but when it comes to Art Yarns they don't know what to do with them.  They are more than eye candy!

I want the talented knitters and crocheters to realise that they can use Art Yarns like you use an ingredient in cooking.  Sometimes the addition of a fresh, well prepared thoughtfully added ingredient can make all the difference to a dish ( you get it, I am meaning garment).  Then again the same Art yarn (dropped the ingredient thing) with the appropriate construction method can create a garment all on its own, a statement piece that will draw comments every time you wear it.

It's not just here in Australia that we textured spinners find ourselves in this conundrum. It's happening all over the world where Art Yarns are being created, there is movement afoot to emphasise the creation of stable and functional Art Yarns.  However on the other hand there is a void, a lack, a black hole relating to what to create out of them.

There's work to do, and I am putting my fingers in front of the wheel and picking up my knitting needles, crochet hook etc (it's the etc that I worry about) and going on a creative journey.  An Art Yarn Exhibition of my own.

Here is the beginning and I am starting with the beehive coil yarn.

A full bobbin on the Aura from Majacraft , Merino Wool coiled back on a Linen yarn.  Nice and strong and it adds to the functionality.

Straight off the bobbin, reasonably balanced, but will be more balanced once the twist is redistributed with a hot soak.

This is what a hot soak and a spin can do = balanced yarn.

Lovely to dry yarns hanging freely and not stretched.  This means that when the garment is washed later on the yarn will behave and remain just as it was when you first knitted it.

I have 200 grams and 152 Metres of yarn, now to get out my needles and create something functional!