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Old Newsletters
Winter 2007 | Spring & Summer 2007 | Holiday Newsletter 2006 | Spring 2005
(please note: any prices on this page are not current)
Winter 2007
What's going on at Deep Color? And with me?
Spinning Classes! We will have another two glorious felting semesters and fun beginning and intermediate felting classes.
Free Felting Christmas
Party!
Sat December 15, 1 - 5 pm
Wool Sale! 10 am - 5 pm
Cookies! (of course)
I had to have another Christmas Party as we slowly cover our Christmas trees with timy felt ornaments. This year we will wet and needle felt little balls and cage them with wire and beads.
This is also the only time we are open this fall to sell wool and silk for felting and it's on sale. Come in the morning to shop and stay for the party in the afternoon.
I really love teaching the ongoing felt semester. The students are working in an inspired and deep way on their own unique work - it takes months and years working steadily to get a clear artistic voice and making your own art on a regular basis is a root for your whole life. For many students the monthly class is their one time each month to do nothing but make art and eat long lavish lunches.
I took a 2 week metal class this summer and we barely had any time to work. We sat and watched the teacher demonstrate raising metal and enameling all day. It made me very determined that my classes would be dominating about students getting to make their own work and getting to felt all weekend. You don't want to watch someone eat chocolate cake - you want to get to eat it yourself!
My new art life is froming into a calm and satisfying routine. I have much more time to mak art and also to be alone and think. I lie in bed and think and think and my purpose gets clearer. I look at lots of art books and read and look at my art pieces and let them unfold. AI am very thankful (just in time for Thanksgiving) to have this time and still have Deep Color in this new condensed form. Last weekend when I taught I actually felt rested going in.
I'd also like to thank all my felting students and Kristina Scott, my assistant for her beautiful dyeing and quince tart.
Happy Holidays
Claudia
Newsletter
How to Have a Romantic
Relationship with Art
We have potluck lunches in our weekend felting classes and chocolate marzipan bars. I always say, "OK, let's talk about making art" - making art and how to fit it in to our lives. I've realized this year that in the 7th year of Deep Color my personality quirks are really evident - just like a romantic relationship. So I've paused in my struggles with my business to contemplate my inner space. When I have space for me inside I realize...
1. I'm making art for my eye to make things
that please me.
2. That I am a gifted artist.
3. I like teaching long weekend classes when there are brownies and everyone
has lots of time to work.
4. I don't like teaching at night
I have also changed my teaching schedule so I teach 2 weeks and make art for 2 weeks. As magazines always say "If you want romance you have to make time for it."
I love learning new techniques for art making.
Teaching all these classes has structured me to learn so much more than
I would unpushed. Classes I am currently learning about are discharge
dying, making felt yardage, sewing clothes, metal mesh, wire and sheet
metal, belt sanders, shibori with hardware, and jewelrey making.
I feel very pleased with my art and business right now - and very excited about teaching and taking lots of classes.
I lie in bed in the morning saying to myself "I am a talented artist." Then I say, "More pancakes! More pastry!"
Have a bright summer!
-Claudia
felting | presents | books | new fibers | needle felting
Art Again
When I graduated from CCAC in the early 80's, I had never considered doing anything besides making art. I graduated with a major in ceramics and a minor in textiles. I was briefly torn between the two, but soon decided that I could make a living more easily making pottery, and did for 15 years, showing in galleries all over the country, going to the big American Crafts Enterprise shows, having up to five apprentices and making lots and lots of pottery. At a certain point, I felt that I had proved that I could do it, that I was good enough, and I quit and went about doing all the other stuff that life could offer: kayaking, whitewater rafting, playing with cute boys, studying bodywork, weaving tapestry on floor looms.
When I started Deep Color I was consumed with spinning and knitting yarn. All I wanted to do was spin all day and listen to books on tape, preferably read by actors with English accents. I knew that the desire to spin 10 hours a day couldn't last forever, and gradually felting began to take over my life. When I began to make felt from unspun wool, I was struck by its similarity to ceramics: felt's ability to be shaped into three-dimensional forms, its affinity for pattern and very rich color. It's such a fun transformative process, laying out thin layers of wool, cutting up dyed wool into patterned sheets, and laying them in, wetting the batt with soap gel and hot water and lots f rubbing and rolling the gradually hardening felt. But I felt I shouldn't get too involved; I had already been an artist, I didn't want to put the pressure of making a living on my artmaking again.
But still, felting kept getting more interesting. I teach felt classes every month, and I've had to keep teaching myself new techniques to have something to teach. I've learned about beading, basketmaking, hand sewing, sewing with a machine, hat making, bookmaking, shibori dying, nuno felting (inlaying fabric into felt), drawing and painting with wool and how to make really good, really hard felt. All that felting, I started to get pretty good.
Then this summer I took a class at Arrowmont with John Garret, the reknowned artist, weaver, and (I would say) basketmaker. We were using weaving methods with metal and wire. I started sewing my felt over metal hardware cloth. Suddenly my felt was stiff and could be bent and stand up. I sewed my first felt & hardware cloth piece, quilted it, beaded it, bent it, and put I up on the wall. I experienced a deep thrill and simultaneous calm. This was it. I could finally say anything I might want to say.
So, art again. What do you do when you want to make art all the time, but you already work full time? We will see. But as far as me and Deep Color, I am moving almost all my teaching to the weekends and cutting back a bit. If you are interested in dye classes at Deep Color, I'd say take them soon. I am moving more and more towards mostly felting classes with some spinning, too.
So that's my news. Now for news at Deep Color. We have fun events coming up!
I'm thinking about what presents to make. We all are always looking for a good excuse to get to do what we really want to do and I feel that I must make many felt place mats. When I was a production potter, I started on my Christmas orders in June. I hated Christmas and pretty much stopped celebrating it. Starting to make presents at the end of November is much more civilized. Here are some holiday present thoughts.
1. Scarves - everyone needs several felt scarves - scarves with silk fabric, zigzag textured scarves, thin ones, bright, highly patterned ones, beaded ones. We have amazing hand dyed haboti silk to felt on to - only $12.00 a yard
2. The above mentioned placemats - felt your placemat very hard and you never have to wash them - shake them out - that's it. Use white corriedale - only $1.00 an ounce.
3. Tea cozy's - Tea cozy's make your tea pot feel safe. We're making them in "Feltin for the House" December 9 (see classes).
4. Felt Jewlery and Ornaments - Come and make some for fun at our Holiday Felting Party, December 10!
5. Kid's presents - I gave my 2 year old nephew a bag of big felt balls in different colors and i hear they wer very popular. This year, I'm thinking of making a box of little magic felt hats.
Presents to Buy or
Presents People Should Give You
Books1. Present Supreme - The Schact spinning wheel Double Treadle: This is the present that will make someone happy for the rest of their life. There is no better spinning wheel in my opinion. $898.00
2. Present Sublime - The Ashford Joy Wheel Double Treadle: This is a great portable affordable wheel that can be a fine first wheel or companion wheel if you already have a bigger wheel. I like the four built in speeds. $550.00 (with bag add $115.00)
3. Present Delightful - 24 mm Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom - This is the fastest and easiest way to get weaving. You can warp this up in about an hour and start weaving scarves, bags, pillows, and shawls. Especially beautiful if you use your handspun. $157.50
4. Fun Presents -
a. Schacht Drop Spindle - a particulary balanced spindle for any spinner $16
b. Mark Graham's drop spindle lazy Kate This is a truly beautiful handmade frame that will spin your drop spindle easily while you ply or wind up balls - only at Deep Color.
Handmade Drop Spindle Lazy Kate $455. A Felting Class - give someone an Intro to Felting class and then have them make you lots of felt scarves!
Intro to Felting $606. A Gift Certificate! This is our most popular present and we have a really pretty card.
Gift Certificate $5 to $100 or even more!
Feltmaking and Wool Magic... $24.95... Jorie Johnson's thrilling feltmaking book is finally translated from the Japanese. She is one of the best felters in the world, and this is beautiful, inspiring felting. Get this one.
Sheila Smith Book Three is also very popular. It's the only book out on nuno felting on fabric.
New Fibers for Felting and Spinning
Jen Ferré is dying really spectacular wools for felting and spinning. When I was at Arrowmont someone asked me "How many colors do you use in your felt pieces?" "About 300," I replied. We have 52 colors of Merino, about 40 of Corriedale and my assistant Jen dyes about 30 additional totally new colors each week.
We are lucky at Deep Color to have all this color. Come try the multicolored merino tencel. A one 2 oz. bundle makes a brilliant shining scarf.
2 oz. painted merino/tencel is $9.00
Needlefelters, we have lots of nice mid-range Corriedale that will needlefelt well. Use corriedale - not merino for needlefelting.
Needlefelt Kits: $10.00/10 colors
Needlefelt needles: $1.10 apiece
News | Stitches West | Year in Review | Product News | Felting | Spindles |
Rovings Dyed Polwarth | Books | New Yarn | The Recipe | The Hat Pattern
"I don't understand why people want to go to school and parties and bars," I said. " I just want to sit at home and make things."
"Yes. That's the name of your newsletter," said Josh
This is the first "Sit at Home and Make Things Newsletter." It is a newsletter of Deep Color Studio and has news, new products, comments, a recipe, and a pattern.
News about news: Deep Color is mentioned in the Jan 2005 edition of The Berkeley Monthly in the article "Knitting Pretty." This was a pleasing opportunity to get to air my opionins on the evils of synthetics and the joys of handspun yarn. I am always happy to tout spinning and knitting and felting.
Stitches West: We will be in Booth 707 at Stitches West Feb 11 - 13 at the Santa Clara Convention Ctr. selling our plantdyed yarn, fiber and spindles. Stitches is yarn beyond all comprehension. Please come and bring lots of water and a calm attitude.
The Year in Review: 2004 was a fine year for felting. We began a introduction to felting class teaching how to make felt scarfs. It is very exciting to make a scarf in one hour and I am pleased that many of my students went completely off the deep end. Especially Janet, Maggie and Ruth. We also had 3 felting open houses where many woman, children and some men made felt balls, felt flowers and best of all tiny felt stocking Christmas ornaments.
Many new spinners were created and I was able to feed my absorbtion with beads teaching beaded yarn spinning beads. It was a great joy to see the gorgeous knitting and weaving with handspun yarn that all my spinning students made.
I'd like especially to thank Erika Molynar, Lisa Stewart, Angie Miller, Brook Sinnes, and my dear Josh for all their help.
Product News: The dollar is very weak so all prices on imports are going up. This includes Louet, Ashford, and Addi-turbo needles.
Felting: We have lots of new solid color merino wool for felting in 2 oz. bundles @ $3.25 / bundle. Try the merino-tencel blends in 8 different colors, they felt shiny and squiggly - 2 oz. for $3.75.
Spindles: Ashford has a very simple but good student drop spindle for only $5.00.
Rovings Polwarth dyed roving: These soft lucious multicolored rovings were very popular this year. We will have more at the beginning of Feb. in time for Stitches.
Books: Lots of great new books in 2004 I recommend...
Knitting
Weekend Knitting: Melanie Falick - This cozy, inspiring book will have you knitting sideways mitts while sipping hot chocolate in the bath. It evokes that safe, insular feeling you have when you're knitting and has many clever things you'll want to knit
Scarfs: ed. Pam Allen - I was mad at this book because I almost got to be in it and then didn't but it is a great book! The scarfs beg to be made even though we all have 20 scarfs. The entralac scarf, the twisted noodle scarf and Katharine Alexander's "art scarf" are all very good for hand spinners. Blurry pictures for some mysterious reason.
Modular Knitting by Ginger Luters. $19.95 - I like to learn new tricks from knitting books not just hat patterns. There are many new little units there to knit and put together, triangles of all kinds, socks, lots of vests, many thoughts on how to design.
Felting
Simply Felt - a rare new felting book by Interweave Press. Sewn felt, felted knitting, nice pictures. Very accessible.
New Yarn: - Baby Black Alpaca 60 grams (approx. 70 yards) -$16.00. This is a pure black, meltingly tender and good for sophisticated knits. Men like it.
Handspun Speckled Multicolor Merino 100 grams (approx 160 yards) - $26.00. This is a speckly version of everyone's favorite striped 2 ply yarn. Especially nice for mitts.
7 layer nut bars or "Magic Bars" - I make these for our open houses and Kate asked for the recipe so here it is....Crush one cellophane package of graham crackers in a paper bag by jumping up and down on it . Mix with 1 stick melted butter. Press into 9" baking pan. Layer chopped walnuts, shredded sweetened coconut, semi sweet choc. chips and drip one can sweetened condensed milk on each layer. Finish with the condensed milk. I use about a cup of each item. Bake 45 min - 1 hour at 325-350. These are very sweet and compulsive to eat.
|
Claudia's
Beginning Class Hat. You will need:
|
| 1- size 8 or 9, 20" circular needle |
| 1 - size 8 or 9, 24" circular needle |
| 1 - blunt tip tapestry needle |
| 2 skeins (approx. 100g / 140 yds ) Claudia hand spun singles or |
| 1 skein multicolor superwash |
Loosely cast on 77 stitches on to the 20" needle using long tail cast on method. DO NOT use back loop method- it slides apart and you will be doomed. Join the hat by putting the last stitch you cast on next to the first stitch you cast on and knit 2 together.
Make sure you do not twist the cast on! Begin knitting. If in 3 or 4 rows you see you have twisted the cast on give up immediately and tear out. It will only get worse.
Knit on and on up till you have knit approx 7". Change colors for nice stripes if you wish. The hat will be rolling at the bottom.
| Using the little tail at the bottom as a reference point begin to decrease: |
| 1.) Knit 2 together. Knit 6 stitches straight. Repeat for one row |
| 2.) Knit 2-3 rows together straight. No decreases. |
| 3.) Knit 2 together. Knit 5 stitches straight. Repeat for one row. Repeat step 2 |
| 4.) Knit 2 together. Knit 4 stitches. Repeat step 2. |
| 5.) Knit 2 together. Knit 3 stitches. Repeat step 2 |
| 6.) Knit 2 together. Knit 1 stitch. |
| 7.) Knit 2 together with no rows in between until you have 6 stitches left |
| *Read this! |
|
At approx. 40 stitches left on the needle insert the 24" needle by sliding half of the stitches off purlwise. Close the hat using the 2 circular needle method. If you don't know this method ask Claudia or see Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick With 6 stitches remaining break off 7 inches of yarn, thread through the tapestry needle and put thread through the stitches. Pull tight and poke through to the inside. Darn into the hat. Darn the cast on tail into the cast on. Decorate with pom pom if desired. Wear the hat! |
END OF NEWSLETTER
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Claudia and Josh
