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Art Quilt Show at Confluence Gallery

March 25, 2010 by Katie

I stopped by the Confluence Gallery in Twisp yesterday to photograph the shawl pins I have on consignment there.  Rick was with me and we realized he had not yet seen the current show:  Fragments of Color.  The work is from a Pacific Northwest artist group called Fiber Optix, whose chosen medium is the art quilt or quilted wall hanging.

It’s a stunning show.  Many of the artists dye or handpaint (with dye) their fabrics, so they are completely unlike commercial fabrics found in quilt stores.  There is often a lot of surface embellishment.  I went back into the gallery today to get some general shots for the blog:

As you can see, they paired the wall hangings with art glass from Twisp River Glass (Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciancibelli, husband and wife team who live up the Twisp River and show their work nationally).

The gallery is also emphasizing fiber arts in the gift shop area, and invited our local weaving guild to bring items in for this show, especially:

They have also set up a quilting studio in the front of the gallery, in a space that used to be a cafe and is now usually used for showcasing work not included in the current show.  The women who are quilting and demonstrating in that area weren’t there when I took these photos today, but I will try to get back by next week and capture that part of the exhibit.

It runs through April 10th.  Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the valley!

Posted in fiberarts, Methow Valley | 1 Comment »

Linen Stitch Scarf – With a Twist!

March 18, 2010 by Katie

Why yes, I have been knitting!  I bought some mixed colors of Koigu PPM (a well known hand-dyed 100% merino sock yarn) from my friend Linda at the spinning workshop on Orcas, and used 4 of the colors to knit the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf, which is part of the Churchmouse Classics collection (purchase online and download as a PDF file).

But I didn’t want the stringy fringe that they employ, so I knit it with the yarns running up one edge.  Well, for 3 of them anyway – for the 4th color that was used less often, I started at the opposite end and broke off the end when the stripe was completed.  This eliminated some bulk and a long carry at the main end.

But then it looked kind of plain, so I used all of the yarn I had left over to knit the little corkscrews and sewed them to each end.  I love it!!  This has given me an idea which I will be pursuing….

We went for a walk this morning.  Lovely morning.  This is a shot of Mt Gardner taken from Wolf Creek Rd, just where you turn onto our road:

I also took some shots of the master bedroom, since we have it pretty much together, with artwork hung and all:

The propane fireplace still needs to be trimmed out, but Rick did find the trim kit (and the manual) out in the garage so we have what we need.  Eventually, there will be a mantle and wood surround, with bookcases on both sides.  It’s nice to have the little seating area, though, and we can take the chairs out on the deck in the summer if we want to sit outside.  The view is of Mt Gardner from the master bedroom, although we only see the top of it from here:

Posted in home life, knitting | 3 Comments »

Phase 1 Complete

March 14, 2010 by Katie

Well, we have moved ourselves and the cats to the new house, and have spent 2 nights there now.  The cats were not amused but they seem to be doing better today.

Today we are moving the office furniture and computer, and they are supposed to transfer our internet service tomorrow, but I expect to be out of communication for a day or two, email and blog-wise.

Stay tuned!

Posted in home life, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

We Gots to Move These Refrigerators

March 9, 2010 by Katie

Borrowing a line from the Dire Straits song, “Money for Nothing”, there.

We haven’t moved yet, but yesterday the refrigerator did.  It was a big chore (or so I hear) but worth it.  The new house came with a side-by-side Jennair stainless fridge; neither of us has ever liked side-by-sides.  So now it lives at Benson Creek, where it goes quite well with the stove and microwave/vent hood, which are also stainless and black:

Whereas the Amana with bottom freezer and French doors, which is only a couple of years old, and we love, now lives at the new house.  It goes well with the cabinets:

Next:  we gots to move these Color Tee-Vees….  (actually, there is only the one).

We are well on the way to moving in within the week (not the shop and all, just us and the cats).  I packed and moved all the kitchen stuff the last 2 days, leaving behind a minimal setup so we can still eat and cook down here when we start commuting to Benson Creek to work.  The living room and dining room are together, since that was mostly furniture that came over from Seattle – finally!

Here’s how it’s looking:

Kitchen, taken from front entry

Kitchen, taken from dining room

Dining room with Oregon walnut table and koa/maple sideboard

Living room area with fireplace insert

I am amazed at how well our furniture fits into the new space.  Almost like it was made for it!

Posted in home life | 6 Comments »

Diamond in the Rough

March 7, 2010 by Katie

I took a couple of “before” pictures of my future studio space the other day.  It is the second story of the garage and has its own outside entrance down the side of the building in the back.  The footprint of the building is 30′ x 30′ but obviously there will be some unusable space under the eaves (but even that will be usable for storage, for the most part).  We think they meant it to be a guest apartment, as the plumbing is roughed in for a bathroom and a kitchenette.  The space is very well insulated and there is a propane fireplace which just needs to be hooked back up.

In a couple of weeks our drywall guy will be available to finish it off, and we’ll be able to paint the walls and ceiling. We’ll probably just paint the floor for now, as we haven’t thought through what we will want up there, and can’t spend the extra money now anyway.  Then we can start moving in my looms and knitting, spinning and weaving materials.  We will also set up a design/drafting area for Rick.  Eventually we will finish the bathroom and put in a sink area and counters for dyeing.  It’s going to be great!

looking towards the front of the building

looking towards the back and the stairway

Posted in home life | 4 Comments »

Edible Book Night

March 6, 2010 by Katie

Last night we went to a fundraiser for the Twisp Library expansion project.  It was held at the Twisp Grange hall and turned out to be a lot of fun!  People were asked to submit an “edible book” which was to be a cake or other dessert for the silent auction, taking their inspiration from a book title or author.  Puns were encouraged.

There was a good turnout, with a jazz trio, Mediterranean finger food buffet and no-host bar, and at least 25 edible books on display.  In addition to the silent auction, they had slips for people to vote on their favorites in 3 categories:  Best in Show, Best Depiction of a Book Title, and Most Pun-derful.

Our friend Jen Nawrot, who owns Paco’s Tacos in Twisp, won the “Best Depiction of a Book Title” for her chocolate lover’s cake (with edible chocolate rocks) of “The River Why”:

The River Why by Jen Nawrot

The River Why by Jen Nawrot

Mary Kiesau made a play on the author Barry Lopez’s name with “Berry LoPies”:

Berry LoPies by Mary Kiesau

Kim Odell came up with a rendition of “The Female Brain”:

The Female Brain by Kim Odell

Steve and Terry Dixon won Most Pun-derful for “The Beerslayer”.  Terry is the Twisp librarian.  The beer can was a pound cake:

The Beerslayer by Steve & Terry Dixon

Kirsten Ostlie, who manages the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp, came up with something for a book I was unfamiliar with —  “Why Sh*t Happens:  The Science of a Really Bad Day”:

Why Sh*t Happens by Kirsten Ostlie

Here’s one of two renditions of “The Life of Pi” by Mary Milka:

The Life of Pi by Mary Milka

Salyna Gracie won Best of Show for her cake, “Love in the Time of Cauliflower”:

Love in the Time of Cauliflower by Salyna Gracie

All of the desserts got at least one bid in the silent auction.  I tried to win The River Why but was persistently outbid, so switched over to this one:  “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” by Mike Maltais:

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Mike Maltais

It’s a chocolate cake, and we’re taking it to the annual Keyboard Confections concert tonight at the community center, which will also feature a dessert buffet.  It’s another fundraiser, to help provide funds for private lessons for local music students.

Posted in Methow Valley | 1 Comment »

Painting and Hiking

March 4, 2010 by Katie

It was hard to think of a title for this post since I am mostly trying to keep apace with events.

No pictures today of the new house, but we have been up there all week painting.  It turned out that most of the interior was painted a flat battleship gray only because that was a tinted primer or undercoat – not meant to be the final color!  Rick and I painted all three bedrooms, the laundry room, and the living/dining room – 2 coats.  It just about did my lower back in, unfortunately, and I am hobbling around here today.  We wound up hiring a professional to do the hallways and entry (which is 2 stories tall in places).  So now everything is painted except the kitchen and we can start moving some things in.  We have decided to go ahead and have the drywall done in my studio space, so we will have to hold off moving some things until that is completed, hopefully by the end of March.

I did take a day off to go hiking with my Tuesday group.  There were only 6 of us and we headed down valley in search of a place where the snow would be mostly gone.   “Mud season” can be challenging!  We went down south of Carlton to a wildlife area that used to be the Judd Ranch (cattle ranch).  A little hard to find if you don’t know it is there, which is a plus as far as we were concerned.  We walked up an old ranch road that climbed steadily for a couple of miles, and the views up higher were wonderful – looking off to the west to the hills and mountains between Gold Creek and Libby Creek.  This is definitely a place to go back to in a couple of weeks when the wildflowers start emerging.  There was still some snow and ice on the road where it was shaded.

Judd Ranch road hiking

Judd Ranch Wildlife Area

The gray hills of early spring

The gray hills of early spring

Posted in home life, outdoors | Leave a Comment »

In Which We See A Cougar

February 26, 2010 by Katie

We left Wolf Creek about 8:30 pm on Wednesday, heading back to Benson Creek.  I was driving.  After turning onto the Twin Lakes Road heading towards Winthrop, we picked up an animal in the headlights,  running  ahead of the car.

Me: “What’s that?? A dog?”

Rick: “No…. maybe a coyote?”

We get a little closer and see the long tail with black tip and distinct cat shape.

In unison: “IT’S A COUGAR!!”

Running down the Twin Lakes Road.  About a mile from Winthrop.

Posted in Methow Valley | 1 Comment »

The Latest Twisp in our Fate

February 25, 2010 by Katie

There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes activity around here the past month and a half.  In early January we looked at a house for sale about 16 miles up valley from our present location, after hearing about it from some friends who live on the same road.  To keep the story short, we immediately knew it was perfect for us in almost every way, and made an offer that was accepted after some negotiating back and forth.  The sale closed this last Monday, Feb 22, and now we are embarking on the transition of home and shop to our new home.

It was our long-range plan to build a modest sized, energy efficient house here at Benson Creek, starting about now (2010).  As the time approached, though, we felt daunted by the task and somewhat unpredictable expense involved.  Last summer we decided to start looking around for an alternative before committing to the process of building here, figuring “what’s the hurry” and that it might take a couple of years before we could make a final decision about moving rather than building.  So we are almost as surprised as everyone else!

The house is about 10 years old and was never completely finished (due to a divorce) – mainly interior finishes and things that we can easily handle.  It was constructed by the owner’s ex-husband using SIPs (structural insulated panels) and is extremely well-insulated.  I’ll post more as things move along, but now I have to get up there and do some painting!

I also have pictures from my spinning workshop and will work on getting those up over the course of the next week.  Stay tuned…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Off to Orcas

February 14, 2010 by Katie

I’m taking off today for the spinning workshop/retreat up on Orcas Island.  I have been to this event a couple of times in years past, but skipped last year.  It is organized by two women who live on Guemes Island, just off the coast from Anacortes.  Our instructor is the wonderful Judith MacKenzie, a master spinner, dyer and weaver – she truly is a “living treasure”.  There will be some old friends from Seattle in attendance, plus other women I have met there before who are also returning, and I hope to make some new friends as well.

The theme of the workshop this year is “Ethnic Spinning and Knitting: Cowichan, Aran and Icelandic”.  I have been spinning finer and finer yarns, so should learn a lot about the fibers used in those traditions and how to spin bigger, fatter yarns that suit the different knitting styles.

I made up a new batch of shawl pins this weekend and will be taking them with me:

I will visit with mom and dad on my way up today, and also on my way back down next Saturday.  Then Rick and I are meeting in Seattle to complete the move out of our apartment there.

I’m not taking the computer so am “going dark” for about 10 days.  I’ll have lots to report when I get back!

Posted in spinning, travel | Leave a Comment »

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