I am very pleased to be bringing you the latest issue of tinyStudio Creative Life magazine, in both print and digital! For 2024 my goal is to focus on art yarns, the spinning of them and also all the various ways to put them to use in our projects, and this issue is full of arty inspiration. Even if you are not a focussed art yarner, there is plenty to keep you entertained and informed as well.
In this issue you will find a lovely interview feature with my fellow New Zealander Fleur Woods, (featured on the cover!) who has recently written the book ‘The Untamed Thread’ (also reviewed in this issue). Fleur creates the most delightfully complex and layered pieces using embroidery, fabrics, and yarns, but her book is really focussed on creativity itself, where to find inspiration, and lots of tips and ideas for maintaining a passion for your crafting; it really is a beautiful book and I was thrilled that Fleur so generously shared some insights into her processes for the magazine article.
We also have a feature by another New Zealander, the awesome Pat Old, who has a wonderfully technical approach to spinning and systematically researches every aspect that she shares in classes and spin groups. I always rely on Pat’s knowledge as the gold standard in spin tech, as well as admire her endless cache of creativity. In this article Pat shares some super interesting info on finishing yarns, with examples of ways you can use the fulling techniques outlined to create some really unique and tremendously useable yarns.
Jane Deane, a very talented and knowledgable fiber artist from the UK is back with us to share an article on how to use mordants to create a range of different colours from the same natural dye pot. I find this fascinating, and it is amazing to see what kind of colours nature produces, and how we can modify them to extend them even further. It is hard not to rush out to the garden for experimental supplies; rhubarb is one that Jane uses in her examples, and it seems to be particularly plentiful on the farm!
We dive into art yarns with some super textured art yarns by the very clever artist Ashley Martineau. The art yarn crochet project is super fun and a total eye catcher. This would be such a great garment to wear to a fiber festival or art event to make a gloriously textured splash. Ashley’s article includes a step by step on how to create this cardigan, and it doesn’t even take long!
Siobhan Harlakenden is back with some more fascinating historical weaving, with the very striking use of wool locks turned into a fantastic Viking style cloak. I really like how Siobhan approaches these historical subjects with an eye to detail, and has even included images from the Osteroy Museum in Norway that shows the different ways this kind of weaving has been constructed in a variety of countries and they various ways the locks have been knotted into the fabric.
And speaking of locks, as well as an art yarn recipe for creating a ‘fern inspired’ art yarn, I have also written what I hope will be a very useful article on how to keep the lock structure intact when you are making a lock-spun yarn for maximum texture. This is a simple technique which also includes a link to my video on spinning this very textural yarn.
There is much more to inspire and delight in this issue, including a truly stunning visual journey through parts of Japan with Vicki Cornish, who takes a fiber break but brings home so much inspiration to guide her next projects! We also have a visit from the very talented art yarn spinner Noriko Miyashita from Japan, who not only makes her own innovative yarns, but also creates beautiful garments from them.
Then we have something really fun from Arlene Thayer, a new genre that I am going to call yarniefiction, fantasy fiction with a fairy tale bent, played out by some of Arlene’s most character-full art yarns!
We take a trip to the farm, with Spring McGriff and her marvellous mohair goats, we follow Sayra Adams (Atomic Fiber Studio) as she moves across the USA with her carding stations and fiber studio, and we journey to late 19th Century Netherlands to revisit the Art Nouveau movement with Ineke De Brouwer in the latest instalment of her dynamic weaving series. Matthew Wright also takes us on an historic visit, to War Time New Zealand and the ‘Land Girls’ who took on all the farming tasks of the ‘menfolk’ who were fighting in Europe throughout the Second World War.
This still isn’t everything, but I will leave the rest for you to discover in this issue, which is out now and available to purchase in the fiberygoodness shop! Remember if you have a Digital Membership you will already have Issue 23 in your email inbox, and you can purchase the print version with a 15% discount from the Members Only page.
Happy reading everyone!
Suzy
