Big Project Reveal

top of the big bag of yarn that arrived yesterday - yum!

stapler stand

cutting up sample #2

I hesitated to do the Big Project Reveal so soon but have made sufficient progress that I feel as though it is well on the way.

The first two samples have turned out the way I wanted them to, #3 is on its way to reaching material form (pun intended!) and #4 is actually further along in the design process so may get bumped up the queue.

So what is the topic?  This project grew out of the Workshop in a Box turned lecture/seminar/workshop called A Good Yarn.  What I am doing is taking a variety of fairly commonly available cotton yarns and designing projects for which I think they are particularly suited.  The text pages will talk about the specific characteristics of cotton fibre/yarn with the aim of helping people who want to know these sorts of things choose appropriate yarns for their cloth.  Fibre geeks I suppose I could call us.  :^)

I brought the stand for the electric stapler home the other day and cleared out a corner for it to live in.  Not entirely clear - the table still needs to be cleaned off and the buckets of bobbin lace - although they may wind up living under the stand!  (Doug has just returned with the stapler and set it up immediately so that is good to go.)  As soon as I cut the finished #1 samples apart I can start stapling.

The format for this publication will be very similar to Magic in the Water.  The samples will be stapled to card stock but this time I'll also include samples of the yarn used.  Drafts are primarily for 4 shafts, although I may include a couple of 8 shaft drafts.

The pages will be printed via a laser printer (I think - I still have to explore actual options).  There will be no binder, partly to keep the cost of publication down, but also to reduce the shipping cost.  Most people can get their hands on a 3 ring binder, after all.  And as someone from Europe pointed out, their standard paper size and ring configuration is different than in N. America.  The sample pages are already drilled for the N. American standard so they will come with that format.

I am making 150 copies (give or take) so if you want to be first in line, let me know.  (email laura at laurafry dot com) I'm taking names of people who are interested and will contact them first.  Price is still ball parked at between $50 and $60, depending on cost of printing.  For this you will receive 10 projects illustrated with before and after samples of the cloth, draft and wet finishing info.  (Well, I could hardly leave that out, right???)

With fewer and fewer guilds including samples in their newsletters and the cost of producing a publication with actual samples in, I'm hoping there will be enough interest to carry on with several more topics (potentially:  silk, linen, the rayons)

Please let your friends know.  150 copies is all there will be - first come, first served!

Currently reading Inheritance by Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm