Welcome To My blog--my name is Barb and I am a weaver in a small town in Wisconsin called Dell. Actually it is more of a place than a town but I love living in the middle of nowhere. I am a weaver and my studio name is"COULD HAVE BEEN A PIANO" I always said I was going to learn how to play the piano, but as luck would have it I met a wonderful group of women weavers and was hooked. I have been weaving for three years or so but have been addicted to fiber since I started knitting when I was about 10. I still love to knit and do some spinning and dying as well. I love natural fiber and texture. I like to use thrift store finds and use my imagination.







Thursday, August 12, 2010

Summer Towels

I thought I would try and make some towels.  I had some really nice organic cotton, cotillion and tencel on hand as well as some really old bias tape from the Silver Palate in New York  that I couldn't bear to throw out so I recycled it for the hangers.  I threaded the red tencel in rosepath and did a different variation in each of the towels. 

Monday, July 26, 2010

Summer Fun

One of my favorite times in summer is going to Door County.  I have a friend who has graciously let us use her cottage in Baileys Harbor for the past ten years.  Its a great time--my daughter and her family go as well has Harry and I.  The boys stay a couple of days and then it just the kids, Liz and I.  We have great fun going to the beach and just hanging out.  It is nice to see teenagers who still love to dig in the sand! Of course sweet Violet Rose is too little to dig, but she did love to sleep on the beach.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Three Bags Full


I have been thinking about market bags, maybe because my garden overflowith!!  Usaully I don't put on enough warp for more than one thing but I thought I would try it this time.  I first thought I wouuld get enough for two bags but the cotton I used (10/2 pearl) shrunk very little.  It was fun figuring out what to do to make them different from one another.  The large bag in the middle actually folds up so that you can put it in a purse and take it along with you. Black and white always reminds me of summer.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Indigo


So I thought I would dye some indigo today.  I had restarted the pot and it smelled pretty bad so I figured it was time to give it a shot. 
I like indigo because it is simple to do, a pot, some gloves and some time.  I noticed when I hung it on the line outside that a butterfly was interested.  It also seemed to attract a lot of flies!!! I like the result.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Two New Pillows


These two pillows are made of some leftover handpainted silk and handpainted Merino.  I made them in squares and sewed them together so that I could get different textures on each pillow. They are all woven from the same tie-up.  The pattern is out of my favorite "green " book

Saturday, May 29, 2010



Meet sweet Violet Rose. She was born on Thursday and weighed 8#4oz.
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Monday, May 24, 2010

Hiking to Finger Lake




Went for a hike to Finger Lake and some
of the early wildflowers were out and
about. It is still chilly here and we had
some snow yesterday.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Ran across this guy in the park. There were heards of bison all over the place. Also saw some wild horses. Went on a hike and picked up some fiber--it was really soft and maybe I will spin it into something. This park is really beautiful and it was the perfect time of year to be there.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

I Amost Whacked It

I started making a linen and sari silk scarf that was really cool, that is until I started weaving it. The sari silk tore, freyed, got stuck and drove me nuts!! If it wasn't so expensive I would have whacked it. Instead I cut it out of the warp and kept on. When I finished it wasn't long enough for a scarf so I made a Mobius strip cowl instead. What do you think?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Earth Day Bag

In honor of earth day I decided to weave a tote bag--No more plastic. It is all cotton and was great fun to weave

Monday, April 19, 2010

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For Rent--Foreclosed?

For the past two years robins have nested in this swing on the front porch of my studio. So far no takers this year. Do you think robins had subprime loans?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Spring In Wisconsin

It is an early spring in Wisconsin, temperatures in the 80's. We usually don't see these until May or June. In honor of the early spring I wove this scarf. It is mostly linen with a few cotton accents. I like it because it is very long and fun to wear. I hung it in my old apple tree. The scarf is my donation to the Driftless Art Festival silent action which will be held on May 15th.