Yarn in unexpected places

Back in December, before my annual art show and before things got stressful, I was at the Randy Brodnax Christmas show that is held each year not far from home. We have several friends that have been part of this annual event and usually meet up with several others who are there as patrons of all the art. It’s a great opportunity to jump start the gift buying season. And of course, what usually occurs is that we bring home just as much for ourselves as we do for gifting. Some years it becomes more of a social event! There were folks missing from the selling side that we usually spend time catching up with and we went first thing on Saturday morning before any of our other friends got out and about. Those two things combined meant we were able to peek into booths of folks we hadn’t met before or seen their craft.

That is a very convoluted way to begin the yarn part of this story. I have never seen yarn at this show even though there have been a few textile artists over the years. Of course it’s only been the last three years that I might have been interested and looking for it, so there’s that.

One of the first booths we stopped in was a textile artist named Audrey Legatowicz. I had seen her booth in years past but the reason we stopped in was to look at some of her woven towels. Really pretty and yes, took home a couple towels for gifties. Then I looked up and saw a wall piece that she had done using, you guessed it, yarn in a free form really cool way. This is my picture of her work. My brain went into overdrive. I turned around to ask her about it and almost stumbled on the basket of yarn. I swear, it must have stalked me like a puppy does when it wants attention.

I admit it. I don’t know why but when I find these unexpected delights, I get kind of giddy. So, if I remember correctly, she gets the fiber from someone she knows and also from farther away. Then she hand spins the yarn and dyes it according to what she wants for her art pieces. The yarn she was selling, I think, were the extra bits she has left after the art piece is finished.

And it came at a great time for me. My show was the following weekend and I had been struggling to find a way to put these oh so cute mini magnifying glasses (on the handles of which I had put some of the glass beads that I make…one of my other lives) on a necklace of some sort. I wanted a crafter to be able to wear it while they crafted and still be able to find it when they needed to use it. And the glass part is tiny, kind of like a jeweler’s loop.

Her awesome yarns, so different every one, were perfect for that. I could loop, drape, crochet, tie the yarn and then add the magnifying glass. So, an artsy craftsy look and feel; soft and functional.