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Are You Interested in Ordering my Book when it is Released?

Sep 14, 2019

We are getting towards the end of an 8 year endeavor, my friends!  Some of you have been patiently waiting for many years. Now as I work with kind editors, indexer, and book producer, we are on track for publishing in the next few months.  No, I can’t be specific and unexpected things can happen, so let’s just say “quite possibly by the end of 2019!”  But I can not guarantee since I’ve never done this before and I never dreamed it would take 8 YEARS. But it will be worth it.

The sole purpose of this Blog is to help me determine (when the time comes) how many books to order for anticipated immediate sales right off the bat.  I don’t even know how much the book will cost you, but you will be under NO commitment-to-buy if you help me out in this little survey.

I’m using this blog so I won’t jam my email-box and I can always refer back to this list for priority mailings if I have more orders than I have books.  But I can guarantee I will fill and refill my Amazon orders regularly so every one who wants a copy gets a copy as quickly as possible. And you will be able to buy directly from Amazon once they have it up-for-sales.

So, all you have to do is post a comment below with your name and “Yes I want a book!”  You can phrase it any way you like.  😉  (Again, no commitment, since you don’t even know the price.) To add a comment, click on the little “conversation bubble” by the heading of this blog. No worries if you don’t see your comment right away. If this is the first time you’ve commented on a post there is a delay.

Ready … Set … GO!

FYI As of about 4 PM on Thursday, September 19, it looks like 136 book reservations made. 🤗

 

A Collaborative Rya Project

Mar 17, 2019

John Terzakis in New Jersey has made 3 1/2 rya rugs to date.  It is his new passion.

This is the 16″ x16″ kits which John had already made. Click to read more about it.

His daughter, Elizabeth, in California contacted me in January asking if I could redesign the “Fireflower in Grays” design to a larger rya kit for her father to make for her with some additions of cranberry reds.  That really didn’t seem to be too challenging a request, but in the throws of finishing my book, I couldn’t take on a designing job at that time.  Elizabeth had definite ideas for exactly what she was looking for, so I challenged her to do the designing.  When she shared her design on paper with me, I thought, “What a perfect opportunity to try out my worksheet and math formula on a rya-newbie.”  I sent her lots of information directly from the book manuscript so she could do the process that would tell her exactly how much yarn it would need.  In exchange for her doing this work (and helping me tweak the calculations worksheet) I agreed to drawn the design onto the backing for her.  Good trade. At first glance she felt overwhelmed by the process I had emailed to her unexpected, and said her schedule and busy life would not allow her to do it.  But on second thought she gave it a go and found that the process actually worked.  (I did have to make a clarification or two which I have amended in the book–lucky for you all!)  But she gave me a list of yarn needed which was quite exact from my perspective.  She and her mother both put some time into figuring, but I was so impressed that it came out so perfectly.

I, in turn, took her design onto which she had superimposed a grid, and I drew it onto the 80 x 120 cm Rauma backing from Norway for them.  I used strands of dark yarn to “stitch the grid,” then slowly and carefully drew Elizabeth’s deign onto the backing with a Sharpie Laundry marker. When I removed my grid lines, the backing was ready to go. Then I gathered the ryegarn and prydvevgarn exactly as Elizabeth had specified, and shipped the whole kit off to John.

I just found out that he is moving right along–maybe halfway done at this point.  I hope to share a photo of the completed rya here soon.  Since then I have spent hours working on the worksheets and formulas included in the book to make everything even clearer…and then I’m always here for you if you have a question.

Here is the pile of yarn needed as gauged by Elizabeths calculations. I know it is right!

Again I Need Your Help . . . Metric or Imperial System?

Feb 1, 2018

First, I want to thank you for all the title suggestions and comments shared on my last blog.  There were 20 comments and ALL were very meaningful and helpful.  I think I have made the big decision, but will wait until closer to book release time to reveal the winner.  That also gives me a little leeway in case I change my mind again.

Sometimes it is the little things that prevent progress.  I have so few knowledgeable rya chums to bounce ideas off of, I come to you …and most of you I’ve never met.  But you are so helpful and important to me.

METRIC:  Throughout my book I have written all measurement in the Imperial system (inches, feet …) followed by the Metric system (cm and M)  in parentheses.  I know most of my customer base are from the USA and most slip into a catatonic state when I mention lengths in centimeters.  I majored in the biological sciences in college and always used the metric system, but even my USA-brain thinks in the Imperial system in daily communication.  The main problem is to list both in the book text every time I mention a length makes the sentence look unwieldy and is a little hard to read.  So do I use the Imperial system, metric, both, or put a conversion table in the appendix.  YOU may have a better idea. I think I know what needs to be done, but I’m looking for reassurance.  (Now you know how insecure I really am.)

I made this rya pillow when I was in 6th grade. It has been the dog pillow for my last 4 dogs.

Making Rya Pillows:  I have made dozens of rya rugs, but only one as a pillow.  I know how I did it, but it might not be the best way. I would like to share in my book a few different ways to turn your rya into a pillow.  I know several of you have done this.  How did you do it? What are the issues to consider. (My grandparents didn’t teach me everything!)

Hanging:  And another thing I am not an expert on: How do you hang a rya rug on the wall.  I have them hanging nicely all over my house, but is my way the best way?  More and more people are hanging their ryas as the fine art that it is.  Most figure out what works best for them and they just do it.  Now I am asking all of you who have adlibbed a hanging system to share it with me–and the world!

Some backings have a hollow hem into which a dowel can be slid.

A narrow sleeve can be sewn on your sewing machine then hand-stitched to the top of the backing for a hanging rod.

A couple of you have already shared your techniques with me, and I appreciate it.  Just thought I’d put out the call for multiple good ideas to be included in the book … I don’t want to have to write it again!

I guarantee there will be more questions in the coming weeks as I grapple with the most challenging paragraphs.  Thanks in advance.  Please share with others who have knowledge in these fields of interest.

Please respond below and we can get a conversation going.  You may not see you comments immediately, but check back later to see how the conversation is going. Many helpers make my work lighter.  And hopefully my book will will make your projects easier.

Cheers,  Melinda

 

Open Letter to my “Stitches United” Rya Class

May 8, 2017

Dear Class,

I decided to share this letter as a blog because there are so many others out there who might be in the same stages of rya learning as you.  Plus, this way, you can all communicate with each other and me by adding comments below.  Maybe even people who were not in the class might ask questions or offer ideas, too!

First let me say, I totally loved being your instructor at Stitches United in Hartford, CT last week.  I now know that people who handle yarn regularly as knitters or weavers have a more natural tendency to grasp the basic concepts of graphing a rya rug.  I can’t wait to see the outcome of your designing work.  You were all so diverse in your designs.

But I also know that once you are away from class it is easy to forget something or find that your knots are doing things that you didn’t intend them to do, so let me know how I can help get you back on track if anything goes wrong.  Here are some typical questions that arise:

What do you do if you skipped a warp bundle and your knots are not lining up as you expected?  It happens to the best of us.  Easy to fix.  First confirm that the knots you are making now look exactly like the knots you were making in class and have not morphed into some mutant knot.  If the knot is fine, but you just skipped a “hole” you can get back on track by either extending another knot to “skip another hole” or use the warp bundle next to the gap twice…overlap a knot. Who would know?  Of course you can pull knots out by the head, and replace them where they belong or just change your design slightly.   I almost never pull out knots to fix a mistake.  If you can get away with fixing a booboo so no one knows it happened, that is an excellent choice.

What if you started making 15-16 knots from each threading, but as you progress, your loops get steadily longer and now, half way through, you realize you are getting 13-14 knots per threading?  You might be okay with the amount of yarn given for this class, but you might run out, and that is not a problem, just an inconvenience.  Best thing would be to cut back on the loop length gradually, and increase the “turn of your scissors to make a slightly greater variation in the pile length of each knot.  No one will know.  😉

Remember the Gray Fireflower design on which you all made your first knots?  I just finished that a couple of evenings ago.  I really like it.  Take a look.

And by the way, remember that horrible-looking chart to help you mathematically calculate the amount of yarn you would need?  I did that chart using Gray Fireflower as the example, and I am ecstatic to say that the quantities of yarn I gathered to make that rya came out perfect with about  7-9 strands extra of every color.  I knew it should work out, but to do those calculations and a couple weeks later have it come out right on target…just thought I’d confirm with you the the system works!

Now I am adding you all to my e-newsletter mailing list as you all gave me permission to do.  I welcome you to send me photos of your rya work and any question you might have.  Post your questions and comments below.  (You might not see your posting right away, since I have a security measure to keep spammers from posting their ads.) I don’t think you can post pictures in the comments, but I can edit this blog and add your photos as you send them.

Thanks and keep in touch…  Melinda Byrd

PS  Here is the first photo sent by Grace with her cat design a little more than halfway done! I love your colors, facial features, and whimsicality! (Grace is already planning her next rya.)

 

And here is Grace’s complete and hanging on the wall!  Amazing…

Here is Karen’s all complete.  She revised the necklace design at the end (due to shortage of a color she was planning to use) but the outcome is very eye-catching!

And this just in from Julia Horgan, inspired by the drawing of the hydrangea flowers and leaves.  Great color blendings.

 

And this just in from Connie–now complete!  Looking good! Great technique–actually ALL of you have great technique! (In case you forgot, Connie’s inspiration was the calendar page of the fall colors in the aspen grove–zoomed in.) Love it!

And below is Nancy’s–all done.  Remember how Nancy loved the traditional Finnish ryijy from one of my catalogs? She redesigned a smaller version as seen here, but she also asked me to order the real kit from Finland which she now has received and will be starting shortly.   We know it will be quite different to knot, but the colors will be spectacular and the yarn finer and softer. (Remember the Finnish skein I showed you in class–how it looked like nice yarn for a sweater?)  So stay tuned on Nancy’s report on the new project!

 

So here are the Finnish Kit supplies from Suomen Perinnetekstiilit (Formerly Vuorelma) in Finland.  Since it is a larger backing with many more knots across each row, Nancy will be able to get the clear definition of the tulip flower.  Can’t wait to see her progress.

Remember, feel free to comment below.

VE Magazine features Mid-Century Modern Ryas and my Efforts to Revive the Almost-lost Art of the Rya Rug

Feb 16, 2017

Rya Rug-making…Yesterday and Today. This early ad is from one of my old C.U.M. Rya catalogs from Denmark.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from the editor of VE Magazine (stands for VintagExplorer) based in the United Kingdom.  VE is available both in print and online with subscriptions from all around the world.  She was working on an article featuring the history of mid-century modern rya rugs and some of the unique advertisements that were created to put this art form on the map.  You have to see them to believe it!  Click here to go directly to the Rya Rugs article.  If you are a fan of all things vintage, treat yourself to a trip back in time.  Let me know if any of you remember the advertisements.  I recall my grandmother saying, “That’s ridiculous.  Who would put a rya rug in the beach sand?”  But the image lasted for decades for me.

The article also contains rare information about the history of the Nordic ryas to which I can attest there is very little written.  I was thrilled to see the history is very similar to what I have assembled for the history chapter in my book on designing and making the off-loom rya. (Phew!  So I know it is all TRUE!) She wanted to conclude her story with an optimistic word about making a rya rug today…and she found me.  Of course I gave her all the info and photos she needed to complete the story.  The off-loom art of rya rug-making has a new ally of support and outreach to the world.  So exciting to have others sharing the story.

Louise working on her first rya of her own design at the February 2017 Rya Sewing Circle at Byrdcall Studio. Denis is starting on his third rya of the past 12 months!

I think it is really cool that she has put the challenge out to the VE readers to make a rya rug.  A kit is a great way to get started, or start designing your own.

I keep adding to my kits-on-hand inventory from Rauma of Norway each month.  I also have a few of my earlier designs listed on etsy. Why not check out my etsy shop?

If you would like to share your latest rya project, or even a vintage one, post on Pinterest or Instagram with hashtags #vintagexplorermag, #ryarugs, or #midcentury.  Be proud to share in any social media you choose and in real life, too, like as a fiberart in the County Fair!  If there is no category for “Rya Rugs” request a new category for an old craft.   The more we get our ryas “out there” the more people will realize it isn’t just an art of the past.

While your interest is peaked, why not check out these links:  www.vintagexplorer.co.uk and www.mantiquexplorer.co.uk

If you remember these ads, tell us.  If you care to comment about this blog, feel free to do so below.  You may not see your comment immediately, but check it out later and see what others have said.  Thanks!  Knot on!

Perfectly manicured hands demonstrate the rya knotting technique in another promotional photo by C.U.M. Rya of Denmark in 1960s-70s..

 

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