It is August 2022 and much has happened since this website was started. Thank you to everyone who follows this business. I love colour and try to produce gear that you will love too.
During my time at art school I used to get upset that I could not capture all the colours onto a zinc etching plate while inking up. I remember trying to rub one colour into the intaglio areas, then roll another on top, to create a third colour blend. In frustration I would go outside and have a mini breakdown! I realised that you can't capture all the colours... all the time. Using a zinc plate or limestone slab, had so many limitations. The fumes from the printmaking studio were pretty narly as well! I do remember that.
Back to the mecates...
Firstly, I swapped out the four strand mecates to the six strand with a twisted core. I had a friend build me a twisting machine out of various part of miscellaneous pieces of scrap metal that he found around the town. Many hours of trial and error resulted in a cool machine that enables me to twist mecates on my own; much to my children's relief!
Working out a whole new canvas of colours took me into a zone where I could not stop thinking about combinations and patterns. (How does one promote individual patterns that cannot be repeated due to the complexity of colours and arrangements?)
So secondly, I have attempted,( rather poorly for someone who is constantly distracted and thinking of new things), to organise the mecates that I make and market into patterns that then can be formed in an... (infinite array of colours?!) limited range of contrasting colours... this is bound to change though!
At the current moment the "available now" section of this website has the mecates that are sitting on the shelf awaiting purchase. This section is about to be filled with many more images of mecates that have never made it to this website before. So watch out and be at the ready..
Thirdly, I managed to capture a wool dyer who is a pretty dab hand at this task. She lives out at a beach on the East Coast of New Zealand and has salt and sand in her garden. She creates the most amazing colours in her own wools that she spins and dies and on sells in her own capacity. Sue, is her name, and she is a "master dyer". We have had some fun blending colours, fading out some earthy tones along the wool and generally exploring new ground for me. As well as keeping me winding wool on a night when there is nothing else to do.
Weird times we are living in at the moment. While wanting to curl up and cover my ears from everything going on, we all must keep doing what we love. Riding horses and making gear is my love, so that is the focus. Covid doesn't pay the bills.
Having been on the road at the beginning of this year, and meeting many like minded people, I am determined to carry on. I am determined to not let any powers from overseas elites try to tell me what to eat, wear, say or think.
While in lockdown in 2020, I followed Scott Gore on his patreon page, and learnt how to make and then process rawhide for making horse gear. Scott's page is fabulous and he is an excellent teacher in that he covers all the details and various aspects of making bosals and producing the actual rawhide.
Below you see an image of my "right hand man", reading the latest information from the vet about dogs. This dog is called "Beer", and is actually a human.
