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Byrdcall Studio, LLC
Rya Rug Revival
and Creative Arts
by Melinda Byrd
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Greetings from Byrdcall Studio | |
Things are looking pretty good.
If you've been waiting for anything,
check with me--I probably have it.
Things are GOOD in the supply department. I can prepare and send ANY kit you see in my Etsy shop.
We are well-stocked with all colors of Rauma Ryegarn and Prydvevgarn (except for one or two colors)
We have woven backings from Rauma in Norway, and Wetterhoff and Taito Pirkanmaa in Finland.
We still have 34 of the Lundgren Rya yarn colors in stock many at reduced prices in the Etsy shop.
Click here Etsy Shop Link for full samples package.
If you just want one type of yarn samples card, you can order them individually at this Etsy Link.
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Here are a few Kits Ready-to-Mail or to be Picked up:
Sometimes I make kits in advance for some reason, and sometimes I order them constructed by Rauma in Norway. I always add the Byrdcall special touch of translation and starting the kits for you to get you going on the right foot. I just don't want them sitting around the studio for weeks... so if you want one, now is a good time to order one.
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Mountain Spirit ($520)
Full directions are enclosed along with 20 needles, and all the yarn required to complete this 31.5" x 47" (120 cm x 80 cm) hardy rya rug for the floor or hanging on the wall. Either way, you will be creating a work of art. The art and design was done by me, so it is my original art work which I share with you.
Click to see more info in the Etsy Shop
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Tornerose ($540)
This complete rya rug kit titled "Tornerose" is provided by the Rauma wool mill in Norway. It is available in this size only. It is made with a combination of two types of rya yarns from the heritage breed Spaelsau from Norway. See the photos with all the colors laid out together. Tornerose is not a shrinking violet. It is a statement piece for hanging on the wall or placing on the floor in a low-traffic area.
Click to see more info in the Etsy Shop
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Soldans ($386)
Soldans! Time to dance in the sun!! YOU can make this amazing rya designed by T. Kosonen-Buvik.
The colors in this kit are spectacular! Yes, you can make an off-loom rya rug. This kit has everything you need to make this very high quality product from Norway. I make it easy for you by actually starting the first row for you and adding detailed instructions which I translated from Norwegian to English.
Click for more info in Etsy Shop
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Fjellflora ($586 )
This old traditional Norwegian rya kit is named Fjellflora. It is 31.5" wide x 59" (80 x 150 cm) No frames or loom required. Everything you need is included--except scissors.
This is a great kit for a beginner or advanced knotter. The design is not difficult and the graph easy to follow. YOU can make this amazing rya!
This kit has everything you need to make this very high quality product from Norway designed by Bi Magnus. This rya rug can be hung or placed on the floor.
Click for more details in the Etsy shop
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The Fireflower kits come in several color choices. On hand at the moment I have blue-greens and Rusts. To be honest, if you wanted another color choice, I would make more, but they are really time consuming to make so to stay in the theme of this article--these are the two color choices "on hand."
You have the choice of two different backings with the Fireflower kit: Norwegian or Finnish. The end result will be the same size. Both a very high quality woven wool and linen backings. Read the Etsy write-up for details.
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Passing the Torch Conversation | |
Another Bug for your Ear
In the last 3 newsletters, I shared my need for finding a torch carrier for the rya rug business and legacy. If you missed it, click on the the archives and read the bug in your ear articles.
I don't expect anything to change soon, and I'm still "in business" as much as ever, but if you are wondering how you can fit into being one to keep rya alive in the USA, let me know. There are so many ways you can be part of the rya revolution. I have lots of technical skills and helpful marketing skills to share with the right person. "How do you sell rya rug making supplies to a beginner and be assured that they will have success?"
No rush, but thinking about it is part of the process. Enough for now . . . are you feeling a buzz in your ear?
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Open Studio ~ Drop In Day~ Sewing Circle
Holiday Shoppers Welcome
Sat., Dec. 7th from 10 am - 3:00 pm
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Stop by the Studio for lots of reasons!
- See my the work space where it all happens.
- Pick up a T-shirt or two for stocking stuffers
- Bring a rya in progress and knot a few rows with buddies
- Come pick up your new Cardinal Cheer Holiday cards. See below!
- Select a backing and some yarn for your next rya project
- Pick up a ready-made kit (Let me know in advance so I have time to get it ready for you.)
- See the little-known artsy items I have all over the studio that no one ever sees but I would love to watch you discover!
- Pick up a rya backing strip, some yarn, a needle, and make a decorative rya dog collar. $25 and I'll personally help you get started.
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When you leave, know that the Carroll County Artists Studio Tour is also going on today, so you can visit a couple of other fine studios in the area. Make a date with some friends. Check out their website.
Studio is located at 1103 Hoods Mill Rd, Woodbine, MD 21797
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Remember the Cardinal Linocut I carved last
Christmas Season?
Well, I'm working with my local printer to have cards professionally printed so I can offer them for sale in various quantities. I had hoped to have them ready to go by the time this newsletter went out, but the timing didn't work out--or rather, I'm impatient and wanted to get the newsletter out as close to Nov. 1st as possible.
I've seen the "proof" and they look great. Some have a nice holiday message and some will be blank for your own message. I'll announce their availability on my Byrdcall Studio Facebook page and on Etsy. I'll also be selling them at The Vine on Main Street in Sykesville, Maryland if you are a "local." I expect to have them by about Nov. 10th.
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Show & Tell ~ Sharing with Others | |
Romain Frugé
Hyde Park, NY
As a rya artist Romain is perfectly comfortable with playing with mixing colors until he gets it right. He's not shy about pulling out knots and reknotting them where he wants them. He intricately mixes colors as the design develops.
He works areas of color instead of strictly row by row. Bravely, he will knot without having figured out exactly what is next. See if you can figure out the changes that he made from the image below to the finished piece.
This rya completed on Sept. 17, 2024.
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Jeanne Jacobson
Kennett Square, PA
Jeanne is addicted to rya rug making. If she isn't knotting something she is "out-of-sorts." Check out past newsletter archives to see some of her works.
Believe it or not, decades ago when she lived in Boston, she was a customer of my grandparents, the Lundgrens of Lundgren Rya in Northboro, Massachusetts! And now I am the "supplier" of her habit . . . and proud of it! My grandparents would be so happy to know we connected later in life.
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I asked Jeanne how many rya rugs she has made. She told me 10 or 12. I was puzzled because I thought that I had sent her more backings than that. So I asked her to clarify that. She said she had made 10 or 12 BIG rugs, but "thousands" of pillow sized ryas! I am pretty sure she is exaggerating, but it was so funny to me that she didn't even count the pillows which were the only way I knew of her rya work. | |
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When Jeanne first told me she was going to make a chicken, she shared, "My daughter-in-law, when I asked what I could do for her for Christmas, she said, 'A rya with a chicken.' She even showed me a chicken she preferred. Thus, 'Cluck.' She is an investigative reporter at Reuters and a flourishing painter. In one of her most successful works of art, she added a chicken and the rest is history!"
So I mailed Jeanne a hemmed piece of Swedish 24" wide backing. She soon sent me a photo of her drawing on the backing asking what I thought. My only concern was that the chicken didn't fill much of the backing and would rely on lots of background design. (I don't like to be critical, but I knew she wanted my true opinion.) She immediately enlarged the drawing of the chicken to a perfect size for the backing. The final rya, "Cluck" is quite a stunning, unique piece. I am pointing out the resizing of the chicken design to say that sometimes people are afraid to draw on a backing for fear they can't correct a boo-boo, But this just goes to show you can.
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"Demar is my design; it's the road I lived on when I created it! No story about the design - it was my first foray into rya and I wasn't sure what I was doing. Demar has been used mightily over the years and I still love it. With its very special circumstances a la Northboro, how could it NOT be special!!!" | |
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"Demar"
1969
This is the first rya rug designed by Jeanne when she was buying supplies from my grandparents.
I asked her where the name came from. She replied:
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I'm Teaching at Common Ground on the Hill July 7 - 11, 2025 | |
It's too early to sign up, but not too early to pencil in on your calendar--that is if you have a 2025 calendar yet. I guess most people use their iPhones these days. I'm still a paper calendar girl. | |
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Hot off the Press!
You can mark your calendars if you are so inclined. Every year, this is a highlight for me and my students. Morning classes from Monday - Friday learning everything you can learn in a week about knotting a rya rug.
Check out their website for basic information.
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Have You Heard about the Book?
(A shameless promotion)
The hardbound books are starting to run low, but I still have lots of books to send out. I self-published so no one else is pushing them for me. Unless you do. And I thank you.
Do you know anyone who would enjoy this book? I would so appreciate your support of sharing my book with anyone who might enjoy it. If you know a shop that might like to carry a few books, I sell wholesale. Share with anyone who might appreciate the book. Thank you. Click here.
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You see? A fairly short and easy newsletter!
Some things to make note of:
- If you need any supplies, kits, or info from me, I am well-stocked now.
- If you want to come to the Dec. 7th Open Studio, mark your calendar. I'd love to see you.
I want to thank all the people who contacted me after the last newsletter when I couldn't remember the name of one of my garden stroll plants: Wild Bergamot. It so nice to know so many of you are naturalists! I think I'll leave them unnamed this time around so my in-box doesn't fill too fast. I actually took these garden photos in early October when I was trying to get the newsletter out before going on vacation. I like them too much to delete them unseen.
Many of you have kindly asked me how I've been doing since my summer health crisis which I thought had been brought on by a spider bite--but it was NOT a spider. It was later determined to be a deer tick that gave me a nasty bout of Lyme disease which I wouldn't wish on anybody! Felt like a lost a month of my life before I was properly diagnosed and treated effectively. John and I took our elderly black lab to the beach in North Carolina for two weeks and all is well with the world.
Thanks for staying with me through this newsletter.
Thanks for being such lovely people to spend time working with.
I'll leave you with a few photos from my garden strolls.
~ Melinda
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PO Box 162
Woodbine, MD 21797
410-615-2473
info@byrdcallstudio.com
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