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Byrdcall Studio, LLC
Rya Rug Revival
and Creative Arts
by Melinda Byrd
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Greetings from Byrdcall Studio | |
Putting a Bug in Your Ear | |
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I've been thinking about writing this for a few years. When covid first began (and my book was just published) I often had the troubling thought, "Who will be the rya cheerleader and provider if something happened to me?"
I don't have children who will automatically step up and know all the techniques and procedures, nor are other family members waiting in line. I occasionally have friends help out in the studio for a day, but running a business is not on their minds either.
I feel the time to gracefully pass the torch is coming. I do need time to do other things so I'm looking ahead to the day when someone--maybe a couple, or a family--steps up with interest in doing what I do and hopefully MORE to keep rya alive and well. Someone with more energy and interest in teaching, designing, giving talks, demonstrating, and selling the supplies as I have been doing. This won't happen in the near future, but maybe this "bug in your ear" will get some of you thinking about what you could do to keep rya alive.
Carrying on the Byrdcall tradition would mean being caretaker of all-things-rya that have been entrusted to me--the rare design catalogs, hundreds of graphs and designs from 1950s - 1980s, and then starting about 10 years ago until now. Help people figure out their own designs and needed supplies, and have an internet presence and e-business plan. You might be better at outreach than I am. I'm becoming more curmudgeonly as I get older I'm not ashamed to say. People have used me as a repository for vintage rya supplies-- all these supplies need to go into the hands of someone who will allow them to manifest their destiny.
My book tells all my secrets, tips, and tricks so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. I'd love to talk with you and help you towards your goals and maybe I can step out of the spotlight and be back-up support for you. I guarantee that you will love the people you serve. I know I do.
Bzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
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Rya Palooza in Alexandria, Virginia | |
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Several months ago I got an email from Steve, an active member of a midcentury modern community in Alexandria, VA asking if I might consider speaking about rya to to his neighbors at a 75th Anniversary celebration of their community in June 2024.
Of course I was interested and honored to be asked. But here is the story within the story. Steve mentioned to me that he noticed on my website that I had grown up in Concord, Massachusetts. He, too, spent his childhood in Concord! When he told me he lived on Park Lane, I was shocked! I grew up on the very next road and had spent much of my youth playing with friends on Park Lane. (It was the best neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating!) Then I asked him if he had a sister named Wendy. He was totally shocked--yes, Wendy whom I had not seen since about 6th grade was indeed his sister. AND Wendy came to the event along with a beautiful rya rug that she had woven on her loom.
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The two photos in the opening section of this newsletter were taken at this event.
It was a feast for the eyes with a combination of Steve's ryas and my own. All the really big ones were his.
The home setting was spectacular. Mid century modern at its very best. Steve and his wife had a tantalizing array of rya rugs both hand knotted (on or off loom) and vintage quality machine made ryas.
About 40 people attended and many owned ryas already.
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The backyard was gorgeous and inviting. | |
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After a relaxed getting-to-know-you time, the group gathered in the living room and I "talked rya" for about an hour!"
I was relieved to see attentive faces throughout the whole talk and no yawning or texting going on.
Nordic-style refreshments were served on the patio surrounded by lush gardening and a stone goldfish pond.
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One woman in attendance had ordered a kit from me in advance which I brought for her.
I helped her get started then she was off and knotting away. Wendy sat with her for a while and gave helpful yarn tips.
All together it was a joyous occasion with a delightful group of friendly people who made me feel very welcome and appreciated.
This connection was meant to be.
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I was so happy to see José from UPS delivering my shipment of Norwegian supplies earlier this week. Lots of backings in those boxes. Time to think about your next project. | |
This month I have all supplies you might need with a few exceptions!
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 color)
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.
Etsy Shop Link
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Rauma Yarn Sample Cards
I received a few Norwegian Rauma color sample cards in this shipment.
I make the Lundgren Rya Sample Cards--and they are lovely! Whenever I run out, I make more--no fuss, no muss.
NOTE: Until I receive more sample cards from Norway, I will attach these two pictures to every newsletter so you can refer to this anytime you want to see these.
Click on link to Samples Packet on Etsy Shop
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Rauma Prydvevgarn 328 yards (300 M) 100 grams (3.53 ounces)
100% Wool - Spelsau (modern); 200 strands/skein when cut
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New Rya Design Ready as a Kit | |
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"View Across the Potomac"
Design by Susan Morduch
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This rya takes my breath away everytime I see a picture of it. Refresh your memory if it looks familiar to you in the Spring 2022 Newsletter. The artist, Susan Morduch had bought (and read!) my book and then designed and made this View Across the Potomac. She offered to work with me to make this design available to anyone as a kit. | |
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View over the Potomac is 31.5" x 47".
It is listed in my Etsy shop as of today for $550 with backing, all yarn, needles, graph, and threading card. Click to see the Etsy listing.
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It took a lot of work on her part, and a lot of work on my part to redraw the design, count knots, do the math and finally come up with a gorgeous kit.
More than a year went by when the Rauma 80x120cm backings were not available, but now they are. Now is the time to offer this as a kit.
Who will be the first? (Beth? You were the first to request it back in 2022!)
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Byrdcall Solo Art Exhibition at
Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm
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You probably know me as a rya rug supplier and cheerleader, but, did you know that I am also passionate about craftbrew? In fact I made all my own brew from 1995 to about 2018 when I stopped so I could focus on completing my book. Now I just enjoy the fruits of the labor of local farm breweries.
Did you know that I created art in many genres before I was hijacked by rya! Click here to see the wide variety of art I did back in the day.
I was overjoyed to connect with Milkhouse Brewery for a full taproom display of my art in many forms: paintings, woodcuts, linocuts, and of course some rya rugs.
- Installing artwork on July 18th
- Artist Reception in the Taproom Sat., August 3 from 4 - 7PM (If you live in the area, come see me with a big smile on my face.
- Sat., August 10, Bring your sketchbook for a drawing lesson with me. I can help you see things "differently" through drawing. No charge. Time TBD. Ages TBD. Probably older kids and adults
- Rya rug making demo and Q&A session. Hands on. TBD
My show will run through August and September. More details in the next newsletter. And photos. Come have a beverage with me.
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LAST CALL for signing up for Rya Class | |
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OK, some people like to do things at the last minute. I can relate. I still have room for a couple more.
NOW would be a great time to check out the website and sign up for classes. There is still room in many classes.
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Rya Classes at
July 8 - 12, 2024
It's not too late! Registration is currently underway but class begins MONDAY, July 8
If you are interested in a full week of intensive, but basic, classroom learning (Monday - Friday mornings), I'll be teaching again at Common Ground on the Hill in Westminster, MD where you can stay in a dorm room or snatch a local hotel room if you prefer. You also can register for a full array of classes in the traditional arts of the world in music, dance, traditional arts and not-so-traditional arts.
Check out their website for more info.
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Open Studio was canceled in June due to lack of registration. I will be too crazy busy in July and August to host a Rya Sewing Circle, so enjoy your summer vacations (if you have a vacation.) I think when the weather gets cooler and I give you plenty of notice, we can have success again with the Open Studio! Thanks for understanding.
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The Unveiling of the Mosaic Mural | |
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Main Street in Sykesville, Maryland got a new feature attraction on Fri., June 7th. The Mosaic Mural was unveiled featuring the artwork of over 2,000 artists from across the country. Click on the mural photo to go to the website that explains what it is all about.
My 6" painting in mostly blues is on the right-hand border about 5' up from the ground. Artistic ability is not a requirement for participating in this social art event. It's a great way to connect with a community.
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Show & Tell ~ Sharing with Others | |
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Autumn Rain Gives me
Hope for Rya's Future
Autumn joined our Rya Rug Friends Group on Facebook in May this year. She has shared some fascinating ways to bring it into her life, and the lives of people around her. She is resourceful and searches for the answers to her questions.
In May, she amazed people with this:
"I’ve been so fascinated by the art of rya, but I don’t have money for a kit. I constructed a simple cardboard box loom and kind of guessed by looking at the pre woven backings. Melinda, your YouTube videos were very helpful and informative for me. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the meditative art of rya weaving. This is my first rya piece if anyone has any advice or tips for rya weaving, please feel free to comment!"
There were lots of others who were appreciative of Autumn's creativity.
"I found out about rya weaving a month ago, while researching about Scandinavian varafeldurs in the viking age, since I do medieval reenactment. I quickly ran into your blog, which was a wealth of information and inspiration for me! Already familiar with tablet weaving, I wanted to try weaving my own rya. I started on a cardboard frame loom and immediately fell in love with rya making!"
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"I noticed my niece (3 years old) and nephew (6 years old) shared my fascination with rya. They especially liked touching and cuddling the shaggy texture, so of course they asked me to make one for them. I purchased a large plastic children’s needle so they could do plain weave in between the rya knots. | |  |
"I was so impressed with how much the kids were able to do, at their young ages! They enjoyed pulling the rya knots down the warp, and picking out the different colors of thread for each knot. They both LOVED beating the plain weave with the weaving comb (in this case, a fork), and practicing going over and under with the kids needle. | | |
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"With just a little bit of help (tying the knots was a bit tricky for them) they were able to make a beautiful Minecraft rya, since they are obsessed with Minecraft right now."
[FYI: Minecraft is a video game.]
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"I think rya is something they will continue to do, because they are already asking to make another! Even though it’s meant to hang on the wall, I have a feeling they’ll be using it as a sensory toy!" | | |
The Stained Glass Rya Progresses | |
Brenda Barton shared her progress with me a few weeks ago
In April, 2023 her amazing rya began when a friend of hers bought a small chapel and has converted it to an event center. This was one of the windows in the chapel. Brenda contacted me to see if I thought it was possible to recreate the stained glass in rya. She had made several rya rugs from kits before, but never designed one. I knew she could do it--because it was such a great idea.
She's gone above and beyond expectation of what was possible. She is using a Finnish backing 80cm (31.5") wide and a mix of vintage yarns, prydvevgarn and ryegarn. At the top you can see where she used colorful markers to guide her color choice. I think we have another natural rya rug designer here, folks. Kudos, Brenda!
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Vintage Finnish Ryijy Rug Kit is
Completed after 4 years of Making it Happen
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I love this and I bet you'll love this too. In March, 2020 (the same month I published my Rya book) Peter Norlin (from Ann Arbor area) contacted me trying to get off square one regarding working on a Finnish ryijy (rya). Well, here is his story. . . . . a very common story with a happy ending:
Peter writes:
"Yes, the informal title, “Ida’s Magic Carpet,” is an homage to my mother, who bought the original rya kit in a shop in Helsinki in 1971, and organized all the yarns into the appropriate knot code bundles, bagged them, and then knotted a few rows before her death from cancer some years later. Bill and I carried boxes with the rug backing and the bags of yarn from city to city and house to house as we moved through our professional lives, and it was only when the COVID lockdown brought our lives to halt that we decided to embark on this “little” project. As I mentioned, it took us four years to complete the rug, and it was certainly worth it, for so many, many reasons!
Anyway, the rya shop in Helsinki where Ida bought the kit is still in business 75 years later, Ryijypalvelu-RP Oy. Click on this link to see website
The design we knotted is, apparently, a very familiar, traditional pattern in Finland, called (in Finnish) RUUSUUPU or “The Rose Tree,” and it was designed by a Finnish rug maker, Terttu Tomero. You can find an extensive display of the other, available rya patterns and kits on the website, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re all quite spectacular.
Let me know if you have any other questions, of course. Thanks for your support and your help during this process. It was terrific to know whom to contact when we had a question."
Note how the threading card and graph are nicely mounted on the wall next to the ryijy. They used a carpet tack strip to position the ryijy in place.
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German Shepherd Enjoys a "Softening" Touch | | |
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Cristina Bäckman
from Sykesville (by way of Spain and Sweden) is raising a sweet boy named Atlas as a SAR (Search & Rescue) dog especially for when children go missing in the woods.
She had never made a rya rug before but knew she could handle knotting a leisure collar for Atlas.
She says it makes him look less intimidating (as he is a BIG German shepherd) and helps people recognize him for the sweet boy that he is.
Since his coat is long, Cristina chose to make the pile on the strip 2-2.5" long so it "feathers" into his coat. He's so pretty now. Nobody fears him.
Now Atlas get more smiles and pats as he meets people on the street.
Link to Listing in the Etsy Shop
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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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That is all for now. If I forgot anyone, let me know and I'll add you next time. Thank you for reading all the way to the end! Stay well and safe. Keep on knotting or doing whatever artwork makes you feel wonderful. Teach the little ones.
Let me know if you are giving thought to the possibility of carrying the rya torch someday. info@byrdcallstudio.com
I'll leave you with a few photos from my yard strolls.
Thanks for being such lovely people to spend time working with.
~ Melinda
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Two 14 year old girls still palling around like pups.
Enjoy the 4th of July, friends!
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PO Box 162
Woodbine, MD 21797
410-615-2473
info@byrdcallstudio.com
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